Bakar Labs Awards Deciduous Therapeutics and Rubik Therapeutics 2021 Golden Tickets

BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Deciduous Therapeutics and Rubik Therapeutics have won 2021 Golden Tickets, granting the companies access to free lab space and facilities for a year, Bakar Labs announced today. The opportunity will give the two companies a substantial head start in commercializing their technologies.

Bakar Labs, the incubator at UC Berkeley's Bakar BioEnginuity Hub, offers more than 20,000 square feet of premium experimental space for R&D on advanced biological and chemical technologies. The Golden Tickets place Deciduous and Rubik in an exceptional environment where they can access resources on the Berkeley campus, interact with Bakar Labs' industry partners and members, and connect with up to 50 fellow resident startups.

"We are proud to provide the facilities and ecosystem connections that will catalyze the development of these startups," said Gino Segrè, managing director at Bakar Labs. "Deciduous and Rubik will have a home where they can advance their remarkable technologies in the lab, amidst a supportive community of entrepreneurs, and in the boardroom, with the connections we offer to our industry partners and the greater ecosystem. We are delighted to be able to support their growth and progress in addressing major health challenges."

The competitive Golden Ticket program, with funding from AbbVie as an inaugural member of the Bakar Labs Incubator, was open to early-stage companies developing novel, transformational therapies for oncology, or autoimmune, neurodegenerative, or ophthalmologic disease.

Deciduous Therapeutics was founded with the mission of harnessing the endogenous immune biology implicated in the clearance of pathogenic senescent cells. Their novel immunotherapies selectively activate the senolytic capabilities of specific T cells and have shown in vivo proof-of-concept in both fibrotic and metabolic disease models.

"We're excited to receive the Golden Ticket and join the new life science entrepreneurship collective at Bakar Labs," said Robin Mansukhani, CEO of Deciduous. "We're grateful to AbbVie for sponsoring and providing invaluable expertise and support."

Rubik Therapeutics is on a mission to change the treatment paradigm for solid tumors by developing cell therapies that target highly selective, unique tumor targets and by leveraging insights into immune cell signaling to counteract immune suppression.

"We are thrilled to have been selected for the Bakar Labs Golden Ticket sponsored by AbbVie," said Murray Robinson, CEO of Rubik. "Accessing Bakar's top-notch, brand-new office and laboratory facilities will allow us to recruit talent in the Berkeley area and put the resources we would have spent on outfitting facilities directly towards advancing our programs in solid tumor cell therapies."

"Fostering innovation in healthcare requires early-stage support and investment," said Mohit Trikha, PhD, AbbVie Bay Area Site Head and VP, Head of Oncology Early Development. "AbbVie is honored to be an inaugural member of Bakar Labs to help support promising startups in advancing their programs and technologies. Congratulations to the teams at Deciduous and Rubik – we look forward to seeing the scientific innovation that comes from each company to help improve the lives of patients."

For more information about the Bakar Labs Golden Ticket program, contact Gino Segrè at [email protected].

About Bakar BioEnginuity Hub

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.

About Bakar Labs

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 help startups grow.  Bakar Labs can support as many as 80 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.

About QB3

QB3 is the University of California's hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in life science. The institute supports UC researchers and empowers Bay Area entrepreneurs to launch startup companies and partner with industry. With six incubators, an affiliated venture capital firm, and a special initiative in health technology — the UCSF Rosenman Institute — QB3 helps bio-entrepreneurs create high-value jobs and brings more than $750 million into the Bay Area each year. Visit qb3.org.

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Contact: Kaspar Mossman, 415-514-9790, [email protected]

SOURCE Bakar Labs