Every year, university labs produce discoveries with the potential to transform medicine—but most never make it beyond the lab. Caught in what’s often called the “Valley of Death,” even the most promising breakthroughs can stall without the right resources, infrastructure, or strategic support. In the high-stakes world of biotechnology, the gap between innovation and impact remains one of the industry’s greatest challenges.
Dr. Aaron Morton, a researcher and Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, together with his partners, is finding better ways to move scientific breakthroughs beyond the lab and into the real world. Globally recognized for his work in regenerative biology and soft tissue degeneration, Dr. Aaron Morton has dedicated his career to understanding current challenges in regenerative medicine. Today, serving also as Chief Science Officer and Co-founder of Bioramics, he’s pioneering a bold new approach to advancing biomedical discoveries made within universities—transforming how they are developed, validated, and ultimately brought to those who need them most.
In this exclusive interview with The Enterprise World, Dr. Aaron Morton shares the motivations behind his leadership service at Bioramics, the unique challenges and opportunities he has encountered, and his groundbreaking science driving their three flagship technologies—CoO-TRIM, CuZn-TRIM, and Agerea. Together with his Co-founders, they have built an innovative biotech platform designed to break down traditional barriers and accelerate the path to commercialization, transforming early-stage research into life-changing therapies.
Join us as Dr. Aaron Morton offers an insider’s perspective on the future of biotechnology arising within universities, and how a visionary scientific approach can unlock new hope for patients worldwide.
As a scientist and faculty member at Texas A&M, what inspired you to take on the additional role of CSO and Co-founder of Bioramics? What unique challenges and opportunities did this shift present?
Briefly, I didn’t set out to be a Co-founder or a CSO—I’ve always just been deeply committed to the science and, more importantly, to the people who stand to benefit from it. As a scientist, I’ve seen firsthand how many incredible discoveries never reach the patients they were meant to help. That disconnect is what motivated me to help launch Bioramics.
Balancing my academic work with this new role hasn’t been easy—there’s no question it’s a challenge. Lots of work at 3 AM. But it’s also been incredibly rewarding. I’ve come to see that the issue isn’t just about time or resources—it’s that researchers are often expected to wear too many hats. Bioramics was built to fix that. Our goal is to create a structure where good science can thrive without forcing academic investigators to choose between research and real-world impact. Bioramics takes the weight off their shoulders so that more discoveries can move forward—faster, and with integrity.
Dr. Aaron Morton, you’re described as the scientific visionary behind CoO-TRIM, CuZn-TRIM, and Agerea. Can you explain the core scientific problem each of these technologies aims to solve and how they’re progressing toward commercialization?
I appreciate the kind words, but none of these efforts are mine alone—they’re the product of collaborative work with incredibly talented teams. Each technology came out of a shared desire to apply our emerging technologies to benefit patients that simply don’t have good options right now.
DystropHix, LLC, commercializing CoO-TRIM, is focused on a family of neuromuscular disease called dystrophies, some are devastating diseases that affect young boys with very limited treatment options. Our goal has been to provide a non-genetic option with a lack of toxicity and absence of side-effects. We’re now preparing for key preclinical milestones that will help position it for regulatory advancement.
Anaramics, LLC, commercializing CuZn-TRIM, focuses on bringing local soft tissue regeneration strategies to animal injuries. Sporting animals are frequently injured during practice or competitive events. Often, rate of soft tissue regeneration is a major factor in animal survival as injured animals are often euthanized due to injuries.
SCRM Bio, commercializing Agerea, is our newest initiative, and it’s aimed at regenerative medicine. Specifically, we’re developing a way to deliver therapeutic cells more reliably and safely in thick tissues, which could make cell-based treatments more accessible across several indications. That’s still early-stage work, but we’re seeing very encouraging results.
In all three cases, our focus is the same: rigorous science, clear clinical need, and a real path to patients.
Can you explain, in simple terms, how DystropHix’ drug CoO-TRIM works at the molecular and cellular level?
