Sheffield cell therapy spinout Rinri secured corporate backing from Boehringer Ingelheim and UCB in a seed round that will drive work on stem cell-based treatments for hearing loss.

Rinri, a UK-based cell therapy spinout from University of Sheffield focused on tackling hearing loss, yesterday obtained £1.4m ($1.8m) in a seed round co-led by investment vehicles for pharmaceutical firms Boehringer Ingelheim and UCB.
Science incubator BioCity participated in the round, with Boehringer Ingelheim and UCB investing through their respective corporate venturing subsidiaries Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) and UCB Ventures.
Founded in 2018, Rinri is advancing stem cell-based treatments to restore hearing that has been impaired by damage to the hair cells in the ear’s auditory nerve and cochlea, a coiled tube in the inner ear containing the sensory mechanisms responsible for hearing.
The condition is known as neuropathic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and currently has no effective pharmacological treatments available.
Rinri will put the cash into activities that support business growth, and has appointed Detlev Mennerich, investment director at BIVF, to its board of directors together with Erica Whittaker, head of UCB Ventures, and Claire Brown, investment director at BioCity.
The spinout has also appointed a new chief executive in Simon Chandler, a PhD graduate in molecular biology who was previously director of new business and partnerships for life sciences at commercialisation firm IP Group.
Rinri extends research performed by Marcelo Rivolta, a professor of sensory stem cell biology at University of Sheffield’s Department of Biomedical Science.
Detlev Mennerich, investment director at BIVF, said: “We have known Marcelo and followed his ground-breaking research, which was published in [science journal] Nature, for many years, and are pleased to contribute to the creation of Rinri.
“If the impressive pre-clinical in vivo regeneration data translates into humans, the technology has the potential to be a game-changer in the way SNHL is being treated. We look forward to working with Rinri’s team to support its growth and help further realise the technology’s potential.”