Anya Hanson
In the rapidly evolving field of stem cell neuroscience, BrainXell has emerged as a quiet but influential force. Born from technology developed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the company has built its reputation on a singular expertise: guiding human stem cells into highly specialized, highpurity neurons and glia that fuel modern drug discovery. What began as a focused effort to create more physiologically relevant neuronal models has grown into a global resource for researchers tackling some of the most complex challenges in neurology.
Today, BrainXell’s portfolio spans a wide range of iPSCderived cell types—along with advanced coculture systems and diseaserelevant models—supporting both earlystage research and therapeutic screening. Among its standout achievements is the successful scaling of functional microglia, now widely used to study neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Through each innovation, the company continues to pursue a simple guiding principle: better human cells make better research.
“We make five or six neurons or nerve cells, excitatory cells, inhibitory cells and then several cells that are mostly associated with a disease,” said Mike Hendrickson, VP of Operations at BrainXell. “The most common diseases that our customers work on would be Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, ALS, Huntington’s disease, and other rare disorders.”
While many neurological disorders are linked to specific cell types which BrainXell can produce, Hendrickson said they produce “general neurons” for clients when regionality is not relevant and can also help clients determine which models best fit their research needs
“For Alzheimer’s, it can affect your entire brain,” said Hendrickson. “Epilepsy could be any number of cells so there are some disorders for which there isn’t necessarily an identifiable cell type.”
The company has expanded beyond neurons as well. BrainXell now provides macroglia and microglia—including endothelial cells and blood‑vessel‑lining cells—and is developing oligodendrocytes, a non‑neuronal support cell type that has gained significant therapeutic interest over the past decade
Although BrainXell formed in 2015 the team remained under the UW umbrella in 2016.
“We were part of the D2P programs, but during that time we were sort of a pre-company,” said Hendrickson. “We prepared SBIR grants so that we were hitting right when we were exiting the D2P funding and converting from really being a UW entity to our own company. I think we got three phase ones within the span of three or four months and then we got matching funding to go along with those. We were relatively savvy about what we wanted to do, what we wanted to be, and who our customers were. For the most part, we weren’t wrong about what people wanted and the quality they wanted.”
BrainXell also participated in the CTC’s SBIR Advance program. Hendrickson said they found the Lean Start-up course a useful challenge to truly define their commercialization strategy and engage with real customers.
“One of the benefits for us certainly was being lean plus having SBIR and SBIR Advance money,” said Hendrickson. “Those together were beneficial until the time where we could start getting orders. For large customers, a year plus for a sales cycle is not uncommon. It was very useful to have cash that gives you the ability to spend and to supplement the stages where the entire company revenue is low. If you took the grant and matching funding away the growth would just be so much slower. It keeps the lights on. It also helps you accelerate. You can be riskier, or you can be more aggressive. We can hire another person; we can purchase another piece of equipment because we have a little breathing room in terms of funding. “
He compared the impact of flexible funding from SBIR Advance to experiments in social services.
“There are these experiments where they give people 500 bucks at the start of the month, and they’ll see how they spend it. The impact is significant for just cash because they know how they need to spend it versus a gas gift card.”
Receiving funds without heavy restrictions, he said, helped BrainXell navigate the “valley of death” that many early‑stage companies face.
“If you’re small and you’re efficient and you’re careful with your money, one hundred grand can really get you through lean times and help do what you know is the best way to advance your business.”
The company also leveraged the International Market Analysis Grant Program through WEDC to expand its global reach, again citing the extra funds as a valuable propellant for growth.
“We did the international export training, and then we did the IMA grant program,” said Hendrickson. “If you do the training, you’re going to access a higher amount of money. For us, the motivation to do the training was to access more money because then we can go to more shows to extend our international reach.”
After a decade in business, BrainXell continues to seek opportunities to expand the capabilities and reach of their business.
“We have this therapeutics group working on a cell therapy for Parkinson’s,” said Hendrickson. “They’ll need to get more investment dollars to keep that program going on the research tool side, which is where we’ve worked with CTC. We’re going to continue to expand the product line up and probably add a lot more assay services as part of the business. There’s a significant demand for complicated assay services utilizing the material generated and so we’ll look closely at enhancing our offerings in that space.”
Hendrickson describes BrainXell’s growth as incremental—steady, deliberate, and fueled by a combination of scientific rigor, customer insight, and strategic funding. Each milestone has positioned the company for the next opportunity, strengthening its role in the global neuroscience ecosystem.
As demand for more precise, human‑relevant neuroscience tools accelerates, BrainXell is poised to shape the next generation of discovery—expanding its product lines, deepening its assay capabilities, and advancing therapeutic programs that may one day transform patient care. Its trajectory demonstrates how targeted innovation, supported by strategic funding, can drive meaningful progress in one of the most challenging areas of biomedical science.
Take the first step toward transforming your innovative idea into a fundable business by applying to CTC’s next SBIR Advance cohort launching in May 2026. This is your opportunity to secure the resources, guidance, and strategic support that can accelerate your growth, strengthen your commercialization plan, and position your company for long‑term success. If you’re ready to advance from potential to momentum, this is where your journey begins.