From Professor To Regenerative Medicine Company CEO

By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL

How many life sciences companies can you name that were founded by three women?

I can name one — Humacyte, a regenerative medicines company.

We mentioned this company in our June 2011 issue. However, that article, “Leaders In Transition,” was more about the then CEO, Carrie Cox, and her move from Big Pharma to a regenerative medicine startup. Nary a mention of the three women cofounders. Not even a blurb about the professor for whom Humacyte represents the realization of a life’s work. Laura Niklason, M.D., Ph.D., probably preferred it that way. Because though she cofounded the company in 2004 and played an active role throughout its growth, until November 2020, she had never held a C-level title within it. Until that point, when she was named CEO, Niklason had remained working as an anesthesia and biomedical engineering professor at Yale University. This is her entrepreneurial odyssey — from professor to CEO of a publicly traded company soon to be valued at nearly $1 billion.