2014 BioE MEng alum Po-Jui (Ray) Chiu has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30! Po-Jui worked with Professor Seung-Wuk Lee to develop accurate, cheap, bio-based sensor platforms for detecting airborne chemicals. He went on to found promising startup BioInspira, creating low-cost bio-inspired chemical sensors.
startup
GenEdit reels in $8.5M to tackle delivery gene editing
BioE startup GenEdit, founded by Professor Niren Murthy and PhD alumnus Kunwoo Lee, has received new seed funding to pursue their nonviral nanoparticle CRISPR-delivery system.
Series A funding for Magnetic Insight
Congrats to alumnus Patrick Goodwill and Prof Steve Conolly for securing Series A funding for their startup, Magnetic Insight. The $18M will support commercial growth of Magnetic Particle Imaging in cell therapy, vascular, and oncology applications.
Alum Artunduaga featured on VentureWell
MTM alumna and founder of startup Respira Labs Maria Artunduaga is featured in the Innovator Spotlight on VentureWell! She invented a device that continuously monitors patients’ lung function and collects lifestyle and other medical data to improve management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Bolt Threads’ spider silk scale-up
Alumni startup Bolt Threads has taken synthetic spider silk from fiction to fashion. Forbes magazine delves into their history and future creating multiple synthetic fabrics inspired by nature and accomplished through bioengineering.
Diassess wins HHS BARDA award for home influenza test
Alumni startup Diassess has been selected for an award of up to $21M for further development of a consumer at-home influenza diagnostic, which could have significant impact on controlling the spread of the flu. The company was founded by PhD alumni Debkishore Mitra and John Waldeisen.
Arkin startup Boost Biomes launches with $2.05M seed funding
Boost Biomes’ proprietary DNA sequencing-based discovery platform was developed by the company’s cofounders, biotechnology veterans Rob McBride, Jamie Bacher and Adam Arkin, to identify commercially viable microbial products. Boost Biomes’ first two products are focused on improving yield in the field and reducing spoilage after harvest, and are being evaluated in commercially relevant trials.
Bolt Threads co-founder wants you to wear recyclable silk clothes made from artificial proteins
Check out BioE PhD alum David Breslauer on the San Jose Mercury News Sunday Business front page.
What good is CRISPR if it can’t get where it needs to go?
BioE startup GenEdit is featured in Wired as the first company devoted solely to Crispr delivery.