As part of MassBio’s inaugural Align Summit (Wednesday, April 26 | Royal Sonesta, Cambridge), 20 seed / Series A startups from North America and Europe will share their first-in-class therapeutics, cutting-edge platforms, and innovative technologies. The biotechs and healthtech/medtech companies have been hand-picked from a large pool of applicants to pitch in front of potential investors and strategic partners.
The science: The biotechs have embraced 3D-printing, DNA nanotechnology, sophisticated robotics, and integrated machine learning to address unmet medical needs. They are developing transformative therapies for ailments ranging from neurodegenerative disease to GI disease to airway obstructive diseases such as COPD, severe asthma, and bronchiectasis, CF and more.
The technologies: The healthtech and medtech companies have platforms that leverage computer vision and artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, implantable bioelectronics, and data automation to unlock the use of image guidance at the point-of-care, achieve complete transparency in care, provide near in-person virtual care, target cancer cells, and improve the patient-provider experience.
The event: The MassBio Align Summit, with insights from McKinsey & Company, will not only bring together these startups with potential partners, but offer a full day of content, networking, and partnering.
- Partnering through the powerful Jujama app which enables you to create a personal profile, start conversations with other attendees, and conveniently schedule 1:1 meetings.
- Panelists include Liz Levielle (Merck), Christine Brennan (Vertex Ventures HC), Omar Khalil (Sante Ventures), Geoff Meyerson (Locust Walk), Amir Zamani (Bain Capital), Ankit Mahadevia (Spero Therapeutics), Aaron Schwartz (Ginkgo Bioworks), and Amanda Wagner (Immunitas).
- McKinsey & Company speakers, including Senior Partners Olivier Leclerc and Lucy Perez, will bring key insights.
See the full speaker lineup and register online.
What they’re saying: “When you are a patient-driven investor, you want to find the right patient-driven science to back,” writes MassBio COO Jason Cordeiro in a recent blog post. “This is the matchmaking that MassBio has been facilitating for decades.”
The companies and entrepreneurs:
Biotech Track
Artificial Axon Labs | Topsfield, Massachusetts
Artificial Axon Labs is a preclinical-stage company discovering novel drugs for neurodegenerative disease using its proprietary transformational platform, Artificial Axons, which combines 3D-printing of axon mimics, biomaterials, and human cells.
Anna Jagielska, Chief Executive Officer / President
Kavin Kowsari, Chief Technology Officer / Vice President
Atorvia Health Technologies | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Atorvia is a pre-clinical stage company developing transformative technologies in cardio-renal disease. Initially tackling organ failure following ischemia, Atorvia’s lead program targets nucleophosmin (NPM), a molecular chaperone critical for Bax-mediated cell death. A first-in-class therapeutic is in development that selectively inhibits NPM to prevent and treat ischemia-induced Acute Kidney Injury.
Jane Lapon, Chief Executive Officer
Nermeen Varawalla, Chair Clinical Advisory Committee
Steven C. Borkan, Scientific Adviser
David Allinson, Chief Business Officer
Bilayer Therapeutics, Inc. | Cambridge, Massachusetts
First-in-class therapies based on bile acids and bilayer tablets for GI disease and metabolic disorder (obesity, diabetes, etc.).
Thomas A. Collet, President & Chief Executive Officer
Joshua Korzenik, MD
Robert Langer, PhD
Christoph Steiger, Dr. rer. nat.
Giovanni Traverso, MD/PhD
Social: LinkedIn
CILA Therapeutics | Massachusetts
CILA is developing novel inhaled therapies for airway obstructive diseases such as COPD, severe Asthma, Bronchiectasis, CF that affect more than 20 million in the U.S. CILA’s lead indication is an orphan genetic disease, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). CILA’s drug can eliminate a patient’s breathing problem and reduce the risk of irreversible progressive lung damage, respiratory failure, and ER visits.
