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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

The Life Sciences ecosystem is experiencing unprecedented innovation, and academic entrepreneurs are at the forefront of this change. Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate women past and present from all walks of life. In honor of International Women’s Day 2023, we at BIOS have the pleasure of putting together the “Top 23 Women in Academic Entrepreneurship” that have truly changed the life sciences ecosystem as we know it.

In honor of International Women’s Day 2023 taking place on 3 / 8 / 23, this list features 3 categories to commemorate the date…

3: Stars Amongst Stars - 3 star academic entrepreneurs who have changed the face of research & impacted patients on the highest of levels ❤️

8: Leading Innovators - 8 academic entrepreneurs who are on the cutting edge of life sciences research 🔬

23: Entrepreneurs to Follow - 23 of today’s top translational researchers 🎉

These women are pioneers shaping translational research and inspiring today's medical miracles, demonstrating patient impact. Through their work, these women are shaping the future of medicine and inspiring the next generation of academic entrepreneurs. From groundbreaking discoveries to entrepreneurial leadership, this article showcases in alphabetical order the impressive accomplishments of these pioneering women and their vital role in the Life Science startup landscape.

3: Stars Amongst Stars

Jennifer Doudna, Carolyn Bertozzi, & Frances Arnold

Carolyn Bertozzi

Carolyn Bertozzi is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemical & Systems Biology and Radiology (by courtesy) at Stanford University, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is the inventor of “bioorthogonal chemistry”, a class of chemical reactions compatible with living systems that enable molecular imaging and drug targeting. She also runs the Bertozzi Group, which develops chemical tools to study the glycobiology underlying diseases such as cancer, inflammation, tuberculosis and most recently COVID-19.

Bertozzi's research interests span the disciplines of chemistry and biology. She invented the concept of “bioorthogonal chemistry” and has widely applied such reactions to study biological processes and build new types of molecular therapeutics.  As well, her lab studies the roles of cell surface glycosylation in human health and disease. Her lab focuses on profiling changes in cell surface glycosylation associated with cancer, inflammation and bacterial infection, and exploiting this information for development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, most recently in the area of immuno-oncology. 

Bertozzi has been recognized with many honors and awards for both her research and teaching accomplishments. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and she is a Foriegn Fellow of the Royal Society, UK. Her efforts in undergraduate education have earned her the UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award and the Donald Sterling Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Some awards of note include the Lemelson-MIT award for inventors, Ernst Schering Prize, MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry, and the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Several of the technologies developed in the Bertozzi lab have been adapted for commercial use leading to the founding of: Redwood Bioscience (Acquired by Catalent), Enable Biosciences, Palleon Pharmaceuticals, InterVenn Bio, OliLux Bio, Grace Science, Lycia Therapeutics, GanNA Bio, & Virsti Therapeutics.

Bertozzi is also a member of the Board of Directors of OmniAb.

“Stanford has a truly unique ecosystem where innovation and entrepreneurship are intertwined with fundamental and translational science, providing an exciting environment for research and education.”

— Carolyn Bertozzi

Learn more about Carolyn’s work on BIOS Podcast: Listen Now

Frances Arnold

Frances Arnold is the Director of the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center and Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry. Arnold conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, which are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. Her findings led her to become a 2018 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. The uses of her results include more environmentally friendly manufacturing of chemical substances, such as pharmaceuticals, and the production of renewable fuels. Arnold's current research at her lab, the Arnold Group, is focused on repurposing diverse existing proteins and their promiscuous functions for new chemistries, generating catalysts for ncAA formation, and designing new ML-based approaches for directed evolution.

Arnold is a member of the board of directors of Alphabet, Illumina, Generate Bio, National Resilience, & Altos Labs. She is a co-founder of Gevo, Provivi, & Aralez Bio.

“Caltech has a remarkable culture of believing anything is possible—no problem is too hard. That culture produces world-changing discoveries and fearless entrepreneurs.”

- Frances Arnold

Jennifer Doudna

Jennifer Doudna is a biochemist and professor at UC Berkeley best known for discovering CRISPR in 2012. Doudna was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for her discovery and role in developing gene editing technologies. Doudna holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University. She has been at UC Berkeley since 2002, where she has since pioneered work in RNA, including CRISPR. In 2015, Doudna published a framework to safeguard the genomes of human embryos against modification. At Berkeley, Doudna directs the Innovative Genomics Institute, holds the Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Professorship in Biomedicine and Health, and is the chair of the Chancellor’s Advisor Committee on Biology. Her lab now focuses on obtaining a mechanistic understanding of biological processes involving RNA. Her current work can be seen here.

Doudna has founded numerous life sciences businesses, including Caribou Biosciences, Scribe Therapeutics, Mammoth Biosciences, Editas Medicine, & Intellia Therapeutics.

8: Leading Innovators

Christina Smolke

Christina Smolke is a professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering. Smolke is known for pioneering the design and application of a broad class of RNA molecules, called RNA devices. Her laboratory, Smolke Lab, is applying these technologies to addressing key challenges in cellular therapeutics, targeted molecular therapies, and green biosynthesis strategies.

Christina is an inventor on 15 issued patents and has co-founded two companies based on technologies developed in her research group: Chimera Bioengineering & Antheia.

Elizabeth Blackburn

Elizabeth Blackburn is Morris Herztein Professor of Biology and Physiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, is a leader in the area of telomere and telomerase research. Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for discovering the molecular nature of telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that serve as protective caps essential for preserving genetic information, and for co-discovering telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomere ends. In addition to the Nobel Prize, Blackburn has received nearly every major award in science, including the Lasker, Gruber and Gairdner prizes. She was named to the TIME 100 in 2007, the magazine’s yearly list of the most influential people in the world. Her research program,  the Blackburn Lab, focuses on telomeres - the structures stabilizing the ends of the eukaryotic chromosomes, and the enzyme telomerase. 

Aside from Blackburn’s numerous patents and awards, she is also the scientific co-founder of Telome Health.  

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic  is a University Professor (the first engineer in the history of Columbia to receive this highest distinction), the Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Sciences, Professor of Dental Medicine, and directs the Tissue Engineering Resource Center and Columbia’s Center for Dental and Craniofacial Research. Vunjak-Novakovic’s research interest is focused on tissue engineering, where her lab has pioneered the development of innovative technologies for engineering functional human tissues and organs.

Vunjak-Novakovic is a founder of four biotech companies based on advances in regenerative medicine and bioengineering: epiBone, Tara Biosystems (Acquired by Valo Health in 2022), Xylyx, and Immplacate.

Learn more about Gordana’s work on BIOS Frontier Science: Listen Now

Jennifer Cochran

Jennifer Cochran is the Shriram Chair and Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. Her research interests include protein-based drug discovery and development for applications in oncology and regenerative medicine. Her lab, the Cochran Lab, focuses on translating basic science discoveries from bench to bedside; several of the designer proteins created in her lab are at various stages of commercialization and clinical translation.

In 2017, Cochran co-founded Lagunita Biosciences, a healthcare investment company and incubator that creates and grows early stage companies to commercialize impactful translational science. During this time, she co-founded several biotech companies, including xCella Biosciences (Acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals) and Nodus Oncology, and has served in various executive roles in these organizations.

