Precision genomics | Fitness apps | Gene therapy in Durham
November 10, 2021
ANN ARBOR, MI—Precision genomics startup HeloGenika won the Best of Boot Camp prize at Ann Arbor SPARK’s Entrepreneur Boot Camp. The boot camp helps entrepreneurs assess the feasibility of their business concept and build a successful business model. HeloGenika will use the funds to develop tech for assisting pathologists working in the realm of cancer diagnostics.
KANSAS CITY, MO—The lockdowns that occurred during the pandemic prompted people to adapt fitness routines or develop a new wellness regimen at home. Fitness apps are currently a $6 billion dollar industry and is expected to be $59 billion by 2027. The Fitic app, created by Jake Heyen, a 23-year-old grad of the University of Missouri, provides fitness content so users can perform, save, and track workouts.
DURHAM, NC—Jaguar Gene Therapy, a company that develops breakthroughs in gene therapy for larger patient populations suffering from severe genetic diseases, is building a commercial manufacturing facility in Durham. CEO Joe Nolan said the proximity to the Process Sciences Laboratory in Cary, access to local universities, and a talented workforce helped influence the company’s decision to open the 174,000-square-foot facility in Research Triangle Park.
ST. LOUIS, MO—Roy Vagelos, a renowned physician-scientist and pharmaceutical executive, has given a gift of $15 million to the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) at Washington University in St. Louis. The money will go toward funding programs in the life sciences.
COLUMBUS, OH—Researchers at The Ohio State University have been able to link exposure to the heavy metal cadmium with degradation in Vitamin D in the body. In children, this causes a heightened allergic response. The study’s senior author, Prosper Boyaka, professor and chair of veterinary biosciences at The Ohio State University, says this is even more problematic because cadmium has a half-life in the body of at least 15 years.