Biocom California Announces Sixth Annual Life Science Catalyst Award Winners

Ten life science trailblazers under the age of 40 recognized across California

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & LOS ANGELES & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Biocom California, the association representing the California life science industry, today announced the winners of its sixth annual Life Science Catalyst Awards. The awards celebrate the accomplished and up-and-coming academics, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders and business advisers who are making their mark on the California life science industry before reaching their 40^th birthday.

“The Catalyst Awards recognize the most driven young minds in California who are igniting innovation and promoting continued growth not only within our statewide industry, but also around the globe,” said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom California. “Ranging across a number of diverse sectors and regions, this year’s list of exemplary leaders illustrates the unmatched strength of California’s life sciences. This is a critical, exciting time for our industry, and the 2021 Catalyst Award winners reflect the groundbreaking work being undertaken across the biopharma landscape.”

Biocom California selected the 10 winners from an impressive pool of nominees from all facets of the life science industry, including pharma, diagnostics, venture funding, industrial biotech and digital health. The nominees were vetted by a statewide committee that considered factors including innovation, leadership and vision.

In alphabetical order, the 2021 Life Science Catalyst Award winners are:

• Elinne Becket, Ph.D., assistant professor in biological sciences at California State University San Marcos
• Chris Bostick, Ph.D., partner at OCV Partners
• Joshua Britton, Ph.D., CEO of Debut Biotechnology
• Kathryne Cooper, investment advisor at The West Coast Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics
• Fabian Gerlinghaus, co-founder and CEO of Cellares
• JJ Kang, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Appia Bio and venture partner at The Column Group
• Hallie Kuhn, Ph.D., vice president of science & technology at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and Alexandria Venture Investments
• Benjamin Oakes, Ph.D., co-founder, president and CEO of Scribe Therapeutics
• Joshua Yang, co-founder and CEO of Glyphic Biotechnologies
• Alice Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Verge Genomics

The award winners will be featured on the cover of Biocom California’s online magazine LifeLines and celebrated at Biocom California’s annual Celebration of Life Gala in San Diego on November 18, 2021.

About Biocom California

Biocom California is the leader and advocate for California’s life science sector. We work on behalf of more than 1,500 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.

Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom California provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy. Our goal is simple: to help our members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to our San Diego headquarters, Biocom California operates core offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, and has a continuous staff presence in Sacramento. Our broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, clinical research organizations, investors and service providers.

For more information on Biocom California, please visit our website at www.biocom.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (@BIOCOMCA).

Carolyn Hawley
Canale Communications
(619) 849-5382
Carolyn.hawley@canalecomm.com