Global diagnostics manufacturer opens new Houston facility, headquarters

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Healgen Scientific opened its new headquarters in Houston last week. Photo courtesy of Healgen

A global health care company has cut the ribbon on its new facility and headquarters in Houston.

Healgen Scientific, which manufacturers diagnostic products for infectious diseases, toxicology, oncology, and more, opened the facility last week. Operating as the company's new headquarters, the location is the first manufacturing facility in Houston for Healgen. The company currently has around 120 employees in the U.S. and is expected to create over 200 new jobs in the next three years

“This new facility in Houston uses very innovative technology that will precisely diagnose viruses or diseases so people can be confident in the results they are receiving,” Bingliang Fang, CEO of Healgen Scientific, says in a release. “Here, Healgen is able to produce quality tests on a very large scale—nearly a half million per day. We are proud to provide made in the USA products with a commitment to using local materials, employing local residents and being an integral part of the community.”

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Healgen Scientific teamed up with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc. on a Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test. Today, over 2 billion Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test Kits have been used worldwide.

With 325 automated production lines around the world, Healgen's facilities have a daily production capacity of more than 22 million health care tests. Recently, the company moved 15 of these production lines to the U.S., investing over $100 million in three large-scale manufacturing and warehouse facilities in New York, New Jersey, and Texas. The facility in Houston will also produce RSV tests later in the year.

“We welcome you to our great city,” says Chris Hollins, city controller, City of Houston Controller’s Office. “This is a city, and a state, of business and of commerce. We’re excited that hundreds of jobs are on the way because of the investment of Healgen and the Fang family, and we’re grateful for your presence. On behalf of more than 2 million Houstonians, we applaud Healgen Scientific LLC on bringing world-class innovation and disease management to the United States.”

Healgen cut the ribbon on its newest facility last week. Photo courtesy of Healgen

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10 most-promising energy tech startups named at annual Houston event

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Investors from around the world again identified the most-promising energy tech startups at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship's annual event.

"The recognition that Houston is the epicenter of energy transition is growing. It's something we are championing as much as possible so that the world can know exactly what we're doing," Paul Cherukuri, chief innovation officer at Rice University says at the 21st annual Energy Tech Venture Forum.

The event took place during the inaugural Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, and nearly 100 startups from 23 states and seven countries pitched investors Wednesday, September 11, and Thursday, September 12. At the conclusion of the event, the investors decided on 10 companies deemed "most promising" from the presentations.

This year's selected companies are:

  • Revterra, a Houston-based company innovating within kinetic battery technology to enable faster and cleaner electric vehicle charging.
  • From Austin, 360 Mining is a modular data center provider for the oil and gas producers.
  • New York company Andium is a centralized and optimized operations platform for large energy companies.
  • Elementium Materials, a local Katy-based company, created its battery technology that originated out of MIT.
  • Splight is a San Mateo, California-based technology platform that provides real-time operational data based on inverter-based resources assets.
  • Los Angeles-based Mitico, one of the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator's class 4 participants, provides services and equipment for carbon capture through its granulated metal carbonate sorption technology.
  • From Cambridge, Massachusetts, Osmoses is changing the way molecular gas separations are performed within the chemical, petrochemical, and energy industries.
  • Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator class 4 participant CORROLYTICS, based in Houston, has a corrosion detection and monitoring technology. The company also won over the crowd and secured the People's Choice win too.
  • Ardent, based in New Castle, Delaware, has developed a membrane technology for point-source carbon capture.
  • New Haven, Connecticut-based Oxylus Energy produces an alternative fuel from converting CO2 into green methanol.

Last year, investors named its selection of most-promising companies at Rice.

"We have a responsibility as a city to lead energy transition," Cherukuri continues. "A lot of the investments we're making at Rice are going to change the world."

Scientists use Houston rainwater to explore origins of life on Earth

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A flask of Houston’s rain helped answer a long-running question about the origin of cellular life.

The solution is proposed by two University of Houston scientists, William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical Engineering (UH ChBE) former grad student Aman Agrawal (now a postdoctoral researcher at University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering) and Alamgir Karim, UH Dow Chair and Welch Foundation Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and director of both the International Polymer & Soft Matter Center and the Materials Engineering Program at UH. They were joined by UChicago PME Dean Emeritus Matthew Tirrell and Nobel Prize-winning biologist Jack Szostak in an article published last week in Scientific Advances.

For two decades, scientists like Szostak have hypothesized that RNA fragments were the first components of life to form in the Earth’s primordial seas 3.8 million years ago. Although DNA is an essential component of cellular life, it can’t fold proteins, making it unlikely to be the initial starting point. Since RNA can fold proteins, it could have been the catalyst for cellular growth and evolution.

The problem is that seawater molecules allow RNA to bond and change too quickly, often within minutes. Rapid dissipation means no segregation of material, and thus no evolution. Szostak himself proved in 2014 that regular seawater doesn’t allow RNA fragments to form the membranes necessary for cellular life.

Then along comes Agrawal. He wasn’t looking into the origin of life. He was an engineer studying the properties of complex liquids for his doctorate. Karim was his thesis adviser and introduced Agrawal to Tirrell, who brought up the RNA problem over a lunch and some theories about how if the water was distilled it may have solved it. Where would you get distilled water 3.8 billion years ago?