Jennifer Lewis

Jennifer Lewis is the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Lewis is best known for her pioneering contributions to the programmable assembly of soft functional, structural, and biological materials. The Lewis lab focus areas include Adaptive Material Technologies, Bioinspired Robotics, Biomimetic Microsystems, Systems Biology, and Programmable Nanomaterials.

Lewis has authored more than 150 papers, 30 patents, & co-founded multiple companies including Voxel8.

Pam Silver

Pam Silver is among the top global influencers in synthetic biology. Her early discoveries in nuclear localization signals contributed to numerous discoveries in anti-cancer therapies. One of the founding members of the Systems Biology department and the first Director of the Harvard University Graduate Program in Systems Biology, she leads the Silver Lab, which has investigated many scientific paths over the years including nuclear organization and transport, RNA processing and transport, gene regulation, and synthetic biology. Her work has been recognized as one of the top ten breakthroughs by the World Economic forum.

Silver serves on numerous public/private advisory boards & is the co-founder of several biotech companies including: 64x, KulaBio, General Biologics, amongst others.

“Synthetic biology holds the solutions to many of the problems facing the world. It is wonderful to see so many young people engaging & pushing things ahead. We need to act now!”

— Pam Silver

Sangeeta Bhatia

Sangeeta Bhatia is the John J. and Dorothy Wilson Professor at MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering & Science (IMES). Known for nanotechnology for tissue repair and regeneration, Bhatia along with the Bhatia lab leverages ‘tiny technologies’ of miniaturization to yield inventions such as human microlivers that model human drug metabolism and liver disease, as well as responsive nanoparticles and nanoporous materials that can be engineered to diagnose, study, and treat a variety of diseases, including cancer.

A prolific inventor and passionate advocate for diversity in science and engineering, Bhatia and her over 150 trainees have contributed to more than 50 issued or pending patents and launched multiple biotechnology companies focused on commercial products at the intersection of medicine and miniaturization.

Bhatia has co-founded multiple companies including: Hepregen (now BioIVT), Glympse Bio, Impilo Therapeutics (Acquired by Cend Therapeutics/Lisata Therapeutics), Satellite Bio, and Port Therapeutics, amongst others and sits on the board of Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Viviana Gradinaru

Viviana Gradinaru is Director of the Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Center for the Caltech Chen Institute and Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering. Gradinaru has worked on the development of novel technologies for brain imaging, which she uses to understand sleep disorders and movement. These technologies include optogenetics and CLARITY. She developed viral vector screening methods to monitor gene delivery vehicles that can cross the blood–brain barrier. Her lab, the Gradinaru Lab, is focused on developing neurotechnologies to understand and repair nervous systems via targeted gene therapy.

Gradinaru holds 10 patents and is the co-founder & board member of Capsida Biotherapeutics & Circuit Therapeutics.

23: Entrepreneurs to Follow

Angela Belcher

Angela Belcher is an expert in using biology for nanomaterials design and synthesis of bio-inspired, organic, and inorganic hybrid materials. Belcher made a breakthrough studying abalone shells in the early 2000’s which led to the engineering of a virus known as M13 Bacteriophage. M13 can be made coat itself with inorganic materials including gold and cobalt oxide that when coaxed together created the potential of cost effective, more sustainable, rechargeable batteries. More recently the Belcher Lab demonstrated the potential for M13 phages to detect cancer, leading to more precise pre-surgical measurement and in animal studies, a 40% in median survival using this technology.

Belcher has founded two companies: Cambrios Advanced Materials & Siluria Technologies.

Anna Marie Pyle

Anna Marie Pyle is a Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and a Professor of Chemistry at Yale University and an Investigator for Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Pyle is the president of the RNA Society, the vice-chair of the Science and Technology Steering Committee at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and previously she served as chair of the Macromolecular Structure and Function A Study Section at the National Institutes of Health. Pyle pioneered the study of RNA helicase enzymes and other RNA-stimulated ATPases that serve as translocases, RNA remodeling enzymes, folding cofactors and signaling enzymes in the cell. Her experimental work is complemented by efforts to develop new computational tools for modeling, analyzing and predicting RNA structure. The Pyle laboratory uses a diverse set of biochemical and biophysical techniques, including crystallography and chemical probing, to understand the structural complexity of RNA architecture.

Anna Marie Pyle currently holds 9 patents, the co-founder of Rigimmune, and a scientific advisory board member of Arrakis Pharmaceuticals.

Barbara Slusher

Barbara Slusher is a Professor of Neurology, Pharmacology, and Molecular Sciences at Hopkins where she also serves as the Director of Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery. Slusher is known for her pioneering work in drug discovery, where she has been involved in translational development, clinical development, and post-market support of FDA approved drugs. She leads the largest drug discovery program at Hopkins and focuses on clinical translation. Slusher received her B.S. from Dickinson College and M.A.S and Ph.D from Johns Hopkins.

She has co-founded numerous drug discovery companies including Cerecor (Now Avalo Therapeutics), Dracen Pharmaceuticals, Afarda (Acquired by Bayer), and Lorem Therapeutics. She servies on the Board of Directors at Ashvattha Therapeutics and has been on the Scientific Advisory Board of Johnson & Johnson, Longeviti Neuro Solutions, and Bluefield Innovations, among other biotechnology companies.

Carolyn Bertozzi

Carolyn Bertozzi is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemical & Systems Biology and Radiology (by courtesy) at Stanford University, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is the inventor of “bioorthogonal chemistry”, a class of chemical reactions compatible with living systems that enable molecular imaging and drug targeting. She also runs the Bertozzi Group, which develops chemical tools to study the glycobiology underlying diseases such as cancer, inflammation, tuberculosis and most recently COVID-19.

Bertozzi's research interests span the disciplines of chemistry and biology. She invented the concept of “bioorthogonal chemistry” and has widely applied such reactions to study biological processes and build new types of molecular therapeutics.  As well, her lab studies the roles of cell surface glycosylation in human health and disease. Her lab focuses on profiling changes in cell surface glycosylation associated with cancer, inflammation and bacterial infection, and exploiting this information for development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, most recently in the area of immuno-oncology. 

Bertozzi has been recognized with many honors and awards for both her research and teaching accomplishments. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and she is a Foriegn Fellow of the Royal Society, UK. Her efforts in undergraduate education have earned her the UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award and the Donald Sterling Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Some awards of note include the Lemelson-MIT award for inventors, Ernst Schering Prize, MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry, and the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Several of the technologies developed in the Bertozzi lab have been adapted for commercial use leading to the founding of: Redwood Bioscience (Acquired by Catalent), Enable Biosciences, Palleon Pharmaceuticals, InterVenn Bio, OliLux Bio, Grace Science, Lycia Therapeutics, GanNA Bio, & Virsti Therapeutics.

Bertozzi is also a member of the Board of Directors of OmniAb.

“Stanford has a truly unique ecosystem where innovation and entrepreneurship are intertwined with fundamental and translational science, providing an exciting environment for research and education.”