CoO-TRIM is an alternative therapeutic approach designed to treat a rare class of pediatric neuromuscular diseases for which there is currently no cure. Developed through research in myopathy and muscular dystrophy, it offers a powerful solution to promoting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion, suppressing muscle breakdown at the cellular level, and promoting increased blood vessel growth—giving affected children, even those at later stages, a meaningful chance at improved quality of life as well as provide the potential for enhancing the effects of systemic therapies through acceleration of functional blood vessels in already ischemic, dystrophic muscles (Article in Review).
The FDA has already recognized CoO-TRIM’s potential with two key designations, including the Rare Pediatric Disease (RPD) designation, making it eligible at approval for one of the final FDA priority review vouchers—an asset that has historically been valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars due to its ability to accelerate drug approvals.
With the potential to address a critical unmet medical need and access a multibillion-dollar global market, CoO-TRIM represents a rare convergence of scientific innovation, regulatory momentum, and commercial opportunity—anchored in a mission to bring life-changing therapies to children who urgently need them.
What specific limitations in current stem cell delivery methods led you to develop SCRM Bio?
Agerea is an innovative medical device designed to solve one of regenerative medicine’s most persistent challenges: the safe, effective, and consistent delivery of stem cells to damaged tissues. Despite their promise, many stem cell therapies face issues like poor cell survival, clumping, and limited tissue integration—problems that can drive up costs and lead to unpredictable outcomes.
Agerea addresses these issues with a novel matrix and distribution design that enables greater dispersal, improved cell viability, and stronger integration with the host tissue. The result is a delivery system that’s not only safer and more predictable but may also be significantly more efficient.
As a medical device, SCRM Bio’s Agerea benefits from a regulatory pathway that doesn’t require clinical trials, allowing it to move toward market adoption much faster—a critical advantage in getting effective tools to clinicians and patients sooner.
Furthermore, as the global stem cell therapy market continues to grow—projected to exceed $35 billion by 2030—Agerea is positioned to serve as a practical tool that helps improve how these therapies are delivered, ultimately supporting better outcomes for patients across a broad range of conditions.
How might Anaramics change treatment protocols in fields like sporting animals, orthopedics, or post-surgical rehabilitation?
Anaramics is commercializing CuZn-TRIM, a therapeutic agent designed to accelerate regeneration in damaged muscle, tendon, and ligament tissue. These are areas of medicine where effective, lasting treatments are in short supply, and the need is enormous.
As mentioned, sporting animals are often euthanized following injury as they are considered most valuable for their task or sport if healthy and cost too much to heal. CuZn-TRIM is inexpensive to manufacture and can increase the rate of skeletal muscle regeneration by about 20%, providing an alternative approach to euthanasia, increasing the survival rate of animals.
In addition to sporting animals, many animals undergo orthopedic surgeries, benefiting from accelerated regeneration. While the primary molecular pathways affected by CuZn-TRIM responsible for this accelerated regeneration are an active area of research for us, suffice it to say we see it kick off a regenerative immune cascade earlier than untreated injuries, accelerating the recovery of tissue following injury.
Obviously, there is room in this for human muscle injuries, accelerating recovery in athletes, service members, and first responders.
How does Bioramics differ from a typical biotech incubator or accelerator?
At its core, the question we asked was: why are so many promising academic discoveries failing to reach patients? What holds back progress is less about the science itself and more about structural barriers to bringing it to market.
Rather than expecting researchers to become entrepreneurs or rely on generic startup models, we asked a different question: what if there were a way to let scientists stay focused on discovery while still giving their innovations a real shot at impact? That’s what led to the creation of Bioramics.
The platform is structured to handle the heavy lift—everything from funding and business strategy to regulatory planning and IP protection—so that innovations can advance without pulling researchers out of the lab. Each project is placed into its own dedicated Target LLC, allowing operational and financial decisions to be managed by experienced teams while the science stays on track.
