Biology is the best platform for manufacturing cells. It can grow and produce all kinds of biomaterials very effectively. But for humans to be able to tap into this potential, we have to build bioreactors and figure out how to scale them in order to produce the massive amounts of biomaterials we need.

Bioreactors technology is very different when you’re optimizing for one reaction at one liter versus 100,000 liters, but this is where Stämm comes in. They are reinventing the way bioreactors work by developing a modular microfluidic platform that controls all the physical parameters, such as nutrients and dissolved oxygen, in a controlled environment. Unlike traditional bioreactor systems, their microfluidic bioreactor scales by adding more modules to increase the size of the reactor.

As the world’s population continues to balloon, demand for seafood is going with it. Aquaculture is the primary method to meet demand, but relies on feeding billions of small fish to larger fish. A process that is inherently unsustainable and is only getting worse as ocean fish supply dwindles. C.E.O. David Tze started his journey investing in an aquaculture investment management company, when he saw the need for a growing food and protein supply.

NovoNutrients is looking to solve this problem with a radically different approach, growing high-quality bacterial protein from waste carbon dioxide. Their microbes break down industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and reassemble them into low-cost and nutrient-rich aquaculture feed and specialty ingredients, which sequesters the pollution and turns it into high-value proteins.

Convalesce is a biotech company pioneering local in situ genetic and cellular reprogramming, such as turning glial cells to neurons, or alpha to beta cells to replenish insulin. Reprogramming these cells ex-vivo has compromising limitations and nucleic acid medicines can’t effectively localize in vivo.

Convalesce have developed a platform that enables hyperlocal cell reprogramming through advanced materials harboring genes and/or cells of interest in vivo. We have demonstrated that CNV platform’s ECM can provide robust cell survival (3X) in vivo and enhance targeted differentiation. We were also able to get 2.5X higher expression of a gene-of-interest. Convalesce is leveraging its platform initially to target eye disease, dry age related macular degeneration (AMD) and is raising series seed to complete pre-clinical development by 2022.

Metabolism is what keeps us going. But for cancer cells that have abnormally high rates of growth, this is doubly true. The founders at Filtricine has found that cancers require key nutrients that healthy cells do not require.

Filtricine developed a targeted nutrient deprivation (TND) therapy for treating a broad spectrum of cancer. This enables doctors and medical care professionals to exploit metabolic dependencies to stop the spread of cancer without the use of drug substances. The product now a two step cancer therapy, the first step is a meal plan that excludes the key nutrients, which the Filtricine team has shown to slow down drugs in 4 different cancer types. The second step is a dialysis with a formulated fluid that removes the targeted nutrients from the body. They have already completed pre-clinical studies to get FDA approval.

No blood test exist to confirm autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Wait times for diagnosis range from 3-24 months, and the average age of diagnosis is around 4.5 years, when it’s confirmed by behavioral symptoms. More than 60% of autism health-related costs by be eliminated with earlier diagnosis and treatment, because earlier diagnosis means possible prevention.

BioROSA has developed a biologically-based diagnostic for ASD. This is a one of a kind diagnostic, screening and diagnosisng by using machine learning and targeted metabolic analysis to process biological data into a reliable and accurate diagnosis. BioROSA’s technology is also being used in therapeutic trials to assess pharmacodynamics, patient stratification, and companion diagnostic, providing doctors with the tools they need to help enable earlier detection, diagnosis, and timely treatment. They are currently the highest accuracy solution on the market, at 95% sensitivity and 92% specificity.