— Carolyn Bertozzi

Learn more about Carolyn’s work on BIOS Podcast: Listen Now

Christina Smolke

Christina Smolke is a professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering. Smolke is known for pioneering the design and application of a broad class of RNA molecules, called RNA devices. Her laboratory, Smolke Lab, is applying these technologies to addressing key challenges in cellular therapeutics, targeted molecular therapies, and green biosynthesis strategies.

Christina is an inventor on 15 issued patents and has co-founded two companies based on technologies developed in her research group: Chimera Bioengineering & Antheia.

Elaine Hsiao

Elaine Hsiao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology at UCLA, where she studies the fundamental interactions between the microbiome, brain and behavior, and their applications to neurological disorders. Her work in this area, and on neuroimmune interactions in autism, has led to several honors, including the National Institutes of Health Director’s Early Independence Award, distinction as Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Science and Healthcare, National Geographic’s Emerging Explorer Award and fellowships from the National Institute of Mental Health and Autism Speaks. Inspired by this interplay between the microbiota and nervous system, the Hsiao laboratory is mining the human microbiota for microbial modulators of host neuroactive molecules, investigating the impact of microbiota-immune system interactions on neurodevelopment and examining the microbiome as an interface between gene-environment interactions in neurological diseases.

Hsiao holds 15 patents & has Co-Founded  4 companies: Axial Therapeutics, Bloom Science, Kanobo, & Purpose Bio. 

Elizabeth Blackburn

Elizabeth Blackburn is Morris Herztein Professor of Biology and Physiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, is a leader in the area of telomere and telomerase research. Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for discovering the molecular nature of telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that serve as protective caps essential for preserving genetic information, and for co-discovering telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomere ends. In addition to the Nobel Prize, Blackburn has received nearly every major award in science, including the Lasker, Gruber and Gairdner prizes. She was named to the TIME 100 in 2007, the magazine’s yearly list of the most influential people in the world. Her research program,  the Blackburn Lab, focuses on telomeres - the structures stabilizing the ends of the eukaryotic chromosomes, and the enzyme telomerase. 

Aside from Blackburn’s numerous patents and awards, she is also the scientific co-founder of Telome Health.  

Frances Arnold

Frances Arnold is the Director of the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center and Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry. Arnold conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, which are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. Her findings led her to become a 2018 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. The uses of her results include more environmentally friendly manufacturing of chemical substances, such as pharmaceuticals, and the production of renewable fuels. Arnold's current research at her lab, the Arnold Group, is focused on repurposing diverse existing proteins and their promiscuous functions for new chemistries, generating catalysts for ncAA formation, and designing new ML-based approaches for directed evolution.

Arnold is a member of the board of directors of Alphabet, Illumina, Generate Bio, National Resilience, & Altos Labs. She is a co-founder of Gevo, Provivi, & Aralez Bio.

“Caltech has a remarkable culture of believing anything is possible—no problem is too hard. That culture produces world-changing discoveries and fearless entrepreneurs.”

- Frances Arnold

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic  is a University Professor (the first engineer in the history of Columbia to receive this highest distinction), the Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Sciences, Professor of Dental Medicine, and directs the Tissue Engineering Resource Center and Columbia’s Center for Dental and Craniofacial Research. Vunjak-Novakovic’s research interest is focused on tissue engineering, where her lab has pioneered the development of innovative technologies for engineering functional human tissues and organs.

Vunjak-Novakovic is a founder of four biotech companies based on advances in regenerative medicine and bioengineering: epiBone, Tara Biosystems (Acquired by Valo Health in 2022), Xylyx, and Immplacate.

Learn more about Gordana’s work on BIOS Frontier Science: Listen Now

Jennifer Cochran

Jennifer Cochran is the Shriram Chair and Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. Her research interests include protein-based drug discovery and development for applications in oncology and regenerative medicine. Her lab, the Cochran Lab, focuses on translating basic science discoveries from bench to bedside; several of the designer proteins created in her lab are at various stages of commercialization and clinical translation.

In 2017, Cochran co-founded Lagunita Biosciences, a healthcare investment company and incubator that creates and grows early stage companies to commercialize impactful translational science. During this time, she co-founded several biotech companies, including xCella Biosciences (Acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals) and Nodus Oncology, and has served in various executive roles in these organizations.

Jennifer Doudna

Jennifer Doudna is a biochemist and professor at UC Berkeley best known for discovering CRISPR in 2012. Doudna was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for her discovery and role in developing gene editing technologies. Doudna holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University. She has been at UC Berkeley since 2002, where she has since pioneered work in RNA, including CRISPR. In 2015, Doudna published a framework to safeguard the genomes of human embryos against modification. At Berkeley, Doudna directs the Innovative Genomics Institute, holds the Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Professorship in Biomedicine and Health, and is the chair of the Chancellor’s Advisor Committee on Biology. Her lab now focuses on obtaining a mechanistic understanding of biological processes involving RNA. Her current work can be seen here.

Doudna has founded numerous life sciences businesses, including Caribou Biosciences, Scribe Therapeutics, Mammoth Biosciences, Editas Medicine, & Intellia Therapeutics.

Jennifer Elisseeff

Jennifer Elisseeff is the Morton F. Goldberg Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology and a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Hopkins. She also serves as the Director of the Translational Tissue Engineering Center and is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Elisseeff is known for her pioneering work in tissue regeneration and artificial organ development, most notably with the cornea. Elisseeff received her B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

She is the co-founder of multiple tissue engineering companies including Cartilix Inc (Acquired by Biomet Inc) and Aegeria. She also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for companies including Kythera Biopharmaceuticals (Acquired by Allergan/Abbvie), Bausch and Lomb, and Cellular Bioengineering Inc.

Jennifer Lewis

Jennifer Lewis is the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Lewis is best known for her pioneering contributions to the programmable assembly of soft functional, structural, and biological materials. The Lewis lab focus areas include Adaptive Material Technologies, Bioinspired Robotics, Biomimetic Microsystems, Systems Biology, and Programmable Nanomaterials.

Lewis has authored more than 150 papers, 30 patents, & co-founded multiple companies including Voxel8.

Lili Yang

Lili Yang is an Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics as well as a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research (BSCRC). Yang became widely recognized for her research of developing gene- and cell-based immunotherapies for cancer and HIV/AIDS, specifically through the use of viral vectors. Her laboratory at UCLA, the Yang Engineering Immunity Lab, studies tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy, with a special focus on stem cell-based and gene-engineered immunotherapy for cancer.

Yang currently holds 15 patents, is running 2 clinical trials, and has co-founded 2 biotech startups: Appia Bio & Immune Design (acquired by Merck).

Nicole Steinmetz

Nicole Steinmetz is a Professor of NanoEngineering and is the Founding Director of the Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering (nanoIE). Steinmetz is widely recognized as an expert in bio-nanotechnology who applies much of her learnings to new frontiers in medicine through design, development and testing of materials and biologics derived from plant viruses. Currently, the Steinmetz Lab is developing plant virus-based nanoparticles to create nanomaterials for biomedical applications, precision farming, and engineered living materials mostly through structure-function studies.

Steinmetz currently holds 45 patents and is the Co-Founder & current Chief Scientific Officer of Mosaic ImmunoEngineering Inc.

