BioForward is reaching out to members to highlight their organizations through a new member profile feature to tell more of their stories. Lucigen agreed to be interviewed as a part of our efforts to heighten the awareness of our region and integrated health solutions approach.

About your organization:

LGC makes competent cells, reagents, and enzymes that go into genomic research. Agriculture has traditionally been our largest market, but since the pandemic, we have helped with a growing number of products being used in human diagnostics.  We also offer a Next Generation Sequencing service that will analyze customer samples and provide genomic data to help breed better plants.  With 4,000 employees and $650 million in annual revenue, LGC is making the world safer through science.

What do you find valuable about being a member of BioForward Wisconsin?

We see great opportunities for our employees to utilize the programs offered by BioForward Wisconsin to develop their skills and network. We look forward to networking with other members within our industry to further strengthen the Wisconsin biohealth industry.

What are the key areas or achievements by your organization that are impacting the state of Wisconsin and the overall biohealth industry?

We are providing scientific products for the COVID-testing market. Our division has developed a high-throughput testing process with instruments and other products offered by LGC.  It is a global effort inside our company to provide accurate and fast results for PCR testing. Our testing workflow can process over 100,000 samples per day.  In addition, we have miniaturized the process, so less reagents are used.

What about the future of research, medical, technological innovation excites you the most?

The COVID market has created additional opportunities for LGC.  We are expanding into the diagnostics market to make the world safer and people healthier by providing key ingredients that diagnostic companies will use to make testing more available, faster, and more accurate. It creates challenges for us locally because there is a higher standard of quality for the COVID market.

Why Wisconsin? What does Wisconsin (and/or Madison/Milwaukee) offer for your company and/or your/its families?

Our business is looking to invest more in our communities in several ways including building a new facility in Madison. The talent for science is attractive as is the high standard and relatively low cost of living. Our employees have and continue to travel frequently for work and continue to comment on the appreciation they have for the state of Wisconsin.

What would you recommend about or say to others about Wisconsin’s biohealth industry and research institutions?

We believe the biohealth companies in this state have the most intelligent, kind, interesting, hardworking, and genuine people.  If that is what you look for in employees – this is where you need to be.

What is one thing others may not know about your organization?

LGC is a British company headquartered in London and was once part of the British government – so we report financials in British Pounds and spell a lot of words ‘wrong’ on our forms!

There is a wealth of opportunities available in the Wisconsin biohealth industry and the full Biohealth Innovation Territory (BIT). Learn more about careers at our career center.