TheraCea Pharma Selected to Participate in the Concept to Clinic: Commercializing Innovation Program

“The C3i Program is designed to provide medical device innovators with the specialized business frameworks and essential tools for successful translation of biomedical technologies from the lab (concept) to the market (clinic). Through this program, the NIH fosters the development and commercialization of early-stage biomedical technologies by engaging investigators who are interested in better understanding the value of their innovation in addressing an unmet market need. The curriculum and customized mentoring provided by the C3i Program are intended to guide investigators as they assess the commercial viability and potential business opportunity for their innovation.

The C3i Program is based on the Coulter Commercialization Process, an approach to biomedical research translation developed and continuously refined by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in collaboration with its academic partners across the country. Since 2001, the Foundation has supported more than 700 interdisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers, to bring the latest biomedical innovations to market for the benefit of human health and society at-large. To date 186 projects have raised more than $5.3 billion in venture capital and more than 500 Thousand in SBIR funding, 61 projects has been licensed to industry partners, and dozens more have received SBIR support. Most importantly, these efforts have given risen to more than 52 products with more than 50 advancing through the various FDA pathways. The key features and elements which define the Coulter Commercialization Process have been captured and condensed into an intensive, fast-paced training course, the C3i Program.

In 2014, the NIBIB and the Coulter Foundation established a public-private partnership to offer the C3i curriculum to NIH-supported investigators. Over the past five years, five courses have been offered, providing mentored business training to 70 participating teams. Cumulatively, these teams have received over $24M in NIH SBIR/STTR grant funding and have raised over $94M in private capital financing, and two products have been cleared for marketing by the FDA.” - NIH

TheraCea Receives NSF's National I-CORPs Award

TheraCea has proudly secured the esteemed NSF National Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Award, a recognition that underscores our commitment to bridging the gap between laboratory innovation and real-world market implementation. I-Corps is dedicated to minimizing the risks inherent in technology translation, fostering experiential learning to accelerate the journey from research breakthroughs to practical applications. With an impressive track record, over 2,500 teams, including TheraCea, have engaged with I-Corps since its inception in 2012. Remarkably, nearly 1,400 of these teams have successfully launched startups, collectively raising an impressive $3.16 billion in subsequent funding. TheraCea's receipt of the NSF National I-Corps Award attests to our dedication to transformative innovation and our readiness to navigate the intricate pathway from laboratory discovery to substantial market impact.

TheraCea Pharma Awarded People's Choice Award in Finals of IdeaFunding 2021

TheraCea Pharma receives funding in competitive IdeaFunding 2021 award.

“The university’s innovation ecosystem is growing, and TLA represents the first step in launching companies based on UofA intellectual property,” said Tech Launch Arizona (TLA) Assistant Vice President Doug Hockstad. “These startups not only bring great solutions to real world problems, but they’re helping to develop our economy right here at home.”

Yet another UArizona startup, TheraCea, received the $1,000 People’s Choice award. The company is working to bring to market a new chemical process for radio-labeling PET contrast agents. Iman Daryaei, Ph.D., CEO of the company, led the research and development effort, co-inventing the technology during his doctoral studies in the UArizona Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. TheraCea Pharma won UACI Sponsored Launch fueled by Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona (BIOSA), housed at the new biotech incubator, UACI at Oro Valley. Included with entrance into the program and space at the new location, the startup was awarded a $5,000 cash prize bringing the total package value to $15,000.

UArizona opens bioscience incubator in Oro Valley

TheraCea Awarded Year Membership at Incubator

The Oro Valley incubator is part of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation – Tech Parks Arizona’s startup incubator network, which has outposts throughout the Southern Arizona region and is on a mission to grow scalable science and technology startup ventures that fuel the Arizona economy.

The new incubator’s first tenant is TheraCea Pharma, an Arizona-based biotechnology startup that develops diagnostic positron emission tomography imaging agents, or PET scans, to detect cancer as well as cardiological, neurological and infectious diseases. The company earned a year of membership at the incubator by winning this year’s UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by BIOSA ­– the Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona – competition.

“UACI is providing fabulous support to startup companies by connecting them to the resources of the University of Arizona and the Tucson community,” said Iman Daryaei, CEO of TheraCea Pharma and a senior research specialist in the UArizona Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “The new facility in Oro Valley is located in an area where some of the most valuable bioindustry leaders in the state of Arizona are located, which provides the companies the opportunity to connect to those businesses for a successful launch and expansion.”

Innovative Biotech Startup TheraCea Pharma Wins University of Arizona Center for Innovation Sponsored Launch Fueled by BIOSA

Access to UACI provides this startup with a structured incubation program, customized business support and the ability to work alongside UACI’s 36 other startups. UACI provides access to the people, programming and places needed to scale a business. Along with support, entrepreneurs have a direct line to funding opportunities and mentors who guide them in turning their idea into a product. Other tools the incubation program provides are office and lab space, a prototyping center and assistance through a 27-point roadmap that helps them with creating a business plan, identifying a target market, product development, marketing resources and much more.   

“We appreciate UACI and BIOSA for their trust in TheraCea technology and the team. We are very excited about this opportunity as the award provides us a well-equipped laboratory and office space to further develop TheraCea technology while we get support and help from business mentors and industry experts. We, at TheraCea, highly believe that moving to this new UACI facility in Oro Valley is a significant milestone in our progress toward achieving our goals,” expressed Iman Daryaei, Chief Executive Officer of TheraCea Pharma. 

“Our team is thrilled to welcome TheraCea Pharma to the UACI family. Their novel technology addresses a real-world medical need, and they have the right team to execute. The fact that this technology was developed at the university, licensed through Tech Launch Arizona and is now about to grow in our incubator highlights how the university collectively serves innovation from idea to success,” stated Eric Smith, Executive Director, University of Arizona Center for Innovation.