We Are Cortex | Rachel Wellinghoff

As a plant scientist for the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center for eight years, Rachel Wellinghoff never expected to be deep in the thick of cutting edge research into the latest advances in cancer treatment.

But more than 10 years after identifying a position at Cofactor Genomics as her dream job, her role as general supervisor and scientist makes her responsible for ensuring its lab operations retain proper certification while doing research in her own right.

She’s watched Cofactor transition from a lab services organization for other researchers to a pioneering precision medicine company that creates tests to guide patients toward the proper treatment for two types of cancer. 

“I'd heard about Cofactor since they started, and I'd always wanted to work here,” Wellinghoff said. “I stay because the environment is just amazing. The people I work with are great. I believe in what we're doing, and I believe it's going to help people.”

Cofactor’s tests can determine whether a patient is a good candidate for immunotherapy, rather than chemotherapy, for head and neck cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

“Immunotherapy is one of the greatest cancer breakthrough technologies of the 21st century,” Wellinghoff said. “It helps mobilize the body's own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

Both tests rely on the abundant presence of RNA in the human body’s cells as an active indicator of what's happening in the body. By testing the RNA, the test provides clinicians with details about changes in the body, changes due to treatment, changes to the cancer, and so forth.

“Hopefully matching patients with treatment sooner helps them avoid ineffective treatments and also the side effects of chemotherapy,” Wellinghoff said.

Being planted in the heart of Cortex, she said, gives her and her colleagues easy access to a host of like-minded, creative and innovative researchers who can share breakthroughs, discuss recent papers, and lift up the work each is doing.

“We work very closely with WashU, for example,” she said. “It's where we get a lot of our samples from. Our medical director is from WashU, so we use the area a lot. I feel like being surrounded by all these amazing scientists helps us be more amazing.”

Join us on Wednesday, November 4th for #WeAreCortex — a community celebration of the thinkers, builders, creators, and doers who are shaping the future of St. Louis and beyond. Free coffee and light breakfast will be provided – register to attend today!