The Biotech Innovation Gallery (BIG) Accelerator program provides UC Davis-associated startups with targeted mentoring and training around intellectual property and regulatory strategy as well as coaching on business models, market analysis and investor pitches.
The accelerator program runs from August to January and culminates with the Biotech Innovation Gallery Open House, Showcase and Networking Event, which coincides with the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. The event offers a platform for UC Davis innovators to showcase their emerging biotech companies to industry experts, potential strategic partners, and investors.
Startups which participated in the 2023 BIG showcase
Developing precision nanomedicines that significantly improve the delivery and effectiveness of cancer therapies, with an initial focus on head and neck cancers.
| Yuanpei Li Co-founder |
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3D-OPS employs a novel fabrication process to develop a line of silk fibroin products that will revolutionize the future of musculoskeletal injury and joint capsular repair.
| Haley Noelle CEO |
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Histolix represents the next generation of rapid slide-free tissue imaging and decision-support tools that address critical needs in cancer care and medical diagnostics. The technology provides real-time results at half the cost of conventional approaches.
| Rob Royea CEO |
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Development of a handheld optical medical device for use during fluorescence-guided cancer surgery.
| Julien Bec Co-founder |
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Development of a platform that automatically generates truly customized foot solutions from motion, science and algorithms.
| Martín Irarrázaval Co-founder |
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Treatment of congenital defects, particularly spina bifida using placental stem cells from preterm placenta via chorionic villous sampling.
| Aijun Wang & Diana Farmer Co-founders |
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Delix is developing a novel class of neuroplasticity promoting medicines called psychoplastogens for mental health and neurological disorders.
| Mark Rus Co-founder |
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BCD Bioscience uses proprietary technology to create novel oligosaccharides from natural products, with a focus on producing ingredients that beneficially modulate the microbiome and immune function.
| Matt Amicucci Co-founder |
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Previous BIG Startups
Eunicera is developing novel therapeutics to treat and cure advanced drug-resistant recurrent prostate cancer.
| Allen Gao Co-founder |
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Rapid, reliable mental health triage and clinical consultation with research-grade asynchronous telepsychiatry, built for health systems, schools, and clinical research organizations (CROs).
| Peter Yellowlees Co-founder |
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KiBio has developed new small molecule inhibitors of galectin-1 for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) and prostate cancer.
| Tsung Shih Founder |
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VGN Bio is developing viral protein-derived peptide drugs that selectively kill cancer cells, while keeping normal cells intact. The developed peptide complexes with the MYC gene leading to cancer cell death.
| Michiko Shimoda Co-founder |
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Histolix represents the next generation of rapid slide-free tissue imaging and decision-support tools that address
critical needs in cancer care and medical diagnostics. The technology provides real-time results at half the cost of conventional approaches.
| Rob Royea CEO |
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Machine Intelligence Learning Optimizer is a turnkey health software tool that provides a fully automated ML/AIsolution to improve patient care and save lives.
| Hooman Rashidi Co-founder |
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Molecular Matrix is developing an innovative platform technology for tissue regeneration applications. Osteopoietic Systems™ is their first clinical solution to the need for value-driven and safe bone regeneration products.
| Charles Lee Founder |
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Mirnova Therapeutics is developing small molecules and microRNA drugs for treatment of traumatic brain injury and other neurological disorders.
| DaZhi Liu Founder |
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InVixa is developing lung-targeted therapies to treat Covid 19, using inhaled statins to allow for a more targeted, effective treatment with lower doses and side effects.
| Amir Zeki Founder |
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Botanical Solutions has a proprietary R&D platform for sustainable and improved production of consistent, high quality Advanced Botanical Materials (ABM).
| Gaston Salinas Co-founder |
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NeoPOSE is revolutionizing the way we diagnose Critical Congenital Heart disease in newborns, enabling doctors to catch these conditions sooner and save lives.
| Heather Siefkes Founder |
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Innate Biology is the world’s first biotech company dedicated to the research and development of fasting mimetics designed from human research to extend lifespan and improve cellular health.
| Chris Rhodes Co-founder |
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Protein Architects are developing solutions for the detection, protection, prediction, and adaptive therapeutics against zoonotic threats.
| Rick Davis Co-founder |
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Ravata Solutions has developed an innovative diagnostic tool to measure human embryo quality for use in In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
| Gurkern Sufi Founder |
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Seven Biosciences is a GPCR targeted drug discovery company which engineers and uses cutting-edge fluorecent biosensor technology.
| Grace Mizuno CEO & Co-founder |
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Storx Technologies develops non-invasive fetal oximetry.
