A Spanish biotechnology firm has invested $150,000 to put its North American office in Atlanta.

Sepmag Technologies, which makes equipment that uses magnetic fields to separate and purify cellular material in bulk quantities, hopes to create sales and engineering jobs as it grows here. Sepmag technology is used for in vitro diagnostic testing and other biotechnology applications, according to a Georgia Department of Economic Development news release. 

The company opened the North America branch in December to be near Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, according to a Jan. 8 notice on its Web site. 

Sepmag decided on Georgia over other East Coast locations after attending the BIO International conference in Atlanta last May. Company leaders met with Georgia economic officials and observed a "strong Georgia nanotechnology and biotech cluster," said Lluis Martinez, Sepmag's CEO. 

For more information, visit www.sepmag.com.

2010 The Agio Press, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without expressed permission.