Anton Iliuk never expected to be an entrepreneur.

Now, the former Purdue University biochemistry students doctoral project to develop new technology that can help pinpoint potential targets for cancer therapy has transformed into a growing startup in Purdue Research Park.

Iliuks former adviser, biochemistry associate professor W. Andy Tao, is his business partner.

Most science majors have two paths, Iliuk said. One is academia. One is industry. This is the path less traveled. Im not a business guy.

But the companys first product, PolyMAC, still managed to generate sales of nearly $50,000 in five months for his company, Tymora Analytical Operations LLC.

Id like to turn this into a multimillion-dollar company, Iliuk said. If you dont believe, nobody else will.

Iliuk, the companys president and chief technology officer, said a realistic goal for next year would be to double the sales of PolyMAC, which analyzes tissue modification on a cellular level.

You send in a fishing net, you try to pick up everything there is, sort through it and see what has changed from normal tissue to cancer tissue, Iliuk said.

The next step for Tymora is to get its next product, pIMAGO, to market. Iliuk said the goal of pIMAGO is to cut the cost associated with the early stages of drug development by showing which drugs will be more effective.

Its sort of a launch pad, Iliuk said. Were trying to improve the way people do lab research.

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Purdue grad hopes to grow Tymora startup into 'multimillion-dollar company'