Guska—a startup supported by LAB+ at the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo—has been selected as the only startup from Latin America to join MassBio Drive’s TechBio program, one of the leading accelerator programs for emerging biotechnology companies in the Boston-Cambridge ecosystem, widely regarded as the global capital of biotechnology.
The Uruguayan company, founded by researchers Gonzalo Moratorio and Pilar Moreno, is one of five startups selected for the Fall 2026 cohort, alongside three companies from Boston and one from the Netherlands.
The eight-week program is designed for early-stage startups using artificial intelligence and machine learning to transform drug discovery and development.
During the program, Guska will connect with specialized mentors, validate its preclinical and regulatory roadmap, and build relationships with investors, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and clinical centers across the Boston ecosystem. Boston and neighboring Cambridge are home to world-class universities such as Harvard and MIT, globally renowned hospitals, specialized venture capital investors, and leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
For Guska, being selected represents an opportunity to showcase technology developed entirely in Uruguay in one of the biotech industry’s most demanding environments, while gaining access to a network where some of the most promising emerging companies in science and technology converge.
The startup was selected for its proposal to develop RNA oncolytic viruses programmed through synthetic biology to target highly aggressive cancers such as glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. These viruses are designed to selectively replicate in tumor cells, destroy them, and activate an immune response against the tumor. One of the distinguishing aspects of Guska’s application was the artificial intelligence-driven platform the company is developing. Its long-term vision is to build a precision virotherapy engine—a platform capable of designing viruses tailored to specific tumor contexts.
The selection process included an initial evaluation by experts from the MassBio network, followed by a series of interviews with members of the organizing committee.
Throughout the process, the company received positive feedback from leading figures in the Boston-Cambridge ecosystem. One of the interviews was with an expert affiliated with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, who highlighted the value of developing this type of platform from Latin America. Another interview was with a venture capital investor from the Boston ecosystem, who emphasized the potential of Guska’s technology.
Guska’s engagement with MassBio and the Boston-Cambridge ecosystem began through a program organized and co-funded by ANII and Uruguay XXI, through which the company participated in an immersion experience in the global capital of biotechnology. The experience enabled Guska to establish strategic connections, gain first-hand insight into the scale of the ecosystem, and confirm Boston’s potential as a platform for international expansion for a scientific company born in Uruguay.
By joining MassBio Drive, Guska adds another international validation to its expansion strategy and to the development of a technology platform born in Uruguay with global ambitions.
