CONGRATULATIONS! to
UCSF Catalyst Accelerator Final Awardees
| | Scenes from 2026 Catalyst Pitch Finals | |
The 2025-2026 UCSF Catalyst Accelerator features an inspirational and competitive cohort. We are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Catalyst Final Awards and the Weill Institute-Catalyst Final Awards! The UCSF Catalyst Accelerator exemplifies innovation translation as a true team sport. UCSF Innovation Ventures (IV) extends sincere thanks to the multisector Catalyst Advisors and the dedicated Catalyst Interns. Special thanks to the Catalyst Team in IV's Innovation & Entrepreneurship unit and also the HealthTech Commercialization team for contributing to the success of Catalyst 3.0. The 2025-2026 Catalyst Final Awards are made possible by generous co-funding from the Weill Institute for Neurosciences and the School of Pharmacy, to complement the Innovation Ventures Catalyst and InVent Funds.
All UCSF Innovators are invited to Apply for the next Catalyst Accelerator cycle in September 2026!
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Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Catalyst Accelerator Awardees in each track:
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Therapeutics
Nexocura – Next Generation Fracture Healing
Principal Investigator: Chelsea Bahney, PhD
Reciprocal Therapeutics – Protein Replacement for Alport Syndrome
Principal Investigators: Zachary Gale-Day, PhD – Jason Gestwicki, PhD
AngioMind BioSciences – Neuroprotection in a Pill From Day One for Parkinson's Disease
Principal Investigator: Su Guo, PhD
Omneo Therapeutics – Advancing a First-in-Class Immunotherapy Targeting a Tumor-wide Splicing-Derived Neoantigen for Solid Tumors
Co-Principal Investigators: Hideho Okada, MD, PhD – Joseph Costello, PhD – Darwin Kwok, PhD – Nick Stevers, PhD
TREK-1 Agonists with Sustained Intraocular pressure-Lowering Effects in Glaucoma
Principal Investigator: Adam Renslo, PhD - Daniel Minor, Jr., PhD
PNRx Bio – Developing a PNR-targeting Molecule for a Mutation-agnostic treatment of RHO-associated retinal degeneration
Principal Investigator: Pamela M. England, PhD
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Medical Devices
DetruSense – A Non-invasive Wearable Sensor for Bladder Muscle Activity
Principal Investigator: Sandya Subramanian, PhD
EpiFUS – Personalized thalamic transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation in drug-resistant epilepsy
Principal Investigator: Joline Fan, MD
ICHx System – an all-in-one minimally invasive solution for rapid intracerebral hemorrhage treatment
Principal Investigators: Luis Savastano, MD, PhD – Daniel Leong, BS
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Digital and Computational Health (AI)
VenoSense – 4D Volumetric M-Mode Ultrasound for Automated DVT Diagnosis
Principal Investigators: Shahram Aarabi, MD – Michael Kohn, MD
FaceShift – Progressive, Algorithm-driven Face Shaping
Principal Investigator: Alexander Lin, MD, MBA
SpectraHub – AI-Powered Molecular Annotation Platform for Human Metabolome Mapping
Principal Investigators: Marina Sirota, PhD – Ju Eun Jeon, PhD
GlioSense – AI-Guided Intraoperative Mapping of Speech-Critical Cortex in Glioma Using Electrophysiology
Principal Investigator: Shawn L. Hervey Jumper, MD
TumorTrace AI – Clinical Deployment of a UCSF-Developed AI Platform for Real-World Meningioma Surveillance
Principal Investigator: Andreas Rauschecker, MD, PhD
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Diagnostics
AirCode – Rapid host biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of severe respiratory infections
Principal Investigators: Charles Langelier, MD, PhD –
Emily Lydon, MD
InformaDerm, Inc – Non-invasive multi-cancer AI molecular classifier for skin cancer
Principal Investigator: Maria Wei, MD, PhD
iMET – Gene expression-based tool to assess the metastatic potential of triple-negative breast cancer
Principal Investigator: Terumi Kohwi-Shigematsu, PhD
Immunectra – Commercialization of an immune biomarker blood test for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis during the prodromal phase
Principal Investigators: Joseph DeRisi, PhD – Michael Wilson, MD – Caroline Vissers, PhD
RespondRT – Validation of a targeted gene expression biomarker for overall survival after re-irradiation in recurrent glioblastoma
Principal Investigators: Brooke Braman, MD –
David Raleigh, MD, PhD
| Click for more details about the Awardees: |
Uniting for ALS: Building an
Integrated Research Community
| Reinvigorating Innovation in ALS group photo, 2026 | |
UCSF Innovation Ventures’ Office of Strategic Alliances proudly hosted the 3rd Annual UC system-wide ALS workshop, “Reinvigorating Innovation in ALS”, on May 14-15, 2026, at the University of California Livermore Collaboration Center (UCLCC) in Livermore, CA.
