Los Angeles, CA — March 17, 2026 — The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) is proud to announce that Principal Investigator Dr. Aliesha O’Raw, Co-Founder of OnVagus, has been selected for the 2026 American Cancer Society (ACS) BrightEdge Entrepreneurs (BEE) Program cohort. The BrightEdge Entrepreneurs Program is a competitive program for startups in the cancer diagnostic and therapeutic space, providing mentorship and entrepreneur training alongside early-stage investment support, including a $100,000 SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) backed by ACS’ BrightEdge Investment Fund.
Dr. O’Raw’s selection also highlights her work translating research into real-world solutions through new venture creation. Through OnVagus, Dr. O’Raw is helping advance a non-invasive therapy approach for cancer-associated cachexia, a severe and currently incurable wasting condition that affects ~80% of cancer patients and causes over 1/3 of cancer deaths.
“Being selected for the ACS BrightEdge Entrepreneurs Program is an exciting milestone for OnVagus,” said Dr. O’Raw. “I’m looking forward to learning from experienced mentors, strengthening our commercialization strategy, and building the relationships needed to move cancer innovation forward.”
“Dr. O’Raw’s selection reflects the kind of translational, patient-focused innovation we aim to advance at Terasaki,” said Stewart Han, President of the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation. “The ACS BrightEdge Entrepreneurs Program provides valuable mentorship and resources for founders as they move promising ideas toward real-world impact.”
Participation in the ACS BrightEdge Entrepreneurs Program will provide founders with mentorship and training designed to strengthen commercialization readiness and support real-world patient impact. The program concludes in October with a closed pitch day to ACS BrightEdge’s investor network.