Harvard's Office of Technology Development and LabCentral invite you to the third Guppy Tank of 2026, where Harvard life-science innovators will pitch their early-stage concepts to a panel of entrepreneurs and investors for constructive, in-depth feedback.
Please join us on Wednesday, November 4th, from 4 PM to 6 PM at LabCentral to hear the presentation, learn from experts on startup formation, and participate in giving audience feedback. The event is accompanied by a reception with food and drinks. All are welcome!
PRESENTED BY
Manoj T. Duraisingh, PhD
John LaPorte Given Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
For more than two decades, his laboratory has investigated malaria biology and the molecular interactions between Plasmodium parasites and human red blood cells. His lab has developed erythroid culture systems, genetic engineering approaches, and functional genomic tools to study red blood cell biology and host-parasite interactions. This work provides the scientific foundation for InfiniBlood’s development of engineered, donor-independent, and transfusion-quality red blood cells.
Mahmoud Mikdar, PhD
Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Blavatnik Fellow in Life Science Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School
He leads the red blood cell research program in Manoj Duraisingh’s laboratory, where his work combines red blood cell biology, functional genomics, and genetic engineering to study erythropoiesis and develop donor-independent erythroid platforms for transfusion and therapeutic applications. He has contributed to the characterization of novel blood group systems and red cell determinants involved in erythropoiesis, malaria infection, and transfusion medicine.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Red blood cell transfusions are among the most essential and widely used therapies in modern medicine, yet the donor-dependent blood supply faces persistent challenges, including shortages, aging donor demographics, infectious risks, and difficulty finding compatible blood for patients with rare or complex blood types. We are developing a renewable, donor-independent platform to manufacture transfusion-quality red blood cells from engineered erythroid cell lines. Our approach combines scalable cell production with genetic engineering toward universal blood group compatibility and improved cell quality, proliferation, and enucleation. Our goal is to create a reproducible, scalable, and broadly compatible allogeneic cultured red blood cell product, initially addressing chronically transfused and alloimmunized patients for whom safe, compatible donor blood may be unavailable or difficult to source in a timely manner, while ultimately helping create a more reliable and accessible blood supply and enabling broader erythroid-based biomedical applications.