BioMed X, an innovation engine for pharma, and Boehringer Ingelheim have launched a new research team at XSeed Labs, the innovation incubator embedded within Boehringer’s US Research and Development in Ridgefield, Connecticut
The newly established research team, Team NIB (New Platform for Next-Generation Intraocular Biologics), led by BioMed X boot camp winner Dr Deniz Ugurlu Cimen, sets out to develop a human organotypic in vitro platform technology for the development and validation of next-generation intraocular biologics.
This initiative expands on Boehringer’s focus in eye health, where the company is pursuing innovative approaches to address vision-threatening diseases and exploring next-generation biologics to help preserve and improve sight. Retinal conditions are a leading cause of irreversible vision loss globally, with many patients still lacking treatment options.
Remko Bakker, global head of Eye Health and Research Beyond Borders at Boehringer Ingelheim, said, “By building more predictive human-based models, the collaboration aims to enhance translational success and help bring innovative therapies to patients faster.”
Dr Ugurlu Cimen is a molecular and cell biologist specialising in stem cell-based disease modelling. Her work integrates stem cell engineering, functional genomics, and advanced 3D human model systems, with a focus on translating biological insights into scalable platforms for therapeutic development. Dr Cimen will guide an interdisciplinary team spanning stem cell biology, biomaterials, and micro-physiological systems.
Dr Deniz Ugurlu Cimen said, “Progress in intraocular therapeutics depends on models that can meaningfully test and challenge new drug designs. We are building a human in vitro eye model that captures essential physiological features to improve the predictive power of therapeutic discovery, supported by an interdisciplinary approach across biology and engineering.”
Nazzareno Dimasi, global head of Biotherapeutics Discovery at Boehringer Ingelheim, said, “At Boehringer Ingelheim, we connect people and science to research some of today’s most pressing health challenges. By combining our deep expertise in biologics with BioMed X’s innovation model, we are helping advance new approaches that may expand what’s possible in drug discovery and help accelerate delivery of new therapies to patients.”
Mark Johnston, CEO of BioMed X USA, said, “Two years after unveiling our first research team at Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ridgefield R&D site, we are thrilled to expand our joint XSeed Labs incubator on the company’s campus and into a new area. This extended collaboration is proof that installing our BioMed X model within the campus of a major pharmaceutical company can indeed add value to their internal R&D.”
BioMed X’s innovation model is designed to enable high-risk, high-reward science. By embedding research teams directly within pharmaceutical R&D environments, BioMed X creates a collaborative ecosystem in which scientists from academia and industry work side by side to accelerate breakthrough innovation.
