Another biotechnology company, Celetrix, has begun working in a wet lab space at the Prince William Science Accelerator.
According to a release, Celetrix is the fifth tenant at the facility. The Prince William Science Accelerator was created to offer space and bring in science-based companies to the county.
“We are thrilled to welcome Celetrix to our diverse and growing life sciences community here in Prince William County. When we launched the Science Accelerator in 2014, it was generally anticipated that it would be a success based on the expressed need for commercially available wet lab space in the County. However, the fact that we are approaching full occupancy within such a short space of time, has been a welcome boon,” stated Executive Director of Prince William County Department of Economic Development Jeff Kaczmarek.
For Celetrix, the decision to move and open a location in Prince William County was due to the potential for partnerships with other tenants, and all of the nearby life sciences and biotechnical organizations, as well as the educated workforce.
“We view our decision to locate in the Prince William Science Accelerator as critical to our continued success. Our new location allows us the opportunity to foster and leverage relationships with other tenants within the Science Accelerator. Moreover, it places us within close proximity to strategic assets in Innovation Park such as the National Institutes of Health Biomedical Research Laboratory, the Virginia Department of Forensic Sciences Northern Laboratory as well as George Mason University’s (Mason’s) Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine; while enjoying the benefits of a cost effective, state-of-the art wet lab space; and access to a talent pipeline that is second to none,” stated Celetrix Chief Executive Officer Jian Chen in a release.
More on Celetrix, from a release:
Celetrix’s flagship product is an electroporator which is used to deliver DNA, RNA and proteins into cells. Electroporators are widely used in the study and application of molecular and cellular biology, immunology, hematology, neuroscience, cancer research and drug discovery. However, Celetrix’s device is decidedly unique. Whereas traditional electroporators can be highly toxic to cells due to the destruction of cell membranes when delivering DNA, RNA and proteins into cells, the Celetrix electroporator solves this problem, thereby achieving high-efficiency, low-toxicity electroporation. The company has already achieved success in marketing its electroporator within the United States and increasing sales foretell a breakthrough year in 2016. Most recently, Celetrix was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant in the amount of $186,180.
