ROCHESTER, Minn., and ROCKVILLE, Md. — Mayo Clinic, Hibiscus BioVentures (Hibiscus) and Innoforce announce the launch of Mayflower BioVentures, a cell and gene therapy accelerator dedicated to identifying and forming companies around technologies that address unmet patient needs. This academic and industry relationship will establish independent cell and gene therapy companies to advance the development of Mayo Clinic technologies through preclinical and early feasibility studies.

With a shared interest in identifying treatments and preventing disease, the aim of Mayflower is to advance new cures for serious and complex conditions through cell and gene therapies.

Mayo Clinic, ranked as the No.1 hospital in the nation for the seventh year in a row by U.S. News & World Report, has generated a portfolio of next-generation immune system modulators and multiple novel therapeutics in cell and gene therapy. Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics is leading efforts to rapidly advance regenerative technologies from discovery into early phase clinical trials. This includes a focus on industry collaborations with companies such as Hibiscus that have resources to support and expedite this work.

"Mayo Clinic is committed to building an advanced ecosystem for the development, manufacture and delivery of next-generation therapeutics," says Julie Allickson, Ph.D., the Michael S. and Mary Sue Shannon Family Director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics. "Cell and gene therapies have the potential to provide a new era of biologic drugs that offer hope for people with conditions that have few or no therapeutic options. We are very excited to work with Hibiscus to speed the development of new biotherapeutics."

Dr. Allickson also is the Otto Bremer Trust Director, Biomanufacturing and Product Development in the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics.

"This collaboration with Mayo Clinic and Hibiscus provides a strong platform for accelerating the development of cell and gene therapies," says Ken Carter, Ph.D., Innoforce's president of U.S. Operations. "We are excited to work with these two excellent organizations as we continue to establish partnered end-to-end solutions for advanced medicines."

"Our collaboration with Mayo Clinic represents a distinct research and industry coalition with a shared mission to create a powerful force for the advancement of cell and gene therapies," says Sia Anagnostou, chief operating officer of Hibiscus BioTechnology. "Together, we aim to provide a springboard for startups leveraging the research capabilities at Mayo Clinic with a focus on addressing significant unmet patient needs."

The Mayflower management team brings together clinical leaders from Mayo Clinic with operational and investment experience from Hibiscus to move scientific discoveries from the lab bench to patients' bedsides.

"We believe this collaboration can bridge the gap between industry and innovative cell and gene therapy research, enabling emerging startups to navigate the challenges of producing meaningful, novel therapeutics that transform health and medicine," says Andrew Danielsen, chair of Mayo Clinic Ventures.

Mayo Clinic, Hibiscus and Innoforce have a financial interest in the Mayflower collaboration. Mayo Clinic will use any revenue it receives to support its nonprofit mission in patient care, education and research.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics
Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics seeks to integrate, develop and deploy new regenerative medicine products and services that continually differentiate Mayo's practice to draw patients from around the world for complex care. Learn more on Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics website.

About Hibiscus BioVentures
Hibiscus BioVentures (Hibiscus) is committed to advancing patient care by building patient-focused companies around transformative technologies and the development of commercially viable therapies. Hibiscus has "two sides of the house" — Hibiscus Biotechnology (HBT), LLC, a venture studio focused on building companies from the ground up — and Hibiscus Capital Management (HCM), LLC, a venture capital firm focused on investing in promising early stage biotechnology companies. Hibiscus brings years of experience building and investing in biotechnology companies and is led by a team of industry experts who can bring the resources necessary to successfully develop new therapies that address unmet patient needs. 

Learn more about Hibiscus BioVentures on the Hibiscus BioVentures website and on LinkedIn.

About Innoforce
Innoforce is a partnership-focused biopharmaceutical company established to enable and accelerate the innovation of breakthrough ATMPs and Biologics. Innoforce offers end-to-end contract development and manufacturing service (CDMO), including GMP manufacturing of plasmid DNA, RNA, viral vector and cell products. In addition, through a joint venture with a leading international supplier of life sciences products and services, the company provides CDMO services for antibody and protein drugs. Innoforce’s capabilities for incubating and developing cell, gene and advanced biological therapies companies to rapidly and efficiently bring cutting-edge treatments that impact patients' lives worldwide. More information is available at https://www.innoforcepharma.com/.

Media contacts:

• Susan Buckles, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu
• Sia Anagnostou, Hibiscus BioVentures, 717-327-1822, sia@hibiscusbio.com

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