Audubon Bioscience with Ukrainian founders raised about $350,000 for biotechnology development
Audubon Bioscience, co-founded by Rostislav Semikov and Alla Semikova, Ukrainians, has raised about $350,000 in collaboration with the online platform MicroVentures to promote cutting-edge research into early cancer diagnosis and effective and affordable treatment.
In the field of life sciences, which include biotechnology and biobanking, it's the first organization with Ukrainian founders and a significant part of the team that managed to reach this level to build an innovative group of companies with almost 100 employees and offices in 12 countries, valued at more than 10 million dollars, and successful crowdfunding*.
"Our goal is to make a significant contribution to the fight against cancer, which killed more than 10 million people last year alone. Today, we're pleased to announce that 763 investors from around the world have entrusted us with $348,465," said Rostislav Semikov, co-founder and CEO of Audubon Bioscience.
"This result is another proof for us that the biotechnology industry in general, and the biobank sector in particular, are of great interest to investors and scientists. We value their trust," said co-founder and CFO Marie Kabirak, commenting on the results of the investment campaign.
"The money raised will be used for operating costs and team expansion for the further development of Audubon Bioscience, and will also allow Ukraine to engage in modern developments in biotechnology in a global context," adds Marketing Director Andrii Shekhovtsov.
Our compatriots work successfully in the Audubon Bioscience team, and the affiliated company Ukraine Bioscience cooperates with leading Ukrainian specialists in oncology, pathoanatomy, and diagnostics. Among the Ukrainian partners are the CSD and Sinevo laboratories, which diagnose according to the latest international protocols.
Audubon Biosciences was founded in 2016 in the Audubon area (hence the name) of New Orleans, Louisiana, where Rostislav Semikov received his doctorate from the Center for Neuroscience at Louisiana State University. In 2018, the headquarters were moved to Houston, the base of the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute, which is the largest medical center in the world. MD Anderson Local Cancer Clinic is the world's leading center for cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment.
Audubon Bioscience assists researchers in collecting tumor tissues, fluids, and cells remaining after surgery and diagnostic procedures in more than 100 clinical centers in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. These residual biosamples contribute to the discovery of new methods of diagnosis and treatment that save the lives of future generations of patients.
In the coming years, the team plans to begin its own research to develop diagnostic tests to detect cancer at an early stage through the detection of cancer cells and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) in human body fluids (blood, urine, saliva, etc.).
*Crowdfunding is the collaboration of people who voluntarily pool their money or other resources together, usually online, to fund a new venture or project.
