Breakout Labs is proud to introduce our newest grantees: Neumitra, Ion Dx and E3XBio
“The Art of Detection” could be the theme for the three new companies just awarded funding by Breakout Labs… Two of the new recipients announced today are Bay Area companies that have developed lab methods to detect proteins and compounds with potential as cancer drugs. The third, a Boston company, has a system to detect that powerful-but-elusive human response — stress.” — Bernadette Tansey, Xconomy
As reported in today’s Xconomy, we are delighted to announce the selection of three new companies for Breakout Labs’ nationwide program to support early-stage companies at the forefront of scientific innovation: Neumitra, Ion Dx, E3XBio. Each company embodies the values of our program: creative entrepreneurs building on bold, cutting-edge scientific insight to benefit society.
Wearable technologies are exploding in the physical fitness arena, but the C.E.O. of our first Boston-based company, Neumitra, Robert Goldberg, Ph.D., is passionate about their potential to improve brain health. Medical research has long linked excessive stress to a host of physical and mental health concerns.
Neumitra is developing embedded biomodules and an associated bioinformatics platform to accurately measure and respond to physiological stress in real time. The founding team includes a neuroscientist, an aerospace engineer, and an algorithms engineer, who came together while working at M.I.T.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Breakout Labs in building the future of daily brain health,” says Goldberg. “We are honored to have their team join ours in asking the difficult questions, and collaborating on the answers that will help millions of people each and every day.”
Ion Dx, based in Danville, CA, is developing new bench-top instrumentation to measure proteins in biological samples. Ion mobility spectrometry is already used by agencies like the TSA to rapidly assess the presence of dangerous chemicals.
Founder and C.E.O., Henry Benner, Ph.D., has discovered how to reconfigure this technology to accurately detect small differences in much larger molecules, including variations in protein conformation. The technology will be used to identify drug targets more efficiently, provide a new platform for developing medical diagnostic tests and assay therapeutic quality during manufacturing steps.
“Proteomics has been slow to deliver biomarkers, in part, because protein conformation is lost in the discovery process,” says Benner. “We intend to remedy this delay by commercializing technology that measures protein conformation rapidly and economically.”
Important targets for diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegeneration, Ubiquitin E3 HECT ligases have been inaccessible to high-throughput drug screening because existing cell-based assays require multiple, cumbersome steps. E3XBio, based in Menlo Park, CA, has created a streamlined drug-discovery platform based on the active properties of these “undruggable” targets. The founding team, led by C.E.O. Lori Rafield, Ph.D., has substantial prior drug development experience in large biotech and pharma companies, including novel assets that are currently in human clinical studies.
“As pharma industry veterans, our team knows the challenges of drug discovery,” says Rafield. “We are convinced that we’ve discovered a new paradigm for high-throughput screening and are thrilled that Breakout Labs has provided us with the support to develop our proof of concept.”
Do you have a startup based on groundbreaking science? Breakout Labs accepts applications on a rolling basis. Learn about our program and apply today!
