NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioLabs New York, part of a national network of premium coworking facilities designed to help science-based startups go further faster on limited capital investment, has opened a fifth-floor shared workspace at BioLabs@NYULangone. The 180 Varick Street location in the heart of Hudson Square is rapidly becoming a vibrant meeting place for the New York City life-science community.
BioLabs has hosted a seminar series for the startup community, leveraging the vast knowledge of its sponsor and partner network. Topics to date have included CRISPR technology, clinical trials, IPO, licensing, biologics, and VC funding. Pharmaceutical sponsors offer regularly scheduled office hours on site with employees from various department functions to provide in-person access to BioLabs residents and other invited guests.
“Extraordinary science happens every single day in this city’s great academic institutions,” said BioLabs’ Founder and President Johannes Fruehauf M.D., Ph.D. “But it has been difficult for NYC-based scientists to start life-science companies here and develop products that reach society. With our sponsors and partners, we are now able to change that trajectory at Biolabs@NYU Langone and create a hub of entrepreneurial activity for science-and engineering-based companies. We are establishing a location and a local community — a meaningful network for collaboration and mentorship — that’s what BioLabs@NYULangone is all about.”
The new center for biotech entrepreneurs was launched in partnership with NYU Langone Health, with Bristol-Myers Squibb and the New York City Economic Development Corporation as Founding sponsors. BioLabs@NYULangone is a Priority Project of the Empire State Development Corporation. Other corporate sponsors include: Platinum sponsors: Gunderson Dettmer, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Gold sponsors: ALT, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eppendorf, LabCloud, Millipore Sigma, Nixon Peabody, Sanofi; General sponsors: J.P. Morgan.
Four high-potential startups in residence at the dedicated life-science coworking space
The BioLabs@NYULangone fifth floor, dedicated, life-science coworking space is open now for qualified companies. The space features a modern office environment with an open floor plan to enhance valuable interactions in the community of residents, and to serve as an event and meeting venue for the vibrant Hudson Square life-science ecosystem. Four high-potential startups are already in residence: AmyloCap, EpiVax Oncology, PHD Biosciences, and Redesign Science. Wet-lab and other facilities are expected to be completed by late summer or early fall 2018.
“AmyloCap is proud to be associated with BioLabs@NYULangone and its efforts to grow a community of biotech entrepreneurs in the City,” said AmyloCap Cofounder, Alessandra Bonito-Oliva, Ph.D.
AmyloCap is an early-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of applications based on a proprietary amyloid-capture platform technology that, in pre-clinical studies, has shown the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of amyloid-related syndromes. More than 30 diseases are characterized by misfolded proteins, called amyloid, that aggregate in the brain (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) or in the body’s organs or tissues (e.g., Type 2 diabetes, Familial amyloidosis).
EpiVax Oncology CEO and Co-founder Gad Berdugo, MSc Biochem Eng, MBA, commented, “As the CEO of a startup, it is invaluable to be able to network with all the different kinds of partners you need to build your organization for success. We have access to all of these resources here at Biolabs@NYULangone, from contract research organizations, clinical investigators, contract manufacturing organizations, and experienced IP attorneys to potential sources of capital, and that is invaluable even having many years’ experience in the business.”
EpiVax Oncology Inc. (EO) is developing precision cancer immunotherapies based on optimal neo-epitopes selected through its proprietary and validated, in-silico, predictive algorithms. Using genetic profiling via next-generation sequencing, EO’s therapeutic vaccines are customized and designed specifically for each patient’s tumors, thus addressing unmet medical needs that are inadequately addressed by current cancer therapeutic approaches.
Founder and CEO of PHD Biosciences Steven Isaacman, Ph.D., commented, “We’re really excited to be here with like-minded neighbors and make contributions to the life-science scene in New York City.”
PHD Biosciences was founded in 2008. The startup is developing therapeutics for oncology and hematology indications. PHD’s lead development program is an uracil topical cream (UTC), which was granted an FDA “Fast Track” designation. UTC is a locally acting drug intended to treat hand-foot syndrome — a common side effect from chemotherapy agents. PHD’s lead preclinical program is a small molecule that the company is repurposing and developing as a prophylactic oral therapeutic designed to improve vascular flow, reduce the frequency of pain crises, and ameliorate organ damage in patients with sickle cell disease.
Redesign Science Founder and CEO David Rooklin, Ph.D., said, “One of our main motivations in being here at BioLabs is to collaborate with other resident biotech companies and accelerate new target drug discovery — we’ve already begun doing that. The energy here in Hudson Square is great — and I love that I can step out the door, onto the subway, and be home in Brooklyn.”
Redesign Science is a biotechnology company that specializes in computer-aided methods to probe the surfaces of emerging therapeutics targets, especially pathological protein-protein interactions, in an attempt to reveal novel opportunities for druggability. The aim is to make the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics more efficient and effective.
“It’s gratifying to be up and running here in Hudson Square and see early stages of the BioLabs coworking model come to life with NYU Langone as our partner in New York City. Our sponsors help make it possible,” commented Nicole McKnight PhD, managing director of BioLabs New York. “We are accepting additional applications now. The process starts online. Visit New York on the locations tab on our website: BioLabs.io.”
“We are thrilled to be building an ecosystem to promote biotechnology new company development for the city of New York and the region,” noted Robert J. Schneider, Ph.D., associate dean for biomedical innovation and commercialization at NYU Langone Health, who is co-leading the development of BioLabs@NYULangone.
About BioLabs and BioLabs New York (www.biolabs.io; BioLabs NY twitter: @BioLabsHQ; @BioLabsNY)
BioLabs is a membership-based network of shared lab facilities located in the nation’s key biotech innovation clusters, designed exclusively for high-potential, early-stage life-science companies. It offers coworking environments that pair premium, fully equipped and supported lab and office space with unparalleled access to capital and industry partners. This fertile and supportive ecosystem allows nascent companies to shift their focus from startup operations to innovation so they can reach their scientific potential quickly and achieve business success. Companies can start with a single bench, and scale up as they grow. BioLabs’ founding site is in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, with additional locations in North Carolina; San Diego, California; and now in New York City, BioLabs@NYULangone. Partner sites include LabCentral in Kendall Square, and QB3@953 in San Francisco, California.
About NYU Langone Health (www.nyulangone.org twitter: @nyulangone)
Partnering with BioLabs in BioLabs@NYULangone is NYU Langone Health “Technology Ventures and Partnerships,” which facilitates the translation of cutting-edge research into new therapeutics, diagnostics and devices.
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Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/acf883be-e43a-44d0-875f-9c45309c1415