March 2026

March 2026: Data News, DARPA Funding, and Job Postings

Hey, this is Michael from The Bioentrepreneurs: Stanford, UCSF, Berkeley. Each month, I bring you key updates and exclusive insights straight from the teams driving innovation across these cutting-edge life sciences ecosystems. 

As a reminder, the web version (or see it in the archive) contains the updates with full detail and enhanced formatting.

Now, here's what's happening this month:

🎙 DropXcell presented their high-throughput antibody screening technology at SLAS 2026 in Boston, competing for the Ignite Award and giving 3 oral presentations

👀 Now offering early access therapeutic antibody design and testing services, empowered by a proprietary AI antibody design engine and designed to be affordable for both early startups and larger companies. Learn more from their CEO Luke Blauch at [email protected]

🧑‍🦱 Added three team members, bringing the team total to 9

📊 Completed their first test prints with their two-photon bioprinter, validating ~5 micron resolution and print speeds 10,000x faster than nearest competitors

📊 Started testing antibody produced by B cells in 2D cell culture and are seeing high quality antibody secreted at rates that should support <$7/gram production in their 3D high density bioreactors

📊 Submitted pre-IND meeting request and are on track for IND submission in Q4

🎙 Nicholas Hertz, Ph.D., President and CEO, presented the benefits of the BrainOnly™ platform at Biocom’s Global Partnering and Investor Conference in February

🎙 Nadia Khan, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, attended the TSC Summit this week, hosted by the TSC Alliance, and presented on how Montara is developing a safe and efficacious treatment for TSC patients

📔 Building the leading life sciences ontology: recently published a deep dive on its ontology as a product

🤝 Proprietary data flywheel: Nextnet has finalized the first of several strategic data partnerships, beginning with CiteAb, one of the world’s largest reagents databases. This integration unlocks valuable, previously paywalled life sciences content directly within Nextnet subscription plans. In parallel, the company is in advanced discussions with multiple data vendors to incorporate large proprietary corpora into its growing semantic web. Think Spotify for scientific evidence.

📈 Expanding beyond biotech: Nextnet is also extending its ontology engine into adjacent high-tech verticals, semiconductors and applied research. They are in advanced discussions with one of Europe’s leading applied research institutions, to ontologize and integrate semiconductor pilot line data. This initiative is expected to expand across additional pilot lines and potentially into the broader European electronics ecosystem. The engagement underscores a core strength of Nextnet’s technology stack: a vertically agnostic ontology engine capable of moving seamlessly from biotech to semiconductors, while maintaining depth, rigor, and domain specificity

📈 In addition to Aetna, Parallel Health is now in-network with Cigna in CA! If you're an Aetna or Cigna member in California and would like to explore skin longevity and microbiome dermatology™, email [email protected] to check eligibility. Read the full announcement HERE.

📆 Parallel will be at AAD in Denver and is hosting "An Intimate Evening on the Future of Microbiome Dermatology" on Thursday, March 26th @ 6pm. If you're a dermatologist or skin health expert, you can learn more and RSVP HERE.

📊 Completed HIPAA-compliant data transfer service

📊 Pilot embryonic whole genome and integrated polygenic analysis delivered to patient for embryos based on V1 Product

👋 Institutional Registration by NIH/All of Us

🤝 Initiated second research partnership with UC Berkeley

🔎 Seeking fertility clinics or testing labs interested in partnering to offer low-cost preimplantation embryo whole genome analysis and partners or advisors with strong fertility clinic connections - genomically interested Reproductive Endocrinologists (REI/MD) and Genetic Councillors (MS) are especially encouraged.

🔎 A few spots remain open in a pilot (direct consumers also welcome). If you are using IVF and have or are intending PGT-A, you may qualify for free sequencing / analysis through our pilot program. Reach out to CEO Brad Gulko for more info

💰 Awarded a DARPA contract for long read protein sequencing

💰 Raised an oversubscribed $3.7M pre-seed round co-led by Freeflow Ventures and Lifespan Vision Ventures, with participation from Eisai Innovation Inc, SBI US Gateway Fund, Valuence Ventures, EGB Capital, Nutide Ventures, and Sift's early supporters to advance Sift's lead oncology program. Full announcement can be found here

👤 HIRING: Looking for an ML consultant with deep experience in protein modeling, immunogenicity prediction, and/or drug discovery ML to architect a multi-modal prioritization model for Sift. Please contact Clare Lou if interested.

🎙 CEO Caitlyn Miller will be presenting at Novel Conjugates Summit in Boston on May 18, 2026

👤 HIRING: Opened a new job posting for Director/Head of CMC

👤 HIRING: Opened a new job posting for Chief Medical Officer

👤 HIRING: Opened a new job posting for Executive Assistant

📆 Samantha Rector (VP of Business Development) will be traveling throughout California for a variety of events including the Octane Neurotech Forum in Orange County (March 26-27) and Asilomar of the Brain and Mind in Pacific Grove (March 29-April 1).

🎙 Last week, Dr. Sam Banister (CSO) moderated a panel on biomarker guided research alongside Dr. Mark Rasenick (CSO of PAX Neuroscience, Inc.) and Dr. Ryan Field (CEO of Kernel) at the Psychedelic Therapeutics and Drug Development Conference

Thursday, Mar. 12 - Future of Biotech x AI: AI in Peptide Drug Discovery (Palo Alto)

Tuesday, Mar. 17 - London Bio Building Bio: Coast to Coast (San Francisco)