Who we are

CDI Labs Culture

Our bright and vibrant company DNA shapes the identity of our amazing culture. As the first biotech company to be founded on the island, Co-founder and then CEO, Ignacio Pino has recruited the best and brightest team from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. We continue to cultivate an environment where our employees thrive, feel valued, and contribute their best. CDI Labs now operates from labs and offices in Baltimore, Toronto, and Mayagüez.

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About CDI Labs

CDI Labs is the result of intensive efforts and advances made by synthetic biologists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. With labs and offices in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Baltimore, and Toronto, CDI Labs was created by scientists for scientists to address critical needs required to accelerate research, advance discoveries, and translate discoveries into novel products and services that improve human health.

CDI Labs has deep roots in Baltimore. Co-founders Jef Boeke, Heng Zhu, and Seth Blackshaw started the company while they worked as professors at Johns Hopkins University. The company has retained a facility on-campus in the Rangos Life Sciences Building, allowing us close access to our growing Scientific Advisory Board. All HuProt arrays are currently printed by scientists at our Baltimore facility.

Our History

  • 2001
  • Co-founder Heng Zhu publishes his breakthrough paper featuring the first full eukaryotic proteome array with Michael Snyder
  • 2008
  • CDI Labs is founded to commercialize technologies 2008 created by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • 2009
  • Future Director of Proteomic Sciences Shaohui Hu publishes on initial HuProt™ technology with Heng Zhu
  • 2010
  • First SBIR GrantSBIR Phase 1 Grant: Development of an Attenuated Babesia Vaccine for Cattle.
  • 2010
  • First STTR GrantSTTR Phase I grant awarded to produce and commercialize monoclonal antibodies used to study brain-expressed proteins that are implicated in human mental disorders. The antibodies were validated using CDI Labs' proprietary antigen microarrays.
  • 2011
  • Additional funding$800K note from the Puerto Rico Science Trust.
  • 2012
  • Major $13.5M NIH Roadmap grant to develop new reagents validated by HuProt™ microarrays
  • 2012
  • First publication of finalized HuProt™ technology
  • 2013
  • The first VirD™ prototype was developed in 2013 by CDI Labs' Director of Proteomic Sciences Shaohui Hu, working with Prashant Desai, Heng Zhu, and others at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • 2015
  • CDI invited to attend White House Demo Day
  • 2016
  • Results of CDI’s work for the NIH Protein Capture Reagents Program are published in Nature Methods
  • 2016
  • Additional STTR GrantSTTR Phase 1 Grant: Validation of immune-based biomarkers for endometriosis.
  • 2016
  • Additional STTR GrantSTTR Phase 1 Grant: Monospecific monoclonal antibodies against human protein complexes on an interactome- wide scale.
  • 2018
  • Collaborators use HuProt™ to show that patients' pre-treatment autoantibody fingerprints can predict adverse events to cancer immunotherapy
  • 2019
  • Co-founder Heng Zhu publishes additional work on VirD™ membrane-embedded arrays
  • 2019
  • Antygen™ brand launched
  • 2019
  • mMabs™ brand launched
  • 2020
  • VirScan™ & HuScan™ technologies launchedFirst commercial application of phage display immunoprecipitation sequencing technologies.
  • 2020
  • Products for SARS-CoV-2 research developedRelease of SARS-COV-2 HuProt™ and funding from Puerto Rico Science Trust to develop tests for the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • 2023
  • BroadOak Capital Partners Invests in CDI Laboratories to Expand and Scale Antibody Biomarker Discovery Platforms

Biotech Companies in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has been home to a diverse range of biotech companies, leveraging the island's strategic location, skilled workforce, and favorable incentives. The biotech sector in Puerto Rico encompasses various areas, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, research and development, and contract manufacturing. Many global pharmaceutical giants have established a presence on the island, attracted by its unique blend of regulatory advantages and proximity to key markets. CDI Labs, based in Mayagüez (with labs and offices in Baltimore and Toronto), is proud to be among the many notable biotech companies operating in Puerto Rico.