NewsRelease

UNCG Biotech Company Earns $20,000
In Triad Entrepreneurial Competition

GREENSBORO – EcoGenomix Inc. took second place honors in the Triad Entrepreneurial Initiative competition for startup businesses, winning a $20,000 cash prize and a year of free incubator space and mentoring services at the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship in Greensboro.

Winners were announced in July, with EcoGenomix being edged by Solartech, a High Point-based provider of software for the window-covering industry. Launched last December by The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, EcoGenomix is focused on the development and commercialization of systems that can detect biological and chemical agents in water supplies. It also won a $10,000 first place award in an earlier phase of the TEI competition.

“This is an honor for EcoGenomix, considering that we just announced it in December,” said Jerry McGuire, director of technology transfer at UNCG. “EcoGenomix has a sound plan for moving toward the public sphere, and a product that will meet a crucial need.”

The company’s product is the WaterChipTM, and its applications are two-fold. It is able to identify potential bioterrorist agents in water supplies, but also has broader usage as part of a cost-effective and ongoing evaluation of water quality. The technology is based on research done by UNCG biology faculty members Dr. Parke Rublee, Dr. Vincent Henrich and former faculty member Dr. Neal Stewart. It has been supported by a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, and is the first commercialization effort resulting from UNCG’s gene array initiative.

The WaterChipTM is a microarray that detects known and unidentified microbes that can serve as bioindicators of environmental quality. Microarrays can simultaneously analyze thousands of different DNAs rapidly using a fluorescent scanner. The WaterChipTM represents a revolutionary approach to water surveillance in its detection of both anticipated and unanticipated contamination as part of a broadly used, cost-effective, and routine monitoring system. EcoGenomix technology consolidates current water quality tests with an innovative approach to examine the overall water system quality.

Eric Button is guiding initial development of EcoGenomix as chairman and CEO. Button is a biotech entrepreneur who earned both B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from UNCG. Board members include Button, McGuire, Rublee, Henrich and Dr. Jennifer Freeman, who is director of research. The scientific team combines the research expertise of Rublee in water quality assessment, Henrich’s extensive research in the area of molecular genetics and Freeman’s experience in diagnostic research in a start-up environment. McGuire also serves on the board.

TEI was formed in October 2001 as a joint project of Action Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Alliance.

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