Newsletter
Spring 2023
Catalyst Summer Internship Now Open for Applications
The “Catalyst Internship” provides an opportunity to be part of an innovative project team to learn about early translational research and the process of translating academic discoveries into products for patient benefit. The primary focus for Catalyst Summer Interns is to draft Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for the 2023 Catalyst Award projects. While creating the TPPs, interns will learn about important aspects of translating an idea into a project. 
Approximate commitment: 30-40 total hours over 10 weeks in Summer 2023. This allows for flexibility with respect to fitting in other activities and commitments (other internships, summer jobs, vacations, etc.).

Bioartificial Kidney Profiled in Nature
The work of Catalyst Awardee and founder of the Kidney Project Shuvo Roy was recently featured in Nature. Their bioartificial kidney could one day free patients from dialysis.
EpiBiologics Launches with $50 Million Series A Financing to Advance Next-Generation Protein Degradation Platform

The work based on Jim Wells, Ian Seiple, and Adam Cotton's 2019 Catalyst Project has led to the founding of EpiBiologics, a biotechnology company building a next-generation antibody-based protein degradation platform for membrane and extracellular drug targets. Recently EpiBiologics launched with $50 million in Series A funding.
Aer Therapeutics Raises $36 Million to Tackle Lung Diseases
The work based on John Fahy's Catalyst Project has led to the founding of Aer Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel inhaled treatments for muco-obstructive lung diseases, announced the closing of a $36 million Series A financing round.

Catalyst Awardee Appointed UCSF Chief Research Informatics Office
Congratulations to 2021 Catalyst Awardee Ida Sim, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Computational Precision Health, on being appointed UCSF’s first Chief Research Informatics Officer! Professor Sim will lead UCSF's research informatics strategy and advance a broad vision for the future. Central to this is positioning UCSF at the forefront of technology-centric research, including artificial intelligence, computational science, and digital health.
Design Strategy Workshop
The UCSF LaunchPad hosted a virtual workshop titled “Beyond Logos and Websites: Design Strategy for Healthcare, HealthTech, and Biotech Startups” with Robbie Nock, the Associate Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Professional Practice at ArtCenter College of Design. By the end of the workshop, participants will know how to apply the Design toolkit to their startups and create effective Design strategies that align with their business goals.



Catalyst Advisor on the BioCentury Show
Watch an interview led by Catalyst Advisor and Editor in Chief of BioCentury Simone Fishburne in conversation with ex-J&J and incoming Fog Pharma exec Mathai Mammen on how he sees the industry as entering a hard-work phase to solve some of the critical issues.
Design Thinking Course for Entrepreneurs
What is entrepreneurship? Where do ideas come from and how do you protect your intellectual property? Join Catalyst Advisor Sanjeev Redkar, PhD, MBA, for a 13-week course to learn how to transition from thinking like a scientist to thinking like an entrepreneur.
Each month, NSF I-Corps Method offers an immersive one-week virtual training aimed at translating academic research into a startup. The next "Intro to Lean Startup: NSF I-Corps Method & I-Corps" offering will be held June 5, June 7, and June 12. Several current Catalyst Awardee Teams took the course this year to further their projects along the translation path and more will be doing so in June.
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