Courtesy of bioMérieux
Philadelphia, Pa. — bioMérieux, a biotechnology company specializing in in vitro diagnostics, announced the lease signing of a new 32,000-square-foot state-of-the-art molecular innovation center at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia. In addition to supporting legacy molecular solutions supplied to beverage and food customers worldwide, the new site will house bioMérieux’s growing xPRO Program, as well as the company’s Predictive Diagnostics Innovation Center.
Since 2019, the xPRO Program has developed innovative testing solutions that reduce food and beverage safety pain points across the production process, from raw materials to final quality assurance releases. Development of an average molecular assay is a laborious process that takes two to three years to release into the market. bioMérieux’s xPRO team comes alongside industry heavyweights to solve their problems in as little as 90 days, the company reports.
“Expansion of bioMérieux’s presence in Philadelphia is essential to maintain the pace of innovation and meet the dynamic needs of our global customers,” said Ben Pascal, head of xPRO at bioMérieux.
The xPRO Prgram is the catalyst that offers advanced molecular diagnostics to food quality and safety departments in the food industry. This is done through the rapid development of innovative, custom testing solutions to further ensure public health and brand protection. With a goal of releasing multiple xPRO innovations into the market this year, the Predictive Diagnostics Innovation Center in Philadelphia will house the 50-person xPRO team as the program continues to gain popularity among quality assurance executives in the food, beverage, dietary supplements and cannabis segments.
“The new bioMérieux site in Philadelphia is the gateway to expand our capacity to generate leading edge molecular and genomic solutions for our food customers worldwide,” said Miguel Villa, senior vice president, industrial microbiology, Americas, for bioMérieux.
The xPRO Program will continue its advancement under Ben Pascal. A Philadelphia native and entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience, Pascal co-founded the biotechnology company Invisible Sentinel, which was acquired by bioMérieux in 2019. Pascal guides the program initiatives overseeing research and forging new partnerships with food and beverage industry leaders.
bioMérieux’s xPRO Program is open to food, beverage, dietary supplement and cannabis companies of any size that are looking to improve their quality assurance and diagnostic testing services. For more information, visit go.biomerieux.com/xPRO.