Nora Disis

Nora Disis is the Principal Investigator of the Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS), Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology at UW, and a Member of the Fred Hutch Institute. She is also Director of the Center for Translational Medicine in Women’s Health at UW. Disis’ research interest lies in the discovery of new molecular targets for cancer immunotherapies, particularly vaccines and T-cell therapies. She is one of the investigators who discovered that the molecule HER-2/neu is a tumor-specific marker, or antigen. Today, many widely used cancer drugs target HER-2, and her work has led to several clinical trials testing HER-2–based cancer vaccines. She directs the Cancer Vaccine Research Institute in which her group also studies how the immune system could be used to diagnose cancer and develops novel tests for characterizing the immune system. 

In addition to her research and clinical work, Dr. Disis holds many local and national leadership positions in her field. She is dedicated to translating lab discoveries into the clinic for patients and holds several patents for targeted cancer therapies and diagnostics. Currently, she is the scientific co-founder of EpiThany.

Pam Silver

Pam Silver is among the top global influencers in synthetic biology. Her early discoveries in nuclear localization signals contributed to numerous discoveries in anti-cancer therapies. One of the founding members of the Systems Biology department and the first Director of the Harvard University Graduate Program in Systems Biology, she leads the Silver Lab, which has investigated many scientific paths over the years including nuclear organization and transport, RNA processing and transport, gene regulation, and synthetic biology. Her work has been recognized as one of the top ten breakthroughs by the World Economic forum.

Silver serves on numerous public/private advisory boards & is the co-founder of several biotech companies including: 64x, KulaBio, General Biologics, amongst others.

“Synthetic biology holds the solutions to many of the problems facing the world. It is wonderful to see so many young people engaging & pushing things ahead. We need to act now!”

— Pam Silver

Sangeeta Bhatia

Sangeeta Bhatia is the John J. and Dorothy Wilson Professor at MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering & Science (IMES). Known for nanotechnology for tissue repair and regeneration, Bhatia along with the Bhatia lab leverages ‘tiny technologies’ of miniaturization to yield inventions such as human microlivers that model human drug metabolism and liver disease, as well as responsive nanoparticles and nanoporous materials that can be engineered to diagnose, study, and treat a variety of diseases, including cancer.

A prolific inventor and passionate advocate for diversity in science and engineering, Bhatia and her over 150 trainees have contributed to more than 50 issued or pending patents and launched multiple biotechnology companies focused on commercial products at the intersection of medicine and miniaturization.

Bhatia has co-founded multiple companies including: Hepregen (now BioIVT), Glympse Bio, Impilo Therapeutics (Acquired by Cend Therapeutics/Lisata Therapeutics), Satellite Bio, and Port Therapeutics, amongst others and sits on the board of Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Shana Kelley

Shana Kelley is the Neena B. Schwartz Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering who also holds positions in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern University. Kelley is an internationally renowned researcher that has developed innovative and translational methods for tracking molecular and cellular analytes with unprecedented sensitivity. Her novel approaches integrate nanoscience, bioanalytical science, and engineering. Kelley perfected a groundbreaking method for nucleic acid detection that uses high surface area nanoscale gold-based sensors. Kelley is also well-known for the development of new methods to detect circulating cancer cells and delivery systems that leverage mitochondrial penetrating peptides and related materials. The Kelley Group uses a highly multidisciplinary approach to develop new tools for the diagnosis of disease and the development of new disease therapies. 

Professor Kelley currently holds 35 patents, a scientific advisor to Ontario Genomics, CNM, and Sartorius AG. She is also the co-founder of 3 companies: GeneOhm Sciences (acquired by Becton Dickinson), Xagenic Inc. (acquired by General Atomics), & Cellular Analytics.

Stephanie Cherqui

Stephanie Cherqui is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Chair of the UC San Diego Cystinosis Stem Cell Gene Therapy Consortium. A pioneering expert in Cystinosis, Cherqui and her research group, the Cherqui Lab, focus on the use of stem cell and gene therapy for multisystemic genetic disorders and fundamental understanding of tissue repair by bone marrow stem cells. Cherqui is currently developing the first stem cell gene therapy clinical trial for cystinosis at UC San Diego.

Cherqui is the co-founder of Stelios (Acquired by Lexeo Therapeutics) & Papillion Therapeutics. 

Viviana Gradinaru

Viviana Gradinaru is Director of the Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Center for the Caltech Chen Institute and Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering. Gradinaru has worked on the development of novel technologies for brain imaging, which she uses to understand sleep disorders and movement. These technologies include optogenetics and CLARITY. She developed viral vector screening methods to monitor gene delivery vehicles that can cross the blood–brain barrier. Her lab, the Gradinaru Lab, is focused on developing neurotechnologies to understand and repair nervous systems via targeted gene therapy.

Gradinaru holds 10 patents and is the co-founder & board member of Capsida Biotherapeutics & Circuit Therapeutics.

View Full Archive — Top 250: Academic Life Science Entrepreneurs 👏

To discover more academic researchers across the ecosystem translating scientific research into cutting edge startups subscribe to view our full archive of the top professors @ Berkeley, Caltech, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Penn, Princeton, Stanford, UCLA, UCSD, UCSF, UNC, UW, & Yale, as well as UK based universities such as Oxford & Cambridge:

BIOS - Beaker List: Full Archive of Top 250 Academic Entrepreneurs🔬
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❤️ Huge shoutout to Andrew Yashar for putting this together!

Alix Ventures, by way of BIOS Community, is providing this content for general information purposes only. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement nor recommendation by Alix Ventures, BIOS Community, or its affiliates. The views & opinions expressed by guests are their own & their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them nor any entity they represent. Views & opinions expressed by Alix Ventures employees are those of the employees & do not necessarily reflect the view of Alix Ventures, BIOS Community, affiliates, nor its content sponsors.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

One of the oldest universities in the United States, Princeton University is a globally recognized Ivy League research institution with a strong history of scholarship and innovation. As of October 2021, 75 Nobel laureates, 16 Fields Medalists and 16 Turing Award laureates have been affiliated with Princeton University as alumni, faculty members, or researchers. From laboratory to start-up, there have been many transformative technologies that became the basis for new ventures stemming from this campus. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Princeton University, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

With more than 200 years of research under its belt, University of North Carolina houses an ever-growing list of discoveries and inventions, many of which span several decades. UNC is the 12th largest research university in the United States, ranking sixth in the nation for federal research expenditures. With $1.15 Billion in annual funding, UNC is dedicating large amounts of capital to create tremendous social and economic value. Cumulatively, UNC faculty are responsible for 1,003 U.S. issued patents, 145 startups launched, and over $1.5 Billion in startup investments received. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at University of North Carolina, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

Paul Dayton

Paul Dayton is Distinguished Professor and Chair of the UNC & N.C. State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dayton focused his research interests on areas of biomedical ultrasound imaging, ultrasound mediated targeted therapies, and industrial ultrasound applications. In particular, his research at the Dayton Lab involves developing new technologies for imaging blood flow, microvasculature, and molecular markers using ultrasound and microbubble contrast agents. Several of his contributions to the field include techniques to improve the sensitivity and consistency of ultrasound imaging through optimization of contrast agent size distribution; the demonstration of high-resolution, high-SNR ultra-broadband imaging; and techniques for real-time molecular imaging.

