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Azulene Labs Secures $3.4 Million Pre-Seed Round For Drug And Materials Simulation

QUANTUM INSIDER – Azulene plans to use the funding to expand its team and product development as it works with biotechnology and industrial chemistry customers. Read post
Gino Segre poses on an internal balcony at Bakar Bio Labs

Bakar Bio Labs featured in California Magazine

The magazine of the California Alumni Association recently toured Bakar Bio Labs, speaking with our staff and entrepreneurs Chris Eiben of GigaCrop and Chad Miller of ResVita Bio. Check out the story for an inside view of our building and a better understanding of what's cooking at "the most beautiful biotech incubator in the world." Read post

HexemBio raises $15.5m to rejuvenate aging stem cells

HexemBio recently announced two new therapies under development: an injectable that would deliver results similar to their flagship therapy, without the need to first collect cells from patients, and another therapy aimed at protecting and treating skin. The company, backed by $15.5M in funding, also brought on an additional investor, Happiness Capital. Read post
Root corn spore trapping devices deployed in a corn field

Spraying Fungicide to Protect the Crop in Minnesota

Root Applied Sciences has set up spore capture devices across the southern tier of Minnesota. The company developed its approach while pioneering detection and treatment for diseases that affect grapevines at vineyards. To protect their valuable produce, winemakers were spraying numerous times across a growing season. Root Applied Sciences developed a way of detecting and modeling infection that allowed those growers to cut their application in half. Read post
IGI-Bakar Labs and Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials construction site July 2026

Berkeley makes its startup pitch

The Berkeley Innovation Zone on the west side of UC Berkeley -- between campus and downtown -- showcases how the City of Berkeley is working with the university to welcome and support entrepreneurs, in a cultural change that could ultimately bring in more revenue. BIZ includes two incubators currently under construction: IGI-Bakar Labs and Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials. Read post
Rendering of a daytime view from the corner of Oxford Ave. and University Ave. (Credit: Weiss/Manfredi. Lead design architect: Weiss/Manfredi Architects. Executive architect: DGA.

Turner Celebrates Groundbreaking of the Innovative Genomics Institute – Bakar Labs Building

Turner Construction Company joined the University of California, Berkeley, the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), Bakar Labs, project partners, researchers, and community leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Innovative Genomics Institute – Bakar Labs building, marking a major milestone for one of the most transformative life sciences developments in the Bay Area. The groundbreaking represents the culmination of years of vision, planning, and collaboration among UC Berkeley, the Innovative Genomics Institute, Bakar Labs, philanthropic supporters, architects Weiss/Manfredi and DGA, engineers, consultants, and construction partners working toward a shared goal: creating a world-class hub where scientific discovery, entrepreneurship, and innovation can thrive together. The project will become a cornerstone of Berkeley’s Innovation Zone and further strengthen the city’s position as a global leader in biotechnology and climate-focused research. Read post
Four men in a panel presentation sit on stage in an auditorium filled with people

Genentech-adjacent Japanese drugmaker sets up Peninsula office, looks for deals

Even if you've never heard of Chugai Pharmaceutical, you may have heard of some of the drugs that started there: the inflammation and autoimmune disease-fighting drug Actemra and the hemophilia drug Hemlibra, for example. Or you may recall some of its partnerships, like a pact earlier this month with age-related disease company Gero or a partnership with Eli Lilly and Co. around oral GLP-1 weight-loss drug Foundayo. Now the Japanese drugmaker — related to Swiss drugmaker Roche and its Genentech Inc. unit — is prepping for more deals and more visibility. It is setting up a U.S. partnering beachhead in South San Francisco, a three-person office focused on connecting its antibody engineering and small-molecule expertise with life sciences innovators in academia and early-stage companies. Chugai recently became an industry affiliate of Bakar Bio Labs. Read post
Jimi Olaghere

How a sickle cell patient is helping drug companies connect with others like him

A cutting-edge treatment for sickle cell disease transformed Jimi Olaghere's life. Now he's paying it forward, helping biotech companies understand the role patients can play in developing new therapies. Dubbed a patient-in-residence at Bakar Bio Labs, where he was embedded earlier this year with gene therapy startup NV Therapeutics, Olaghere is building support for a new kind of advocacy that relies more on patients in the drug-development process. Read post