Stem Cells, Liver Disease & the Race to Replace Transplants | Dr. Eric Schuur, CEO of HepaTX

200,000 Americans reach end-stage liver failure every year. Only 1 in 33 will get the transplant they need. The rest are left waiting — and most won’t make it. In this episode of PulseCheck, I sit down with Dr. Eric Schuur, CEO and Co-Founder of HepaTx — a regenerative medicine company out of Palo Alto, California developing an off-the-shelf stem cell therapy designed to help late-stage liver disease patients avoid a transplant altogether. Eric has spent over 25 years at the intersection of science and entrepreneurship — starting his career engineering adenoviruses to treat prostate cancer in the 1990s, moving through gene therapy, medical devices, and consulting, before landing on what he calls one of the most underappreciated unmet needs in all of medicine. What he’s building at HepaTx is unlike anything currently on the market. Using adult stem cells derived from fat tissue, their lead therapy HX-001 doesn’t just stop disease progression — it actively reduces inflammation, fights fibrosis, and stimulates the liver to rebuild itself. Think of it less like a transplant and more like a targeted biological reset. As a former ICU nurse who has watched liver failure patients up close, this is exactly the kind of innovation I used to wish existed at the bedside. This conversation goes deep on the science, the business, and the very real challenges of building a company at the frontier of medicine with a lean team and a tough funding environment. We cover: → Why liver disease is discovered so late — and why that makes it so deadly → How HX-001 works and why it acts more like a drug than a traditional stem cell therapy → The breakthrough data from a liver-on-a-chip study completed in Singapore → How a chance connection with Mayo Clinic’s head of hepatology research led to a full manufacturing and clinical trial partnership → What the FDA pre-IND process actually looks like for a cell therapy company → What HepaTx looks like 24 months after a successful Phase I result — Series B, pharma partner, or acquisition → Eric’s vision for applying this platform beyond liver disease to pancreatic, kidney, and bowel conditions If you’re a patient or caregiver navigating liver disease, a hepatologist or clinician looking for what’s coming next, or an investor paying attention to regenerative medicine — this one’s worth your full attention. ---------------------------------------- ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Introduction: The liver disease crisis in America 01:57 — Eric’s background: From cancer to liver disease 03:39 — Flipping the model: Not just stopping disease, but reversing it 04:52 — GLP-1s, resmetirom, and the fast-moving treatment landscape 06:03 — Why HepaTx invests in patient engagement as a preclinical company 08:36 — How HX-001 works: The Stanford technology explained 12:01 — The road to clinic: Partnering with Mayo Clinic 15:38 — Inside Mayo’s Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics 16:01 — Navigating the FDA: Pre-IND meetings and what they require 20:02 — The business of building a lean biotech: Fundraising, operations, and wearing all the hats 24:14 — The telescope question: What does HepaTx look like after Phase I? 26:44 — Beyond liver disease: Pancreas, kidney, bowel — the bigger platform vision 27:04 — Closing thoughts ---------------------------------------- 🔗 Connect with HepaTx Website: http://hepatx.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eschuur/?... Email: mailto:erschuur@hepatx.com Connect with Ryan: 🌐 https://www.pulse-point-ai.com/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-sabb... 📧 mailto:ryan@pulse-point-ai.com