Dayton currently holds 12 patents and is the co-founder of 5 companies including: Nanosonic Bioreagents, SonoVol, & Triangle Biotechnology.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

Cornell University is ranked 12th on average over the past 30 years by the U.S. News & World Report National Universities ranking and holds a strong reputation as a top tier research organization. As of September 2021, 61 Nobel laureates, four Turing Award winners and one Fields Medalist have been affiliated with Cornell. Among its notable achievements, spanning some of the first therapeutic interventions for hemolytic diseases in infants to bioregenerative medicine, Cornell currently spends over $1.19 billion annually on research. A keystone of this research expenditure is dedicated to the Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM). Located at the heart of New York City’s Upper East Side Medical Research Corridor, the WCM is committed to eradicating disease and enhancing human health through cutting-edge, translational science. With expertise spanning the spectrum of disciplines, WCM scientists target some of the most formidable health challenges of the 21st century, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, diseases affecting children, and infectious diseases, especially those with significant impact on the developing world. Weill Cornell Medicine’s Centers and Institutes lead cross-disciplinary biomedical research efforts to improve patient care and are pushing scientific discoveries forward through employing precision medicine and other advanced research methods to unearth the molecular underpinnings of disease with hopes of quickly applying laboratory breakthroughs to the clinic. With collaborators at seven affiliated hospitals and research institutes, WCM’s high-impact research seeks to unlock the mysteries of the human body and alleviate suffering caused by disease. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Cornell, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

Chris Mason

Chris Mason is a professor of Genomics, Physiology, and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine.  He is a systems thinker, who frequently characterizes multi-omic data in a variety of environments—from cruise ships to Chernobyl-struck villages to outer space. Chris works with NASA to design the metagenome for life in space and is a proud contributor to the 500 Year Plan, a long-term survival plan for Earth’s inhabitants. The Mason lab currently develops and deploys new biochemical and computational methods in functional genomics, and metagenomics. The group also works closely with NIST/FDA to build international standards. These methods are also being integrated for longitudinal multi-omic profiling of NASA astronauts and for genetic and epigenetic diagnostics on the International Space Station.

Mason currently holds 59 patents and has co-founded four biotechnology startup companies including Onegevity Health, Biotia, BridgeOmics, & Genome Liberty.

Learn more about Chris Mason’s work on BIOS Frontier Science: Listen Now

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

Duke University is ranked among the top universities in the United States and in the world by major publications. With the university's vast network of researchers and resources, faculty year over year have been able to deliver important advancements in discovery, invention, and translation, leading to 13 new companies this past year alone. Duke spends more than $1 Billion per year on research, making it one of the ten largest research universities in the United States. More than a dozen faculty regularly appear on annual lists of the world's most-cited researchers. As of 2019, 15 Nobel laureates and 3 Turing Award winners have been affiliated with the university. Duke alumni also include 50 Rhodes Scholars, the third highest number of Churchill Scholars of any university (behind Princeton and Harvard), and the fifth-highest number of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall Scholars of any American university between 1986 and 2015. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Duke, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

We asked Ashutosh Chilkoti for comment on how Duke University fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“As Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke, I have been deeply committed to empowering our faculty and students to be entrepreneurial.   I  created an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program within the department,  and we have had several EIRs in residence who have helped launch faculty and student-led startups. I also created the Entrepreneurial Post-doctoral fellowship program for select PhD graduates to turn their PhD research into a start-up, and also created a Bioengineering focused incubator —BRiDGE— to provide the physical infrastructure for these startups.”

—Ashutosh Chilkoti

Ashutosh Chilkoti

Ashutosh Chilkoti is the Alan L. Kaganov Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University. Ashtosh Chilkoti’s research explores the interactions of biological and synthetic polymers with biology at the molecular level, with the goal of developing molecular tools and devices for medicine and biotechnology. Through a series of approximately 100 papers in the past two decades, his research group, the Chilkoti Group, has pioneered the design and synthesis of genetically encoded stimulus-responsive elastin-like polypeptides and their fusions with peptides and proteins, with applications in protein purification and drug delivery. His group developed the first non-fouling polymer brush coating, and used it to design ultrasensitive point-of-care immunoassays that are now being developed for clinical use.  They also developed a next generation PEGylation technology, in which changing the architecture of PEG from a linear polymer to a bottle brush eliminates the anti-PEG response that is seen with PEGylated drugs and vaccines.  

Chilkoti has Co-Founded 6 startups - including : Isolere Bio, InSoma Bio, Gateway Bio, PhaseBio (NASDAQ: PHAS), Sentilus (Acq. by Immucor), & BioStealth.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

Yale University, one of the oldest colleges, has been consistently placed in the highest rankings of United States education programs, perennially among the top five. In the ratings of world research universities, however, Yale tends to be somewhere between tenth and fifteenth. This discrepancy was seen as an opportunity for significant growth by the college in 2016 as Yale has made it a priority in the last half of the decade to become a top leading research university. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing since this change, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Yale, both in innovation and strengthening the scientific and entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

Aaron Ring

Aaron Ring is an Associate Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University. Ring is best known for his work in directed evolution to create new pharmacologic tools and therapeutics against key immune receptors and cytokine pathways. While an MD/PhD student at Stanford, he co-invented what is now evorpacept, an ultra-high affinity CD47 antagonist under development at ALX Oncology (Nasdaq: ALXO), which he co-founded in 2015. He also co-invented the first CD122-biased IL-2 variant now MDNA-11 at Medicenna Therapeutics. Since joining Yale, Ring and his research team at the Ring Lab, discovered a breakthrough molecule, ‘decoy-resistant’ IL-18 (DR-18), that exerted potent anti-tumor effects in mouse tumor models. The lead DR-18 variant (ST-067) is currently being evaluated in Phase 1 clinical trials as of 2021. In a new research direction, Ring and his team have developed a novel platform for profiling functional autoantibodies in patients called REAP, enabling the identification of therapeutic targets from ‘clinical trials of nature.’

Ring is a named inventor on 24 patents. Since joining Yale, he founded 2 companies: Simcha Therapeutics & Seranova Bio and recently co-founded a third stealth biotech called Stipple Bio.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

In June of 2021, Northwestern announced the plans of a $75 million-dollar technology accelerator focused on the support of startup companies led by Northwestern faculty in health, life sciences and related fields. This expansion is no surprise coming from the fastest-growing research enterprise among all US medical schools. With $887 million in sponsored research funding just last year, and comprehensive innovation and new ventures efforts, Northwestern is recognized globally for its high-impact research, spanning academic disciplines and profoundly contributing to society through the commercialization of new products and services. Each year, approximately a dozen new companies spin out of the University’s research enterprise in cutting-edge areas such as bioelectronics, nanotechnology and synthetic biology. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Northwestern, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

We asked the ever incredible Chad Mirkin for comment on how Northwestern fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“Collaboration is at the heart of the type of science we do here at Northwestern – that includes working with our internal colleagues as well as our external partners in the business community. It is a part of our NU culture and, because an important measure of the true impact of a scientific discovery is its translation to advance society and humanity, entrepreneurship has been an extremely rewarding, and critical, aspect of my career.”

