Asuragen, Inc.
Asuragen a Bio-Techne brand is a molecular diagnostic product company changing the way patients are treated in genetics and oncology. Asuragen’s diagnostic systems, composed of proprietary chemistry and software, deliver powerful answers using broadly installed instrument platforms. They are simple to adopt and expand the ability to serve patients. Asuragen is a product foundry rapidly and efficiently addressing current and emerging clinical needs, including cancer diagnosis and monitoring, reproductive health and aging, serving laboratories across a patient’s lifespan with its best in class diagnostic tests. Bio-Techne a global life sciences company providing innovative tools and bioactive reagents for the research and clinical diagnostic communities.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Medical Monitoring
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
About Us
We're Driven To Know.
While we have helped people better understand the mechanisms of disease, we know there is more to do. Today, there is an unprecedented amount of human health data available. The challenge facing us all is to translate data into meaningful insights. Not just for physicians and researchers, but for patients and their families. It’s why creating insights is at the core of who we are. And everything we do. Diseases may be complex, but our commitment to better understanding them is clear. Informed by science. Inspired by hope. And driven by people to know where the next answer will lead us.
People Deserve Better Answers.
The evolution of laboratory medicine is accelerating rapidly, but never fast enough. There’s so much to discover and so many unanswered questions against clinical needs. As science becomes more complex, and treatments require certainty to drive outcomes, a new reality has emerged. It will test the limits of our technology, experience, and relationships. This is how we work. This is how we think. Because this is what people deserve.
Our Community
The values we share as a company are never confined to the walls of our offices. They compel us to give our time, expertise and passion to the many organizations that make a difference in the communities where our employees live and work. We view this as an important investment that connects us more deeply with the people we serve and helps spark new ideas about how we can make life better for people around the world.
Our Culture
The pursuit of better answers is a collaborative endeavor, requiring a work environment that challenges every individual to embrace creativity and innovation. We recognize, celebrate and share the accomplishments of others in solving unmet customer needs and upholding company goals. We’re collectively driven to make a difference in how treatment is impacted by better data, and how patients are impacted by better treatment.
What We Do
Portfolio of Solutions for Laboratories and Companion Diagnostics
Clinical and research laboratory testing can be fraught with difficulties. We provide effective, streamlined solutions for genetics, oncology, controls, and companion diagnostic needs.
Our genetics and oncology systems have been designed from years of innovation, yielding proprietary chemistries and bioinformatics solutions to address unmet laboratory needs. Asuragen’s market-leading fragile X genetic testing and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) monitoring kits have demonstrated the value of these technologies to labs. The AmplideX genetics and QuantideX oncology solutions are optimized with kitted reagents and time-saving analysis software to provide accurate results, while simplifying workflows. These systems can save your lab tech time, simplify training, and reduce consumables used, as with the AmplideX Trio workflow.
Our molecular diagnostic controls provide you with custom nucleic acid solutions – as well as a catalog of infectious disease RNA and DNA controls – for your molecular testing needs. Optimized workflows and increased flexibility are enabled by Armored RNA® and Armored DNA™ technologies, which stabilize and protect nucleic acids from nuclease degradation by packaging them in a protective protein coat. Unique, target-specific controls can be customized to your assay using Armored technology, plasmid DNA, or in vitro transcribed RNA. Our OEM services fit the entire MDx product lifecycle from assay development to commercialization with custom manufacturing of evaluation, development, and cGMP grade materials.
Bio-Techne Companion Diagnostics delivers precision medicine services spanning the continuum from biomarker discovery to post-market commercialization of a CDx product. We bring a 20+ year track record of success including the development of over 2700 assays for 570 targets, with over 50 clinical tests built for pharma and 15 CLIA tests. Our multi-omic, platform-agnostic approach, paired with clinical trial sample testing readiness at our CLIA labs and international regulatory expertise, allows us to offer customizable solutions so that a pharma partner can deliver novel treatments to the patients most likely to benefit.
Culture and Heritage
At Asuragen, we believe people deserve better answers. In pursuit of this vision, we have built our culture around providing an exciting and challenging work environment where employees have the freedom to be creative and innovative. We are a collaborative team where individuals are recognized both for their ability to develop novel solutions to unmet customer needs, and to perform against company goals. We are proud to have a diverse mix of career professionals who design, develop, make and market world-class, innovative and differentiated diagnostic and research products. We are collectively driven to make a difference in how patients are managed today and in the future.
Our History
About the Founder | Matt Winkler, Ph.D.
