Novo Nordisk Hands Over Parkinson’s Cell Therapy to Zuckerberg-Backed Cellular Intelligence
May 11, 2026 – 4:00 pm
Novo Nordisk has reached an agreement to hand over its discontinued stem-cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease, STEM-PD, to Cellular Intelligence, an AI biotech startup supported by Mark Zuckerberg.
Financial details were not disclosed. Novo will acquire an equity stake in the company and is eligible for future milestone payments and royalties. The decision comes after Novo shut down its cell-therapy unit last October during a restructuring process.
STEM-PD, an allogeneic stem-cell-derived treatment designed to replace dopamine-producing nerve cells lost in Parkinson’s disease, had been in early clinical development within Novo’s unit before its closure.
Cellular Intelligence plans to utilize its proprietary AI platform to accelerate the STEM-PD program, scale manufacturing, and reduce production costs. The startup has secured over $60 million from investors including Khosla Ventures and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
This deal continues the recent trend of substantial investments by CZI in AI-driven biology. For Novo, it signifies the conclusion of a loose end from its October restructuring, allowing them to focus more on their obesity and diabetes franchises.
The collaboration offers Cellular Intelligence a clinical-stage asset to support its AI platform pitch. While there is no set timeline for the next clinical milestone, the startup aims to leverage Novo’s prior work on STEM-PD to advance its development process.
Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 10 million individuals worldwide. Cellular Intelligence believes that by combining AI with cell therapy, it can make these treatments more commercially viable than traditional programs have been able to achieve.