bioMeriéux, Curza, Present to Utah Life Sciences Innovation Caucus
August 22, 2024
Utah legislators on Wednesday, August 21, held a meeting of the Utah Life Sciences Innovation Caucus (ULSIC) at the state capitol. BioUtah President and CEO, Kelvyn Cullimore, introduced representatives from Salt Lake City-based bioMeriéux and Curza who presented before the ULSIC.
Megan Kuehn, senior vice president of site operations for bioMeriéuxi, described the company’s development of novel diagnostics to improve detection of a range of pathogens. bioMérieux established a presence in Salt Lake City in 2014, with its acquisition of BioFire Diagnostics, an innovative Utah company that had pioneered new sample-to-answer, comprehensive molecular diagnostics for infectious disease. Salt Lake City is now home to bioMérieux’s North America Headquarters with 3,500 team members. She also explained how the company is preserving antibiotic efficacy with the right diagnostic tests that guide appropriate and responsible use of antibiotics to ensure they remain lifesaving for future generations.
Curza CEO, Chad Testa, told the ULSIC about the company’s journey from University of Utah research to the launch of Curza – a startup focused on developing a new class of antibiotics to treat a broad spectrum of Gram-negative bacteria that are resistant to existing antibiotics. There hasn’t been a new antibiotic in this space for nearly 50 years. New antibiotics are needed urgently to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In the U.S. alone, according to the CDC, an estimated 23,000 people die each year from drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Both companies are home grown in Utah and both plan to stay rooted in the state.
“With more than 20 legislators in attendance, the ULSIC is clearly making a case for why Utah is one of the fastest growing life sciences hubs in the country and why life sciences is a target sector for the State of Utah,” said Cullimore. “BioUtah appreciates the opportunity to share with the caucus the industry’s vision, challenges, and life-changing technologies for patients.”