Frontier Bio: Redefining the Future of Regenerative Medicine

Frontier Bio is on a mission to revolutionize healthcare through pioneering developments in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Bennett emphasized that the company is primarily driven by the ambitious vision: "to solve the global organ shortage." Worldwide, only 10% of the demand for organ transplants is currently met, representing an urgent and escalating medical crisis.

At the forefront of their approach is a unique combination of advanced bioprinting and stem cell self-assembly, a technique which Bennett describes as akin to "4D printing." Unlike traditional bioprinting methods that merely shape and position cells, Frontier Bio guides cells to autonomously develop complex structures, such as the intricate alveoli in lung tissue. Their recent milestone—creating microscale lung tissue capable of mimicking natural organ development—signals significant progress toward more accurate preclinical models and effective treatments for respiratory conditions like COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and COVID-19.

Their bioprinted lung tissue not only replicates complex lung architecture, including bronchioles and alveolar sacs, but also produces essential natural components like mucus and surfactant. Victoria-Elisabeth Gruber, Head of Translational Research at Frontier Bio, highlighted the clinical relevance: "There is an urgent need for more accurate models of lung tissue that allow us to test new therapeutics more effectively than with current methods."

Bennett also detailed the profound impact Frontier Bio is making in vascular medicine. Synthetic vascular grafts, currently the norm, experience high failure rates (up to 65% within two years). In contrast, Frontier Bio’s grafts, grown from patients’ own stem cells, aim to integrate seamlessly and regenerate rapidly within the body, potentially matching or even exceeding the performance of autologous grafts, considered the current gold standard. "The ultimate validation of our technology will be demonstrating that our tissue-engineered vascular grafts outperform currently available synthetic grafts in clinical settings," Bennett said.

Beyond tissue engineering, Frontier Bio's platforms, like their "brain-on-a-chip," offer ethical and highly relevant alternatives to animal testing. These platforms have already been leveraged to study traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alzheimer’s, and dementia, significantly enhancing the translational accuracy of preclinical research. Bennett explained, "Our lab-grown human tissues have already been utilized to replace animal testing, offering a more accurate and ethical platform for drug discovery, disease modeling, and medical device evaluation."

Looking ahead, Bennett envisions an even brighter future, utilizing advanced gene editing techniques such as CRISPR to develop hypoimmune cells capable of universal compatibility. "The ultimate goal is to create a bank of living therapeutics that eliminates both the organ waiting list and the lifelong burden of immunosuppressant drugs, truly democratizing transplantation for everyone," Bennett explained.

This visionary pursuit, paired with strategic collaborations with institutions like Mayo Clinic and support from the National Science Foundation’s SBIR program, positions Frontier Bio not merely as an innovator but as a leader driving synthetic biology toward healthcare breakthroughs.

Don’t miss Eric Bennett at SynBioBeta 2026. Get your tickets to SynBioBeta and hear firsthand how Frontier Bio is redefining regenerative medicine.