Every year, more than 109,000 people in the U.S. die from drug overdoses. In well over half of these cases, the overdose is caused by a lacing agent in the drug.
For Skye Lam (Harvard College ’26) and Vienna Sparks, the co-founders of MabLab, these statistics are far from abstract. “In 2022, we had a friend overdose on laced drugs,” says Sparks. “We were motivated to create a more comprehensive solution to prevent all overdoses from laced drugs.”
Since launching last year, MabLab has been developing a single test strip that can quickly detect the five deadliest lacing agents in drugs with unparalleled accuracy. The startup was a $25,000 winner in the 2024 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge, and is currently a student i-lab member and a resident at the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab.
As MabLab prepares for commercialization, Sparks and Lam shared their startup’s journey, ambitions for the coming years, and guidance for early-stage entrepreneurs.
Identifying an unmet need in the drug-testing market leads to a breakthrough innovation
After their friend’s overdose, Sparks and Lam began researching how people typically check for whether a drug is laced. Quickly, they saw a gap in the market: Most products in this space simply “did not test for multiple lacing agents.”
The initial vision was to offer five individual test strips in a single package. But after conducting additional customer research, they found that people valued the convenience of testing for multiple lacing agents simultaneously but wanted a product that was less bulky and easier to carry around. Following these customer interviews, the team developed a five-in-one test strip design.
Quickly, Sparks learned why a test strip for multiple lacing agents had not yet been invented: Cross-reactivity can lead to false positives and overall, less accurate results. MabLab’s breakthrough, according to Sparks, was developing a test strip that could prevent “cross-reactivity, where one or more non-target analytes triggers a positive response.” This technical breakthrough has positioned MabLab to work towards the commercialization of their first product.
Planning for commercialization from day one
Sparks knew that equally important to developing an easy-to-use, high-quality test strip would be building a strong go-to-market strategy, which is exactly Lam’s expertise.
“Right after COVID-19, a lot of these new lacing agents just started popping up. Outside of fentanyl, there’s also a series of other lacing agents such as methamphetamine, benzodiazepine, and xylazine. They’ve become very pervasive, especially in major metropolitan cities...We’re aiming to control them before they get too big.” Whereas current solutions on the market screen for only 44% of lacing agents likely to cause an overdose, MabLab screens for 91%.
Under Lam’s leadership, MabLab has already established institutional partnerships with university health systems, harm reduction organizations, and local government agencies that purchase test strips in bulk and completely subsidize the end cost on behalf of the communities they serve.
Leveraging early-stage accelerator, incubator, and awards programs
While many early-stage startups put all of their efforts into product development, Sparks and Lam have built awareness and excitement about MabLab as they prepare for a groundbreaking product launch.
MabLab has participated in numerous startup accelerator programs including the NSF I-Corps Program; Nucleate Boston Activator; NYCEDC Founder Fellowship; Life Changing Labs; Hult Prize Accelerator; and the Harvard HealthLab Accelerator.
Additionally, MabLab has mastered the art of pitching. The team has won first place at e-Fest 2024, launchU 2024, the 1871 WMNtech Pitch Competition, the Columbia Engineering Fast-Pitch Competition, and the TiE Global University Pitch Competition.
You never know where a connection might lead you. That one mentor who introduces you to an early-stage VC might be interested in investing, or a mentor might introduce you to a manufacturer, leading to a lifelong partnership."
— Vienna Sparks
Collectively, these programs have allowed MabLab to raise more than $200,000 in non-dilutive capital, sign letters of intent with interested institutional buyers, travel across the U.S. to pitch MabLab to different audiences, and build a professional network that can help the company grow and succeed.
When explaining the value of getting the word out about a company in its early stages, Sparks says: “You never know where a connection might lead you. That one mentor who introduces you to an early-stage VC might be interested in investing, or a mentor might introduce you to a manufacturer, leading to a lifelong partnership. Continuing to build and maintain those relationships has been a big asset for us.”
Recognizing the value of a great team
MabLab has achieved many milestones in short order. In less than two years, the company has developed a prototype, worked towards commercialization, established manufacturing partnerships, participated in a range of prestigious accelerators, and won many grant awards and pitch competitions.
When asked about their greatest accomplishment, Sparks did not mention any of these milestones. Instead, she highlighted “building such an incredible team,” saying that “none of this would have been possible without the team we have currently, [and] their passion inspires me every day.”
MabLab currently has seven employees, including four post-docs and PhDs. The company has also built an extensive scientific and business advisory board.
Our five-year goal is to achieve a 25% reduction in overdose deaths in the regions we serve — one test strip at a time."
— Skye Lam
Setting impact-focused business goals
Sparks and Lam anticipate that MabLab’s five-in-one drug test strip will save many lives. “Our five-year goal is to achieve a 25% reduction in overdose deaths in the regions we serve — one test strip at a time,” says Lam.
As MabLab grows, the company's goals are even more ambitious than reducing overdose deaths; they’re planning to improve health and safety across a variety of areas of people’s lives. Sparks says, “We’re looking to expand our technology to a series of different targets, whether that be allergen testing or environmental testing. We are really aiming to build a brand with accessible, pre-exposure tests for all.”
