The Venture Codex

Led · Seed · Jul 2018

NewStem has developed a precision-medicine platform that predicts patients' resistance to chemotherapy, enabling targeted cancer treatments and reduction of chemotherapy resistance. Its core technology uses human Haploid Embryonic Stem Cells (hHESCs) and genetic screenings to create a comprehensive library of mutated genes that confer resistance to individual chemotherapeutic agents. The company plans to integrate this proprietary database with each patient’s tumor genetic profile to predict resistance prior to treatment. The hHESCs technology was developed by Chief Science Officer Professor Nissim Benvenisty of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research. NewStem is led by CEO Ayelet Dilion-Mashiah and is a spinoff of Yissum, the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University. The company raised seed funding to advance its hHESCs work and further develop its predictive screening capabilities.