Two news items from Bay Area life sciences tools startup Unchained Labs: It just announced a $25 million Series A, and acquired a multiplex stability platform for biologics called Optim that will serve as the backbone of its business. With the funding, Unchained Labs plans to build on this Optim platform, and acquire more technologies to grow the biz further.
Unchained Labs says Optim “lets scientists unlock optimal biologic formulations simply and quickly.” It has already been sold by previous owner The Avacta Group to more than 60 biopharma and academic customers around the world.
With the tech, Unchained Labs says researchers will be able to measure several protein stability parameters, like denaturing temperature and aggregation onset temperature, on multiple samples simultaneously. The assays are “high throughput, label-free, ultra-low volume and very easy to run.”
Funding comes from Novo Ventures, Canaan Partners and TPG Biotech.
It made the announcement with some, ah, pizazz:
“Unchained Labs is committed to building the next cool life sciences tools company,” it says in a release. “One that matters. One without old school rules. One with products that’ll make a real difference in the research scientists do every day.”
It’s a welcome change from language like, “developing innovative solutions to fit unmet needs” that we see from every other biotech Dick and med device Jane. This marketing approach certainly infuses a touch of excitement in what could just as easily be packaged as a stodgy, run-of-the-mill life sciences product. It’s using, after all, a preexisting product – Optim – as the basis of the company, and the prior marketing wasn’t quite so splashy. Keep it transparent – tell customers what you’re all about – but let’s keep this energy up, huh, startups?
