The BioInnovation Center provides companies with customized commercialization services, premier facil
04/09/2026
Join StartupNOLA for their April Meetup hosted by Tulane University Innovation Institute for Open MIC Night Pitch Competition.
It will be an evening of networking, happy hour, and innovative ideas as participants take the stage to pitch in the Open Medical Innovation Challenge (Open Mic) Night Pitch Competition.
🗓️ April 15 | 5:00 – 8:00pm
đź“Ť Tulane Richardson Memorial Hall
Are you a founder or work for a startup? Do you want to sharpen your IP knowledge and skills?
Join us for IP Basics for Startups in 2026, a webinar prepared by Foley Hoag LLP, on Wednesday April 29th at Noon central time.
This webinar will provide you and your team with a foundational overview of intellectual property. Foley Hoag patent attorneys Allison Gilder and Lee Chedister will discuss trade secret protection and when patents may be preferable, then devote significant attention to patent law, covering patentability requirements, application types, and the filing timeline from provisional application through grant.
The presentation will conclude with best practices for startups, including securing invention ownership through employment agreements, maintaining confidentiality via NDAs, conducting freedom-to-operate searches, and effectively communicating IP assets to investors.
🎉 Congratulations to NOBIC Fellows Thomas and Pari for successfully defending their PhD dissertations. The NOBIC team had the pleasure of joining for their dissertations and learning about their research. Bright futures for these two doctors!
03/30/2026
Big Louisiana biotech news: Beken Bio announced their lab expansion at the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, advancing ovarian cancer detection efforts.
The new laboratory will support critical regulatory and operational milestones, including the development of a CLIA-certified facility required for clinical testing and commercialization. This expansion strengthens Beken Bio’s presence in the region while positioning the company to accelerate validation and regulatory processes for its diagnostic platform.
NOBIC and Downtown Development District of New Orleans of New Orleans hosted a celebration for the Beken Bio team on Friday with the official ribbon cutting for the new lab space! Congratulations to Chris Millan and his team!
📣 Funding Announcement | New Orleans BioFund and the region’s leading angel investor network, Gulf South Angels (GSA), announce a joint investment into medical technology company JuneBrain Inc.
🧠JuneBrain is developing portable, AI-driven Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) headsets designed to transform remote monitoring of eye and neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Founded by Dr. Samantha Scott, the company is working to make advanced retinal imaging accessible beyond traditional clinical settings, enabling earlier detection, more consistent monitoring and improved patient outcomes.
JuneBrain was the most recent first-place winner of New Orleans BioInnovation Center’s (NOBIC) annual BioChallenge, a global pitch competition for early-stage life science startups. The 2025 competition focused on neuroscience, with winners sharing a total prize pool of $100,000.
"JuneBrain represents exactly the kind of company BioChallenge was built to champion, a team using cutting-edge AI to solve a real clinical gap in how we detect and monitor neurological disease. We believe this technology can change patient outcomes at scale. We will improve patient outcomes and build a strong life sciences economy in Louisiana one bold investment at a time," said Kris Khalil, Managing Director of the New Orleans BioFund.
Another great week hosting Tulane University School of Medicine students for our elective focused on innovation and venture capital. Thank you to the founders and scientists who joined us this week to share their experience building startups here in New Orleans- Sunyoung Kim PhD, Chandler Monk, PhD, Amber Bonner, Corey Rountree PhD, and Tyler C. Rodriguez, PhD! Huge shout to Johnathon and Cameron for leading classes this week!
03/19/2026
We’re so proud to share that NOBIC Executive Director Khalil has been named to the New Orleans CityBusiness 2026 Most Admired C-Suite Awards list. What an incredible honor to be recognized alongside such a talented group of leaders. We’re grateful for their collective leadership. A heartfelt congratulations to all of this year’s honorees, well deserved!
03/18/2026
The BioChallenge has built a track record for helping startups move faster.
“We secured a major funding commitment, and a major pharmaceutical company with an Alzheimer’s portfolio contacted us after hearing about our win. It’s opened
doors on both the fundraising and partnership fronts,”said 2025 winner Samantha Scott, PhD of JuneBrain Inc.
Applications are now open for the New Orleans BioInnovation Center (NOBIC) BioChallenge global pitch competition. We invite and founders from anywhere to compete for $100,000 in non-dilutive funding, lab space, and grant writing support.
Neurological conditions are the leading cause of disability worldwide. Louisiana faces a disproportionate burden, with some of the nation’s highest rates of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
BioChallenge’s mission is to accelerate the development of novel technologies and therapies that address these challenges and advance equity and innovation in brain health.
It's New Orleans Entrepreneur Week and Kris Khalil and the NOBIC team have the pleasure of teaching an elective this week for the Tulane University School of Medicine focused on innovation + venture capital. This week's classes included field trips to Tulane University - A.B. Freeman School of Business model competition where Kris served as a judge, and Tulane University Innovation Institute's Innovation day. The students are networking, learning about startups and seeing firsthand the collaborative ecosystem here in New Orleans. Pictured below-future doctors with focuses ranging from surgery specialties, internal medicine, orthopedics and more!
03/09/2026
📅 Meet and greet tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10th at NOBIC! Our newest Tulane lab tenant, Dr. Zhao, is hosting lunch in the lobby. Stop by, meet his team and learn about their neurovascular research. Details below ⬇️
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Contact The Practice
Send a message to New Orleans BioInnovation Center:
The New Orleans BioInnovation Center is a private, not-for-profit business incubator, supporting entrepreneurship and dedicated to the development of bioscience innovation throughout Louisiana. The Center works directly with entrepreneurs and researchers to commercialize new technologies spinning out of Louisiana universities and healthcare institutions, as well as those developed by independent innovators, to start and scale new globally competitive life science companies.
Our MISSION is to empower Louisiana innovators to create successful biotech businesses by providing them with access to customized commercialization services, premier facilities, and a comprehensive support network.
Our VISION is for Louisiana to be recognized as a leader of biotech innovation and commercialization. Our network of entrepreneurs, researchers, business and community leaders, and investors will work together to generate well-paying jobs in high-growth industries, attract significant private investment, and foster economic growth across the region.
Our VALUES are:
Empowerment – We provide entrepreneurs with the skills, tools, and knowledge to help them deliver innovative solutions to complex problems.
Community – We connect innovators with a broad network of stakeholders who are dedicated to serving Louisiana through scientific advancement and local economic development.
Inclusion – We promote opportunities for underrepresented groups to build a biotech community that reflects the rich diversity of Louisiana.
