Kevin Plaxco named CSO at Nutromics to scale DNA-sensing platform

Plaxco’s history with the firm spans years of collaboration, beginning when founders Peter Vranes and Hitesh Mehta licensed his research. Having previously chaired the company’s Biosensor Advisory Board, he was instrumental in the successful human clinical trials published in Nature Biotechnology. CEO Peter Vranes credits Plaxco with pioneering the field of Electrochemical Aptamer-Based sensing, noting that his direct involvement is critical to accelerating the detection of biomarkers like creatinine and lactate alongside current drug monitoring efforts.

Beyond his corporate transition, Plaxco has joined La Trobe University in Melbourne as a Distinguished Professor while remaining on leave from his tenure at UC Santa Barbara. He replaces outgoing CSO Justin Gooding, who will transition to a seat on the company’s advisory board. With nearly 300 papers and extensive patent history to his name, Plaxco aims to push the company's wearable technology from clinical settings into broader, everyday use. Nutromics currently operates across Australia and the United States, focusing on regulatory approval for its microneedle-based continuous monitoring system.