BIO Alabama focusing on future of bioscience industry in state

https://alabamanewscenter.com/2022/04/29/bio-alabama-focusing-on-future-of-bioscience-industry-in-state/

Madison Core Laboratories Announces Huntsville Laboratory Expansion

 

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Madison Core Laboratories (“MCL”) is pleased to announce the expansion of its clinical laboratory in Huntsville, Alabama. “This expansion increases our laboratory space by approximately 50 percent and will allow MCL to enhance its comprehensive diagnostic testing product lines and launch additional innovative services to better the lives of the patients we serve,” commented Carlo Crespo, MD, Chief Executive Officer.

 

Phase 1 of the Huntsville Lab expansion will be the integration of core laboratory services currently being performed in the Madison facility. These services include chemistry, hematology, coagulation, and urinalysis testing. By integrating these laboratory services into the Huntsville location, MCL will be able to achieve greater efficiencies and provide its clients and patients with expanded high-quality testing with faster turnaround times. The expanded laboratory footprint allowed for the immediate addition of several new instrumentation systems. Further automated instrumentation platforms will be added in the coming months.

 

This phase will also provide a new and larger area for specimen receipt, accessioning, and processing, and more space to support the growth of the Company’s onsite phlebotomy services. Current facility development also underway is the addition of administrative offices and a new streamlined laboratory storage system.

 

“Having our core laboratory team under the same roof as our molecular, microbiology, and toxicology teams will also provide a better work environment for our employees that supports greater communication, increased team collaboration, and opportunities for cross-training, and sharing collective intelligence. An added benefit is that our mobile phlebotomy team and courier services will now have a single specimen drop off-site instead of multiple locations. Increasing the capacities of our laboratory not only supports our geographic market expansion and testing services growth but with the expanded laboratory facility, MCL is positioned to participate in additional research and development opportunities as we will have research space and are near the Cummings Research Park,” Crespo stated.

 

Phase 1 of the Huntsville Lab expansion and Madison integration will be completed by the end of April. Phase II, the addition of administrative offices, is to be finalized by mid-to-late summer 2022.

 

MCL started patient testing in January 2016 in its Madison, Alabama location with a focus on meeting the laboratory needs dedicated to the elderly and long-term care patients. The Company acquired a pharmacogenomics lab in Huntsville in 2018 to expand its lab test menu and quickly pivoted to comprehensive pathogen detection using state-of-the-art molecular technologies. Over the past three years, MCL has rapidly become a major local/regional laboratory through diverse test offerings.

 

Madison Core Laboratories would like to thank the City of Madison for supporting a small business during its growth and looks forward to continuing to serve its community from the Huntsville Lab location at 2705 Artie Street SW in Huntsville, Alabama. Construction and move activities are planned to ensure no disruption in testing services will occur.

 

About Madison Core Laboratories

Madison Core Laboratories is one of the leading independent laboratories in Alabama. We provide extensive laboratory services using state-of-the-art testing equipment to provide our clients with the latest innovations in the laboratory spectrum. Our clients include physician offices, long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, homebound patients, and industrial/corporate testing needs. MCL is the only independent reference laboratory in the State of Alabama that offers mobile phlebotomy, molecular diagnostics, routine blood, urine, and toxicology testing all under one organization. The Company was recently recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in the Southeast Region.

Learn more at www.MadisonCoreLabs.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter @MadisonCoreLabs.

Company Contact:

Madison Core Laboratories, LLC

Martha Donze

Vice President, Strategy and Business Operations

MDonze@MadisonCoreLabs.com

 

gener8tor and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have launched a new startup business accelerator focused on advancements in the agriculture technology sector. 

The accelerator program will provide agriculture technology innovators with the coaching, capital and connections to take their ideas to new heights by investing in startups selected for the program through a fund managed by gener8tor.

The HudsonAlpha AgTech Accelerator Powered by gener8tor leverages HudsonAlpha’s deep experience in agriscience; specifically agriculture genomics, plant breeding and crop diversity; with gener8tor’s national network of mentors and investors, and Huntsville’s innate strengths as a technology hub. The program invests in the best and brightest startups tackling the challenges of sustainably feeding and powering a growing planet.

