IO Biosciences

iO BiO Sciences is a private, preclinical-stage biotech founded in 2015 and based in Rockville, Maryland. The company is pioneering a versatile platform technology, GEMS™, designed to overcome key manufacturing and scalability challenges in cell and gene therapy. Its primary application is the creation of universal, engineered NK cell therapies for oncology, aiming to provide more accessible and cost-effective treatments compared to autologous approaches. Led by founder and CEO Sicco Popma, PhD, a veteran of Janssen/J&J cell therapy development, the company is positioned to advance its pipeline and seek partnerships.

GEMS™ (Genetic Engineered Modification System) - A proprietary, virus-free genetic cell modification platform using electroporation. It enables plug-and-play manufacturing of off-the-shelf NK cell therapies from a proprietary pluripotent stem cell source and can also be applied to create stable producer cell lines for biomolecule manufacturing.

iO BiO competes in the allogeneic NK cell therapy space with companies like Fate Therapeutics, Nkarta, Century Therapeutics, and others backed by major pharma. Differentiation will depend on demonstrating superior efficacy, persistence, manufacturing ease, or cost-effectiveness through its proprietary stem cell source and GEMS™ engineering platform.