Asuragen was born from the desire of one visionary molecular biology leader, Dr. Matt Winkler, to “leverage novel molecular technology to create a cutting edge molecular diagnostics company.”
Dr. Winkler received his B.S. degree in Genetics and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1988 he left an academic position at the University of Texas to form a molecular biology reagent company – Ambion. Ambion became the “RNA Company” and in 2006 Dr. Winkler sold the company retaining the diagnostics rights to use the enabling molecular technologies, IP and a core of highly motivated scientists and formed Asuragen. Over the past 12+ years Asuragen has used these core technologies and expertize to build its portfolio of cutting edge diagnostics products in the fields of Human Genetics and Oncology.
Dr. Winkler believes that people deserve better answers and is passionate about Asuragen’s mission to translate scientific excellence into solutions to unmet diagnostics and clinical research needs.
Our People
We have an incredibly talented group of down-to-earth professionals with the experience, drive and creativity to make Asuragen a world-class global diagnostics company. Our workplace is full of enthusiastic, hardworking and intelligent people with bold ideas and the determination to see them through. Asuragen has a unique combination of experienced diagnostic industry executives, top-notch professionals and highly respected scientific minds within an emerging, rapid-growth company. This combination creates an environment in which the mission and path are clear and individual contributions are both impactful and appreciated.
Our diverse team brings a variety of experiences to Asuragen. Everyone has been impacted by cancer and genetic disease in different ways, but we collectively believe that people deserve better answers and it’s that mantra that inspires us to continually strive to advance and transform healthcare.
View our spotlight page to get to know some of the talented people that help turn Asuragen’s mission into reality.
Scientific Environment
Asuragen prides itself on translating scientific excellence into solutions to unmet diagnostics and clinical research needs in the areas of molecular oncology and genetics. Our success hinges on hiring and retaining exceptional scientists who thrive in collaborative, team-oriented research programs and have a passion for genomic medicine. Scientists at Asuragen are curious, entrepreneurial, and interactive, collaborate in forwarding-thinking projects with leading clinicians and researchers, and work together to produce high-impact scientific publications, write winning grants, and build on Asuragen’s growing portfolio of intellectual property. We seek to hire creative and highly motivated scientists with an interest in enhancing patient care through the development of molecular diagnostic assays. Your specific background and formal degree are less important than demonstrations of your productivity, cultural fit with our teams, and potential to advance our mission to create products that deliver actionable insights for patients around the globe.
Although scientists with strong backgrounds in molecular biology, diagnostic assay development, nucleic acid technology development, and/or bioinformatics are preferred, Asuragen recognizes the benefits of adding non-biologists to our scientific teams. This includes scientists with backgrounds in chemistry, biophysics, engineering, and computer science. Asuragen encourages a work hard, play hard culture that creates compelling opportunities for scientists to broaden their technical, managerial, and business development skills.
If you are interested in helping develop the next generation of molecular diagnostic assays that can advance 21st century goals for delivering precision medicine solutions for every patient, please apply for a position with us.
About Austin
Asuragen is located in Austin, Texas; a vibrant and eclectic city with an unassuming charm, international flair, and robust economy that lands it on numerous best places to live lists every year. In fact, Austin took the No. 1 spot on the US News and World Report’s List of 2019 Best Places to Live in the US for the third consecutive year. From top universities and award winning public schools to world renowned music & film festivals, Austin has something for everyone. Austin is home to a large number of high-tech firms which are drawn here by the low-tax environment, high-quality workforce and a health conscience vibe.
Austin is also a great supporter of the biotechnology community, and, in conjunction with The University of Texas and local taxpayers, the recently built Dell Medical School, has fueled translational research and supported entrepreneurial efforts. Austin welcomed Dell Medical School’s inaugural class in 2017.
The climate in Austin is pleasant with hot summers and mild winters. The combination of climate with terrain that includes rolling hills and countless streams and lakes make for an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. From rock climbing and mountain biking to fishing and wake boarding or just relaxing by the pool, there are plenty of reasons to get outside all year long. The heart of Austin’s healthy living scene is the Lady Bird Lake Trail that moves through Zilker Park, which is home to naturally fed Barton Springs Pool that is open year round. Perhaps Austin’s greatest asset is its congenial atmosphere, one in which everyone is treated like your neighbor and striking up a conversation with a stranger is greeted with a wave and a smile.
Core Values
The cornerstone of our culture is a drive to be the very best version of ourselves — constantly raising the bar and striving towards our personal best each and every day. What you can expect in return is an environment that is supportive and developmentally-focused where we celebrate and embrace our team members’ unique strengths and contributions.