SEATTLE & COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 20, 2026--
Curi Bio, a world leader in human-relevant 3D tissue technology, and Battelle, the world’s largest independent nonprofit research and development organization, today announced a strategic partnership to commercialize next-generation Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ) assay technology. This collaboration combines Curi Bio’s innovative microphysiological systems with Battelle’s extensive GLP-ready infrastructure to offer a transformative, human-relevant alternative to traditional pharmacology methodologies.
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Advancing the 3Rs: At the core of this partnership is a commitment to the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement). By providing functional, 3D human-tissue models that replicate complex neuromuscular physiology, the Curi Bio-Battelle partnership enables researchers to replace long-standing animal-based bioassays with highly reproducible new approach methods.
Innovation Meets Infrastructure: The partnership leverages Curi Bio’s proven Mantarray™ ecosystem which provides real-time functional readouts of human heart, muscle, and neuromuscular junction contractility. By offering a ready-to-use commercial solution for BoNT potency, Curi Bio enables customers to generate data with their specific drug products, accelerating the adoption of human-relevant, cell-based NMJ assays. Battelle serves as the scale and integration partner, offering the regulatory expertise and specialized laboratory facilities necessary to implement these technologies across global drug substance and medical countermeasure (MCM) development pipelines.
“We are excited to partner with Battelle to scale our technology for applications with significant commercial and governmental utility,” said Elliot Fisher, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of Curi Bio. “With the FDA’s new Non-Animal Models (NAMs) guidance and the NIH’s $150M commitment to human-relevant alternatives, the regulatory landscape is clearly shifting toward the scalable platforms we’ve built. This partnership is a high priority as we set the new gold standard for potency testing with our human-relevant NMJ assay and position Curi Bio at the forefront of animal-free drug development.”
“The partnership shows how technology innovators and technology integrators can combine strengths to accelerate real-world adoption of new approach methods,” said Bob Moyer, Research Leader at Battelle. “Battelle brings R&D scale, regulatory expertise, and world-class laboratory capabilities, while Curi Bio contributes cutting-edge technology and transformative human relevant models—together enabling innovation to translate into practical impact.”
About Curi Bio: Curi Bio provides a suite of human-relevant 3D tissue models and instrumentation to accelerate drug discovery and development. By integrating human iPSCs, tissue engineering, and automated data analysis, Curi Bio helps researchers build more predictive models of human disease. For more information, visit www.curibio.com or contact Marketing Director Jacqueline De Rose at jacqueline@curibio.com.
About Battelle: Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. For more information, visit www.battelle.org or contact Media Relations Director Katy Delaney at (614) 424-7208 or at delaneyk@battelle.org.
Curi Bio and Battelle Announce Strategic Partnership to Accelerate the Adoption of NAMs in Neuromuscular Pharmacology
The economy, inflation and how those forces could impact the lives of Americans were front and center over the past week. Trips to the grocery store or gas station are more painful than they were last year, and that is impacting the decisions of both households and businesses.
Here’s a snapshot of prominent economic data and news that occurred over the past week and what it potentially means for you.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in nearly nine months, driving up borrowing costs for homebuyers during what’s traditionally the housing market’s busiest time of the year.
The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.51% from 6.36% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Despite the sharp increase, the average rate remains below 6.86%, where it was a year ago.
Rates have been mostly trending higher since the war with Iran began. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has roiled energy markets, sending crude oil prices sharply higher — a key driver of inflation.
Expectations of higher oil prices and worries about big and growing debts for the U.S. government and others have pushed up long-term bond yields, causing mortgage rates to head higher.
U.S. retailers have spent months navigating an uncertain economic environment, from President Donald Trump’s tariffs to the impact of soaring gasoline prices due to the Iran war. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose again this week, ending at about $4.55 per gallon on Friday, according to AAA. Gasoline prices are about 45% above where they were at this time last year.
Based on quarterly financial reports from Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s and TJX, shoppers are cautious but still spending, helped by more generous tax refunds. Yet there is a widespread belief among economists that once those refunds dry up, shoppers will pull back on spending. Consumer spending is the dominant economic engine for the U.S., and retreat would have broad implications for the U.S.
Walmart issued a forecast for the current quarter on Thursday that was weaker than what Wall Street had been expecting. Target raised its annual revenue outlook on Wednesday, saying it expected momentum to continue the rest of the year. Yet the upgraded sales expectations were still below the pace of the first quarter.
Fewer Americans filed for jobless aid last week as layoffs remain low despite a number of uncertainties that continue to cloud the economy.
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits for the week ending May 16 fell by 3,000 to 209,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 213,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet had forecast.
Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.
Despite historically low layoffs, the labor market appears to be stuck in what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” state. That’s kept the unemployment rate low at 4.3%, but left many of those out of work struggling to find new employment.
The split between Wall Street and most U.S. households grew even wider Friday, as U.S. stocks rose toward the finish of an eighth straight winning week, their longest such streak since 2023. That’s even though a survey showed on the same day that U.S. consumers are feeling worse about the economy.
Shares of Workday and Zoom Communications rose after both delivered better profit reports for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
They’re the latest companies to top analysts’ expectations for profits for the start of 2026. And the cavalcade of such reports has helped U.S. stocks remain near their records. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.
A hiring sign is displayed at a restaurant in Niles, Ill., Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Drones operated by Zipline leave base to make deliveries from a Walmart store in Pea Ridge, Ark., Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Options trader Anthony Spina works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader Robert Arciero works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
