Monthly Round Up-1

  

As we begin 2026, we’re excited to share the latest updates that show how we’ve already hit the ground running. Our team continues to drive forward our mission to support the iPSC research community with physiologically relevant human disease models that accelerate discovery and de‑risk drug development.

This month, we’re highlighting key developments, including our commitment to advancing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), recent funding news, and our upcoming presence at key industry events such as SLAS 2026, WORD+, FISCI, and CHDI.

Continue reading to discover the exciting developments that have kept us moving forward throughout January and to learn about upcoming opportunities to connect with our experts.

 Key highlights:

  1. 2026: a pivotal year for iPSC‑derived in vitro human disease and safety models
  2. Axol Bioscience raises $2.8M to advance US expansion and product development
  3. Building a reliable platform for modeling neuroinflammation with iPSC‑derived microglia
  4. We're presenting data at SLAS and WORD+
  5. Where you can meet the Axol team

 

 

2026: a pivotal year for iPSC‑derived in vitro human disease and safety models

As we enter 2026, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting an industry rapidly advancing toward the adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). These innovative tools are reshaping safety and efficacy assessment in drug development, reducing reliance on traditional animal testing, and enabling more physiologically relevant human disease models. 

At Axol, we believe in the power of partnership and remain dedicated to delivering high‑quality iPSC‑derived products with exceptional value. Your continued trust and collaboration mean a great deal to us.

 

Axol Bioscience raises $2.8M to advance US expansion and product development

We are thrilled to announce that we have secured $2.8 million (£2.1 million) in funding to advance US expansion and product development. 

The funding will accelerate our next phase of growth, supporting the expansion of our US operations and commercial presence. It will also enable the development of enhanced neuroscience, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular disease models, and cell manufacturing scale-up at our Roslin Innovation Centre base, in response to increasing global customer demand for more human-relevant in vitro disease models.

 

Building a reliable platform for modeling neuroinflammation with iPSC‑derived microglia

Understanding how microglia respond to inflammatory cues is essential for advancing drug discovery in neurodegenerative disease.

Our axoCells™ iPSC-derived microglia provide a reliable platform to study phenotypes of healthy and diseased microglia and assess the ability of novel compounds to decrease inflammation. 

Using a range of assays, including HTRF, ELISA, flow cytometry, O-link proteomics, and TempO-Seq transcriptomics, we demonstrated that axoCells microglia respond robustly and reproducibly to pro- and anti-inflammatory stimuli across multiple batches.

 

 

We're presenting data at SLAS and WORD+

We’re kicking off February with two major conferences:

  • SLAS in Boston, where we will

present a poster with Nanion Technologies, showcasing our axoCells® motor neurons on the high‑throughput SyncroPatch 384 platform

  • WORD+ in Cambridge, where we'll

share a collaborative poster with Tessara Therapeutics demonstrating proof‑of‑concept iPSC‑ and patient‑derived 3D human brain micro‑tissues.

 

 

Axol Bioscience, coming to a conference near you

Our 2026 conference schedule is filling up fast. Come and see us if you're attending the following conferences:

 

Better Human Disease Models

 

 

 

 

 

We use iPSCs to build more relevant models of human disease to expand your understanding and de-risk drug development.