genetic-circuits
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Jacob Becraft
Jacob 'Jake' Becraft is the co-founder and CEO of Strand Therapeutics, a Boston biotech building the first programmable platform for mRNA medicines. Trained as a synthetic biologist at MIT, he helped invent what he calls a 'programming language for mRNA' - genetic circuits that let a drug make decisions inside the body, switching on only where and when it should. Strand's lead candidate, a self-replicating mRNA that instructs tumors to produce their own IL-12, delivered early complete responses in a first-in-human trial. Becraft has raised more than $400 million to chase the idea that programming biology will be as transformative for medicine as software was for computing.
Asimov
Asimov is a Boston-based synthetic biology company building computer-aided design (CAD) tools for engineering living cells. Founded in 2017 by bioengineers from MIT and Boston University, it combines mammalian synthetic biology, software, and machine learning through its Kernel platform and 'Edge' production systems to help drug makers design and manufacture cell, gene, and RNA therapies more reliably. The company has raised over $200M, including a $175M Series B in January 2023 led by CPP Investments.
Alec Nielsen
Alec Nielsen is the co-founder and CEO of Asimov, a Boston synthetic biology company building computer-aided design tools for living cells. His MIT PhD work in the Voigt Lab produced Cello, a programming language that compiles plain-text logic instructions into thousands of DNA letters. Asimov turned that academic breakthrough into a commercial platform for designing and manufacturing biologics, cell therapies, and gene therapies, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, DARPA, and a $175M Series B led by CPP Investments.