Tammy Hsu, founder of synthetic biology startup Huue, has been named to the MIT Technology Review 35 Under 35 list for 2021 for developing an environmentally friendly process to create indigo dye using microbes. Tammy is a 2019 PhD graduate from Professor John Dueber’s lab.
alumni
Cala Health named one of 52 Women-Led Startups Driving The Future Of HealthTech And FemTech
Congratulations to BioE PhD alumna Kate Rosenbluth, founder of Cala Health, named to Forbes’ list of “52 Women-Led Startups Driving The Future Of HealthTech And FemTech”. Cala Health creates non-invasive wearable neuromodulation therapies for patients living with chronic diseases.
Khine Appointed UCI Undergrad Education Associate Dean
Congratulations to PhD alumna Michelle Khine (2005), appointed the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education at UC Irvine. Michelle is also their director of Faculty Innovation and founding director of the BioENGINE (BioENGineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship) program.
2021 Best & Brightest MBAs- alumnus Joshua Young Yang
MTM alumnus Joshua Young Yang, co-founder of Nephrosant, is featured in Poets & Quants as one of the “2021 Best & Brightest MBAs.” Joshua is graduating from Stanford Business School and has founded another startup, Glyphic Biotechnologies.
FDA authorizes Lucira home COVID-19 test
The FDA has authorized the first single-use, PCR-quality, over the counter COVID-19 test kit, made by alumni startup Lucira!
Bolt Threads: one of the 10 most innovative fashion and style companies of 2021
Bolt Threads, founded by PhD alumnus David Breslauer to produce textiles through synthetic biology, has been named one of the 10 most innovative fashion and style companies of 2021 by Fast Company. They are recognized for their new Mylo product, a leather substitute made from fungal mycelium.
Lygos working to replace polyacrylic acid with biodegradable, synthetic polymers
Non-biodegradeable, petroleum-derived, polyacrylic acid is used in everything from detergents to industrial fluids. Lygos, an alumni spinoff company that creates environmentally friendly chemicals through synthetic biology, has formed a partnership with NanoChem Solutions to produce an alternative: polyaspartate polymers. Together they will develop a process to make aspartic acid, the raw material for the polymers, from sugar via fermentation.
Silk and Leather from Fermentation, Not Animals
Check out an interview with PhD alumnus and Bolt Threads Co-Founder David Breslauer on the Business For Good podcast!
Three BioE alumni in Forbes 30 Under 30!
Congratulations to three bioengineering alumni named to the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Joshua Yang (MTM 2016) and Robert Chen (BS 2013) were named in Healthcare: Yang for his work on developing non-invasive tools to measure kidney injuries through startup company Nephrosant, and Chen for designing therapies for undernourished children, using links between certain gut bacteria and stunted growth. Joshua Nixon (BS 2016) and co-founder were named in the Social Impact list for founding Prime Roots, a company developing plant-based meat and seafood alternatives.