OliLux Biosciences

OliLux Biosciences, a public benefit corporation, was established in 2019 by co-founders Dr. Mireille Kamariza, Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, Dr. Widya Mulyasasmita, and Dr. Manu Prakash. The company's genesis stems from research conducted at Stanford University, where Dr. Kamariza, driven by a passion to address infectious diseases in her home country of Burundi, developed the foundational technology during her Ph.D. under the mentorship of Dr. Bertozzi. This work culminated in a significant discovery that was published in *Science Translational Medicine* and subsequently patented.

The core of OliLux Biosciences' business is the development and commercialization of a novel diagnostic tool for tuberculosis (TB). The company targets a critical need in global public health, particularly in resource-limited settings where rapid, accurate, and low-cost diagnostics are essential. Its business model revolves around providing its proprietary technology as a Research Use Only (RUO) reagent to laboratories and developing clinical diagnostic tests. The company's primary product is a solvatochromic trehalose dye, DMN-Tre, which fluoresces when it metabolically interacts with the outer membrane of living mycobacteria, the pathogens that cause TB. A key feature of this technology is its ability to rapidly and visually detect metabolically active TB-causing bacteria, distinguishing them from other microbes or inactive pathogens within an hour using a standard microscope. This represents a significant time reduction compared to traditional methods that can take weeks.

A major milestone for the company was securing a $400,000 pilot award from Open Philanthropy in March 2021. This funding was designated to expand the application of DMN-Tre for monitoring treatment effectiveness and detecting drug-resistant strains of TB. The company has also entered into a strategic partnership with the UCSF Center for Tuberculosis and the Rapid Research in Diagnostics Development (R2D2) for TB Network to advance the clinical evaluation of its technology. This collaboration aims to facilitate the development of DMN-Tre as a next-generation drug susceptibility test. OliLux Biosciences is structured as a private, venture-backed company, with investors including Open Philanthropy, Dorm Room Fund, StartX, and Cardinal Ventures.

Keywords: tuberculosis diagnostics, TB detection, drug-resistant TB, global health, public benefit corporation, DMN-Tre, solvatochromic dye, infectious disease diagnostics, point-of-care testing, medical diagnostics, biotechnology, low-resource settings, drug susceptibility testing, metabolic labeling, mycobacteria detection, Stanford University spin-off, clinical diagnostic development, rapid diagnostics, microbial detection, fluorescent dye technology