Ariz Precision Medicine Joins DRIVE Program at UC Davis

February 15, 2016

UC Davis Venture Catalyst is pleased to announce that ARIZ Precision Medicine, a START™ participant, became the latest company to take advantage of the Distributed Research Incubation & Venture Engine (DRIVE™) program. The DRIVE™ network provides startups with access to affordable, mixed office/lab business incubation spaces in close proximity to the UC Davis campus (in Davis and Sacramento). ARIZ Precision Medicine is targeting cancer in a unique way, blocking bad DNA that has been validated as a driver of an individual cancer. This is a biological therapy that is intended to be very specific to the cancer cell type and not harm normal cells. Preliminary studies show that this approach kills cancer cells in a different, yet additive way, when compared to chemotherapy. ARIZ Precision Medicine will be housed in the UC Davis-HM.CLAUSE Life Science Innovation Center.

Zane Starkewolfe, PhD., Associate Director of New Venture Resources, Venture Catalyst, Office of Research at UC Davis is the person that is helping ARIZ gain access to resources at the UC Davis. Zane has a background in drug development, including drug delivery systems as well as venture capital experience at Burrill and Associates. Through the Venture Catalyst DRIVE™ (Distributed Research Incubation & Venture Engine) Program, UC Davis is taking a distributed approach to developing a network of lean, thematically oriented business incubators both on-campus and off-campus. DRIVE will consist of a network of start-up incubation facilities (the DRIVE™ Network Innovation Centers) to be facilitated through the Office of Research by Venture Catalyst with management of the actual incubation facilities handled by the physical facility owners. Startups will enter into leases directly with the Innovation Center landlord. In furtherance of the University’s educational, research and public mission, a key objective of the DRIVE Program is to support practical educational opportunities for the UC Davis community through translational science and innovative research by UC Davis Startups and affiliated new ventures.