Biotech Companies to Watch: New Frontiers of Science
In this free webinar, hear from three biotechnology leaders whose companies were featured in our Montana Biotech Companies to Watch 2020 list and learn about their innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth.
Elizabeth "Tess" Corbin is the CEO of PurCell Bio, a Bozeman lab developing animal product-free supplements that can replace blood products in cell culture. Fetal bovine serum, which is extracted from cow fetuses, is the main additive used in the majority of cell cultures. PurCell Bio’s methodologies eliminate fetal bovine serum from their cell culture by replacing it with precise mixes of fats and other nutrients tailored to different cell types.
Karl Sebby is President and Co-Founder of Truwl. The Whitefish-based bioinformatics company develops software for sharing data analysis in genomic research. Researchers from a variety of fields – agriculture, medicine, synthetic biology, and conservation – can share bioinformatics content and get community feedback on the Truwl platform.
Andreas Scherer is President and CEO of Golden Helix, a bioinformatics company specializing in genomic data analysis. The company's software offers integrated and automated data reporting used to diagnose and research diseases by matching them to a patient’s genetic makeup. Golden Helix was listed on Inc. 5000’s List of Fastest-Growing Companies for the second consecutive year this August.
Resources
View the Montana BioScience Cluster Initiative’s 4th F Fund Application
Link to an article about the SBIR success rate by state, showing Montana had one of the highest success rates in the country with 48.3% of applications funded
Montana Biotech Companies to Watch 2020
By Christina Henderson, Samuel Boudreau, and Martina Pansze
Amid the economic turbulence of 2020, Montana’s biotechnology industry has risen to the unique challenges presented by COVID-19.
Many companies have adjusted their labs and office routines to safely continue their work on cancer research, pain management solutions, or development of cell culture media. Others have capitalized on the opportunity to create technological solutions to the pandemic’s obstacles, such as Missoula’s Ahana, which brings telehealth options to rural Montana communities.
Many Montanan ventures are working with the virus directly at the forefront of research and testing improvement efforts. Missoula’s Rocky Mountain Biologicals created Viral Transport Medium for coronavirus testing kits. Bozeman’s Golden Helix developed bioinformatics software to automate the diagnostic process. Missoula-based PatientOne is working with the county health department to implement software that automatically updates patient symptoms and temperature information to the government database. Also in Missoula, FYR Diagnostics has developed a COVID sample processing system that cuts standard testing times by half.
Since 2017, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance has released annual Montana Companies to Watch lists. These articles have highlighted the state’s fastest-growing and most innovative tech businesses, including 2019 Montana Startups to Watch and 2019 Montana High-Growth Companies to Watch. 2020 is the first year that the Alliance is publishing a Montana Biotech Companies to Watch list in partnership with the Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative.