Companies
Who we bring together sets us apart
Companies
Our tenants span the life science sector, including therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, and research tools. They learn from and support each other, often forming partnerships.
Tenant Spotlight
Seeing the Tumors Again: How Vivere Oncotherapies is Unmasking Cancer
“One of the ways tumors grow within the body is that they can hide from the immune system, says Melissa Kotterman, CEO of Bakar Bio Labs’ newest tenant, Vivere Oncotherapies. “Our technology helps the immune system see the tumors again. We can wake up the immune system and say, ‘Hey, there’s a tumor over here, you can come get it.’” Vivere is engineering a platform to carry and improve the performance of oncolytic viruses that invade and replicate within the cancer cells, signalling the immune system to attack the tumor. Co-founders Hyuncheol Lee and Adam Schieferecke have shown that the engineering platform can be used to improve distribution through the tumor, decrease the tumor size, and increase survival compared to a non-engineered version in a mouse model of colorectal cancer. Read post
Tenant Spotlight
How Cyclarity Therapeutics is Taking On the World’s Leading Killer
You think you don’t know someone with atherosclerosis, but it’s likely you actually do. Atherosclerosis is the build-up of oxidized cholesterol in arteries, an underlying factor in an astonishing 50% of deaths in Western society. An indicator of dementia, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, lung disease, and more, it’s one of the first detectable signs of aging. As co-founder and CEO of scientific affairs at Cyclarity Therapeutics, Matthew “Oki” O’Connor directs a team developing a drug to neutralize this killer. Oki’s potentially life-saving breakthrough came in the form of the least scientific experiment imaginable. In early 2018, he worked in Mountain View at the SENS Research Foundation, which is dedicated to finding cures for aging-related disease. It was on a quiet Friday night when everyone in the lab was either out sick, traveling, or home, that he decided to test out their first prototype. Read post
Tenant Spotlight
Is a New Type of Plastic a Solution to the Climate Crisis? FutureBio, First Tenant in Bakar Climate Labs Pilot Program, Says Yes.
FutureBio is the first tenant in the pilot program at UC Berkeley’s new climate tech incubator: Bakar Climate Labs. Until the new incubator on the west side of campus opens in 2028, the pilot program is accepting startups leasing space at Bakar Bio Labs and the QB3 Garage incubator in Stanley Hall. But FutureBio isn’t waiting for the ink to dry on blueprints—they’re already moving forward, transforming the way we think about plastic and our planet’s future. Read post
Tenant Spotlight
Tenant Spotlight on Radar Therapeutics: Homing In on Precise, Accessible Genetic Medicines
Genetic medicine promises groundbreaking breakthroughs, but hurdles like precision targeting and sky-high costs remain. Many treatments are slow and out of reach for many. Sophia Lugo, CEO of Radar Therapeutics, is leading the charge for a more accessible future. Read post
Tenant Spotlight
Tenant Spotlight on ARIZ: Rising to the Challenge to Make Cancer Treatments More Humane
Cancer treatments are often as grueling as the disease itself—chemotherapy can bring unbearable side effects like debilitating fatigue, nausea, and hair loss, leaving patients vulnerable and stripped of their identity. But what if cancer care could be better? More precise? Less harmful? Enter ARIZ Precision Medicine. Their mission is to revolutionize cancer care by developing therapies that not only fight the disease but also preserve the quality of life for patients. Learn how they’re doing this in our latest Tenant Spotlight. Read post
Tenant Spotlight
Tenant Spotlight on Aikium: A Trillion Shots at Targeting Tangled Proteins
Aikium has essentially invented a new protein family. Called “SeqR” proteins, they are sequence specific binders that can be applied to different therapeutic needs such as cancer, neuro-inflammation, and some autoimmune disorders. Aikium is going after chemokine receptors, a subset of G-protein coupled receptors, a large class of molecules that have long proven difficult to target. By virtue of being on immune cells, they are front and center in cancer and immune-mediated diseases. Read post
Tenant Spotlight
What Makes a Good CEO? Steve Lo, Former Valitor CEO, Has Answers
A “mentorship mentality” shapes the trajectory of aspiring leaders. By mentoring others, leaders not only hone their technical knowledge but also practice crucial soft skills such as effective communication. Moreover, mentorship fosters a sense of community and support, enabling CEOs to cultivate a strong network. Read post
Tenant Spotlight
Tenant Spotlight on Inapill: A Novel Approach to Interrupting Inflammation
“We hope this new oral therapeutic targeting proinflammatory immunometabolism will have ‘pipeline-in-a-pill’ potential,” says CEO and co-founder Greg Timblin. “Once it garners FDA approval in one inflammatory indication, it could be used in the clinic as a treatment across multiple inflammatory diseases. Perhaps it could even provide benefit to patients with more complex diseases where excessive inflammation is thought to be a driving factor, such as cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.” Read post
Tenant Spotlight
Rewrite and Replace: Shakked Halperin, Serial Entrepreneur
“CRISPR offered a pair of DNA scissors that were going to change the world,” Shakked says. “But I didn’t want to just cut. I wanted to rewrite with full control over the target sequence, so with Rewrite I turned to nature’s DNA writer – DNA polymerases – and made something closer to a pencil.” Read post