You can apply before July 16th here.

BIO Alabama is so excited to welcome one new director and three new executive committee members. 

Our new board director is Roger Graben, PhD. 

Roger Graben is a 35-year veteran of the pharmaceutical industry with a broad range of experience across all disciplines. He is currently the President of Vitruvias Therapeutics Inc., (www.vitruvias.com) a 9-year-old specialty company focused primarily on difficult Rx generic products. Roger’s industry experience includes board membership, corporate management, operations management, business development, and the list goes on! We know he will be a great asset to BIO Alabama.

Vivek Lal, MD; Michael Lynch; and Amy Sturdivant will join the executive committee.

Dr. C. Vivek Lal, M.D. is a physician, a scientist, and an entrepreneur based in Birmingham, AL. He is an Associate Professor of Neonatology, in the Department of Pediatrics at University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL (UAB), and the Director of UAB’s Pulomonary Microbiome Lab. He is the founder, CEO, and CSO of ResBiotic, Inc., and its subsidiaries. 

Michael Lynch is the CEO and cofounder of CHONEX, which helps farmers improve their soil and crop health. Most of his career has been spent developing solutions for rural communities, focusing on education, healthcare, and leadership development. He is Chair of the South Highland Presbyterian Church’s Mental Health Outreach Program and serves on the Oakworth Capital Market Board.

Currently serving as Managing Director for 58 INC | Shelby County EDC, Amy has more than 20 years of public and private sector work with communities in Alabama and Illinois. Her 5 years working to help attract and grow companiesat HudsonAlpha’s biotech campus in Huntsville ignited her passion to help Alabama economic developers grow the important biotech sector and the ecosystem to bolster its success.

BIO Alabama is poised to be a key player in state’s innovation economy

by Michael Tomberlin

Access the article here.

Video here.

HudsonAlpha Expands Executive Leadership Amid Rapid Growth

Dr. Neil Lamb to serve as President, Dr. Rick Myers to serve as Chief Scientific Officer

HUNTSVILLE, Ala — As HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology continues its rapid economic growth and advancements in genomics and life science research, the HudsonAlpha board of directors announced today the expansion of its executive leadership team. Richard Myers, PhD, current President and Science Director, will serve as HudsonAlpha’s new Chief Scientific Officer and President Emeritus. Neil Lamb, PhD, current Vice President for Educational Outreach, will serve as the new President of the Institute, effective July 1, 2022. 

Momentum from growth and campus expansions have driven the need for an expanded executive team to intelligently manage the workload, maintain the vision, and prime the organization for continued success in the future. The Institute is a global leader in using advanced genomic technologies to solve challenges related to human health and modern agriculture, while simultaneously engaging and preparing tomorrow’s bioscience workforce. According to a recent study, HudsonAlpha has generated $3.2 billion economic impact for the state of Alabama between 2006 and 2020, with an increase of $750 million during 2019-2020. The campus is home to more than 1,100 employees and 48 associate life science companies.

 

“Rick Myers and Neil Lamb have been critical to the success, innovation, and growth we’ve seen since Lonnie McMillian and I first launched HudsonAlpha,” said Jim Hudson, HudsonAlpha co-founder and chairman of the board. “With Neil’s vision and work ethic leading the organization along with the innovative research led by Rick, we are truly poised to amplify our work as HudsonAlpha’s reach and impact continue to grow.”

Dr. Rick Myers has been with HudsonAlpha since its doors opened in 2008, serving as President and Science Director, and as the M. A. Loya Chair in Genomics since 2020. Dr. Myers came to HudsonAlpha from Stanford’s Human Genome Center, where he led a team that was a major contributor to the Human Genome Project—the international research effort that sequenced the entire human genome. Today at HudsonAlpha, researchers under Dr. Myers’ leadership apply genomic technology to uncover the causes of human diseases and accelerate discoveries in plants and agriculture. As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Myers will devote his focus to scientific discovery, achievement, and momentum while providing strategic support and guidance to Dr. Lamb.

“At HudsonAlpha, our team is creating improvements for humankind everyday through research-based discoveries,” said Dr. Myers. “As we take our organization to the next level, it’s critical that we have the tools, resources, and team to continue advancing our research and applying our discoveries in the real world. It is this growth that drives my passion, gives me daily purpose, and excites me for our future. I truly believe the best is yet to come for HudsonAlpha.”