| Soheil Ghiasi Founder |
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Tendel Therapies is developing first-in-class genetic adjuvants to direct novel, potent, and durable immune responses with a command line level of control.
| Corey Miller CEO |
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Tesio Pharmaceuticals is developing best-in-class therapeutics to treat and prevent osteoarthritis.
| Dominik Haudenschild Founder |
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AMCYT is developing the first automated rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE) device.
| Alejandro Mendoza Founder |
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ARIZ Precision Medicine targets epigenetic changes that occur early in cancerization with siRNA-based therapeutics delivered directly to tumor cells.
| Brad Niles Co-founder |
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Astrid Pharma is specialized in the next-generation nanocarrier drug delivery systems with their non- infectious HEVNP encapsulation platform.
| Chun-Chieh Chen Founder |
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BCD Bioscience catalogs the broadly untapped world of natural carbohydrate structures to efficiently create and commercialize novel prebiotics, synbiotics and immuno-modulatory therapies for human and animal health.
| Matt Amicucci Co-founder |
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Buto Corp specializes in developing novel therapeutics for metabolic diseases.
| Gino Cortopassi Founder |
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Certus Critical Care has designed the EVAC System as a next-generation endovascular technology for precision control of hemodynamics in patients with stroke, cardiac arrest, or uncontrolled hemorrhage.
| Austin Johnson Co-Founder |
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Cognivive is solving neuro-rehabilitation’s most intractable problem – the absence of effective, motivating treatments for patients to use at home. We translate unique science into digital medicines delivered via Virtual Reality.
| Tony Simon Founder |
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Delix Therapeutics is applying modern tools of pharmaceutical development to some of nature’s most ancient therapies, psychedelics.
| Nicholas Haft CEO |
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Digestiva is a company focused on improving the nutritional efficiency of protein utilization.
| Joel Cherry Co-founder |
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EffectorBio is developing novel peptide therapeutics to treat pulmonary fibrosis which is currently a large unmet need.
| Reen Wu Founder |
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EicOsis is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing a first-in-class once daily oral therapeutic for neuropathic and inflammatory pain, targeting a novel enzyme, soluble epoxide hydrolase, to alleviate pain without the side effects such as sedation, addiction, or GI side effects found in current analgesics.
| Glenn Croston COO |
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Furanica is developing drug therapeutics to treat various metabolic syndromes, including severe hypertriglyceridemia and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
| Fei Chang Co-Founder |
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InStatin is developing lung-targeted therapies to treat chronic respiratory diseases, starting with severe asthma.
| Amir Zeki Co-Founder |
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Ixchel Pharma is developing small-molecule drugs to treat mitochondrial diseases.
| Gino Cortopassi Founder |
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Mara BioSystems is developing autism-oriented specialty clinical diagnostic tools to identify prospective mothers, prior to conception, who have a high risk of producing ASD children.
| James Woody CEO |
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Matrubials is developing therapeutics from mammalian milk to combat severe bacterial infections and modern diseases with an initial focus on women’s health.
| Ishita Shah Co-founder |
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Pandomedx is developing therapeutics to treat and cure advanced prostate cancer.
| Allen Gao Co-Founder |
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Paramag Biosciences is developing a novel small molecule platform to treat and diagnose disorders associated with protein misfolding, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and others.
| John Voss Founder |
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Sanguinity Diagnostics has developed a unique biomarker platform to accurately identify patients that will best respond to a given drug.
| Boryana Stamova Co-Founder |
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Sierra Biopharma is developing therapeutics that selectively neutralize, remove, and destroy immune components that lead to the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis.
| Vu Trinh Co-Founder |
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Syncanica is developing synthetic cannabinoids as a more effective, legal, safer, and less expensive alternative to cannabis-derived CBD for consumer and therapeutic uses.
| Larry Shaeffer CEO |
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Theranostec is an early stage start-up developing precision medicines for cancer-specific drug delivery and improved cancer patient care.
| Aaron Lindstrom Co-founder |
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VasoBio is developing vascular grafts and other blood contacting devices for surgical disease treatment.
| Aijun Wang Founder |
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Verndari is developing a novel vaccine delivery technology, VaxiPatch, a proprietary painless skin patch, with various virus-like particle vaccines including SARS-COV2, Hep B, HPV, and Flu vaccines, to achieve simpler delivery and high efficacy.
| Daniel R. Henderson CEO |
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ViVita Technologies has developed a process to make human tissue and organ replacements to overcome the donor organ and tissue shortage.
| Maelene Wong Co-Founder and CEO |
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