CBS DETROIT: No More Syzygy Biotech…
By Matt Roush
One of the weirdest names in Michigan biotech is gone. Syzygy Biotech in Grand Rapids has changed his name to Empirical Bioscience LLC. The company says the name change better reflects its industry emphasis. Fair enough, but I bet the old name was just a distraction. The company’s new website is https://www.empiricalbioscience.com.
The company markets reagents used by research centers, universities and diagnostic labs nationwide. The products are used in gene sequencing, translational research, agricultural applications, clinical diagnostics and education. Said Empirical Bioscience board chairman Craig Pippel: “The word empirical means making decisions based on valid observations, and we observe where our customers are headed and anticipate their needs. Our top notch staff of experts in polymerase chain reactions know how to formulate master mixes that reduce steps for experimenters and increase gel resolutions in gels to product publication quality images.” Labs nationwide are using Empirical Bioscience reagents to perform PCR research that can involve mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects and bacteria. In one instance, a researcher is using a TAq mixture to detect the presence of Asian carp DNA in the waters of the Great Lakes to track the northward migration of the fish before they are caught. (The word syzygy, meanwhile, has several meanings, including “straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies in a gravitational system,” often loosely used to describe interesting configurations of planets in general. In biology, it means the pairing of chromosomes in meiosis, and in poetry, it can mean a combination of metric units.)