technology to examine how patients’ genetic profiles affect their likelihood of reacting to particular drugs, said that Children’s Minnesota will use RPRD’s technology in its cancer and blood disorder clinic, as will as in its neurology-psychology practice. According to a news release, the collaboration reflects a commitment by Children’s Minnesota to make pharmacogenomics a more significant part of how it cares for patients.
—The UW-Madison School of Business recently opened what it’s calling the Center for Corporate Innovation (CCI), “a hub for innovation, programming, and thinking … to accelerate innovation for corporations while solving real-world business problems.” Sandra Bradley has been named director of the CCI; she previously served as research director for consumer and retail applications at UW-Madison’s Internet of Things Lab. Madison-based American Family Insurance has agreed to provide financial support for programming at the center, the school said. For more details, see this report from the university’s news service.
—We profiled Lynx Biosciences, a Madison-based startup that’s seeking to commercialize a device that would allow clinicians to test cancer drugs on a patient’s own cells. The company, which was formed in 2013 and currently has three employees, is currently seeking to raise between $800,000 and $1 million in seed funding.
—Madison-based Semba Biosciences, which makes instruments and reagents that researchers use to purify biomolecules and chemicals, introduced a new system for chromatography, or separating out parts of a mixture. Semba said in a news release that it can be extremely costly to produce drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis, “in large part due to the chromatography steps required for their purification.” The company has raised at least $2.4 million from investors since launching in 2005.
