2025 Capital Region Biotech Startup Activity Update
University at Albany Tenenbaum Lab and sxRNA Technologies-affiliated researchers. Courtesy Patrick Dodson
The past year has been full of activity for both Capital Region biotech startups and the entrepreneurship support network that helps them accelerate their growth.
Several local biotech startups either published the results of clinical trials (Consynance Therapeutics) or are on track to complete or start new clinical trials or pilot studies (iPACES, ISOGuardian, NanoPharmaceuticals, Revivo Medical). Two startups received their first federal grants under the Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs (AlphaMemory, Care4QOL).
Several more startups are preparing to commercialize their technologies or roll out new products in the coming months (SupreMEtric, Training Bridge). Others forged strategic partnerships to broaden the reach of their technologies or to tap into new markets (LevRx, ZephyRx).
Below are 2025 highlights from the region’s biotech startups:
AlphaMemory is a Latham startup headed by a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute biological sciences professor. Last September, it received a $252,124 NIH STTR grant for research into drugs that selectively reduce the production of amyloid proteins that clump together in the brain and are an indicator of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Care4QOL is an Albany startup that is developing AI-integrated wearable sensors designed to prevent back injuries among direct care workers. The startup is headed by a University at Albany health policy professor and last September received a $306,817 NIH STTR grant to develop and validate a second generation of its wearable technology. In September, Care4QOL also received an Empire State Development Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) Innovation Matching Grants program award.
Consynance Therapeutics is an East Greenbush clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Last August, ConSynance had the results of its first-in-human, single-ascending-dose (SAD) trial of its lead therapeutic candidate published in Psychopharmacology. In 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted ConSynance’s investigational drug a Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) for the treatment of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) in children and adolescents.
DirectSeq Bioscences is a UAlbany spinout headed by UAlbany associate chemistry professor that has developed exhaustive RNA sequencing technology. Last fall, DirectSeq received two National Science Foundation STTR grants. One grant for $406,500 supported research mass spectroscopy-based high throughput direct sequencing and quantitative mapping of RNA modifications. The other grant for $215,088 supported research on a mass spectroscopy ladder intensity approach for the layer-by-layer sequencing of RNA in a sample.
Emboa Medical is an Albany startup that has developed a blood clot extraction device to help surgeons counter ischemic stroke. In October, FuzeHub named Emboa Medical’s biomimetic thrombectomy aspiration catheter a finalist in its 2025 Commercialization Competition, with prizes ranging from $80,000 to $150,000 in seed funding. Emboa Medical is currently located at the STEAM Garden business incubator in Albany.
Humonix Biosciences is a UAlbany spinout that last June had a study published in the Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science journal in which the startup validated its 3D human Blood-Retinal Barrier Tissue Model (BRBTM).
iPACES is a Union College spinout in Clifton Park that has developed a neuro-exergame for reducing cognitive decline deterring dementia. In two at-home trials, users demonstrated improved executive function after three months of pedaling-to-play. iPACES last August received $1,373,201 in NIH grant funding another clinical trial that aims to replicate prior findings and study whether those impacts can be applied to users with Parkinson’s Disease.
IsoGuardian is an Albany startup that has developed a reusable isolation gown, which will soon be included in a pilot study at Albany Medical Center. ISOGuardian recently registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a manufacturer of non-surgical gowns. It is a joint client of the STEAM Garden business incubator in Albany and Albany Medical College’s incubator.
Legacy Innovative Technologies is a Clifton Park startup headed by the president of Legacy Behavioral Health, a telehealth service provider. The startup that last May received its first patent for telehealth eyeglasses that leverage augmented reality to enhance interactive medical communication between patients and providers.
LevRx is a Troy digital pharmacy engagement platform, last June announced a strategic partnership with BlueGenes, pharmacogenetics (PGX) solution company in Scottsdale, Arizona, to integrate real-time genetic testing insights into pharmacy benefit systems.