- Chad Mirkin

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

Caltech is small but prizes excellence and ambition. The Institute's extraordinary faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff are expanding our understanding of the universe, shifting paradigms, launching new fields, and inventing the technologies of the future. They are producing transformative breakthroughs in fields ranging from quantum science and engineering to bioinformatics and the nature of life itself, from human behavior and economics to energy and sustainability. Caltech is home to more than 50 research centers and institutes and 45 Nobel Prizes. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Caltech, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

We asked the ever incredible Frances Arnold for comment on how Caltech fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to her:

“Caltech has a remarkable culture of believing anything is possible—no problem is too hard. That culture produces world-changing discoveries and fearless entrepreneurs.”

- Frances Arnold

Frances Arnold

Frances Arnold is the Director of the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center and Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry. Arnold conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, which are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. Her findings led her to become a 2018 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. The uses of her results include more environmentally friendly manufacturing of chemical substances, such as pharmaceuticals, and the production of renewable fuels. Arnold's current research at her lab, the Arnold Group, is focused on repurposing diverse existing proteins and their promiscuous functions for new chemistries, generating catalysts for ncAA formation, and designing new ML-based approaches for directed evolution.

Arnold is a member of the board of directors of Alphabet, Illumina, Generate Bio, National Resilience, & Altos Labs. She is a co-founder of Gevo, Provivi, & Aralez Bio.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

UCLA is considered one of the country's Public Ivies, and is frequently ranked among the best universities in the world by major college and university rankings. The University is currently divided into six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools. On an annual basis, UCLA has over $1 Billion dollars in research funding. It is safe to say, UCLA provides top level education on massive scales. As of October 2021, 27 Nobel laureates, three Fields Medalists, and five Turing Award winners have been affiliated with UCLA as faculty, researchers, or alumni. Among the current faculty members, 55 have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 32 to the National Academy of Engineering, 41 to the National Academy of Medicine. Their groundbreaking research is leading to better diagnostics and treatments for disease; better strategies to protect our rapidly changing natural environment; a clearer understanding of mental health; and a deeper awareness of the role of science in society. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at UCLA, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

We asked Dino Di Carlo for comment on how UCLA fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“It has been a real pleasure working in such a fantastic entrepreneurial ecosystem at UCLA, including the team at UCLA's Technology Development Group. The support of individuals and facilities, like the Magnify Incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute, allows myself, students, and colleagues to go way beyond the initial academic publications to be able to achieve real impact, building not just knowledge but actual products that tangibly help people. This is what inspires us to keep shedding a bit more light, overcoming unknown obstacles, when we can only see a glimmer of possibility.”

—Dino Di Carlo

Dino Di Carlo

Dino Di Carlo is a Professor, inventor, and entrepreneur with >50 issued patents. He is the Armond and Elena Hairapetian endowed chair in Engineering and Medicine at UCLA and a Professor of Bioengineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He serves in academic leadership roles as the Vice Chair of the Bioengineering Department and Deputy Director of a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. His academic research @ the Di Carlo Lab, has focused at the interface of micro & nano-systems, data science, and the ultimate limits of biology (single cells & molecules).

Over the last 10 years, Di Carlo has co-founded 7 startup companies in life science research tools, diagnostics, medical device, & pharmaceutical industries: Vortex Biosciences, CytoVale, Tempo Therapeutics, Forcyte Biotechnologies, Hana Diagnostics, Partillion Bioscience, &  Ferrologix.

He has also served as a Scientific Advisor to several life sciences companies, including Cue Health (NASDAQ:HLTH) & Omega Biosciences, which was acquired by Becton Dickinson in 2017.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

The University of California, San Diego is a well established institution dedicated to academic research - surrounded by a collaborative & close-knit biotechnology ecosystem. Rated as one of the top 15 research universities in the world, UC San Diego’s academic power can be seen through their annual $1.54B in research funding, #5 in NIH funding, production of 2500+ active inventions, 2030+ current US patents, and 16 Nobel laureates. In addition to academic research, San Diego is home to more than 400+ biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, some of which have been founded by former graduate students and postdoctoral trainees of UC San Diego. Many more, including Illumina, Pfizfer, and Life Technologies employ many graduates and trainees. How UC San Diego fits into this booming industry, being rated 4th Nationwide for startup creation, includes: $16.5B+ annual economic impact, 1000+ startup companies launched, $1.2B+ annual research impact, 500+ active license agreements, 100,500+ jobs supported across California. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at UC San Diego, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. 

We asked Prashant Mali for comment on how UC San Diego fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“Our unique ecosystem on the mesa of multiple research institutions, all within a few square miles, provides a remarkable breadth and depth of readily accessible expertise, and that coupled with the highly collaborative environment, makes it very enabling for spurring research and entrepreneurship. I am very fortunate to be able to work here with our talented students and colleagues to progressively move our ideas closer to clinical translation.”

— Prashant Mali

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

University of California, San Francisco is unique among University of California campuses in that it performs only biomedical and patient-centered research in its Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, the Graduate Division, and it’s hundreds of associated laboratories. The university is known for innovation in medical research, public service, and patient care. UCSF's faculty includes six Nobel Prize winners, 31 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 69 members of the Institute of Medicine, and 30 members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. UCSF’s focus on entrepreneurship through Innovation Ventures is a focal point for life sciences and medical startups in Silicon Valley. In total, Innovation Ventures has facilitated 40 startups that raised over $750 million in grants, angel funding and venture capital.

We would like to present to you 10 researchers who have made a significant contribution to the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the university and a deep impact in the way we approach modern medicine today…

We asked Alex Marson for comment on how UCSF fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“UCSF encourages bold research to address fundamental issues of human health. This environment provides fertile soil for discoveries and technologies that can be the basis of transformative companies.”

— Alex Marson

Alex Marson

Alex Marson is Professor and Director of the Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology. Marson is focused on understanding  the genetic circuits that control human immune cell function. His lab, the Marson Lab, is focused on adapting CRISPR genome editing techniques to human immune cells in order to understand the genetic programs controlling immune cell function and to manipulate T cells to generate cell-based therapies for a wide range of diseases.

Marson holds 17 patents & has co-founded multiple companies including: Spotlight Therapeutics & Arsenal Bio.

Learn More about Alex Marson’s work on BIOS Frontier Science:

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

In this double feature, we are excited to spotlight two of Seattle’s top biotech institutes & some of the world’s leading translational research hubs - The University of Washington & The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. 

UW has a rich history of research and a diverse set of facilities to tackle current and future challenges of life sciences. With an academic ranking that is consistently top 10 over the last two decades, The University of Washington is able to provide a rich set of research that attracts amazing talents including over 300 specialized research centers, 7 Nobel prizes, over 5,452 awards, and $1.89B Sponsored Grants and Contracts. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten top professors leading Life Science Entrepreneurship efforts @ The University of Washington.

