Illumina Ventures has announced two winners of the first competition designed to recognize potential startups.
UCD’s Nax Bioscience and TCD’s Imragen have today (16 June) been awarded first place in the inaugural Irish Genomics Business Plan Competition, a program established to identify and support the most innovative genomics start-up and research initiatives in the Irish life sciences ecosystem.
Illumina Ventures, which announced the winners, is an independently owned firm focused on genomics and precision health investments and aims to strengthen the genomics innovation landscape in Ireland.
Nax Bioscience i deep-tech is a life science startup focused on improving the efficiency of next-generation sequencing. By developing new nucleic acid extraction technologies, Nax aims to ensure high quality input that delivers reliable, cost-effective sequencing results.
Leading the Nax Bioscience team are Dr Jaythoon Hassan, from the National Virus Reference Laboratory at UCD, Professor Michael Gilchrist from the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Edward Simons, who leads the commercial. The multi-disciplinary project is supported by the Enterprise Ireland Commercialization Fund and is set to roll out in early 2027.
Imragen, a new commercial product from the Campbell lab at TCD’s Smurfit Institute of Genetics, develops a series of mechanisms to restore the integrity of the blood-brain and blood-retina barriers. The technology will seek to treat a range of neurological and eye conditions.
Following a competitive process of reviewing entries from across Ireland, Nax Bioscience and Imragen were selected as two winners in recognition of their innovative genomics-driven technology and strong commercial potential.
For winning, both start-ups will receive a comprehensive support package including access to Illumina’s sequencing utility and technical expertise, strategic training from Illumina Ventures, intellectual property guidance, legal support and access to Ireland’s genomics data science ecosystem.
Commenting on the win, Nick Naclerio, co-founder of Illumina Ventures, said, “Ireland has become an important center of genomics innovation, supported by exceptional scientific talent, a strong entrepreneurial culture, and a collaborative ecosystem.
“We were very impressed by the level of applications received and are excited to support Nax Bioscience and Imragen as they develop technologies that have the potential to make a significant impact on healthcare and life sciences.”
Mark Robinson, vice president and general manager, UK, Ireland, and Northern Europe, Illumina, added, “Through this competition, we wanted to help accelerate the next generation of genomics-enabled companies in Ireland. The winning teams demonstrated scientific innovation coupled with a clear vision for translation and commercialization.”
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