Biosafety Committee backs cancer test firm's permit

Biosafety Committee · Meeting of August 6, 2026

WATERTOWN — The Watertown Biosafety Committee voted 4-0 to recommend a biosafety permit for Cellens Incorporated, a cancer-diagnostics startup relocating to a Cambridge Scientific Labs facility in town. Nicole Billings told the committee the company uses atomic force microscopy to analyze urine samples for signs of bladder cancer recurrence, disinfecting liquid waste with "3 percent" hydrogen peroxide before pickup by Veolia. Members Deb McEwen, Ralph Mele, Tim McGuire and Brad Parsons each voted yes, sending the recommendation to the Board of Health, which was expected to meet the following week.

Separately, the committee reviewed a location-change amendment from FTGen, an AAV gene therapy company moving from 155 Arlington Street to 200 Dexter Avenue, with IBC Chair Hong Duan confirming the company's research protocols are unchanged. Mele asked FTGen to submit a clearer floor plan showing how its two lab suites connect, and Parsons said no Board of Health referral was needed because "the science hasn't changed."

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Minutes
• Cellens Incorporated Biosafety Permit Review
• FTGen Location-Change Amendment
• Administrative Matters and Scheduling
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,607 words

Source: the Biosafety Committee meeting of August 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.