The Hutch, founded in 1975, is dedicated to producing some of the most important breakthroughs in the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer, HIV and other diseases. The Hutch is home to some of the highest level researchers dedicated to the study of every aspect of the disease process — from the cellular level to the population level — to uncover the factors that influence disease risk and progression. Fred Hutch has been home to three Nobel laureates, and our faculty includes more than 200 renowned researchers who collaborate with colleagues across the globe and mentor the next generation of scientific innovators. 

Below, we introduce Seattle’s leading entrepreneurial academics. These extraordinary professors have played a significant role in shaping the state of modern medicine by going beyond the bench to drive patient impact…

We asked the ever incredible David Baker for comment on how UW fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“I feel very fortunate to be @ UW — where we are able to participate in cutting edge basic research and then have the opportunity to translate our discoveries. In large part thanks to my colleague Lance Stewart, the UW Institute for Protein Design has set up a translational research program that has enabled us to spin out many new companies which are bringing our advances into the real world.”

— David Baker

David Baker

David Baker is the director of the Institute for Protein Design, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, the Henrietta and Aubrey Davis Endowed Professor in Biochemistry, and an adjunct professor of genome sciences, bioengineering, chemical engineering, computer science, and physics at the University of Washington. Baker has received multiple awards for developing methods to predict and design the three-dimensional structures of proteins including awards from the National Science Foundation, the Beckman Foundation, the recipient of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the Feynman Prize from the Foresight Institute, among many others. His research group, the Baker Lab,  is focused on the design of macromolecular structures and functions.

Sixty-five of his mentees have gone on to independent faculty positions, he has published over 500 research papers, been granted over 100 patents, and Co-founded 13 companies including: Neoleukin, Icosavax, Sana, Lyell, Outpace, PVP Biologics (acquired by Takeda) amongst others. 

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

Stanford University is ranked among the world’s leading institutions for research and entrepreneurship. Containing 18 institutes, 20 libraries, and almost $1.93 billion in annual research funding, Stanford is dedicated to high impact innovation. Beyond academic support, the university, located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, is described as having one of the strongest and most supportive venture cultures by which students and faculty are encouraged, and often funded, to launch their own companies. Businesses founded by Stanford alumni generate more than $2.7 trillion in annual revenue, equivalent to the 10th-largest economy in the world. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Stanford…

We asked, recent Nobel Laureate, Carolyn Bertozzi for comment on how Stanford fosters an entrepreneurial environment:

“Stanford has a truly unique ecosystem where innovation and entrepreneurship are intertwined with fundamental and translational science, providing an exciting environment for research and education.”

— Carolyn Bertozzi

Carolyn Bertozzi

Carolyn Bertozzi is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemical & Systems Biology and Radiology (by courtesy) at Stanford University, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is the inventor of “bioorthogonal chemistry”, a class of chemical reactions compatible with living systems that enable molecular imaging and drug targeting. She also runs the Bertozzi Group, which develops chemical tools to study the glycobiology underlying diseases such as cancer, inflammation, tuberculosis and most recently COVID-19.

Bertozzi's research interests span the disciplines of chemistry and biology. She invented the concept of “bioorthogonal chemistry” and has widely applied such reactions to study biological processes and build new types of molecular therapeutics.  As well, her lab studies the roles of cell surface glycosylation in human health and disease. Her lab focuses on profiling changes in cell surface glycosylation associated with cancer, inflammation and bacterial infection, and exploiting this information for development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, most recently in the area of immuno-oncology. 

Bertozzi has been recognized with many honors and awards for both her research and teaching accomplishments. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and she is a Foriegn Fellow of the Royal Society, UK. Her efforts in undergraduate education have earned her the UC Berkeley Distinguished Teaching Award and the Donald Sterling Noyce Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Some awards of note include the Lemelson-MIT award for inventors, Ernst Schering Prize, MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry, and the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Several of the technologies developed in the Bertozzi lab have been adapted for commercial use leading to the founding of: Redwood Bioscience (Acquired by Catalent), Enable Biosciences, Palleon Pharmaceuticals, InterVenn Bio, OliLux Bio, Grace Science, Lycia Therapeutics, GanNA Bio, & Virsti Therapeutics.

Bertozzi is also a member of the Board of Directors of OmniAb.

“Stanford has a truly unique ecosystem where innovation and entrepreneurship are intertwined with fundamental and translational science, providing an exciting environment for research and education.”

— Carolyn Bertozzi

Learn more about Carolyn’s work on BIOS Podcast: Listen Now

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture-backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

The University of Oxford is the oldest University in the English-speaking world founded in 1096, almost a millennium ago. Some of the most famous Oxonians reading natural sciences include scientists like Robert Hooke and Linus Pauling, and, more recently, Sir John Gurdon, Richard Dawkins, and Sir Paul Nurse among many others. The discovery of penicillin at the Dunn Scholl of Pathology in the late 1930s by Alexander Fleming was one of the most impactful events in the history of medicine. Historically being one of the world’s most innovative places for vaccine and infectious diseases research, Oxford also has significantly impacted global health in the 21st century through fighting the COVID-19 pandemic upon leading the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Below, we introduce some of the Oxford academics who continue contributing to the University’s role in shaping the state of medicine and biotechnology upon translating their research beyond the bench.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

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Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

The soul of Massachusetts Institute of Technology is research. For more than 150 years, the Institute has married teaching with engineering and scientific studies — and produced an unending stream of advancements, many of them world changing. In just the last few decades of biotechnology research, MIT has played a central role in the growth of molecular life sciences and the revolution in molecular and cellular biology, genetics, genomics, and computational biology. With approximately 3,820 researchers (including some 1,530 postdoctoral scholars and 475 visiting faculty and scientists) during the school year, the possibilities are truly boundless. As an example of the amazing work that this university is producing, we would like to highlight leading Life Science entrepreneurship efforts at MIT, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school.

We asked the ever incredible Bob Langer for comment on how MIT fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“I feel very fortunate to be @ MIT — where we are able to participate in cutting edge basic research and then have the opportunity to translate our discoveries, with our students, into patents, companies, & products that can hopefully make the world a better place.”

— Bob Langer

Bob Langer

Bob Langer is the David H. Koch Institute Professor of chemical engineering and is widely regarded for his contributions to medicine and biotechnology. He is considered a pioneer of many new technologies, including controlled release systems and transdermal delivery systems, which allow the administration of drugs or extraction of analytes from the body through the skin without needles or other invasive methods. He is one of 12 Institute Professors at MIT; being an Institute Professor is the highest honor that can be awarded to a faculty member. He currently directs the Langer Lab, which has a major emphasis on studying the development of polymers to deliver drugs.

Langer has written more than 1,500 articles and has issued almost 1,400 patents worldwide. Langer’s patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 400 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies. He is the most cited engineer in history (h-index 291 with over 348,700+ citations at the time of writing this citations according to Google Scholar), as well as a prolific entrepreneur, having participated in the founding of over 40 biotechnology companies including: Moderna, SQZ, Frequency, Seer, amongst others.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

Harvard University, rated by Nature as the number one institution for life sciences in 2018, lives up to its strong reputation as an academic powerhouse with almost 10,000 full time faculty members and 15 Nobel Prize winners among its staff and alumni. Located in Boston, one of the largest life sciences hubs in the world, Harvard leads the world in a variety of sectors. Noteworthy for their work in biologically inspired engineering, Harvard’s Wyss institute alone has over 2,469 publications to their name, 3,483 patent filings, and 44 startups and counting. We would like to present to you 10 researchers who have made a significant contribution to the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the university and a deep impact in the way we approach modern medicine today.

