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Endometrics

Granatus Ventures Invests in Endometrics to Develop First-in-Kind Solution to Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects women causing severe pain and infertility. It affects around 10% of women of reproductive age, diagnosis takes up to 8 years and requires surgery. Endometrics develops a unique solution for diagnosing endometriosis non-invasively by identifying specific genomic features of endometrial cells. Read post
View into the back of an ambulance responding to a call

Coagulant Therapeutics Announces Publication in Blood Advances Describing Novel Nanobody Library to Activated Protein C and Initial Leads for Treatment of Trauma and Hemophilia

By using assays specific for coagulation, inflammation and cell survival functions of APC, the investigators were able to identify an array of human APC specific antibodies able to retain or eliminate these functions. This represents a tool chest for APC targeted therapies that has already identified a lead candidate for the treatment of trauma and hemophilia. Read post
A large group of people on the steps of a building

Profluent Announces Launch With $9 Million Seed Round

Profluent is using deep generative models to ‘learn the language of biology’ in order to design new, functional proteins. The goal of protein design is to create novel or enhanced proteins with specific uses. These could include lasting cures for diseases that are free from patent restrictions or new enzymes that can break down unrecyclable plastics. Read post
Three burgers made with Black Sheep plant-based lamb

Black Sheep Foods Grabs $12.3M to Craft Tastier Plant-Based Meats

Venture capital into the food tech sector has been waning recently. However, by making flavors and also using them, Kumar believes Black Sheep Foods’ new funding is the result of setting the company up for a vertical integration approach that puts it in a unique space done only by Impossible Foods thus far. He adds the new round was planned and follows progress on some of the key things the company has set out to do in 2022, including the rate of product adoption and R&D milestones on its flavors. Read post
Katy Digovich at Bakar Labs

At Minutia, Katy Digovich Is Tackling Diabetes Cell by Cell

But while continuing to work in Africa with the Clinton Health Access Initiative, she learned she couldn't get far enough away. People were surprised when they learned that the nearly 6-foot-tall, athletic-looking Digovich — a former basketball player in college — was living with Type 1 diabetes, a diagnosis in Africa that often translates into stunted growth, amputation and high mortality. "Ultimately, I got really angry and the switch flipped. If I was born there, I would be dead. That really hit close to home," she said. "I took stock of my career and threw myself into the diabetes space." Read post
Valitor CEO Steven Lo (left) and President & CSO Wes Jackson (right)

Valitor Raises $28M Series B to Develop Therapy for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

The company will spend next year testing its multivalent polymer to prep for a clinical trial in 2024. The goal is to create an injectable that can last six months, meaning patients with wet AMD, a chronic eye condition that blurs vision and can sometimes cause blind spots, would only need two injections per year, kind of like going to the dentist, quipped Wesley Jackson, co-founder, president and CSO, in an interview with Endpoints News ahead of the launch. Read post
Illustration of protein being sequenced

Glyphic Biotechnologies Wins $409K SBIR Grant From NIH

Congratulations to Glyphic Biotechnologies! NIH recently reported the company had been awarded a $409 SBIR grant for their project "Single-molecule protein sequencing by iterative isolation and identification of N-terminal amino acids." The company is developing and commercializing technology to sequence proteins — instead of DNA. They're hiring! Read post
Josh Yang and Daniel Estandian at the bench at Bakar Labs

Bringing Biotech to Market: Master of Translational Medicine Alum Advances Medical Technologies With Two Startups

Co-founded last year with fellow Berkeley alum Daniel Estandian, VC-funded Glyphic Biotechnologies’ single-molecule protein sequencer may upend the way that pharmaceuticals are developed. By modifying the standard process for sequencing proteins — including the use of a novel molecule that improves identification — their results are not only more accurate but also significantly faster than the predominant methods being used today. Read post
A plate of Umaro's bacon made from seaweed

Vegan Bacon Brand from Shark Tank Hits Restaurants

Umaro dives into a new type of technology to create vegan alternatives. Co-founders Beth Zotter and Amanda Stiles picture the future of protein from seaweed farms, a sustainable solution in vegan meat production. The vegan company is the first to develop and use red seaweed protein as an umami-enhancing ingredient in their bacon. Read post
Vicinitas logo on a wavy background

Vicinitas Therapeutics Launches With $65 Million in Series A Financing to Advance Precision Medicines to Stabilize Key Proteins to Treat Disease

“The concept of chemically induced proximity – using multispecific molecules to bring two targets physically together – has yielded notable successes in the field of protein degradation,” said Jorge Conde, General Partner at a16z. “Vicinitas is leveraging its proprietary DUBTAC platform to pioneer the emerging space of targeted protein stabilization. This approach has the potential to access highly valued yet currently undruggable proteins and create differentiated therapies that will impact patient lives.” Read post
Derek Sims, Cornell Mallari, and Terry Hermiston of Coagulant in the lab

Coagulant Therapeutics Announces Publication of In Vivo Data Demonstrating Safety and Efficacy of CT-001 for the Management of Acute Bleeding

Uncontrolled bleeding is the single largest cause of death among individuals ages 1 to 44 years. In fact, 40% of all trauma deaths are a result of blood loss. And yet, on the other side of the spectrum, blood clots can lead to another set of serious health problems. That’s why Coagulant is developing CT-001, a recombinant coagulation factor that circulates in the blood for only 3 minutes. Read post
Beth Zotter holding some kelp

Is Seaweed the Next Big Alternative to Meat?

Smithsonian Magazine covers the emerging sector of foodtech companies, including Bakar Labs tenant Umaro Foods, making delicious products from one of the world's great underused resources: kelp. Umaro CEO Beth Zotter says “[Bacon is] a product notorious for being hard to give up for vegetarians. It’s sort of like the gateway drug that makes people revert back to full-on carnivory." Read post