Makana

Makana Therapeutics is a Miami-based private biotechnology company developing genetically engineered pigs for xenotransplantation to address the shortage of transplantable human organs. The company focuses on reducing xenoantigen expression and improving histocompatibility in donor pigs, alongside optimized pig cloning and proprietary crossmatch and pathogen-screening assays. Its lead applications appear to center on kidney transplantation, with additional stated interest in liver, heart, islet cell, lung, and blood applications. Makana has positioned itself as a platform company in xenotransplantation rather than a traditional single-asset drug developer. The company was founded in 2009 and has collaborated with Tonix Pharmaceuticals on combining Makana's engineered pig organs and cells with TNX-1500, an anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody, to support preclinical and future clinical xenotransplantation studies.