Bakar Labs and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Support Entrepreneurs to Develop New Genetic Therapies for CF

BERKELEY, Calif., April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bakar Labs, the incubator at UC Berkeley's Bakar BioEnginuity Hub (BBH), announced today a unique collaboration with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to accelerate the application of new technologies for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The CF Foundation is sponsoring a "Golden Ticket" competition at the new incubator and is encouraging companies with emerging technology in gene editing, gene delivery, and gene therapy/gene insertion that may work in CF to apply. Applications open Monday, May 2.

Up to three potential winners will be provided lab space and facilities at Bakar Labs. In addition to lab and office space, companies will have access to the extensive resources of the CF Foundation, including scientific experts and advice, lab/research tools and techniques, an extensive patient registry, clinical trial design support, and a Therapeutics Development Network of over 90 clinical trial sites in the US.

"Working with the CF Foundation entirely fits with the spirit of entrepreneurship to benefit society," said Regis Kelly, PhD, OBE, director of Bakar Labs and executive director at QB3, the University of California entrepreneurship institute that partnered with Berkeley to launch BBH. "Our double bottom line at Bakar Labs emphasizes public good on an equal basis with the potential for profit."

"This collaboration is inspiring," said David Schaffer, PhD, executive director of BBH. "Students and professors will see the potential of entrepreneurship fused with the resources and mission of a major patient advocacy organization. It will be a tremendous example that could well spur partnerships in a broad range of areas." Schaffer is Hubbard Howe Distinguished Professor at UC Berkeley, with appointments in the departments of chemical and biomolecular engineering, bioengineering, and molecular and cell biology.

"Collaborating with the CF Foundation creates an extraordinary opportunity," said Gino Segrè, PhD, managing director of Bakar Labs. "We will draw attention to a devastating condition and make available special resources that will inspire and support a community of researchers and entrepreneurs to apply their breakthrough ideas to the development of a cure. We're delighted that Bakar Labs is now a proving ground for major advances."

A focus on entrepreneurship for the public good is now widely seen by many philanthropies and investors as a valuable and effective complement to their support of academic scholarship. The CF Foundation has achieved global admiration for its support of disease-related research efforts, not only by scientists in academic labs but by entrepreneurs in startup companies.

For more information, visit the CF Foundation Golden Ticket page on the Bakar Labs website or contact [email protected].

The Bakar BioEnginuity Hub empowers fearless founders — and founders in the making — to realize bold solutions to our world's most pressing problems. Focused on people working at the convergence of the life sciences with the physical, engineering, and data sciences, the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub provides the intellectual, entrepreneurial, and community resources needed to learn and then to launch their own ventures. The Bakar BioEnginuity Hub is located on the UC Berkeley campus in the stunning Woo Hon Fai Hall. Visit bioenginuityhub.berkeley.edu.

Bakar Labs is the flagship life science-focused incubator at UC Berkeley's Bakar BioEnginuity Hub. Operated by QB3, Bakar Labs provides extensive equipment, lab and office facilities, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs to helps startups grow. Bakar Labs can support as many as 50 early-stage companies from around the world focused on translating life science based innovations that promise to improve human health. No UC affiliation is required to join. For information about how to join or form a partnership, visit bakarlabs.berkeley.edu. 

Kaspar Mossman 
(415) 514-9790  
[email protected] 

SOURCE Bakar Labs