ARUP Laboratories, a pathology reference laboratory based in Salt Lake City, has announced the formation of the new ARUP Institute for Research and Innovation in Diagnostic and Precision Medicine (R&I Institute). The institute will improve the lives of patients by advancing diagnostic and prognostic technologies and innovative tests.
“This institute will enable us to unite the exceptional expertise and operational capabilities at ARUP with industry partners to push the boundaries of diagnostic medicine,” said Dr. Tracy George, ARUP chief scientific officer and president of ARUP’s newly formed Innovation Business Unit, of which the R&I Institute is part. “We are at the cusp of remarkable, landscape-altering technologies and by creating this institute, we are in a position to grasp that future and bring it to the present.”
George, who has been instrumental in the advancement of innovation at ARUP since joining the company in 2018, will steer the new institute’s efforts with the goal of maximizing patient impact. During her time as the executive director of PharmaDx, she was instrumental in developing companion diagnostic via industry partnerships. Now, with a broad vision as CSO and president of the Innovation Business Unit, her attention has turned to the R&I Institute.
As one of the largest single-site reference laboratories in the nation and with a close affiliation with the University of Utah, ARUP has long engaged in research and innovation. Many ARUP-developed technologies and assays have been introduced to the diagnostic industry.
“ARUP is known for its excellence in quality, across the board and across the entire range of diagnostics. Now, we’re witnessing the conglomeration of the right experts, the right community, and the right operational capabilities to translate that excellence into groundbreaking innovation,” said Dr. Robert S. Ohgami, who will oversee the institute as vice president and chief medical director. “We’ve seen the need and the opportunity, and now we’re here to fearlessly seek out the future of laboratory medicine.”
Joining the institute as its director is Erica Clyde, who started in laboratory medicine as a bench technologist more than 15 years ago and whose career has since expanded to include critical positions at ARUP. Recently, Clyde served as group manager in ARUP’s Clinical Trials department.