A new biotech company forged through an Australian and Danish partnership will accelerate treatments for children and adults with heart disease. Harnessing cellular therapies, the company aims to conduct human clinical trials within three to five years.
Ibnova Therapeutics , launched today, has emerged from world-first, collaborative research by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne and QIMR Berghofer in Brisbane. Within MCRI, this work is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW) , which is headquartered in Copenhagen, and has research nodes in the University of Copenhagen, Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands and MCRI.
Based in Denmark, Ibnova Therapeutics is backed by the BioInnovation Institute (BII) Venture Lab program and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator , initiatives designed to allow researchers to transform their scientific breakthroughs into viable therapies.
Ibnova Therapeutics will advance the development and commercialisation of stem cell-based treatments for heart failure pioneered by MCRI Professor Enzo Porrello and QIMR Berghofer Professor James Hudson .
The research team, including cardiac surgeons and cardiologists from Melbourne’s The Royal Children’s Hospital and The Alfred Hospital, has shown that lab-grown human heart muscle can restore heart function after a heart attack. The team has also proved this approach is safe and effective in animal models.
The foundational intellectual property underpinning Ibnova Therapeutics was made possible through significant support from reNEW, which enabled MCRI researchers to advance these early‑stage discoveries. This stem cell research has also received support over a decade from the Australian Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Heart failure, a life‑threatening condition where the heart struggles to pump enough blood around the body, affects more than 60 million people globally. While a heart transplant is the only viable treatment for end‑stage heart failure, the severe shortage of donor organs presents a significant and ongoing challenge.
Ibnova Therapeutics Executive Director, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder Andrew Laskary said the company’s mission was to bring cellular therapies to heart failure patients as quickly and safely as possible.
“With Ibnova, we can now bridge the hardest gap in medicine by turning breakthrough biology into a clinical-ready therapy,” he said. “By combining Australia’s discovery engine with Denmark’s translational ecosystem, we’re building a focused path to first-in-human trials by aligning manufacturing readiness, regulatory strategy and clinical partnerships. We’re grateful for the opportunity to launch from the BioInnovation Institute in partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator. This work reflects the interdisciplinary effort required to translate foundational research into therapies that are ready for patients.”
The BII Venture Lab will provide early-stage funding, business development and a base as the company scales up. The Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator will provide the expertise to manufacture the engineered heart tissue to meet therapeutic requirements.
Professor Porrello, also an Ibnova Therapeutics Co-Founder, said the company highlighted the need for early and sustained investment in transformative technologies and the important role of industry partnerships to enable advanced manufacturing and clinical trials.
“We are incredibly excited to announce the launch of Ibnova Therapeutics and move our stem cell technology towards clinical trials,” he said. “This would not have been possible without the support of reNEW and our Novo Nordisk Foundation ecosystem partners in Denmark including the Cellerator and the BioInnovation Institute.”
Professor Hudson, also an Ibnova Therapeutics Co-Founder, said “The technology was developed on the backing of over a decade of research into creating multicellular bioengineered tissues. The mechanistic science underpinning this technology is pivotal to its substantial improvement in heart function.”
MCRI Chief Scientist and reNEW CEO Professor Melissa Little said, “The mission of reNEW is to move the very best stem cell science through to the development of new therapies. The formation of Ibnova Therapeutics from the research in the Australian node is precisely what we aim to achieve.”
Available for interview:
Professor Enzo Porrello, MCRI Director of Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW Melbourne Node Director and Ibnova Co-Founder
Professor Melissa Little, MCRI Chief Scientist and reNEW CEO
Andrew Laskary, Ibnova Therapeutics Executive Director, CSO and Co-Founder
Professor James Hudson, QIMR Berghofer, Cardiac Bioengineering Senior Group Leader and Ibnova Therapeutics Co-Founder
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