Plano-raised Ritish Patnaik is returning to DFW with Curve Biosciences, the Whole-Body Intelligence company.
After more than a decade on the West Coast, Ritish Patnaik is bringing his work — and his company — back to North Texas.
Patnaik, a Plano native, Plano ISD grad and Stanford-trained scientist, has established the headquarters of Curve Biosciences at Pegasus Park, signaling a major vote of confidence in the region’s rapidly growing life sciences ecosystem. The move comes as Curve recently announced a $40 million funding round to support the rollout of its Whole-Body Intelligence platform, which uses tissue-based data and blood testing to improve chronic disease monitoring.
When Patnaik left Texas in 2012 to pursue his Ph.D. at Stanford University, North Texas lacked the infrastructure needed to launch and scale a biotech company, a press release stated. More than a decade later, he says the landscape has shifted.
While the company still operates in California, we chatted with Patnaik to discuss moving the headquarters to North Texas.
Growing up in Plano schools, is there anything (a teacher, class, club, project, etc) that inspired your interest in biotech innovation?
Cathy Bambenek, my 10th-grade chemistry teacher and science fair coach, was a huge influence for me to pursue science and further hone in on biotech. We’re still in touch.
What inspired you to create Curve Biosciences?
I’ve seen friends and family take ineffective medicines for years and develop further stages of their diseases because their physician didn’t have accurate disease monitoring tools. Blood testing is highly compliant for this type of monitoring, and I wanted to develop the next generation of blood tests for my loved ones.
How would you explain the technology to readers who may be unfamiliar with the industry?
We create blood tests that measure the health of your organs so that your doctor can add treatments to prolong your life. We create these tests by discovering particles in the blood that are unique to your disease or organ and not seen anywhere else in the body.
What does it mean to you to bring the headquarters to North Texas?
Everything. North Texas is home. It’s where I grew up, first became interested in science, and where I see myself building the future of blood testing.
Is there anything I haven’t asked about that readers should know about you/Curve Biosciences?
Our team is fantastic, and they’re looking forward to building Curve across Texas, California, and the rest of the United States.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.