Doylestown Competition Gives Winner $250,000 to Treat a Childhood Cancer

DOYLESTOWN, PA—A competition in Doylestown last week resulted in a Philadelphia-based biotech company winning a $250,000 prize to find a treatment for a cancer that affects young children.

The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, which is based in Doylestown, held the competition on July 18 during its 10th Annual Entrepreneur Spotlight. Three startups in the biotechnology sector presented their work as part of the competition.

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Four judges and an audience of nearly 100 professionals from the biotech industry chose the winner during the competition. In a close vote, they chose HULA Therapeutics, which is pursuing therapies to help children and adults suffering from solid tumors.

HULA is using technology developed at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and hopes to be testing a CAR-T cell therapy for neuroblastoma later this year. The company also is working on programs for sarcoma, medulloblastoma and gliomas.

The $250,000 investment will come from Hatch BioFund, a venture capital firm affiliated with the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center.

The two other companies, which were chosen from among more than 40 applicants, didn’t walk away empty-handed. They will receive one-year memberships to the center and other resources to help their research.

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Nearly 100 companies belong to the biotechnology center, which functions as a life sciences incubator and accelerator. In addition to its Doylestown location, the center opened offices in 2022 in Philadelphia’s University City.

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