Irvine’s environment for innovation is demonstrating its capacity to support the growth of new companies from scientific research. Biologist Maksim Plikus, now a professor of developmental and cell biology at UC Irvine, co-founded Amplifica, a biopharmaceutical company focused on hair-loss treatments.
Plikus, who joined UC Irvine in 2012, identified the molecule osteopontin, which certain pigment-making cells use to activate hair follicles. Recognizing the commercial potential for the approximately 80 million Americans experiencing hereditary hair loss, Plikus sought resources beyond his research and teaching expertise. He has stated, “There is nothing that I wanted to do that I haven’t been able to find resources for in Irvine’s biotech environment.”
UC Irvine’s Beall Applied Innovation provides a central hub connecting campus research with local businesses and investors, according to Beall spokesman Ryan Mahar. This includes initiatives like the Proof of Product grant, which awarded Plikus $100,000 in 2018. Beall also supports The Cove, a 100,000-square-foot startup center in UCI Research Park offering offices, workstations, conference rooms, and a wet lab operated by University Lab Partners.
Amplifica, co-founded the same year Plikus received his grant, later raised nearly $12 million for clinical development. In September 2024, the company announced positive early human trial results for AMP-303, an injectable treatment, suggesting it is safe and tolerable with potential for addressing hair loss after one application. The company plans further human trials and engagement with the Food and Drug Administration.
Beyond Amplifica, Irvine’s ecosystem has fostered other notable successes. Stryker acquired Irvine’s Inari Medical, a developer of devices for deep-vein thrombosis, for $4.9 billion last year, following its emergence from a local medical-device incubator. FirstElement Fuel, a hydrogen-fueling infrastructure company founded by UCI alumni Shane Stephens and Tim Brown, has secured over $105 million in private funds and operates California’s True Zero network, providing about 90% of retail hydrogen fuel in the U.S. Michelle Khine, a UCI biomedical engineering professor, has launched six biomedical startups from her lab, including Makani Science, which produces a wireless, wearable device for monitoring patient breathing. Professor Juhasz, whose research on femtosecond laser applications contributed to LASIK and a laser treatment for glaucoma, also launched Irvine-based ViaLase with support from Beall Applied Innovation.
This network of support for translational research helps early-stage companies navigate the complexities of moving discoveries from research to market. Max Plikus likens these early companies to “tiny babies” that require the right environment to grow robust. Irvine’s institutions and local expertise aim to provide that environment.
