Tempus Opening AI-based Precision Medicine Lab in Durham

Tempus, a fast-growing artificial intelligence and precision medicine company, has established a new Durham lab, and plans to hire staff to fully occupy the 52,000-square foot site at 25 Parmer Way.

The company said its state-of-the-art genomic sequencing lab in proximity to the Research Triangle Park is its third such facility, joining the company’s existing CAP-accredited/CLIA-certified labs in Atlanta and its Chicago headquarters. 

In a statement, Tempus said that “RTP’s proximity to three tier-1 research universities has made it a hub for innovation, attracting some of the country’s most forward-thinking companies and making it the ideal location for Tempus’ new lab.”

When it opens in late 2021, Tempus aims to initially hire around 200 team members to staff the high-throughput lab, which will primarily focus on Tempus’ next-generation, genomic sequencing work in oncology. The lab will run the company’s broad-panel solid and liquid assays, among others, which generate high-quality somatic and germline molecular data, along with therapeutic context. Those findings help physicians make personalized, data-driven decisions regarding their patients’ treatment options.

“Over the last few years, we have considerably grown our diagnostic testing business in both our Chicago and Atlanta labs,” said Kimberly Yeatts, vice president of lab operations. “As we approached our current capacity, we sought a facility in which we can build a state-of-the-art lab to support our diagnostic growth. The Research Triangle has historically been very supportive of health tech businesses like ours, so we are thrilled to be joining this dynamic community.”

Tempus is focused on advancing precision medicine through its proprietary data platform that ingests multi-modal data across major disease types and analyzes those data looking for therapeutically relevant insights.

Tempus organizes phenotypic, morphological, and molecular data in real-time, adding clinical context to physician-ordered laboratory tests. Tempus’ “smart” laboratory tests are available clinically, touching the lives of millions of patients in the U.S. 

The company says it has one of the world’s largest libraries of clinical and molecular data, and an operating system to make those data accessible and useful. The goal is for each patient to benefit from the treatment of others who came before, by providing physicians with tools that learn as the company gathers more data.