In North Dakota, startup Agathos Biologics is hiring new staff in 2018 to grow its business of using genetic engineering to provide biological materials and cells to researchers and customers. Agathos works with cells from living tissues and converts them into “biological factories” that are used by researchers and other customers to use for vaccines or disease treatments.
James Brown, Agathos’ co-founder and president told Inforum, “To some extent the science dictates a little bit about how we’re going to grow the company. There’s a chance we could be selling something in 2018, with production following over the next year or two.” Their plan is to work with Aldevron which has been around for 20 years making DNA and other components for researchers and vaccine makers in order to grow gene therapy.