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Ocean State Labs’ first 5 tenants unveiled

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Katie Castellani

-

09/24/2025

ArC79B19-pvd-labs-696x506 — THE R.I. Life Science Hub has announced the first five companies lined up to occupy space in Ocean State Labs, the state’s first lab space designed to support life science startups./COURTESY OF ANCORA L&G LLC

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Life Science Hub on Wednesday announced the first five companies lined up to occupy space in Ocean State Labs, the state’s first lab space designed to support life science startups. The companies are: MindImmune Therapeutics: A biopharmaceutical company focused on Alzheimer’s disease and neuroinflammation. OncoLux Inc.: A medical technology developing advanced

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PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Life Science Hub on Wednesday announced the first five companies lined up to occupy space in Ocean State Labs, the state’s first lab space designed to support life science startups. The companies are:

MindImmune Therapeutics: A biopharmaceutical company focused on Alzheimer’s disease and neuroinflammation.
OncoLux Inc.: A medical technology developing advanced optical imaging and artificial intelligence technology to improve surgical cancer procedures.
P53 Therapeutics: A company looking into a new kind of small molecule therapeutics designed to overcome p53 tumor suppressor mutations in cancer.
Pax therapeutics: A firm focused on improving gene-delivery technologies to help the healing of tendon and ligament injuries.
XM Therapeutics: A company developing tissue repair and regeneration platforms for chronic disorders.

Ocean State Labs is a 30,000-square-foot lab space and is expected to open in January 2026. The labs will house a mix of private and open lab spaces and co–working areas for up to 30 life science and tech companies. With these five companies, about 20% to 25% of the Ocean State Labs’ space is now occupied, said R.I. Life Science Hub CEO, Dr. Mark Turco. “Our mission is to make Rhode Island a destination for life science innovation. Welcoming these companies as the first tenants at Ocean State Labs marks an important milestone for building and sustaining Rhode Island’s life sciences ecosystem,” Turco said. “By pairing local innovation with Portal’s proven model for nurturing early-stage science, we are creating an environment where founders can build successful companies, bringing novel therapies and technologies to the market with the hopes of improving health and well-being across the globe.” The lab space, managed by Portal Innovations, is located at 150 Richmond St. – a 208,000-square-foot laboratory building developed by Ancora L&G LLC in Providence’s I-195 Redevelopment District. The building will also house a new 80,000-square-foot R.I. State Health Laboratory. “Portal is proud to partner with Rhode Island to create Ocean State Labs and help catalyze the development of a life sciences ecosystem where ideas flourish and companies grow,” John Flavin, CEO and founder of Portal Innovations, said in a statement. “Rhode Island offers a combination of academic strength, buildable space, transformative science, and a right-sized environment where startups can move faster. By combining venture capital, lab infrastructure, and wraparound support under one roof, we are giving founders the resources they need to succeed from day one.” Portal has additional life sciences space planned in the 195 District and across the state, according to a press release. So far, the R.I. Life Science Hub – a quasi-public agency created by the General Assembly in 2023 with an initial $45 million investment – has been celebrated by state officials. Stefan Pryor, who returned as the state’s Secretary of Commerce earlier this year, recently noted part of the reason he returned to Rhode Island was to have a role in the hub. “I wanted to help take it to the next level,” Pryor told Providence Business News on Sept. 18, adding that part of the hub’s enabling statute nominates the Secretary of Commerce as vice chair of the board. If there is no chair of the board, the vice chair is promoted as interim chair. He said that there has been a “multi-institution alliance,” including universities, government officials and health systems, that has formed in support of the hub. “The table has finally been set in the way that truly enables us to get the job done,” Pryor said. “I’m excited also that there are initial investments that are happening that are truly monumental. And there are seeds that have been planted that are now already bearing fruit.” One of these investments is the Ocean State Labs. Gov. Daniel J. McKee views the state as a “prime environment” for the life sciences sector through creating educational pipelines to support high skilled, and higher paying, life science jobs. “From gene therapy and tissue regeneration to cancer therapeutics and surgical enhancements, the companies announced today are just the latest indicators that the Life Science Hub is attracting innovative businesses and top talent to Rhode Island,” McKee said in a statement. Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.