Startup develops method to test effects of chemicals on brain

Neurosetta LLC, a Madison startup led by a UW–Madison researcher, is developing a method for testing the effect of certain chemicals on the human brain and spinal cord development, according to a recent release. CEO and co-founder Randolph Ashton is an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the university and says the company’s RosetteArray platform “will transform risk assessment and drug discovery for neurodevelopmental disorders.” Ashton says there are thousands of agricultural and industrial chemicals released into the market with essentially no data on how they affect the human brain and spinal cord development. Some chemicals can lead to higher rates of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, spina bifida, and Huntington’s disease.