Cancer diagnostics company plans move to innovation district

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Kiyatec, a commercial cancer diagnostics company with ties to Clemson University and Prisma Health, plans to invest $5 million in new offices as the anchor tenant for the city of Greenville’s new Innovation District.

Born from technology developed at Clemson University, the company uses functional precision oncology in its diagnostic tool kit, including its first commercial assay, 3D Predict Glioma, for use in glioblastoma and other brain cancer patient care.

The expansion at 2 N. Main St. in Greenville is expected to bring 91 jobs to the area.

“When Kiyatec founder Matt Gevaert came to the Upstate from Canada 25 years ago to study at Clemson, he didn’t expect to stay,” Mayor Knox White said in a news release. “But like so many successful founders, he discovered you can take an idea from clinical trial to market implementation in Greenville. Our ecosystem supports entrepreneurs. From here you can scale and grow your business. We are pleased that Kiyatec is locating inside the emerging Innovation District in the heart of downtown as they change the world with lifesaving medical advances.”  

The company established its Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified laboratory and began clinical studies in 2015, developing proprietary “ex vivo” 3D cell culture technology platforms to accurately model and predict patient-specific response to approved and investigational cancer drugs targeting a spectrum of solid tumors.

Kiyatec Inc.’s downtown facility will allow the company to expand its existing clinical testing operations and drug development services, which are co-located with the cancer institute at Prisma Health's 900-B West Faris Road location. 

“Securing testing capacity to bring our testing to thousands, then tens of thousands of cancer patients is a business decision that positions us to win and increases our competitive advantage,” Kiyatec CEO Matt Gevaert said in a news release. “As a Greenville-based life sciences company, Kiyatec benefits from all this area has to offer including its highly educated labor force, excellent quality of life for our employees, competitive cost profile and business-friendly environment. We are proud to be a part of the growing business and scientific communities here in Greenville and appreciate the ongoing support from our community leaders in this exciting new phase of our company’s journey.”

The new offices are expected to be operational by January 2022 and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified laboratory by April 2022.