# Varro Life Sciences

> Varro Life Sciences builds micro-immuno electrode biosensors that spot airborne viruses in seconds instead of days, then open-sources the blueprints and plans to make its money selling the one part nobody else can cheaply build. Founded by two brothers around technology licensed from Washington University, the St. Louis company has raised a $20 million non-dilutive gift from Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin and is standing up a semiconductor-style biosensor foundry in the Cortex Innovation District.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- **Founders:** Tom Cirrito (CEO, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board), John Cirrito (Co-Founder and Scientific Originator (Professor of Neurology, Washington University))
- **Team size:** About 19 employees; adding 33 new jobs as part of the St. Louis expansion
- **Products:** Micro-Immuno Electrode (MIE) Biosensor, Breath-Based Diagnostic Device, Pathogen Air Biodetector, Open Source Community Portal
- **Notable:** Secured $20 million non-dilutive from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's Kanro fund (Oct 2024), Raised roughly $12 million in combined federal and foundation grants (NIH RADx, Flu Lab), Demonstrated detection of as few as ~10 SARS-CoV-2 particles in about 20 seconds

## Products & services

- **Micro-Immuno Electrode (MIE) Biosensor** — A biosensor slightly larger than a credit-card chip that acts as a bridge between a semiconductor and the biological world, delivering PCR-level sensitivity in seconds. Exclusively licensed from Washington University in St. Louis.
- **Breath-Based Diagnostic Device** — A kazoo-like handheld test that screens a single breath for Influenza A/B, RSV and COVID-19 and returns a result in about 60 seconds, requiring minimal expertise.
- **Pathogen Air Biodetector** — A continuous indoor air-quality monitor that watches shared spaces - schools, clinics, offices, senior living centers - for airborne pathogens in real time.
- **Open Source Community Portal** — Public GitHub repositories and a Discord community releasing biosensor designs and firmware under GPL (software) and Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 (hardware).

## Achievements

- Secured $20 million non-dilutive from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's Kanro fund (Oct 2024)
- Raised roughly $12 million in combined federal and foundation grants (NIH RADx, Flu Lab)
- Demonstrated detection of as few as ~10 SARS-CoV-2 particles in about 20 seconds
- Opened a $42.5 million lab, R&D and manufacturing facility in St. Louis creating 33 jobs (ribbon-cutting Aug 21, 2025)
- One of the first biotech companies to open-source its core detection technology under copyleft licenses
- Signed a UN Global Pledge on pandemic-prevention technology

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Opened its $42.5 million lab, R&D and manufacturing facility at CIC St. Louis; ribbon cut Aug 21 by Governor Mike Kehoe and Mayor Cara Spencer.
- **2025-02** — Detailed St. Louis expansion plans and its move deeper into the Cortex Innovation District.
- **2024-10** — Announced $20 million non-dilutive funding from Vitalik Buterin's Kanro fund and committed to open-sourcing three core technologies.

## Links

- Website: https://varrobio.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/varrobio
- GitHub: https://github.com/Varro-Life-Sciences

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/varro
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-19