The Thiel Foundation announced today the first Breakout Labs awards of 2013 to two early-stage companies working to bridge the gap dividing human beings and technology in unique ways: SkyPhrase, Inc. and Stealth Biosciences.

Stealth Biosciences mission is to develop nanoscale devices that can measure and exert control over biological processes at the level of single cells. Stanford University professors Nick Melosh and Craig Garner developed two nanomaterial technologies "Nanostraws and Stealth Probes" that provide direct, non-destructive electrical and fluidic access to cells. Stealth's devices represent a highly sensitive toolset for research, therapeutic, and diagnostic applications, including: high-throughput drug discovery, regenerative medicine, oncology, and neuroscience.