The University of Wisconsin-Madison Laboratory of Genetics is excited to announce that professor Dr. Ahna Skop has received funding from the State Economic Engagement & Development (SEED) Program for the 2027 year! Administered by the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, the SEED Program provides funding for UW-Madison faculty and stuff who are co-founders of a Wisconsin company to participate in research, generate support for their programs, and promote technology transfer between the University and industry.
As Co-founder and CSO of aMBR Genomics, Dr. Ahna Skop works to establish non-invasive multi-cancer early detection through liquid biopsies. These are beneficial for detecting cancerous cells, proteins, or nucleic acids from a blood sample, but are relatively deficient in detecting early-stage cancers and often offered at a high cost for patients or insurers. Her team aims to improve these liquid biopsies by isolating the first cell proliferation-linked biomarker designed for cancer screening, effectively shrinking the haystack and making cancer signals easier to detect earlier. Dr. Skop’s team will utilize the SEED funding to find lower-cost, less invasive cancer screenings and compare those to other options in order to advance commercially. Additionally, the company will develop the technology into clinical tests for breast, pancreatic, ovarian, and colon cancers in higher-risk groups, as well as broad screening for average-risk adults.
Receiving SEED Program funding recognizes Skop’s outstanding scientific contributions and innovative interdisciplinary research as an important member of the Laboratory of Genetics, as well as her significant impact on UW–Madison’s research and the campus community.
Read more about Dr. Skop’s project here: Entrepreneurship Hub announces SEED grant recipients.