Life Science Innovation Podcast

Dr. Rebecca Vaught is the CEO and co-founder of Van Heron Labs, a biotech company that uses genetic analysis to create custom procedures that optimize the metabolism and maximize the growth of a particular cell or organism. In this episode she shares the struggles of being a young entrepreneur in the biotech world, from finding the right team of co-founders, to hot go get your first costumer.

In this episode, we spoke Ana Jeter, CBO and co-founder of AoA DX. AoA DX is bringing the first liquid biopsy test that accurately enables early diagnosis of ovarian cancer through the analysis of tumor marker gangliosides. 

In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Ali Seifi, M.D, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at UT Health San Antonio. After witnessing his patients suffering from hiccups during intense recovery, he realized there had to be a simple way to relieve the discomfort. At the time, he found that there was no remedy and sought out to create a solution. Introducing the HiccAway, a straw that generates enough pressure to lower the diaphragm while simultaneously activating the epiglottis, stimulating the phrenic and vagus nerves responsible for hiccups. The HiccAway straw is available on their website, Amazon, and HEB. https://hiccaway.com/

In this episode, we spoke with Ryan Saavedra, CEO and founder of Alt-Bionics. Alt-Bionics is a medical device company that aims to tackle the problem of high-cost prostheses by delivering affordable alternatives to the prosthetic market. The product was developed as a student thesis capstone project at University of Texas, San Antonio. 

Dr. Jordan Milller is an entrepreneur and Bioengineering professor at Rice University. In 2018, he and Dr. Bagrat Grigoryan cofounded Volumetric, Inc. a company that is working on the next generation of biomaterials for 3D printing of organs. His research on vascularization was the cover of the Science magazine in 2019. In this episode he talks about the struggles about being an academic entrepreneur and the process of finding the right type investors for his company. You can learn more about his work here: https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/jordan-miller

In this episode, we interviewed the president and CEO of Hera Biotech, Somer Baburek. Hera Biotech is an early-stage, women’s health company, focused on commercializing the first minimally invasive diagnostic for endometriosis. We also talked about her experience as a businesswoman working in the biotech space. 

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Elizabeth Jaworski, founder and CEO of ClickSeq Technologies, a next generation sequencing service that is simple and affordable.

In this episode, we speak to the co-founders of NovoThelium Lauren Cornell and Bianca Cerqueira. NovoThelium is an early stage startup located in San Antonio that is developing a bioengineered matrix from donor nipple areolar tissue to reconstruct nipples for breast cancer patients after mastectomy. They talk about their journey from idea conception to filing a patent and establishing a physical location to develop their product. 

In this episode, we interview Theodore Price, co-founder of 4E Therapeutics, Ted's Brain Science, and CerSci Therapeutics. He is an associate professor and the director of the Center for Advanced Pain Studies in UT Dallas. His research in pain management led to the founding of several therapeutics and companies. 

In this episode, we interview Ramon Coronado, founder and CEO of Crown Scientific and Perytor Therapeutics. Crown Scientific is a medical research company that provides a variety of equipment, resources and expertise to make translational science possible; from molecular and cellular analyses, to animal studies and cGMP manufacturing. Perytor Therapeutics discovered a drug extracted from placental tissue that can be used to promote tissue regeneration and reduce pain and inflammation.