Sbir phase II: industrial-scale technology for drug development

The National Science Foundation awarded Mellicell, Inc. a $1.25 million Cooperative Agreement on August 1, 2026, under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) to scale industrial technology for drug development.

Mellicell will develop novel devices for automation and design customized protocols to expand a technology platform that enables discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics. The work focuses on scaling the technology to meet pharmaceutical industry needs for more accurate early-stage drug efficacy prediction, with potential to accelerate drug development timelines and reduce costs relative to existing methods. Mellicell will assess outcomes to determine how closely results match cellular shape, size, gene expression profile, and function of mature cells in adults, with success measured by manufacturing quality control standards and specific performance properties.

Performance occurs in Watertown, Massachusetts, with a period of performance through July 31, 2028. No subawards are planned for this award.

Abstract

The broader/commercial impact of this small business innovation research (sbir) phase II project is to expand the scale of novel technology to enable the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics. The proposed project will scale and test the technology to meet the expressed needs of research scientists in the pharmaceutical industry that are working to cure various diseases. The technology has the potential to accelerate the development of drugs by more accurately predicting their effectiveness at an earlier, more cost-effective stage than existing options. The proposed project will enable drug development at a previously unattainable quality and scale. For the last 50 years, the first stage of drug development has been limited by the lack of a tractable system that faithfully reproduces the clinical features of mature cells. The technology in this proposal will be used to enhance efficiency and accelerate maturation time periods relative to conventional methods. Outcomes generated by this new technology will be assessed to determine how closely they match the cellular shape and size, gene expression profile, and function of mature cells in adults. Scaling the technology will require development of novel devices for automation and the design and testing of customized protocols. Success will be determined by measures of manufacturing quality control and other specific properties. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.