Tulane Ventures invests in Beken Bio, bringing Tulane alum back home to advance early cancer detection technology
 

Tulane Ventures has invested $125,000 in Beken Bio, a biotechnology company developing early-detection blood tests for some of the deadliest forms of cancer that are often diagnosed too late. 

The company is led by founder and CEO, Christopher Millan, PhD, a New Orleans native and 2009 Tulane University School of Science and Engineering graduate who recently expanded his company to the Crescent City from San Diego. 
 
“Chris Millan represents the kind of founder we seek to support: a researcher-turned-entrepreneur building diagnostic solutions and choosing to grow his company in Louisiana,” said Kimberly Gramm, Tulane Ventures managing director and David and Marion Mussafer Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer at the Tulane Innovation Institute. “As a New Orleanian and Tulane alum, it’s especially meaningful to welcome Chris home. Our mission is to support high-growth ventures that strengthen Louisiana’s standing as a rising center for technology and entrepreneurship.” 
 
Beken Bio has developed a patented technology that helps uncover hidden cancer signals by studying how tumor cells behave when they think they’re still inside the body. In the lab, cancer cells often act differently than they do in a real tumor, which can make it hard to study the earliest warning signs of disease. Beken’s breakthrough was to recreate a tumor-like environment that “tricks” cancer cells into behaving more naturally, including how they send out biological messages that help them spread. These messages travel through the bloodstream and can be picked up by a simple blood test, even before the cancer has spread. Beken then uses artificial intelligence to interpret these signals and determine whether they come from a tumor, enabling detection of ovarian, pancreatic, lung and colorectal cancers at much earlier stages than current methods allow. 
 
Millan began this line of research while earning his PhD at ETH Zürich in Switzerland. His early work focused on cartilage repair, but while developing three-dimensional growth systems for knee repair, he saw a broader application: pairing advanced growth models with artificial intelligence to analyze how cancer cells communicate and release biomarkers into the blood. He shifted his focus to earlier cancer detection, noting that ovarian cancer has a cure rate of about 90% when caught early, but falls dramatically when diagnosed at later stages. “ When cancer is found early, treatment works better. It’s that simple,” he said. 
 
Early progress was supported by grant funding overseas and a platinum award from MassChallenge. After completing his post doctorate work, Millan moved to San Diego, founded the company, and began building out its scientific platform. As he advanced the science, he connected with New Orleans area physicians to move toward clinical validation.  
 
Those introductions also led him to the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, which helped prepare Beken Bio’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 application and eventual award from the National Science Foundation in 2024. 
 
Momentum continued to build. Following a local radio interview on WWL, an individual listener reached out and ultimately became Beken Bio’s lead angel investor. 
 
Beken Bio has raised a total of $750,000, which also includes recent seed funding from Boot64, the New Orleans BioFund and 1834 Ventures, a $20 million fund to invest in startups founded by Tulane alumni, faculty and extended community members.   

“Investing in Beken Bio reflects our belief that Tulane alumni are building world-class companies with the power to change lives. We’re especially proud to co-invest with the Tulane Venture Fund in supporting a team that is bringing its work back to New Orleans and fueling the momentum of Tulane’s growing innovation community,” said 1834 Ventures co-founder Evan Nicoll. 
 
The funding will help the company launch clinical studies, hire key personnel and buy specialized research equipment. 
 
“The growth of the BioDistrict, the support from institutions like Tulane, and the strength of the local investor community didn’t just make it possible to return home, they made it the best decision I could have made for the company,” Millan said. 

The company is also working with Informuta, another Tulane biotechnology spinout based in New Orleans, to share lab resources and manage startup costs as both teams expand. 
 
Beken Bio’s arrival adds to New Orleans’ growing profile as an entrepreneurial center. The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center recently ranked the metro area No. 14 in the nation for entrepreneurial growth, citing strong university networks, expanding talent, and increasing access to capital in its recent report on regional entrepreneurship. 
 
With this new funding, the company is preparing for regulatory reviews as it works toward offering a clinically available test. Following initial study results, Beken Bio plans to raise a Series A round to support additional development and partnerships. 
 
“New Orleans is the city that raised me,” Millan said. “There's no better place to build something that can save lives.”