University at Albany

SupreMEtric LLC was founded by University at Albany (UAlbany) Williams-Raycheff Endowed Professor of Chemistry Igor Lednev. The company leverages a technology that uses laser based Raman spectroscopy and advanced statistics to improve forensic science by helping investigators rapidly identify traces of bodily fluid found at crime scenes at the molecular level. Supported by more than $1 million in National Science Foundation Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding, SupreMEtric’s innovations provide law enforcement cutting-edge tools to solve violent crimes by accelerating the speed at which they receive critical investigatory information.

sxRNA Technologies Inc. is led by Professor Scott Tenenbaum of UAlbany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering. The company is pioneering RNA technology to revolutionize the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. With $500,000 in STTR support from the National Institute on Aging, sxRNA is exploring how aging brain cells influence dementia progression and creating novel therapeutics using RNA switches to interrupt that process.

SupreMEtric LLC: Based on the campus of the University at Albany Biosciences Development Corp., SupreMEtric is part of the robust biotechnology startup sector in New York’s Capital Region. Its advanced forensic tools create high-value jobs in the technology and health care sectors while also meaningfully contributing to public safety.

sxRNA: Located in Albany, sxRNA bolsters economic growth by exploiting advances in RNA-based therapeutics, an area of enormous potential growth. The company’s focus on Alzheimer’s disease requires it to confront a substantial global health challenge, that in turn will catalyze biotech innovation and enhance health care infrastructure.

SupreMEtric and sxRNA exemplify the potential for academic research to fuel entrepreneurial ventures that address pressing societal challenges in public safety and health, simultaneously fostering economic growth and job creation.

UAlbany is committed to stimulating economic growth by commercializing federally funded research in the public’s interest. Through a startup-focused culture led by the Office of Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, and Industry Partnerships, the university supports faculty in translating their scientific discoveries into marketable solutions that solve real societal problems.

Many of these startup activities arise from UAlbany’s core research strengths in atmospheric sciences, cybersecurity, emergency preparedness, RNA science, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor and microelectronics engineering.

The university also is a major regional hub for federal and industry investment. For two decades, the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering has been a key academic partner at Albany NanoTech Complex, North America’s most advanced semiconductor research and development facility. In 2024, the complex, owned and operated by NY CREATES, was chosen to receive $825 million as host of the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s state-of-the-art EUV Accelerator, a major win for Upstate New York’s high-technology sector and the semiconductor lab-to-fab model deployed at the complex.