Mind The Gaps: A Perspective From The World Of Academic Spinouts

By Michele Washko, COO, Respana Therapeutic

Depending upon your perspective, “emerging” biotech could mean any number of things, ranging all the way from the recent spinout of an academic lab to a publicly held company developing a therapeutic that has not yet reached the marketplace. My company, Respana Therapeutics (a finalist in MilliporeSigma’s North America Advance Biotech Grant Program) sits at the front end of that continuum. This is a thrilling, and sometimes anxiety-inducing, place to be.

Thrilling you get, right? Cutting edge science, the potential for a big payout, etc. But anxiety-inducing? There are numerous reasons for this. Some of the key ones fall under the heading of gaps: technical gaps, gaps in funding, and gaps in expertise.