Humane Genomics YC Application

Summer 2021Active

Humane Genomics went through Y Combinator in the Summer 2021 batch as a Healthcare company. Below: what the company does, who founded it, and its application to YC, reconstructed question by question in the real YC form.

YC batch: Summer 2021
Industry: HealthcareTherapeutics
Team size: 5
Status: Active
Launched: 2021

Founders

Peter WeijmarshausenFounder
Chad MolesFounder

What Humane Genomics does

Humane Genomics has developed a platform to engineer cancer killing viruses. We have taken a first principles approach to design and make oncolytic viral therapies. Using a highly lytic RNA virus engineered with "2 factor authentication" (using selective infection and selective replication) they have an on-target to off-target kill ratio > 1000. We are working on our first indication, pediatric liver cancer (hepatoblastoma), with our partners at Texas Children's Hospital, who are world leading experts. We have in vivo (mouse) data showing safety and currently developing efficacy data and are showing 50% reduction in tumor volume.

Humane Genomics's YC application, reconstructed

Y Combinator application

Humane Genomics, Summer 2021 batch. The real form questions, answered from public data.

Founders2
Company7
Progress7
Idea4
Equity3
Curious2
Batch Preference1

Company

Company name

Humane Genomics

Describe what your company does in 50 characters or less.

Platform to make artificial viruses for cancer

What is your company going to make? Please describe your product and what it does or will do.

We have built a platform that designs and produces oncolytic RNA viruses that selectively kill cancer cells. Our virus uses two independent targeting mechanisms - selective infection and selective replication - to keep healthy cells safe while attacking tumors. Right now, we're applying this tech to pediatric liver cancer and working with Texas Children's Hospital to validate safety and efficacy in animal models.

Where do you live now, and where would the company be based after YC?

We live in New York, NY, and plan to base the company there after YC as well.

Explain your decision regarding location.

We are based in New York because that's where our team is and where we've built our lab and partnerships. It makes sense to stay where we have existing infrastructure and clinical collaborators.

21 more answers in the full application

Founders, Progress, Idea, Equity, Curious, Batch Preference are in the full version. Create a free account to open it in YC Insights, next to every other YC batch.

See full application

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the real Humane Genomics YC application?

No. Y Combinator keeps submitted applications private. This is a reconstruction: the real YC form questions, answered from Humane Genomics's public data (launch notes, founder backgrounds, product description). It shows how a company like Humane Genomics would present itself to YC, not the text they submitted.