Safia Rizvi, PhD. Chief Executive Officer
Dennis Underwood, PhD. Board Member
DoriVac | Boston, Massachusetts
DoriVac is a pre-clinical biotech startup using DNA nanotechnology to develop cancer immunotherapies. DoriVac offers personalized cancer vaccine platform harnessing DNA origami to control the spacing and geometry of co-presented tumor antigen and adjuvant ligands with nano-scale precision.
Yang Claire Zeng, M.D. Ph.D. Instructor
Kevin Emancipator, MBA candidate
Social: YouTube
GRO Biosciences | Cambridge, Massachusetts
GRObio’s mission is to leverage the unprecedented capabilities of non-standard amino acids (NSAAs) in its GRO platform to overcome longstanding limitations in protein therapeutics and bring better health outcomes to patients. GRObio’s biofoundry pairs computational protein design with sophisticated robotics, bringing sea-change acceleration to the development of NSAA therapeutics.
Dan Mandell, Chief Executive Officer
Chris Gregg, Chief Science Officer
George Church, Scientific Advisor
Andrew Ellington, Scientific Advisor
Social: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
HDAX Therapeutics | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
HDAX Therapeutics is developing first-in-class therapeutics for neurological and cardiac indications with microtubule dysfunction. HDAX’s novel 2-site binding mechanism to the disease driving protein HDAC6, has generated a platform that is the first to overcome core drug-design challenges such as weak binding, off-target toxicities, and poor pharmacokinetic profiles.
Nabanita Nawar, Chief Executive Officer
Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul, Chief Operating Officer
Patrick T. Gunning, Academic founder, Advisor
Social: LinkedIn
JURA Bio, Inc. | Dover, Delaware
JURA is an end-to-end integrated machine learning and synthetic biology company dedicated to delivering cell therapies built around both sides of the TCR-HLA immune synapse.
Elizabeth Wood, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Julie Norville, Founder & Chief Science Officer / Chief Technology Officer
Social: LinkedIn
Matrisome Bio | Cambridge, Massachusetts
Matrisome Bio is harnessing the unique properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM), a meshwork of proteins that surrounds all cells in the body, including diseased tissue like tumors and fibroses. Using its ECM targeting platform, Matrisome is developing nanobody conjugates that can specifically target the ECM, with an initial focus on cancer to develop pan-cancer therapies.
Noor Jailkhani, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer
Richard Hynes, Co-founder
Sangeeta Bhatia, Co-founder
Unravel Biosciences, Inc. | Boston, Massachusetts
Unravel Biosciences is a precision medicine platform leveraging AI models of patient RNA networks to discover and clinically validate novel targets for neurological disorders, generating highly effective therapeutics. Unravel is validating a new target for Rett Syndrome in the clinic while developing a new asset and a growing program pipeline.
Richard Novak, Chief Executive Officer
Frederic Vigneault, Chief Strategy Officer
Don Ingber, Director & Scientific Founder
Michael Levin, Scientific Founder
Social: LinkedIn
Health / Medtech Track
AiM Medical Robotics | Worcester, Massachusetts
AiM Medical Robotics is developing a neurosurgery robot that is capable of operating within the bore of an MRI scanner and performing stereotactic neurosurgery procedures utilizing intraoperative MRI. This approach enables closed-loop interventions that account for brain shift and other factors that affect the accuracy of deep brain stimulation lead placement, brain cancer ablation, biopsy, and other critical applications.
Gregory S. Fischer, PhD, President & Chief Executive Officer
Julie G. Pilitsis, MD, PhD, MBA, Chair Medical Advisory Board
Robert Cathcart, Executive Chairman of the Board
Social: LinkedIn
DrySee, Inc. | Houston, Texas
DrySee is the world’s first waterproof, breathable, liquid indicating bandage. The non-invasive liquid indicating gauze technology helps protect and confirm that the patient’s wound is free from liquid contamination and offers a platform for many wound care solutions. A DrySee bandage allows for immediate post-op showering with confidence.
