Ichor Therapeutics rebrands as Ichor Life Sciences

LAFAYETTE, N.Y. — Ichor Therapeutics, a biotechnology company headquartered in LaFayette, says it has rebranded as Ichor Life Sciences.

The new name reflects the firm’s emphasis on delivering preclinical contract research and custom programs in discovery through pharmacology, from its research and development (R&D) facilities in LaFayette and in Potsdam.

Ichor Life Sciences services customers in several therapeutic areas with specific expertise in oncology, metabolic disease, geriatrics, ophthalmology, and musculoskeletal disease, per a company news release.

The business has two divisions. They are Ichor Discovery, which provides protein manufacturing and scientific expertise in protein expression, structural biology, and biophysics; and Ichor Pharmacology, which provides services such as in-vitro testing and histology.

“Ichor Life Sciences represents more than a name change — it embodies our customized approach to providing premier discovery and pharmacology capabilities and services through a unique blend of scientific innovation, contract research, first-rate facilities, and renowned expertise,” Kelsey Moody, the firm’s CEO, said in the release. “Our ability to provide strategic and contract work enables us to function as a true extension of our customers’ team.”

Company growth factors

Several “distinguishing factors contribute to the ongoing evolution and growth” of Ichor Life Sciences, according to Moody.

He points to the company’s R&D laboratories that include vivo imaging, x-ray irradiation, complete surgical capabilities, metabolic caging systems, and equipment for behavioral and functional assessments.

Moody also considers “specialization through acquisition” as another factor. Ichor’s previously announced planned acquisition of Woodland Biosciences will be completed by the end of this year. Woodland Biosciences, a provider of preclinical technologies and services, expands Ichor Pharmacology’s capabilities with specialized therapeutic expertise in oncology and metabolic diseases.

Woodland has relocated from its laboratories at Tufts University’s School of Veterinary Medicine to the Ichor Life Sciences facility in LaFayette.

Strategic partnerships with leading academic and research institutions are another factor, according to Moody.

The company offers a Ph.D. program and/or partners on other research and education programs with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse University, and Cornell University. Ichor serves as the anchor tenant at Clarkson University’s North Country Incubator and provides the Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake with its primary attending veterinarian.

Supporting the company’s growth, Ichor Life Sciences has hired seven employees this year, including three with Ph.D. degrees in “key” R&D roles and a “veteran” of the contract-research organization industry as VP of business development.