Founded in 2020 by three investigators from Ohio University’s Edison Biotechnology Institute, privately held ASAKE Biotechnology is an Athens company built around translating university research into new health therapeutics. Its scientists use natural resources to pursue treatments for serious diseases, while the company works with academic and Southeast Ohio partners to move promising discoveries toward practical medicines.
Biosortia MicrobiomicsFounded by inventor Ross O. Youngs, Biosortia Microbiomics is a Columbus, Ohio company known for turning microbial-community chemistry into drug-discovery opportunities. Youngs brings nearly four decades of invention and more than 75 worldwide patents to a team led by pharmaceutical natural-products scientists, while the company’s Industrial-Scale Microbiome Mining platform gives researchers access to compounds that conventional small samples can miss. Its current lead focus is gut-restricted discovery for obesity and metabolic health.COLUMBUS, OH
OnCusp Therapeutics, IncFounded in 2021 by Bing Yuan, Eric Slosberg, and Andy Fu, OnCusp Therapeutics is a Princeton-based clinical-stage biotech built around its founders’ global oncology development and partnering experience. The company advances promising preclinical research toward clinically validated cancer treatments, with its lead program CUSP06 now in clinical development for patients with advanced solid tumors.NEW YORK, NY
AUM LifeTech, IncPhiladelphia-based AUM LifeTech develops RNA-targeting therapeutics through its proprietary AUM silence antisense oligonucleotide platform, which is designed to silence or regulate disease-linked RNA without an external delivery vehicle. Founded by biotechnology entrepreneur Veenu Aishwarya, the company is pursuing preclinical treatments for genetically defined diseases, including an anti-FOXP3 cancer-immunotherapy program developed with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Its work also includes a Parkinson’s disease program conducted with the University of Pennsylvania.PHILADELPHIA, PA
Forge BiologicsFounded by gene therapy developers for developers, Forge Biologics is a Columbus, Ohio-based contract development and manufacturing organization focused on AAV gene therapy development and production. Its 200,000-plus-square-foot Hearth facility has 20 cGMP suites and supports programs from research through clinical and commercial manufacturing. Forge is part of Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services and brings more than 450 experts to its work with gene therapy developers.GROVE CITY, OH