We asked the ever incredible George Church to comment on how Harvard fosters entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

Entrepreneurship to me is an opportunity to translate and scale-up ideas, inventions and research momentum into products of positive societal impact.  Harvard OTD is very helpful with keeping MTAs, patents, SRAs, and licenses moving forward. The Wyss Institute gives additional support via "Validation Projects" and "Institute Projects" aimed at commercial translation. 

— George Church

George Church

George Church leads synthetic biology and genetics research at the Wyss Institute of Biological Inspired Design. Church’s 1984 Harvard PhD included the first methods for direct genome sequencing, molecular multiplexing & barcoding. This led to the first genome sequence (pathogen, Helicobacter pylori) in 1994. His innovations have contributed to nearly all “next generation” DNA sequencing methods and companies (CGI-BGI, Life, Illumina, Nanopore). Dr. Church currently directs one of the most entrepreneurially prolific labs, the Church Lab, which leads a variety of projects including directed evolution of molecules, polymers, whole genomes, technology for synthesizing whole genes, and engineering whole genomes.

Church has published 625 papers, 155 patents, and authored the book “Regenesis”.

The Church Lab has spun out over 45 venture funded startups including: Dyno Tx, 64x Bio, Rejuvenate Bio, amongst many others

Church has also co-founded industry defining companies including: Editas Medicine, eGenesis, & AbVitro (Acquired by Juno/Bristol Myers Squibb).

Learn more about Pam Silver’s work on BIOS: 10 Questions Series

Learn more about George Church’s work on BIOS Podcast: Listen Now

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

The University of Cambridge is the fourth oldest surviving university in the world. Founded in 1209, it has educated and graduated multiple scholars who changed our world: Charles Darwin, Francis Crick, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, Frederick Sanger, Aaron Klug, Dorothy Hodgkin, David Attenborough, and Jane Goodall among others are some of the excellent biologists affiliated with the institution. The University’s contribution to the development of modern life sciences has come from multiple research institutions, such as the world-renown Laboratory of Molecular Biology, theGurdon Institute (studying developmental biology and cancer), theCavendish Laboratory (the epicenter of Physics research in Cambridge with a sub-section in biological and soft systems) and many other departments. Just in the last 100 years, the Cantabrigians pioneered protein and DNA sequencing and structural studies, established main model systems in developmental biology, learned to engineer antibodies and manipulate cell fate. Many of these fundamental discoveries shaped modern life sciences and laid the foundations for translational work in biomedicine. The importance of such research has been recognized by multiple Nobel prizes:61 affiliates of the University received the award in chemistry, physiology, and medicine since 1904 making the highest cumulative number among any academic institutions.

Some of the University’s greatest biotech spinouts include Cambridge Antibody Technology who developed Humira® a key drug in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and the world’s top-selling pharmaceutical (annual sales over $18B in 2017), and the technology underpinning Illumina Sequencingby Solexa which was sold to Illumina for $600M in 2007. Kymab, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing fully human monoclonal antibodies was recently acquired for $1.45B by Sanofi, marking the 20th billion dollar valuation company in the Cambridge ecosystem. The high concentration of modern tech companies in the area from startups to pharma corporations such as AstraZeneca underpins the ‘Silicon Fen’ nickname recently given to the Cambridge Cluster.

We believe that the wealth of knowledge and the history of breakthroughs and innovation in Cambridge should encourage many more modern University scientists to take their ideas out of the labs and into the markets. Below, we provide examples of entrepreneurial academics, who manage to successfully combine research with biotech product development for the good of humanity…

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

Johns Hopkins University has led all universities in research spending for the last 40+ years. Supported by a world renowned school of medicine, Johns Hopkins boasts a rich history of biological and medical research, leadership, and innovation. With contributions including the accidental discovery of saccharin in 1879 to developing the first treatment for sickle cell anemia in 1995 to pioneering the COVID-19 dashboard in 2020, Johns Hopkins remains a hub for biotechnology research. In 2022, the university was ranked #11 worldwide for issued patents. We would like to highlight ten professors leading life science entrepreneurship efforts at Hopkins, both in innovation and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the school. Please note that this is by no means an exhaustive list and remains dynamic as biotech innovation flourishes at the school.

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Alix Ventures: Supporting Early Stage Life Science Startups Engineering Biology to Drive Radical Advances in Human Health

Overview

Behind every transformative technology is a team of brilliant scientists and researchers. Academic research in particular is a driving force for technological innovation. Here, we have identified a ‘Midas List’ of researchers who have pioneered highly transformative technologies that have translated to the clinic. Using venture backed startups as a primary guide along with other impact metrics such as patents, citations, and thought leadership, the following professors have demonstrated patient impact, providing significant contributions to the startup ecosystem.

UC Berkeley has a strong reputation and detailed history of innovations and entrepreneurs creating groundbreaking products, leading to high-growth new companies and life-changing technologies. With CRISPR as its best known technology, Berkeley continues to play a key role in the life science innovation space and the California economy more broadly. Since 1988, over 250 startup companies have been founded to commercialize IP rights under license from UC Berkeley. The university holds the the largest CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing portfolio in the United States, with 41 US patents to date. As of July 2020, companies under the IP licenses from Berkeley have commercialized more than 730 products. The Berkeley Research Infrastructure Commons program enables early stage startups affiliated with UC Berkeley to temporarily conduct new product R&D in faculty labs, under rigorous oversight. A drug royalty, monetized for $93 million, helps fund biological research facilities, students, faculty recruitment and retention, and new initiatives. UC Berkeley is one of five universities that founded two-thirds of all biotechnology companies in California. To date, Berkeley holds 818 active US patents and 1,002 active foriegn patents. Among Berkeley-founded startups, biotech is a common theme, and prominent companies include 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Caribou Biosciences, & Mammoth Biosciences, amongst others.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, UC Berkeley is perfectly positioned to continue fostering innovation across the life sciences industry through its focus on entrepreneurship and science. Programs like Berkeley’s SkyDeck, Lean Launchpad, LAUNCH, and Sigma Eta Pi offer unique opportunities for students and faculty to take their research to the next level. Collaboration between programs and schools is also a driving factor of this successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. While not exhaustive, below is a list of the top entrepreneurial life science professors across the university.

We asked the ever incredible David Schaffer for comment on how Berkeley fosters an entrepreneurial environment & what entrepreneurship means to him:

“The Berkeley ecosystem has a broad range of programs that provide connections, space, and funding to new companies. This effort has especially grown in recent years, and it has been my honor and pleasure to serve as Director of QB3-Berkeley, which offers incubator space, access to cutting edge core facilities, and mentorship to entrepreneurs in Berkeley, the Bay Area, and the UC system as a whole.”

— David Schaffer

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