Our Story
Varro Life Sciences was founded on a simple but urgent mission: to transform how the world detects and responds to airborne pathogens. By combining breakthroughs in nanobody science with rapid-response biosensors, Varro develops tools that make it possible to detect threats in real time, protecting lives, communities, and economies from disruption.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Varro chose to grow in a city known for its world-class life sciences ecosystem and thriving innovation community. The company’s recent expansion reflects both its commitment to advancing biotechnology and its confidence in St. Louis as a hub for talent, collaboration, and global impact. This location places Varro at the center of a strong network of researchers, healthcare leaders, and entrepreneurs driving the next generation of health innovation.
Partnership is central to Varro’s story. In close collaboration with researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and global research institutions, Varro accelerates discoveries from the laboratory into real-world solutions. These partnerships ensure that its technologies are not only scientifically rigorous but also adaptable across healthcare, agriculture, government, and public safety.
As Varro continues to grow, its story remains rooted in the belief that protecting air is protecting life, and that through science, collaboration, and innovation, the world can be made safer, healthier, and more resilient.
About Marcus Terentius Varro
Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome‘s greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as “the third great light of Rome” (after Virgil and Cicero).
Varro studied under the Roman philologist Lucius Aelius Stilo (died 74 BC), and later at Athens under the Academic philosopher Antiochus of Ascalon (died 68 BC). Varro proved a highly productive writer and turned out more than 74 Latin works on a variety of topics.
One noteworthy aspect of the work is his anticipation of microbiology and epidemiology. Varro warned his readers to avoid swamps and marshland, since in such areas
“…there are bred certain minute creatures which cannot be seen by the eyes, but which float in the air and enter the body through the mouth and nose and cause serious diseases.”
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