Genetics Startup BioSkyrb Expands Durham HQ, Plans to Double its Workforce
The Durham-based genetics startup BioSkryb has relocated into bigger digs.
The 19,500-square-foot headquarters and innovation space is at 2810 Meridian Parkway in Durham. It includes “all new equipment and facilities” to support BioSkryb’s new product development, in-house testing services, product manufacturing and packaging, and quality control, the company said.
It comes as the startup said it plans to double its workforce -- from the current 25 to a total of 50 “highly skilled” professionals – by the end of this year.
“This new facility not only provides us an opportunity to grow our team, but also deliver higher innovation to our customers, as we give them an unparalleled view of the specific genetic changes at the cellular level that are driving disease,” said Jay West, Ph.D., CEO and cofounder of BioSkryb Genomics.
Added Rob Kaizerman, the company’s chief operating officer: “By bringing the BioSkryb team together under one roof, we can better deliver on our commitment to developing and delivering high-resolution research tools and clinical diagnostics for cancer genomics, preimplantation genetic testing, and other applications.”
Founded in 2018, BioSkryb’s Primary Template-directed Amplification (PTA) technology is a novel whole-genome amplification approach that amplifies the genomes of single cells “in a more accurate, uniform, and reproducible manner.”
Charles Gawad, an M.D., invented the technology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where he is an assistant member in the departments of oncology and computational biology. He is a cofounder BioSkryb and serves as co-director.
In 2020, BioSkryb raised $11.5 million in an initial round of venture funding to commercialize its proprietary technology.