Winston-Salem, NC – June 9, 2025 – Recognizing the demand for its offerings, the NSF-funded Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine has expanded its service area from regional to statewide with a national impact. Along with this strategic refocusing, the group is unveiling a new name that will take it into the next phase of growth: the Regenerative Medicine Engine.
The Regenerative Medicine Engine, funded by the National Science Foundation and based in North Carolina, is the first-of-its-kind ecosystem for this industry.
“In the first year alone, we’ve experienced significant growth in our innovation ecosystem. The Regenerative Medicine Engine has added more than 80 partner companies to our network,” said Tim Bertram, PhD, CEO of the Regenerative Medicine Engine. “Such strong interest showed us that there is demand for the resources we offer—from regulatory navigation to business expertise and from state-of-the-art equipment to workforce development—across the regenerative medicine industry.”
Many regenerative medicine technologies don’t reach the people who need them most, with a recent Nature analysis estimating that only 19% of cell and gene technologies receive FDA approval. They’re not failing because of science, but because of gaps in infrastructure and commercialization pathways.
The Engine’s goal is to bridge those gaps and ultimately take these promising regenerative medicine innovations to market while reducing costs, improving manufacturing, accelerating time to market, and creating jobs and broad-based economic growth.
And it’s already doing so. In its first year, the Regenerative Medicine Engine helped secure U.S. patent for an immune-evasive cell technology (Pluristyx’s iACT StealthTM) and enabled first FDA-cleared regenerative medicine diagnostic tool (Epredia’s E1000 DXTM), for example. The Engine also achieved these critical milestones:
- $270 million in investment attracted, including $174 million in investments to local companies.
- More than 20 jobs created, with 60% filled with skilled workers
- Success in bringing more than 80 new partners to the ecosystem
- $2.5 million awarded as part of the engine’s Ecosystem Building Grant program
- More than 5,000 students exposed to regenerative medicine careers
“The national and even global interest in the Regenerative Medicine Engine validates the work we’ve been doing to help translate use-inspired research into commercial applications,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, chief innovation officer of the Regenerative Medicine Engine and executive director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. “Our commitment to the Piedmont Triad region and the state of North Carolina has not changed, as many of our offerings are still local. In fact, taking our initiatives national will only help further position the region and state as a leader in regenerative medicine and biomanufacturing.”
The Regenerative Medicine Engine of North Carolina was one of nine inaugural Regional Innovation Engine awardees by the National Science Foundation in 2024. The engine initially received $15 million and is eligible, upon meeting certain standards and criteria, to receive total funding of $160 million over the coming decade.
Learn more about the Regenerative Medicine Engine’s purpose, offerings, and advancements on our website at regenmedengine.com.
About the Regenerative Medicine Engine
The Regenerative Medicine Engine, funded by the National Science Foundation and based in North Carolina, is a dynamic innovation ecosystem focused on economic growth in the regenerative medicine industry. By supporting use-inspired research, workforce development, technology translation, and manufacturing, the Regenerative Medicine Engine is fostering the development of new technologies, the creation of new jobs, and the attraction of investment. Thisinitiative unites different sectors to accelerate commercialization for regenerative medicine technologies, thereby cementing North Carolina and the United States as a leader in the rapidly growing regenerative medicine industry.