By Sarah Christens
For WisBusiness.com
In a matter of 13 years, Lucigen has grown into an internationally-recognized brand of laboratory products. Based in Middleton, Lucigen specializes in solving laboratory bench problems for the genomic research industry.
Lucigen was selected for this year’s Wisconsin Angel Network presentation track at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium. Although a mature company in many ways, the company is presenting a new diagnostic research direction — a test for the rapid detection of influenza — that may attract investor attention.
Lucigen’s main goal for its products is to help scientists work more efficiently with more reliable results. The products they provide offer convenience for scientists to streamline and accelerate their research findings. Cell cloning is a routine and necessary task in genomic research labs.
Lucigen’s expressioneering technology is a system that helps scientists seamlessly clone DNA without the use of enzymes or purification steps. Lucigen also engineers chemically competent cells for cloning purposes, called E. cloni. These cells are used in life science research worldwide and provide scientists with a cloning solution for even difficult cell cloning tasks. They also provide laboratory services that provide custom E. Cloni Competent Cells in a variety of strains.
Lucigen’s research and development began in 1998, and the company began selling products in 2003. Currently, the company offers a variety of more than 200 products and services that aid scientific research in DNA cloning, sequencing, amplification and protein expression. With 34 employees, including 10 PhD’s, Lucigen is distributing products and services in 36 countries.
One of Lucigen’s largest scientific achievements came from the isolation of a heat-resistant virus in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. Lucigen’s Madison-area research laboratory was able to identify significant differences in gene content and structure. This viral strain identification means a lot for the health sciences research community in viral and enzymatic research. Lucigen has patent-protected this discovery and was able to conclude that viral genomes represent a large, untapped resource for scientific enzyme discovery.
Lucigen was recently awarded two Small Business Innovation Research grants totaling $350,000 from the National Institutes of Health. With these grants, company leaders believe scientists will be able to accelerate research and improve knowledge of how genes affect health.
“These grants will enable Lucigen to leverage its core strengths in cloning and genomic research in order to empower genetic researchers worldwide. Scientists will be able to increase their rate of discovery and advance their knowledge of how genes affect health,” said David Mead, Lucigen’s founder and CEO.
— Christens is a student in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication.
