Pana Bio

Pana Bio was a private Houston-based biotechnology company developing a drug-device platform for localized, continuous, dose-controlled, and reversible delivery of biologic therapeutics in vivo. Its approach combined engineered bacteria, hydrogel encapsulation, and an implanted porous cage affixed endoscopically to the gastrointestinal tract to create "living drug factories" at or near the disease site. The company’s disclosed lead concept focused on local delivery of interleukin-2 for inflammatory bowel disease, particularly ulcerative colitis, with the goal of increasing local efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity. Public company databases indicate the company was founded in 2020 and is now closed/out of business. The business appears to have been associated with founder Omid Veiseh and research emerging from the Rice University synthetic biology and biomaterials ecosystem.