“I spontaneously said ‘rainwater,’” says Karim. “His eyes lit up and he was very excited at the suggestion. So, you can say it was a spontaneous combustion of ideas or ideation.”

Using RNA samples from Szostak, they saw that distilled water increased the differences in exchange rate between samples from minutes to days, long enough for the RNA to begin mutation.

Distilled lab water is nothing like prehistoric rain, though. Luckily, a typical Houston downpour occurred during the research. Agrawal and fellow UH graduate student, Anusha Vonteddu ran outside with beakers to collect some. The samples again formed meshy walls, separating the RNA and possibly showing how life began from these fragments billions of years ago.

“The molecules we used to build these protocells are just models until more suitable molecules can be found as substitutes,” Agrawal said. “While the chemistry would be a little bit different, the physics will remain the same.”

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

Energy hub opens in Houston, innovation leader's impact, and more trending news

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Editor's note:Let's roundup the most-read Houston innovation news from the week. Trending Houston tech and startup articles from InnovationMap and its daily newsletter included the opening of Energy Tech Nexus, longtime innovator passing away, a new SaaS initiative, and more.

Houston Technology Center founder dies, leaves legacy of innovation

Paul Frison, the founder of the Houston Technology Center, has died. Photo via dignitymemorial.com

The Houston innovation ecosystem is mourning the loss of one of its early leaders, Paul Frison, who died on September 5. He was 87.

A long-time Houston businessman, Frison founded the Houston Technology Center in 1999 and served as its CEO and president. The organization evolved into Houston Exponential several years ago. Frison remained active within Houston innovation until 2020.

“Paul Frison was a visionary and energetic leader who always presented a positive outlook on what the Houston technology entrepreneurship community could become," Brad Burke, associate vice president for industry and new ventures at Rice University's Office of Innovation, remembers. "He was one of the pioneers in the community who established the Houston Technology Center as one of the early leaders of the Houston ecosystem. I admired how he helped launch the ecosystem and created the platform for many others to build upon.” Continue reading.

New downtown Houston hub opens to support energy transition innovators

Energy Tech Nexus has opened in downtown Houston. Photo by Natalie Harms/EnergyCapital

Three Houston energy innovators have cut the ribbon on a new space for energy transition innovation.

The Energy Tech Nexus, located in the historic Niels Esperson Building at the corner of Travis and Rusk Avenue, opened on September 10, which was proclaimed Energy Tech Nexus Day by the city.

Jason Ethier and Juliana Garaizar, formerly in leadership roles at Greentown Labs, teamed up with Nada Ahmed, previously headed innovation and transformation at Aker Solutions, launched ETN as a community for energy transition startups. The new hub plans to host incubation programs, provide mentorship, and open doors to funding and strategic partnerships for its members.

"We are creating more than a space for innovation," Garaizar, who serves as CEO of ETN, says in a news release. "We are crafting a community where pioneers in technology and energy converge to challenge the status quo and accelerate the shift to sustainable energy solutions." Continue reading.

2 Houston organizations team up to drive SaaS innovation within energy sector

The two entities will combine resources and efforts to "drive innovation, accelerate growth and empower young companies." Photo via Getty Images

Two entities looking to support software-as-a-service innovation have teamed up on a new resource to meet the energy sector corporate clients' growing technology demands.

MOIC Partners, an energy enterprise software sales support solution provider founded earlier this year, and Venture Builder VC, a consulting firm, investor, and accelerator program operator led by a group of Houston innovators, have announced a new partnership. The two entities will combine resources and efforts to "drive innovation, accelerate growth and empower young companies," per a news release from the organizations. Continue reading.

Promising Houston startup expands energy efficiency product to Middle East, Singapore

NanoTech is targeting new overseas markets for its energy efficiency products. Photo via Getty Images

NanoTech Materials has announced a big expansion for its business.

The Houston company, which created a roof coating using nanotechnology that optimizes energy efficiency, has partnered with Terminal Subsea Solutions Marine Service SP to bring its products to the Gulf Cooperation Council and Singapore. TSSM will become a partner of Houston’s NanoTech Materials products, which will include the Cool Roof Coat, Vehicular Coat, and Insulative Coat for the GCC countries and Singapore.

NanoTech Materials technology that ranges from roof coatings on mid- to low-rise buildings to shipping container insulation to coating trucks and transportation vehicles will be utilized by TSSM in the partnership. NanoTech’s efforts are focused on heat mitigation that can reduce energy costs, enhance worker safety, and minimize business risks in the process. Continue reading.

Deadline extended: Nominations launch, tickets open for annual Houston Innovation Awards

Do you think you know the best of Houston's innovation community? Now's your chance to shine the spotlight on a deserving innovator. Photo by Emily Jaschke/InnovationMap

Update: The nomination deadline has been extended until September 16.

Calling all Houston innovators — InnovationMap needs your help identifying the best and brightest in the Houston innovation ecosystem.

For the fourth year, InnovationMap is hosting its signature awards program that will recognize the top startups and innovators in Houston. The awards program will be on Thursday, November 14, at the Texas Medical Center's Helix Park. Tickets and tables are on sale now.Continue reading.

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