18 Biotech Companies in Boston Saving the Day

The field of biotech has always been at the forefront of some of the biggest challenges we can face as human beings, constantly constructing solutions for everything from viral epidemics to mental health disorders.

While every city across the country has some stake in the biotech industry, few cities lead the pack the way Boston does. The city’s Kendall Square neighborhood alone hosts countless biotech companies within a mile radius, and other cities across the country are working to keep up with Boston’s lightspeed biotech growth.

 

Schrödinger builds technology that fuels biotechnology research. Its predictive computational platform applies physics and machine learning to molecular discovery and design, with the goal of advancing development of new therapeutics and materials. The company offers drug discovery solutions that cover antibody design, peptide discovery and enzyme engineering.

 

Benchling is a software company in the biotech space. Its cloud-based innovation platform functions as a collaboration and ecosystem management hub for life science projects. Scientists can take advantage of this centralized workspace to simplify record keeping for lab notes, experiment data and other critical project information. It enables teams to work collaboratively in real time toward accelerating discoveries in biotech.

 

Endpoint Clinical’s technology solutions have been used to support more than 1,650 global clinical trials across various therapeutic areas. Customers throughout the life sciences industry use the company’s platform to manage randomization, drug supply, data access, communication and other critical elements of running studies for medication development.

 

Click Therapeutics develops and commercializes therapeutic software that provides medical treatment by acting on cognitive and neurobehavioral channels. Just like a consumable drug or a physical medical device, these digital therapeutics undergo rigorous clinical trials and regulatory approval. Intended for solo use or to augment traditional medication, Click Therapeutics' products in development include treatments for major depression, schizophrenia, migraine, opioid use disorder, obesity and other life-altering conditions.

 

Novo Nordisk works to develop new medicines and make them accessible to patients around the globe. In the United States alone, 4 million people use Novo Nordisk’s medicines, and its products are available to patients in close to 170 countries. The company’s work centers around innovations meant to help patients dealing with serious and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and growth-hormone related disorders.

 

Akili Interactive Labs combines neuroscience expertise with gaming technology to develop interactive VR experiences. These experiences are designed to help treat cognitive disorders and help discover treatments specialized for each patient's needs. Their technology is capable of supporting and treating patients dealing with ADHD, MDD and ASD, providing them with gamified technologies that can help improve attention difficulties and cognitive impairments.

 

Ginkgo Bioworks utilizes the principles of biology and microbiology to engineer products and organisms that can grow on their own, as opposed to having to be replicated through manufacturing. Their research has powered discoveries into new food flavoring, cosmetics, agricultural products, and pharmaceutical products, as well as probiotic products designed to help customers and patients build up stronger immune systems.

 

Emulate's team is finding alternatives for human testing by engineering recreated biological materials that function like human specimens. These alternatives will advance drug development and allow for testing of cosmetics, foods, and other products more safely. Their team got their start at the Wyss Institute at Harvard, and today they partner with companies and organizations like AstraZeneca, INTENZE Products, and the FDA. 

 

Biofourmis utilizes the power of software technology to explore treatments for chronic conditions such as COPD, heart disease, arthritis and other conditions. Their wearable technologies rely on data science and AI to gather physiological indicators and health patterns from patients, making it easier to recognize consistencies and develop more targeted treatments. Aside from their downtown Boston headquarters, Biofourmis conducts research from three additional international locations in Singapore, Bengaluru and Zurich.

 

InviCRO supports the efforts of pharmaceutical researchers by offering a comprehensive suite of software applications and technologies for use in targeting and conducting drug testing trials. Their team of over 200 researchers utilizes analytical science to discover actionable datasets and deliver them to their partner organizations, working with the greater biotech community to develop treatments for stubborn diseases.

 

Wave Life Sciences investigates treatments for genetic diseases, and has patented a chemistry platform capable of developing molecular solutions for chronic, incurable diseases. Some of the diseases of focus include Huntington's disease, dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Wave Life Sciences conducts research and engineering operations with the goal of supporting both patients and their families in dealing with their conditions and treatments. 

 

Paratek Pharmaceuticals develops products and treatments that tackle infectious diseases, with the aim of turning raw data and biotech engineering into measurable patient impacts and results. Some of their past work has resulted in the development of treatments for severe acne vulgaris, bacterial pneumonia, skin structure infections and other diseases. 

 

Gradient is a biotech research organization that explores the areas of toxicology, epidemiology, industrial hygiene and other public health areas in order to find solutions that help protect the greater public. From food safety to air quality, Gradient aims to find improvements and treatments rooted in the principles of biological engineering, collecting thorough datasets and utilizing them to develop effective and comprehensive products to solve public health issues.

 

Akouos' team is focused on helping patients preserve their sense of hearing, creating hearing aid technology and conducting gene therapy research to find genetic solutions for preventing hearing loss. There's a general lack of preventative treatments for hearing loss despite the 466 million people worldwide that suffer from hearing loss issues. Akouos seeks to fill that gap in treatment with options that protect and restore hearing.

 

Life Biosciences seeks to improve the longevity rates for human life through pharmaceutical science, developing drugs and medications that help tackle age-related diseases and extend human life. Their technologies target long-term breakdowns of body functions, rather than tackling individual symptoms as they arise, providing their patients with a holistic model for extending lifespans and ensuring greater quality of life.

 

Vertex Pharmaceuticals seeks to find drugs and treatments for serious genetic and infectious diseases on a molecular level, targeting conditions like cystic fibrosis, autoimmune diseases, viral infections and cancers. Their team of over 2,500 researchers deliver an impact on an international scale, and aside from their Cambridge, Massachusetts headquarters, the company maintains locations throughout Europe, the U.K., Australia and South America.

 

Asimov offers specially-engineered host cells, an expansive library of experimentally-validated genetic parts and cloud-based design software for synthetic biology. The company’s computer-aided design solutions support research and development efforts that have the potential to produce innovative therapies.

 

SOPHiA GENETICS says it seeks “to build the future of AI-assisted medicine.” It created a global data-sharing network made up of more than 770 healthcare institutions around the world that work to deliver insights with the potential to drive better outcomes for patients diagnosed with various cancers and rare diseases. The company also offers the SOPHiA DDM platform, which leverages AI capabilities to analyze digital health data.