Lab space inside of the Prince William Science Accelerator at Innovation Park. (Image provided by Prince William County Department of Economic Development.)Adding to its growing portfolio of life sciences companies, the Prince William Science Accelerator is set to welcome yet another resident: Celetrix LLC, a biotechnology company.
The company will be the fifth tenant located within the brand new wet lab facility within Innovation Park in Manassas, a corporate park anchored by George Mason by George Mason University Science and Technology Campus.
“We view our decision to locate in the Prince William Science Accelerator as critical to our continued success,” said Celetrix Chief Executive Officer, Jian Chen. “Our new location allows us the opportunity to foster and leverage relationships with other tenants within the Science Accelerator.”
Chen said the location places the company within within close proximity to strategic assets in Innovation Park, “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.”
He lists the National Institutes of Health Biomedical Research Laboratory, the Virginia Department of Forensic Sciences Northern Laboratory and George Mason University’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine among Innovation Park’s strategic assets.
Executive Director of Prince William County Department of Economic Development Jeff Kaczmarek said that he and his team are thrilled to welcome Celetrix to Prince William County’s diverse and growing life sciences community.
Kaczmarek explained that when the county launched its science accelerator in 2014 he anticipated its success; however, since then, it has exceeded many of his and others’ expectations.
“The fact that we are approaching full occupancy within such a short space of time, has been a welcome boon,” Kaczmarek said.
He believes the diverse mix of life science companies allows for information sharing and mentorship that can result in a real difference in the success of companies, especially those in the early stages of their development.
“This is what we envisioned when we embarked on this initiative, and I am happy to see it come to fruition,” Kaczmarek said.
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.
Celetrix’s device is decidedly unique. Whereas traditional electroporators can be highly toxic to cells, the Celetrix electroporator achieves high-efficiency, low-toxicity electroporation.
The company has already achieved success in marketing its electroporator 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.
Celetrix LLC is a relatively new company, founded in 2012 in Virginia. Besides its electroporation products, Celetrix provides development services to biotech companies and research institutions.
The Prince William Science Accelerator at Innovation Park features approximately 9,000 square feet of wet lab space subdivided into nine labs with shared amenities.
EVENT: The Prince William County Department of Economic Development, Virginia Science and Technology invites entrepreneurs to attend a Lunch & Learn with Lab Tours to be held at Mason’s Science and Technology Campus, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on September 22.
The information for this article was provided by the Prince William County Department of Economic Development. To receive e-newsletters from the department, visit them at:www.PWCEconDev.org or follow on Twitter @PWCDED.
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