Kala Bio Brings In Dr. Saeid Babaei As Senior Scientific Advisor To Boost AI-Driven Cell & Gene Therapy Strategy

Kala Bio Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cell and gene therapy innovation, announced that Dr. Saeid Babaei, PhD, MBA, has been engaged as Senior Scientific Advisor. His role will center on providing scientific and strategic guidance as the company evaluates its clinical and molecular programs, including its proprietary MSC Secretome platform.

Dr. Babaei will support Kala Bio by offering insight into the assessment of its existing assets using AI-enabled analytics, digital health tools, and secure data integration methods. His responsibilities include advising on clinical development planning, reviewing hypotheses about potential responder subgroups, and contributing to the creation of a responsible analytical framework that aligns with regulatory expectations for large-scale biotechnology applications.

Strategically, this engagement represents an important step in Kala Bio’s broader plan to enhance the commercial and scientific value of its current clinical programs through precision analytics and data-driven review. Early work with Dr. Babaei will include analyzing historical clinical datasets, trial designs, and translational hypotheses. This process is intended to help guide decisions related to future development, including potential partnerships, licensing arrangements, or commercialization strategies.

Avi Minkowitz, Chief Executive Officer of Kala Bio, stated that the company will be conducting a thorough review to determine whether updated indications or alternative development paths should be explored. He noted that the biopharmaceutical industry has seen several examples where refining an indication strategy has led to significant value creation. Kala’s Phase 2 dataset, he said, merits the same disciplined evaluation.

The company emphasized that modern clinical trials generate extensive data, including biomarkers, clinical outcomes, biological samples, and operational metadata. Much of this information remains unused once primary endpoints are reported. Kala Bio aims to leverage AI and machine learning platforms to discover patterns or responder characteristics that could influence the strategic direction of future therapeutic development.

A key element of the collaboration will be the continued evaluation of Kala’s MSC secretome program. The secretome—composed of bioactive molecules and extracellular vesicles released by mesenchymal stem cells—is a rapidly expanding area within regenerative biologics, as well as cell and gene therapies. Industry forecasts indicate that the global mesenchymal stem cell market is expected to grow from approximately USD 5.1 billion in 2026 to USD 9.1 billion by 2031, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of over 12 percent. Therapies derived from the secretome and extracellular vesicle technologies represent a meaningful part of this projected expansion.

Dr. Babaei’s analysis will help assess both the scientific and commercial potential of Kala Bio’s secretome platform and will inform long-term considerations related to development, strategic partnering, licensing, or collaboration opportunities.

Avi Minkowitz noted that Kala Bio is pleased to bring Dr. Babaei into this phase of the company’s growth, highlighting his experience across oncology, genomics, and biologics. He emphasized the importance of carefully reviewing Kala’s scientific assets to determine whether structured advancement or external opportunities may exist.

Dr. Babaei commented that Kala Bio has built a substantial scientific dataset that justifies a thorough, organized reassessment. His goal is to review the evidence, evaluate where new insights may emerge, and help shape a future development strategy supported by responsibly applied AI-driven analysis. His work will include an objective evaluation of both the scientific merits and strategic relevance of the company’s secretome platform.