Walter Mayfield, Chairman of the Board
Brad Greer, Chief Executive Officer
Margaretta Snell, Chief Medical Officer
Marc Etchells, Chief Technology Officer
Social: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
KimboCare | Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
KimboCare is a blockchain-enabled digital health platform pioneering complete transparency in the provision of high-quality care. KimboCare’s customers drive health impact with the confidence that their funds are used to provide genuine medical services and resulting health outcomes are fully traceable.
Murielle Tiambo, Co-founder
Franck Tiambo, Co-founder
MediSieve Limited | London, United Kingdom
MediSieve has developed magnetic haemofiltration, a platform to physically deplete specific substances from the bloodstream to treat disease and enable therapies. MediSieve’s focus is on enabling AAV gene therapies by depleting neutralizing antibodies, potentially doubling the number of patients eligible for therapy. Asset to treat acute hyperinflammatory conditions ready for clinic/license.
George Frodsham, Chief Executive Officer
QV Bioelectronics | Manchester, United Kingdom
QV Bioelectronics’ revolutionary EFT implant, GRACE, is currently in pre-clinical development. QV’s first-of-its-kind technology aims to target dividing cancer cells within the brain, without affecting healthy cells. Implantable bioelectronics is at the forefront of emerging healthcare technology, combining the use of cutting-edge materials and interdisciplinary science. QV Bioelectronics is pioneering its use in cancer care. QV’s first clinical indication for GRACE will be the most aggressive and deadly primary brain tumor, Glioblastoma (GBM), which has some of the worst outcomes of any cancer. QV Bioelectronics technology strives to provide longer, better quality lives for these patients.
Dr. Chris Bullock, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Richard Fu, Co-founder & Clinical Director
Remmie Health | Seattle, Washington
Remmie Health is building a 24/7 at-home near in-person virtual care platform for ear and upper respiratory conditions with connected ear-nose-throat examination devices, real-time streaming of symptoms with integrated telehealth services, and AI diagnosis capabilities.
Dr. Jane Zhang, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Lorren Wyatt, Co-founder & Chief Commercial Officer
Rymedi | Greenville, South Carolina
Rymedi provides a digital workflow and data automation platform that simplifies diagnostic testing, treatment administration and patient monitoring across service providers. Diagnostics companies, labs, pharmaceutical firms and healthcare providers use Rymedi to improve the patient-provider experience by streamlining workflows and harnessing data to deliver precision care across all-too-often siloed services.
David Stefanich, Chief Executive Officer
Jason Cross, Chief Strategy Officer
Social: LinkedIn
StataDX | Boston, Massachusetts
StataDX is building the world’s first point-of-care diagnostic platform for neurology (“Liquid MRI”), which will enable mass screening and longitudinal monitoring of neurodegenerative conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s as well as rapid triage for neurological conditions like traumatic brain injury and stroke by measuring a panel of proven blood biomarkers in capillary whole blood.
Sidhant Jena, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer
Michal Depa, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer
Don Ingber, Co-founder & Board Member
Pawan Jolly, Co-founder & Advisor
Social: LinkedIn
Trove Health | Needham, Massachusetts
Building the world’s largest identified, longitudinal opt-in database of patients and their health information across geographies and therapeutic areas. Patients get paid when their data is used in research.
Matt Ross, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
Satish Tadikonda, Chairman and Co-founder
Social: LinkedIn
Zeta Surgical | Boston, Massachusetts
Zeta Surgical is a digital surgery company focused on improving the accuracy, safety, and accessibility of image guided surgery. The company’s navigation and robotics platform Zeta leverages cutting-edge computer vision and artificial intelligence to unlock the use of image guidance directly at the point-of-care, enabling new possibilities in fields such as emergency care and interventional medicine.
Jose Amich, Chief Executive Officer
Raahil Sha, Chief Technology Officer
Social: LinkedIn