Breakout Labs is a part of Peter Thiel's vision of radical philanthropy in science and technology funding, modeled on the venture capital industry and aiming to invest in high risk, high reward programs: "The Thiel Foundation announced today the first grants awarded through Breakout Labs, its revolutionary revolving fund to promote innovation in science and technology. ... it provides teams of researchers in very early-stage companies with the means to pursue their most radical goals in science and technology. Breakout Labs has awarded six grants, of up to $350,000 each, to the following recipients: ... 3Scan, to develop 3-D digital reconstruction of brain tissue, using a novel, faster, less expensive microscope technology. Building a map of connections in the brain-the connectome-is a critical step to understanding what makes the human brain unique. ... Arigos Biomedical, to develop methods of cooling organs for long-term storage. When combined with emerging advances in cryopreservation, tissue engineering, and stem cell therapies to eliminate graft rejection, this technology would make banked organs immediately available to anyone needing a transplant. ... Immusoft, to re-program human immune cells to produce therapeutics in the body. This technology could dramatically improve the ability to treat a range of diseases, as well as enhance human health and longevity. ... Longevity Biotech, to develop an entirely new class of therapeutics via artificial protein technology ("Hybridtides"). Hybridtides are targeted biologic-like molecules which are highly-resistant to breakdown by natural digestive enzymes and tunable to very stable molecular structures. These features have demonstrated potent therapeutic activity with the possibility of oral biologic delivery. ... In the past, people dreamed of the future as a radically better, more technologically advanced place: you might live for centuries, delegate work to your robots, and take your vacations on the moon. Now, many people expect their children to inherit a world worse than today's. With Breakout Labs, we want to rekindle dreams of an amazing future. That's why we're supporting researchers who dream big and want to build a tomorrow in which we all want to live."

Link: http://www.breakoutlabs.org/news-events/news-event-item/article/breakout-labs-announces-first-grantees.html