Biosciences

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A interdisciplinary life science innovation ecosystem built to solve industry R&D challenges

To accelerate the path from discovery to patient impact, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder integrates:

  • ÌýÌýBiology

  • ÌýÌýEngineering

  • ÌýÌýChemistry

  • ÌýÌýPhysics

  • ÌýÌýComputational platforms

  • ÌýÌýClinical collaboration

Strategic Focus Areas

Drug Discovery Tools & Enabling Technologies
Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine & Translational Models
AI, Computational Models & Digital Twins
Medical Devices, Imaging & Surgical Technologies

Primary Therapeutic Areas


ÌýÌýOncology


ÌýÌýCardiovascular


ÌýÌýNeuroscience


ÌýÌýMetabolic Disease

ÌýÌýImmunology

ÌýÌýInfectious Disease

ÌýÌýRare Disease

ÌýÌýRegenerative Medicine

Resources & Infrastructure

Core Facilities and Shared Instrumentation

  • Advanced Microscopy & Imaging
  • Flow Cytometry & Cell Analysis
  • DNA/RNA Sequencing
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • High-Throughput Screening
  • Microfabrication
  • Bioinformatics & High-Performance Computing
COSINC

BioFrontiers Institute

An interdisciplinary bioscience institute accelerating translational discovery and industry collaboration by integrating:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Engineering
  • Predictive modelingÌý
BioFrontiers Institute

Anschutz-Boulder (AB) Nexus

Bridging discovery and clinical insight through collaborations between Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder and the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØAnschutz Medical Campus:

  • Seed-funded partnerships
  • Integrates Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder research with clinicians
  • Enables clinical validation
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Researchers working on an AB Nexus collaboration

Thriving Startup Ecosystem

Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder ranked #1 among U.S. universities for startups creation in 2024.Ìý

Our spinouts are shaping modern biotechnology and translational innovation, including:

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Think Bioscience

Synthetic biology platform targeting undruggable proteins; $55M Series A

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MyoKardia

Developed small-molecule cardiac myosin modulators for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and heart failure; acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb for $13.1B

Capabilities & Applications

Target Discovery, Mechanism-of-Action & Pathway Biology Medical Devices, Robotics & Digital Twin Systems Engineered Disease & Tissue Modeling Platforms Optimizing RNA Therapeutics & Programmable Gene Control
Target Discovery, Mechanism-of-Action & Pathway Biology

Core Challenge

Biopharma: Therapeutic programs struggle to translate complex disease biology into predictable clinical performance, leading to inconsistent efficacy and limited durability across patient populations.

Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØCapabilities

Multiomics, pathway biology, and structure-based modeling used to validate target engagement, define mechanisms of action and identify resistance drivers—enabling the design of more effective therapeutics.

Core Challenge

Medtech: Interventional procedures and medical device development face variability in precision, limited real-time sensing, and incomplete understanding of device–tissue interaction, constraining procedural consistency, safety and long-term performance.

Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØCapabilities

Intelligent medical devices, image-guided surgical robotics, embedded sensing platforms, and computational digital twins that model device–tissue interaction, biomechanics, and flow dynamics, improving navigation precision, real-time feedback and device performance validation.

Core Challenge

Biotech & MedTech Industry: Preclinical models often fail to replicate human tissue biology and microenvironmental complexity, limiting translational predictability, therapeutic screening accuracy and regenerative performance.

Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØCapabilities

Tissue & Disease Models: Tunable biomaterials, engineered microenvironments, organoid systems, and tissue models that recreate human-relevant biology to improve therapeutic evaluation, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine development.

Core Challenge

Biopharma: RNA-based therapies face instability, unintended immune activation, and inconsistent translational efficiency, limiting durability and clinical performance.

Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØCapabilities

We engineer RNA stability and programmable translational control systems to enhance therapeutic durability, modulate immune activation, and improve precision in RNA and gene-targeted therapeutics.

Industry Impact

  • Tom Cech: Nobel Laureate; discovered catalytic RNA, foundational to RNA therapeutics
  • Marvin Caruthers: Co-founder of Amgen, inventor of phosphoramidite DNA synthesis
  • Leslie Leinwand: Leader in cardiac and muscle biology; ~$15B+ in cardiomyopathy-related exits
  • Larry Gold: Founder, SomaLogic acquired by Illumina (2024, ~$425M); pioneer of large-scale proteomics and precision biomarker discovery
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Partnering with the Biosciences Ecosystem

We simplify the path to innovation for our corporate and government partners:

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Streamlined contracting pathways

Guided by tools to reduce negotiation timelines (e.g. term sheets and modular IP menus)

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Industry Research Partnerships (IRP)

Dedicated team providing concierge-level support for research collaborationsÌý

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Talent recruitment, shared facilities and testing services

Access to faculty expertise, unique instrumentation and emerging talent pipelinesÌý

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Venture Partners at Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder

Campus commercialization arm that spins out startups

Connect with Us

Chris Gustavson

Executive Director, Industry Research Partnerships
RESEARCH & INNOVATION OFFICE
ÌýÌýchris.gustavson@colorado.edu

Ari Marcellino

Associate Director, Biosciences
INDUSTRY RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
ÌýÌýari.marcellino@colorado.eduÌý