From Benchtop to Bedside
Holoclara
By Consuelo Valverde
October 2025
The moment Holoclara’s first-in-human data came back, the room shifted. Years of exploration—following a hunch about parasitic worms and the immune system—suddenly crystallized into proof: their first-in-class, worm-derived therapy was safe in people.
“For us, it was a dream fulfilled,” recalls Andrea Choe, Ph.D., founder and CEO. “The team was so encouraged. It gave us wind in our sails to keep going, because this isn’t just an experiment anymore—it’s real. We’re on the path to getting medicine into patients’ hands.”
That validation was more than a scientific milestone. It was an affirmation that nature’s oldest symbionts—gut worms, which coexisted with humans for millennia—might still hold answers to today’s most stubborn diseases. “When we lost them, we gained modern autoimmune disorders,” Andrea explains. “Our approach is simple: put back the safe molecules worms evolved to protect their hosts. Don’t reinvent the wheel—restore what worked for millions of years.”
A Culture of Endurance
Holoclara is a focused, high-performance team that punches well above its weight. With just ten people, the company operates with the stamina and versatility of teams many times larger. “Our culture is endurance,” Andrea explains. “It’s about adaptability and doing whatever it takes. Even our VP of Business Operations, Oliver Loson, recently spent a week in the lab running gels. Everyone contributes where they’re needed most.”
That flexibility helped the company clear its first clinical hurdle, and it shapes how Holoclara thinks about the long game. “Endurance means you keep moving, no matter the headwinds,” Andrea reflects. “That’s how you get from benchtop to bedside.”
Navigating with Experience
An inflection point came with the arrival of Brian Varnum, Ph.D., as Head of R&D. With 30+ years in biotech—including leadership at Armata, C3 Jian, Tarrot, and Amgen—Brian brings a proven track record of advancing novel therapeutics. “He was the perfect partner as we entered our first clinical trial,” says Andrea. “His leadership helped us prove safety and set the stage for what’s next.”
"The team was so encouraged. It gave us wind in our sails to keep going, because this isn’t just an experiment anymore—it’s real." — Andrea Choe, Ph.D.
Mining Nature’s Molecules
The company’s scientific compass points toward harnessing biology’s quiet geniuses. Worms, Andrea notes, secrete molecules to keep their hosts healthy—if the host dies, so do they. Holoclara’s platform isolates and crystallizes those protective signals into precise medicines. “We’re not putting worms back in people,” Andrea says with a smile. “We’re mining them for the molecules that matter—so you can take exactly what you need, at the right dose.”
With kilograms of worm-derived molecules now manufactured and cleared for human safety, Holoclara is preparing to bring its lead therapy to patients. At the same time, the team is expanding its pipeline to explore molecules from other species that influence inflammation, metabolism, obesity, wound healing, and even longevity.
The Human Horizon
“For me, progress is measured not just in data points but in people. I’ve spent years in hospitals, seeing patients suffer and families carry that burden. That’s what drives me,” she says. When asked what she hopes for the future, her answer is disarmingly simple: “I want patients to see the difference when the treatment starts working—when the pain eases, energy returns, or daily life becomes possible again. That’s the moment I hope they’ll want to celebrate, and invite us to celebrate with them. Their win is our win.”
From a worm lab fascination to proof-in-human, Holoclara has reached a turning point. The science is validated, the team is battle-tested, and the horizon is clear: endurance will carry them the rest of the way, from benchtop to bedside.