Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
For as long as doctors have investigated how our bodies function and how sickness affects them, discoveries in medicine have been made by studying animals. Breakthroughs in everything from how our basic body systems work to research on illnesses have come through specialized scientific studies. Today a Utah company is playing a critical role in this field, Salt Lake City-based Knudra (new-drah) Transgenics (trans-jenn-icks).
Company founder Chris Hopkins says Knudra Transgenics is known worldwide as a supplier of services and materials to researchers around the world. They've discovered a way to genetically engineer model organisms for research clients. This includes everything from mice to fish, flies and worms.
The reason Knudra Transgenics' work is so significant is because for the researcher, having an engineered system creates a way to more effectively study disease and medical problems in a controlled environment. That means they can better distinguish what findings are important when working to treat or cure disease because there's less variables. The model organism becomes an important research tool. Right now one of their clients is building a study on ALS neurodegenerative disease with worms Knudra provided, leading to brand new research on how to address the condition in humans.
Bio-medical researchers around the world are excited about the technology Knudra Transgenics is providing and the study possibilities it presents. The company has become a service platform for researchers worldwide. They not only have clients spanning the U.S. but also in China, India, Israel and Europe. The technology was developed during Chris' time pursuing his doctorate in biochemistry at the U of U, so this company is considered as a spinout from the university. It also proves yet again why Utah has one of the highest rates of tech startups in the U.S. and why technology remains a critical part of the state GDP.
Knudra Transgenics has already grown to include four employees and recently graduated from the BioInnovations Gateway, designed to help tech startups have access to important materials and labor. They're also pursing grants to support other researchers developing innovative new products.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Knudra Transgenics 2500 S. State St. Salt Lake City, UT 84115 801-631-9114; www.knudra.com
