JV BioLabs deploys skin test tech, doubles in size

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | Source: Concentrate

JV BioLabs has doubled the size of its research team as the University of Michigan spin-out continues to add clients interested in its new skin research technology.

The 3-year-old firm got its start when Dr. Kent Johnson and Jim Varani, two U-M professors, decided to commercialize their skin-test technology three years ago. Today the Ann Arbor-based company has a team of four people and plans bring on another 1-2 consultants later this year.

"We continue to bring new tests online," says Dr. Kent Johnson, president of JV BioLabs. "We're also growing our client list in part from word of mouth from companies."

JV BioLabs has developed a series of tests that helps eliminate the need for animal testing. The tests will take skin cultures and attach them to the backs of immune-deficient mice that won't reject the skin grafts. The skin cultures are then used to test properties like toxicity.

"There is a lot of interest in this technology because it's a good testing bed," Dr. Johnson says. "It's a much quicker system and it's more precise, so it's more attractive to these companies."

Source: Dr. Kent Johnson, president of JV BioLabs
Writer: Jon Zemke

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