Over two days, attendees were immersed in interactive panel discussions with thought-provoking presentations, dynamic lightning talks, and an evening poster and networking session. Group discussions and networking breaks sparked lively dialogue and paved the way for promising collaborations.
This event brought together all five UC medical campuses, a renowned national laboratory, leading industry executives, ALS patients and caregivers, and key funding managers to address ALS challenges and foster interdisciplinary collaboration in research and development.
A heartfelt thank you to the 2026 UC ALS Workshop Planning Committee and all participating organizations, including UCSF Innovation Ventures, UCD, UCI, UCLA, UCSD, UCSF, UCLCC, UC National Laboratories/UC Office of the President, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore Lab Foundation, Shionogi (Gold Sponsor), and EDW Pharma, Inc. (Silver Sponsor), ALS Cure Project (Bronze Sponsor), and ALS Network (Bronze Sponsor). Special recognition goes to lead organizers Amy Gryshuk, Nicholas Fischer, Jeremy Gleick, Natalie Sage, and the UC ALS Center Directors.
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Congratulations to Amy Gryshuk, PhD, for 3 years of success as the Event Lead of the UC ALS Workshop!
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The Gold Rush:
Born in California, 2026
| | Charlotte Nelson, PhD, presented MateBio | | Sarah Knox, PhD, presented Hydronovo | | |
Born in California is a startup showcase hosted by UCI Beall Applied Innovation. This year's event brought together 20 startups from across 10 UC campuses to pitch directly to venture capitalists, angel networks, and industry leaders.
Two UCSF startups were presented, including MateBio, which was represented by Charlotte Nelson, PhD, and Sarah Knox represented Hydronovo.
We wish both teams the best of luck!
| | Stop by and meet Darya Bubman and Cathy Smith, two of the Innovation Ventures HealthTech Commercialization team, to learn more about our work. |
This event is presented by TCG Labs Soleil and hosted by UCSF Innovation Ventures. | |
JOIN A SEMINAR TO LEARN MORE
June 18rd, 12-1 pm in room MH-1400 Mission Hall
@Mission Bay Campus
(with lunch provided)
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HOW TO APPLY
Submit your answers to the 4 questions below (please keep entire response <1-page, font size 12 or greater, short/concise is better, the drug target is the most important) to:
Innovation@ucsf.edu
1. What is the specific unmet medical need your proposal can address?
2. How does your drug target-of-interest address this unmet need at the level of disease pathophysiology?
3. How is this idea better than existing therapies already approved by the FDA or currently in human clinical trials?
4. What data has your lab generated to support this hypothesis (if any)?
| | Farewell to Aleks and Praneeti | | Aleksandra Kijac stands third from the right, and Praneeti Pathipati stands in the center. | | |
Innovation Ventures wishes a very fond farewell to Business Development and Alliance Manager, Aleksandra Kijac, as she transfers to Stanford University, and to Internship Manager, Praneeti Pathipati, with her move into the private sector to work with J&J Innovation.
You will both be greatly missed!
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How an ‘Impossible’ Idea Led to a Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough
Kevan Shokat, a scientist at UCSF, spent five years screening 500 molecules searching for one that could wedge itself into a crack in the KRAS protein.
Read More
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