Biosciences

 

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

To accelerate the path from discovery to patient impact, CU Boulder integrates:

  •   Biology

  •   Engineering

  •   Chemistry

  •   Physics

  •   Computational platforms

  •   Clinical collaboration

Strategic Focus Areas

Drug Discovery Tools and Delivery Platforms
Engineered Disease & Tissue Modeling Platforms
Medical Devices, Robotics and Digital Twin Systems

Primary Therapeutic Areas


  Oncology


  Cardiovascular


  Neuroscience


  Metabolic Disease

  Immunology

  Infectious Disease

  Rare Disease

  Regenerative 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 modeling 
BioFrontiers Institute

Anschutz-Boulder (AB) Nexus

Bridging discovery and clinical insight through collaborations between CU Boulder and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus:

  • Seed-funded partnerships
  • Integrates CU Boulder research with clinicians
  • Enables clinical validation
     
Researchers working on an AB Nexus collaboration

Thriving Startup Ecosystem

CU Boulder ranked #1 among U.S. universities for startups creation in 2024. 

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

 

Think Bioscience

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

 

Arpeggio

Targets transcription factors with machine learning and high-throughput RNA screening to fight drug resistance in cancer; $60M+ raised

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.

Example CU Solution Area

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.

Example CU Solution Area

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.

Example CU Solution Area

Tunable biomaterials, engineered microenvironments, organoid systems, and controlled delivery platforms that recreate physiologically relevant tissue dynamics, improving translational screening, regenerative strategy development, and biomaterial-enabled therapeutic performance.

Core Challenge

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

Example CU Solution Area

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
     

Partnering with the Biosciences Ecosystem

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

 

Streamlined contracting pathways

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

 

Industry Research Partnerships (IRP)

Dedicated team providing concierge-level support for research collaborations 

 

Talent recruitment, shared facilities and testing services

Access to faculty expertise, unique instrumentation and emerging talent pipelines 

 

Venture Partners at CU Boulder

Campus commercialization arm that spins out startups

Connect with Us

Chris Gustavson

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

Ari Marcellino

Associate Director, Biosciences
INDUSTRY RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
  ari.marcellino@colorado.edu