NanoPharmaceuticals is an East Greenbush pharmaceutical startup thar has developed drugs for treating Glioblastoma (GB) and Neuroblastoma (NB) cancers. Its first clinical candidate, fb-PMT, is undergoing a clinical trial at Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. NanoPharmaceuticals last September received a $869,433 Phase 2 SBIR NIH grant to further study the efficiency and efficiency of its advanced preclinical candidate, BG-P-TAT, following scaled up manufacturing of of non-GMP drug material.
ReVivo Medical is a Loudonville startup that has developed titanium spinal implant. It recently completed the fiftieth surgical procedure implanting the company’s innovative spinal device as part of the FDA-sanctioned clinical trial. The patients will be tracked for two years before final clearance can be granted for a commercial product.
SupreMEtric is a UAlbany spinout headed by UAlbany chemistry professor. It has developed Raman spectroscopy-based methods for forensic applications. Last January, the U.S. Department of Justice awarded SupreMEtric a $556,572 to develop a gunshot residue analysis technology that leverages Raman spectroscopy and machine learning.
sxRNA Technologies is a UAlbany spinout that has developed RNA nanoswitches that tissue-specific RNA therapeutics. Headed by a College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering professor, sxRNA Technologies last April received a $307,257 NIH STTR grant to study how its RNA-based technology selects positively selects cell lines. This research will position the startup to have a “have a minimum viable product for rapid cell cloning based on positive selection.” The startup has also recently received several other awards, including a $150,000 Innovations in Data Exploration and Analytics (iDEA-TECH) Award from Sanofi; $50,000 from the SUNY Research Foundation’s Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF) to further advance the iDEA-TECH grant; $100,000 from New York State’s Center for Advanced Technology in Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (CAT N2) for continued Alzheimer’s disease research; and $25,000 from the SUNY Research Foundation S4 pitch competition.
Training Bridge is a Hudson startup that makes medical simulation models for the medical and emergency care training industry. In January 2026, Training Bridge is scheduled to roll out several new products, including full-body manikins as part of the modular solution portfolio. In September 2025, Quinnipiac University researchers completed a study on a critical training failure point of hemorrhage control, using Training’s Bridge’s Wound Cell, modular trainer with biofeedback. The study quantified significant failure points with existing training and highlights ways to correct them. In December 2025, Training Bridge will present whitepapers related to the study and demonstrate the Wound Cell simulation system at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITESC) in Orlando. Earlier in 2025, with support from CEG, Training Bridge received technical assistance to substitute petroleum-based silicone with thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) used in making the modules with plant-based alternatives as part of planned future deployment; with a potential of saving two-thirds on material costs.
ZEPHYRx is a Troy-based provider of decentralized respiratory solutions for clinical research. Last May, the startup announced a strategic partnership with the wearable technology provider ActiGraph in Pensacola, Florida to expand remote monitoring of respiratory trials.
NEW STARTUP SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
In 2025, several new programs have launched to support startups in the biotechnology, semiconductor, and clean technology industries. These initiatives include the Center for Economic Growth’s Venture Readiness Program and Semiconductor Growth Access Program (SGAP). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), in partnership with Rensselaer County, launched a startup accelerator called the The Bridge in downtown Troy. RPI also received a $10 million alumnus gift to endow the Ajit Prabhu Catalyst Endowment and the Ajit Prabhu Catalyst Fund, a re-venture fund for RPI students and faculty.
CEG INITIATIVES
The Center for Economic Growth is working to spur and support startup activity, especially in the semiconductors, biotechnology, clean energy, and software development industries. In 2025, with critical financial support from Empire State Development and National Grid, CEG launched the Venture Readiness Program. The program matches entrepreneurs with mentors to provide expert guidance on business model development, financial planning, market validation, and investor pitch preparation. The Venture Readiness Program provides Capital Region startups with access to seed funding from Launch NY.
CEG also offers Business & Tech Acceleration through its Manufacturing Solutions unit, the Capital Region’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center. CEG is also launching a Semiconductor Growth Access (SGAP) Program that aims to broaden the Capital Region’s semiconductor supply chain by providing targeted businesses with funding for legal, financial, business planning and accounting technical assistance.
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