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.
Event Recap
Event Recap: “Working With Strategic Investors”
“Between all these investors and companies,” Haurwitz said, “I think it becomes very clear over time that different incentives drive different interactions.” She advises building personal relationships to find out how and why each fund makes investments: some for profit, some for strategic reasons (like licensing or later acquisition); sometimes both at the same fund. (Haurwitz was the first student to work on CRISPR in Jennifer Doudna’s lab, she said; traditional VCs had no interest in CRISPR while CVCs – Dupont first among them – were knocking on the door, quick to see the long-term potential.) Read post
Company News
At Biotech’s Biggest Conference, UC Berkeley Shows Off Startups
In a way, biotech startup Editpep’s story is one faced by many new life sciences companies in a tough funding environment; in a way, too, it is so Berkeley. Co-founded by University of California, Berkeley postdoctoral researcher looking at ways to cure genetic diseases, an MBA student and a scientific disciple of CRISPR gene-editing technology pioneer Jennifer Doudna, Editpep last month secured an $8.4 million seed financing to take on pediatric brain cancer and other brain diseases. Read post
Article
‘You have to believe that you can be a leader’: Sophia Lugo, NHI’s 2024 Person of the Year
Sophia Lugo has made a remarkable journey in her career so far, moving from Silva Magnet/Jefferson High School in El Paso to Harvard University for undergraduate studies on biology, the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University for graduate studies in public policy, and Stanford University for her MBA, work with entities including the Boston Consulting Group and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, eventually becoming co-founder and CEO of a company aiming to change medicine as we know it. Read post
Article
What to Look for in a Biotech Incubator
Gino Segre, managing director of Bakar Labs, confirms that there is plenty you can look at to see if an incubator is successful. “Tenant occupancy relative to other incubators, fundraising success of the tenants over time, and word of mouth satisfaction are good indicators of the operating track record of the incubator.” Reaching out to former incubees to have direct feedback on their experience with the incubator is one of your strongest indicators if this is the right direction for you. Read post
Press Release
Cyclarity Therapeutics Closes Tranche 1 of Series A Funding Round
Cyclarity will use funds from this round to commence clinical trials later this month for the development of UDP-003, a novel therapeutic designed to reduce atherosclerotic plaque accumulation by targeting its root cause, the accumulation of toxic oxidized cholesterol in cells and tissues. 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
Press ReleaseCompany News
Cyclarity Therapeutics Secures Approval for First-in-Human Clinical Trial
Cyclarity Therapeutics is pleased to announce regulatory approval to begin its first-in-human clinical trial. The trial will be conducted at CMAX, one of Australia’s leading clinical research centers, in partnership with Monash University. This effort will be led by Dr. Stephen Nicholls of the Victorian Heart Institute (VHI), a distinguished leader in cardiovascular medicine. In addition to a traditional SAD/MAD phase 1 trial, the authorization includes an allowance to enroll 12 patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) to assess the safety of UDP-003 in individuals with plaque buildup, as well as to explore anecdotal evidence of efficacy. This represents a critical first step in evaluating the potential impact of our therapy in a population with high unmet need. Read post
Company NewsBakar Labs News
Looking Forward to 2025 from Our Top Five Stories of 2024
Happy new year! At Bakar Labs we’re looking forward to a great 2025, starting of course with the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in SF. Other highlights in the near future: the return of our JETRO entrepreneurs from Japan; the rollout of the Bakar Climate Labs pilot program (look for our web story on Futurebio, our first climate tech tenant); if you’re at the BIO International Convention in Boston, look for our team, we’ll be there. You can count on our September Showcase and our November anniversary party to be bangers. Community is our #1 asset. Thank you for being part of it! Read post
Company News
Startup ResVita Bio Targets Rare, Deadly Skin Disease With a Bacterial Factory
Amin Zargar literally put skin in his scientific game. Now he hopes to add a deeper layer of funding to his East Bay startup to boost its work on a treatment for a rare and deadly skin disease. Zargar as a postdoctoral fellow was on an academic track and looking for a job as he stress-tested an idea kicked around with mentor Jay Keasling, a pioneer in synthetic biology at UC Berkeley. What if, they thought, they could genetically engineer a bacteria to convert sugars in skin lotions into therapeutic proteins continuously pumped onto the skin’s surface? In essence, the bacteria would become a 24/7 factory for producing healing proteins. Read post