The Inland Empire's first wet lab incubator for biotech, medtech, and environmental innovation

Located on the first floor of UC Riverside’s Multidisciplinary Research Building, the Life Sciences Incubator is the Inland Empire’s only wet lab facility dedicated to biotech, medtech, agtech, and environmental innovation. It’s a fully equipped wet-lab and collaborative workspace empowering emerging life science ventures to grow locally—while benefiting from UCR’s research excellence and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Our incubator offers:

• State-of-the-art wet lab facilities, including cell and plant incubators, spectroscopic and chromatographic systems, microscopes, thermal cyclers, centrifuges, fume hoods, and more.

• Private lab benches and office space, with furnished workspaces, personal storage, and high-speed internet access.

• Conference and coworking areas, including meeting rooms, large‑screen displays, mailing address capabilities, and exclusive invitation‑only programming.

• UCR Core Facility access, allowing resident ventures to leverage campus shared services at internal rates.

Support extends beyond workspace:

• Mentorship from Entrepreneurs‑in‑Residence, plus direct engagement with EPIC SBDC advisors.

• Funding access and programming, including grant opportunities, investor networks, and workshops via Opportunity Gateway and SBIR/STTR support.

• Community and collaboration, with startups working across agtech, biotech, medtech, and climate solutions, alongside educational programming coordinated with regional partners.

Xeno-Free Stem Cell Culture

Developed by former UCR Professor Noburu Sato, this innovation eliminates the use of animal- or human-derived components in the culture of human pluripotent stem cells. By using a chemically defined matrix and inhibiting myosin II to improve cell adhesion and survival, the platform provides a more controlled, contamination-free environment for stem cell growth—supporting scalable and reproducible cell therapy research.

Licensed in 2010, the technology has led to the development of multiple products in the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) market and has generated over $850,000 in royalty revenue. Its adoption highlights UCR’s early leadership in enabling safer and more consistent stem cell manufacturing for therapeutic and research use.

Basilard BioTech – Celletto™ Nanoneedle Platform

Basilard BioTech, a startup spun out of UCR by Professor Masa Rao, is developing Celletto™, a precision nanomechanical gene delivery platform. Using nanoneedles to deliver genetic material non-virally into hundreds of millions of individual human cells, Celletto addresses major industry bottlenecks around scalability, nuclear delivery, and uniform poration—making it a breakthrough in cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

With $4.5M+ in seed funding, $500K from UCR’s Highlander Venture Fund, and support from the EPIC SBDC, Basilard has grown into a fully operational company. The platform’s impact is recognized in Nature Nanotechnology, positioning Basilard as a leader in next-generation biotech instrumentation.

Cadenza Bio – Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics

Developed in part by UCR Professor Seema Tiwari-Woodruff, Cadenza Bio is advancing a novel class of compounds that promote remyelination and neuroprotection for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Unlike current MS treatments that only slow disease progression, Cadenza’s therapy targets the root causes—offering the potential for improved mobility and quality of life.

In 2023, the company raised $2.44M in seed funding to move its lead candidate, CAD-1, into non-clinical safety studies. The technology is backed by the NIH and the National MS Society, with strong potential to address other neurological and autoimmune conditions in future phases.