University of Utah startup CaLycia Bioscience is developing an immune cell therapy designed to treat aggressive brain and spine cancers such as glioblastoma from within the body, aiming to provide an alternative path beyond standard radiation and chemotherapy.
Glioblastoma multiforme is widely described as a fast-growing, highly invasive cancer that begins in the brain or spinal cord and spreads through surrounding tissue with fingerlike extensions, making complete surgical removal difficult. Patients can experience symptoms including headaches, nausea, memory loss, balance and vision changes, speech difficulties, and seizures. Survival outcomes remain poor, underscoring the urgency for new approaches.
Today’s standard treatment typically combines surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. But because residual tumor cells often remain after surgery, regrowth is common. While CAR-T cell therapies have shown success in blood cancers, the approach has been less compatible with solid tumors like glioblastoma, according to the university’s researchers.
CaLycia’s strategy focuses on a different immune cell type: macrophages. The company is working to engineer patient-derived macrophages—collected through a blood draw—to recognize and destroy remaining glioblastoma cells after surgery. The team believes macrophages are especially promising because they can move into solid tumors, circulate broadly, and both directly attack targets and influence other parts of the immune system.
The scientific work originated in the lab of Minna Roh-Johnson, an associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Utah, where she began collaborating with Daniel Greiner during his PhD work. As their research progressed, the co-founders weighed whether to move on to other projects or pursue commercialization to secure the resources needed for continued development, recognizing that early-stage startups face many risks beyond the underlying science.
To help bridge the transition from academic research to a company, CaLycia sought university-backed support. The team first secured an Ascender Grant intended to help translate research into commercial potential, then received support from the Launchpad Seed Fund through the Utah Venture Hub to advance early business development. They also worked with the Doman Innovation Studio at the David Eccles School of Business for guidance on startup building and operational execution.
CaLycia recently closed a funding round led by University of Utah Ventures and Cumming Capital Management. The company said the financing will support expansion, additional hiring, and the start of preclinical experiments as it works toward translating its macrophage engineering platform into a potential treatment for glioblastoma.
KEY QUOTES:
“Macrophages play a really interesting role in the immune system where they can educate the rest of the immune system. There’s this ripple effect of direct eating, educating the other immune cells. Macrophages can get into the tumor, and we think that will prove to be very advantageous.”
“We were kind of in a tough spot… which I think a lot of people are, where you need to get the sort of money to be able to do the experiments, but you’re not ready for prime-time normal sources of funding.”
Minna Roh-Johnson, Co-founder, CaLycia Bioscience; Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Utah
“There’s a million ways startups fail, and most of them don’t actually involve the science.”
Daniel Greiner, President, CaLycia Bioscience
“CaLycia Bioscience is a prime example of a startup taking advantages of the resources the university has cultivated for this purpose. It’s amazing to see a company go through the full pipeline of funding we have here to translate their academic research into a high-potential business.”
Jim Hotaling, AVPR for Research & Translation, University of Utah
“CaLycia is a standout example of the University of Utah’s world-class scientific talent translating breakthrough research into life-saving therapies. University of Utah Ventures’ investment in Calycia reflects our commitment to supporting high-impact, innovative technologies led by exceptional teams.”
Jack Boren, Managing Partner, University of Utah Ventures
“The Cumming Foundation is pleased to announce its investment in CaLycia Bioscience to support the company’s groundbreaking macrophage research aimed at developing innovative cancer treatments. The foundation is inspired by CaLycia’s scientific vision, confident in the dedication of its research team, and hopeful that this partnership will contribute meaningfully to the fight against cancer.”
Matt Ireland, Managing Director, Cumming Capital Management
