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Erica Clyde speaks with attendees at BioHive Live.
ARUP Laboratories sponsored the inaugural BioHive Live Conference, a summit for life sciences and healthcare innovation, on Wednesday, May 8, in Sandy, Utah. The event brought industry leaders, researchers, and students together to build community and collaborate on healthcare solutions.
Erica Clyde, MBA, PMI-PMP®, MB(ASCP)CM, director of the ARUP Institute for Research and Innovation in Diagnostic and Precision Medicine™, said the conference was an opportunity to connect with future innovators and foster relationships.
“We have emerging partnerships with many of the companies that are part of the BioHive ecosystem, and we’re looking to push the boundaries of diagnostic medicine within our own hub here on the Wasatch Front and beyond Utah,” Clyde said.
Speakers included Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya, cofounders of Synapticure and I AM ALS, who shared their story living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and their mission to find a cure for the disease. Wallach was diagnosed with ALS in 2017, at the age of 37, the same day the couple brought their second child home from the hospital. They said they founded Synapticure to transform care for people living with neurodegenerative diseases, and one of the company’s goals is to help patients see a specialist within two weeks of diagnosis.
“The difference between life and death is seeing a neurodegenerative disease specialist quickly. Genetic testing and counseling can then lead to a very sophisticated assessment of what drug or clinical trial patients need,” Abrevaya said.
BioHive’s mission is to unite brilliant minds, startups, and established companies—like ARUP, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year—to find solutions in the healthcare innovation industry.
“Our solutions are going to be years out, but ARUP has dedicated resources to stay on the cutting edge and evaluate new technologies. We have 40 years behind us, but we are looking forward toward some exciting future innovations. Being connected to this [BioHive] community is another way that we can serve patients now and in the future,” Clyde said. She added that the event is going to grow, and ARUP is proud to be part of it.
Learn more about BioHive here.
Bonnie Stray, bonnie.stray@aruplab.com
