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Biotechnology Company Growing in Cortex Innovation Community

  • March 29, 2022

Wugen, a St. Louis, Missouri-based biotechnology startup, recently announced plans to relocate to a larger space within the Cortex Innovation Community.

“We’re proud to see cutting-edge companies like Wugen starting up and succeeding right here in our state,” said Governor Mike Parson. “The Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis demonstrates the strength of the region’s growing high-tech sector and continues to support innovation while helping create high-paying jobs for Missourians. Wugen is another example of a Missouri-made company improving the lives of people right here at home and around the globe, and we’re eager to see its continued growth.”

“We are excited to stay within the Cortex Innovation Community,” Dan Kemp, President and CEO of Wugen, said. “We are proud to be part of St. Louis’ vibrant biotech community and are pleased to continue to grow locally, where we will have the opportunity to maintain proximity to our world-class scientific co-founders at Washington University and build on our existing partnerships with the area’s premier scientific institutions. Our new space will give us more room to grow, accelerating our mission of delivering best-in-class, off-the-shelf cell therapies to cancer patients.”

The company said the move will allow it to hire up to 100 new employees. The company’s total workforce is 70 people, about 50 of whom work in St. Louis. The company also has an office in San Diego, California.

“We are proud to support the growth and expansion of Wugen in St. Louis,” Sam Fiorello, President and CEO of Cortex, said. “Cortex strives to curate a startup from inception to maturity, and with our partners, provide the support necessary for companies like Wugen to thrive. By providing access to real estate, strong research relationships, and a curated community of startups and mature companies in a variety of industry sectors such as bioscience, cybersecurity, and geospatial, Cortex is able to help companies attract world-class talent and connect to capital opportunities. We look forward to Wugen’s continued success.”

Founded in 2018, Wugen is focused on developing “off the shelf” cell therapies to treat various cancers. The startup was created via technology licensed from Washington University and is developing so-called natural killer and T-cell therapies.

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