A new collaboration is set to identify and advance cutting-edge scientific findings into new therapies – with a special focus on critical unmet medical needs.
The collaboration between USC and Autobahn Labs, an accelerator for early-stage drug discovery, will see Autobahn invest up to $5 million per selected project to support the development of new pharmaceuticals.
“Our collaboration with Autobahn Labs is a pivotal moment for our institution’s mission to bring academic innovations in drug discovery to market,” said Erin Overstreet, PhD, executive director of the USC Stevens Center for Innovation.
“By leveraging USC’s scientific expertise and Autobahn’s drug discovery capabilities, we are accelerating the development of novel therapeutics that address critical medical needs and improve patient outcomes.”
“We are looking forward to working with USC, our newest academic collaborator, to expand our reach as we aim to identify and translate the best of academic biotech,” said Brendan M. O’Leary, CEO of Autobahn Labs.
“The high-quality research at USC provides a compelling opportunity to identify tomorrow’s breakthrough drug discoveries.”
MESH Strategic Partnerships at the Keck School of Medicine of USC will support the collaboration by serving as the central point of contact, facilitating connections between researchers and ensuring rigorous project review.
“Our strategic alignment with Autobahn is a significant step forward in advancing research, not only in oncology but across various disease areas,” said Vasiliki Anest, chief innovation officer at the Keck School of Medicine and head of MESH.
“This collaboration ensures that groundbreaking research at USC has a clear and efficient path from the lab to the clinic, bringing life-changing therapies to patients who are waiting for innovative solutions.”
Together, USC and Autobahn Labs aim to identify promising early-stage scientific findings and transform them into therapies for conditions with significant unmet needs, from cancer to cardiovascular disease. Selected proposals will receive funding to advance and de-risk novel drug discovery programs, leveraging state-of-the-art technology to drive these projects forward to the clinic.