Execution is then supported by SciRegenix, a Bioramics subsidiary staffed by experts in key areas of translational development. The goal isn’t to replace the entrepreneur—it’s to remove unnecessary friction so that great science doesn’t stall.
While this may sound to some like a university innovation office, it is fundamentally different. A university innovation office will need to legally do what is in the best interests of the university or state system. Bioramics, being a private, for profit entity, is able to do what is in the best interests of the researchers and the technologies.
Ultimately, this model isn’t about doing things differently for the sake of it. It’s about asking how we can better support researchers, de-risk early-stage biotech, and accelerate the delivery of life-changing therapies to the people who need them most.
Every university has a file of patents that have never left the shelf. Bioramics manages a portfolio of companies at different stages of development, ready for acquisition.
How does the licensing process work for universities that want to bring their biotech IP into the Bioramics platform?
One of the most valuable aspects of the Bioramics model is its scalability across academic institutions. Many universities face the same challenge: promising biotech IP that sits dormant because there’s no clear path to development. Bioramics was built to address that gap—not just for one investigator or institution, but as a replicable framework that can be adapted wherever strong science is struggling to move forward.
The platform enables universities to license their biotech IP into a professionally managed structure that provides milestone-driven oversight, strategic funding, and commercialization expertise—without requiring faculty to step away from their research or take on business roles they weren’t necessarily trained for.
It’s not about turning researchers into entrepreneurs—it’s about building a system that lets them stay focused on discovery while ensuring their innovations have a real chance to reach the people who need them.
How has your international experience shaped your approach to scientific research and innovation?
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to publish in peer-reviewed journals and speak at conferences across North America and recently in Europe. I’ve enjoyed collaborations with exceptional researchers and institutions who share a deep commitment to improving human health.
None of this would have been possible without the mentorship and guidance I’ve received along the way—from early advisors who shaped my approach to science, to current colleagues who continue to challenge and inspire me.
What keeps me energized is the impact this work can have. It’s never been about recognition or patents—it’s about real-world outcomes. I’m genuinely excited by the opportunity to help move science from the lab to the people it’s meant to serve. Knowing that our work could improve lives is what drives me to keep pursuing this vision.
What strategies are you using to attract and secure commercial partnerships for these technologies?
It’s a challenging time for academic research translation. With research budgets tightening and growing pressure on universities to show impact, it’s become more important than ever to build models that connect strong science with real-world application. That’s what Bioramics was designed to do—create a clear, structured pathway from academic innovation to commercial viability, as well as tracking the economic success from innovations and encouraging faculty to have another road to commercialization besides themselves.
Our strategy starts with scientific rigor. We focus on technologies that address significant unmet needs and build the operational support needed to advance them responsibly—through dedicated teams, transparent milestones, and active stakeholder engagement. That kind of foundation tends to resonate with potential partners and investors who are looking for both credibility and clarity.
We’ve been encouraged by the early traction. DystropHix, for example, has received multiple FDA designations and is generating strong interest from investors in the rare disease space. SCRM Bio is moving toward scale, with partnering discussions currently underway. And Anaramics is beginning to draw attention.
We’re still early in the journey, but these signals suggest that the model is working—and that there’s real potential for it to serve as a bridge between academic science and the people it’s ultimately meant to help.
What are some key lessons you’ve learned about balancing invention with execution?
Invention and execution require very different skill sets—and trying to do both alone can slow progress. As a researcher, my natural focus is on discovery, determining mechanisms, and applying them to complex problems at the molecular or cellular level. Moving those discoveries toward real-world impact takes a different kind of expertise.
This is what inspired the structure behind Bioramics. It’s a model that allows scientists to stay focused on their research while surrounding each innovation with the right team—people who specialize in regulatory strategy, business development, funding, and commercialization.
Balancing these worlds isn’t easy, and I’m learning every day. However, I’ve come to believe that the most effective path forward is one where people are empowered to do what they do best—and collaborative efforts drive the work from insight to impact.
