“Varro will be a household name like Moderna during the pandemic”

From its newly opened 4,000-square-foot lab in the heart of Cortex, Varro Life Sciences is pioneering technology destined to reverberate around the globe, according to a string of dignitaries who attended the lab’s ribbon cutting on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025.

“This is not just regional or Midwest. This is global technology you'll be hearing about for years, and it's happening right here in St. Louis,” said Gov. Mike Kehoe in lauding the announcement. “We couldn't be any more excited to have Varro here.”

And that technology? Varro’s scientists have created a suite of microchip-sized sensors that can detect illness-causing pathogens in the air we breathe.

One version, the “Pathogen Air Biodetector,” can monitor air quality in a room full of people. The highly sensitive device can rapidly zero in on any airborne pathogens in the room — like, for example, the presence of the COVID-19 virus when an infected person has entered the space.

Another version of Varro’s technology, the “Breath-Based Diagnostic” (akin to a Breathalyzer) can deliver real-time results when an individual blows into it in order to quickly identify an illness. The device is simple enough for untrained people — such as pharmacy technicians or military medics — to use it.

Developed in a collaboration among WashU researchers researchers at WashU — borne out of work designed to detect Alzheimer’s disease — Varro’s tech has received support from the National Institutes of Health and FluLab, an organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of influenza, as well as a $20 million infusion from Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum.

Varro’s new headquarters space, which will initially house 33 scientists, is a step up from its shared lab space at Washington University.

A crowd of dignitaries, media and onlookers gathered in Cortex’s CIC building at 20 S. Sarah where Varro’s new lab and office space is located after a $42.5 million buildout and months of work by the company, and economic development minds from St. Louis and the state of Missouri.

“Varro will be a household name, just like Moderna was during the COVID pandemic,” promised CEO Tom Cirrito while accepting congratulations from Kehoe, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, Cortex CEO Sam Fiorello, St. Louis Development Corporation President and CEO Otis Williams, Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Michelle Hataway and former U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt — who has been a booster of Varro and its team since its inception.

“I believe with all my heart that you're going to all think back on this day,” Gephardt said. “This will be one of the most important companies in St. Louis, in Missouri, in America and in the world. It will transform the way the entire world deals with infectious disease. It’s a big deal.”

Even though it was founded by scientists from WashU, setting Varro’s headquarters in Cortex was not a foregone conclusion. City and state leaders worked with Cortex and the company to provide incentives and make the case. Ultimately, Cirrito said the region had a host of factors in its favor: quality of life, a skilled workforce, great cultural institutions, an ecosystem that supports innovation and world-class universities.

He said Varro has already recruited team members from within St. Louis and outside the region “and we’re feeling really excited about our future in St. Louis.” He said Varro has completed a “wildly successful” clinical trial at WashU, positioning it to advance its individual sensor forward for FDA approval in the near future.

In kicking off Thursday’s event, Fiorello noted the 25-year history of Cortex and its mission to advance economic development in the region. He recalled the founding partners of the innovation district, saying “I'm confident they would see this moment — this very moment — as precisely what they envisioned as success.”