Zymo Research Corp. already had business that reached all seven continents.
Last year, it headed into space.
The Irvine-based scientific research firm, which develops and makes products primarily pertaining to molecular and cellular biology, invented a specialized swab collection device with a unique purification reagent that inactivates infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.
Its DNA/RNA Shield was designed to store samples at ambient temperatures. It is currently in use aboard the International Space Station
Little did Zymo founder and Chief Executive Larry Jia know the role that the company’s DNA/RNA Shield would play in another far-reaching effort: the coronavirus pandemic.
“We already had this technology developed for NASA, with a unique reagent that could kill viruses,” Jia told the Business Journal. “This reagent pioneered a nice niche for us with the current COVID-19 outbreak, because it makes specimen transportation safe.”
That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Since the beginning of the year, Zymo has supplied hundreds of clients with its purification reagents and other chemicals, swabs and collection devices, and COVID-19 workflow kits.
It is on track to record $100 million in revenue this year, compared with $30 million last year.
The company expects much of its growth to be sustained, Jia said. It continues to scale its operations and manufacturing processes, and hire researchers and Ph.D.s in OC. Its website currently lists 10 local job openings.
Following Darwin
Zymo develops products and works on feasibility studies for projects that span DNA/RNA, epigenetics and microbiomics—the investigation of microorganisms primarily in the gut.
While much of the company’s normal business with research companies and academic institutions is paused for a time, Zymo has plenty of incoming requests.
“We listened to our customers. We needed to focus on COVID-19,” said Marc Van Eden, vice president of business development.
About 70% of all orders have been COVID-related, he said.
The company’s chemicals, collection materials and test kits provide all the materials needed for specimen collection, purification and virus detection.
Its materials have been used to help several companies create their own COVID-19 tests, including Temple City-based Fulgent Genetics and Menlo Park-based Curative Inc.
One of Zymo’s bioinformatics scientists developed a free software platform, which streamlines COVID-19 test reporting by connecting laboratories directly to the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange.
“Our company is best described by a Darwin quote,” said Van Eden, who is a biochemist by training. “‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.’ That is the epitome of this company.”
On the Ground
Zymo’s employees are working on several COVID-related activities, including the development of a potential vaccine.
Because of its access to test materials, Zymo tests its own employees three times a week with a throat swab test to ensure a safe and clean work environment across its three facilities in Irvine and Tustin, which will soon count a fourth location in Irvine.
The company occupies about 180,000 square feet of space between its four buildings, including 30,000 square feet for manufacturing.
It’s also done a bit of reorganizing in recent months; Zymo moved out of one of its Tustin facilities to make way for its affiliate company, Pangea Laboratories.
Pangea Laboratories is a CLIA-certified laboratory, which will move from its 7,000-square-foot lab in Costa Mesa to a 30,000-square-foot facility in Tustin.
CEO Jia is also the founder and owner of Pangea Laboratories, which facilitates testing for all Zymo employees as well as testing for the city of Irvine through a public-private partnership.
UCI Beginnings
Jia, originally from China, arrived in Orange County in 1992 as a research scientist for the University of California-Irvine, where he went on to serve as a faculty member for about two decades.
During his time at UCI, Jia was part of a team led by Dr. Ian Lipkin that identified the West Nile virus as the cause of an outbreak that killed seven people in the New York City area in 1999.
The team was considered to be crucial in the discovery; West Nile virus was unknown to the U.S. until then.
Jia started Zymo in 1994 in a small garage off Katella Avenue in Orange because he wanted to see his research “become products and services.”
The company was self-funded through Jia’s UCI salary and has never taken money from investors.
It started with a simple process: Jia cut the yeast transformation process down from about a dozen steps to two, resulting in a one-hour turnaround time.
From there, Zymo started providing supplies and research materials, which subsequently led the company into research and discovery for other emerging fields including genome sequencing and microbiomics.
Zymo relocated its headquarters to Irvine, across the street from BioDot Inc. (see story, page 22), in 2010.
While Zymo’s teams are looking forward to getting back to its research projects, the future will look different for the company, which has grown in size and recognition in recent months.
“When COVID-19 hit, we were flooded with requests. There was a great wave of need,” Van Eden said. “In its wake, people now know Zymo Research.”