Dr. Neil Lamb came to HudsonAlpha in 2006 with a calling to share his passion for human genetics and biotechnology with others through education. He has led HudsonAlpha’s educational outreach team from conception, creating innovative teacher training and toolkits, student experiences, public enrichment, and digital resources that have reshaped how science education is now delivered. Throughout his tenure as Vice President for Educational Outreach, Dr. Lamb has been a public ambassador for HudsonAlpha and a strategic internal advisor helping guide the Institute’s growth. As President, he will now drive the strategic vision and lead day-to-day operations for the entire organization.

"Rick Myers is not only a close friend and mentor, but the person who introduced me to Jim Hudson and co-founder Lonnie McMillian in the early days of HudsonAlpha," said Dr. Lamb. “I would not be here if it weren't for Rick. He has positioned HudsonAlpha for continued growth and success, and I share his vision and excitement for the possibilities of the future. This expansion of our executive team will allow us to focus more resources on our mission and expand our local, regional, and global impact for years to come.”

HudsonAlpha and resident associate companies co-located on the biotech campus in Cummings Research Park (CRP) have continued to expand their footprint in multiple sectors across the biosciences including research, testing and medical labs, pharmaceuticals, agriculture feedstock and chemicals, technology development and medical devices and equipment. The HudsonAlpha campus continues to expand, with new construction underway on a 13,000 square foot agricultural space and a 96,000 square foot global headquarters for resident associate company Discovery Life Sciences.

With this executive expansion, HudsonAlpha will be seeking a new Vice President for Educational Outreach. Find more information in the coming days at www.hudsonalpha.org. 

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About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to developing and applying scientific advances to health, agriculture, learning, and commercialization. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park. The state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. HudsonAlpha is a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education and fosters more than 48 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit hudsonalpha.org.

BIO Alabama's CEO, Rachel Lane, PhD was appointed to the University of Alabama's Center for Convergent Bioscience and Medicine (CCBM) Scientific Advisory Board. 

CCBM is dedicated to the convergence of bioscience and medicine with chemical, biological, physical, mathematical, and engineering disciplines. This collaborative approach will overcome obstacles in drug development to bridge the preclinical and clinical divide. 

"I am honored to be a member of this advisory board and to serve with such distinguished scientists who represent various disciplines but one goal: a collaborative approach to improving the human condition through science," said Lane. "Alabama in general, and the University of Alabama specifically, are fortunate to have the vision and energy of Ravi Kumar, PhD leading this charge in our state."

Jason Rupp joins the Acclinate team

Jason brings 20 years of experience to lead Acclinate’s business development

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Acclinate hires Jason Rupp as Head of Business Development effective January 20, 2022. Rupp brings nearly 20 years of business development experience to the company. 

Before joining Acclinate, Rupp was President of Southeast Life Sciences (SLS), a trade association dedicated to supporting the life science community in the southeast. Among his many accomplishments at SLS, Rupp led the launch of SE Color, a division of SLS dedicated to advancing the issue of lack of diversity in clinical trials. Prior to his tenure as SLS, Rupp led business development for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)and AdvaMed in Washington, DC. 

Acclinate is committed to health equity through inclusive research. The addition of Rupp will ensure fairness in clinical trials that leads to better science and creates the potential to reduce health disparities. “Since launching the Diversity& Inclusion initiatives at SLS, I’ve learned the critical need to diversify our clinical trials,” Rupp said, “The opportunity to help address this need at Acclinate is truly an honor.” 

“Jason’s business development experience, industry connections, and demonstrated focus on clinical trial diversity make him an ideal addition to our growing team,” said Del Smith, Acclinate’s CEO and co-founder.

Mr. Rupp has a master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University.

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About Acclinate™

Acclinate™ is a Birmingham-based, digital health company helping pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations access and engage communities of color, so research is more inclusive.

CONTACT

Tiffany Whitlow

256-435-2800 

tiffany@acclinate.com                                                                          

CERFLUX Receives $100,000 BCRFA Innovation Award

Contact: Kathleen A. Lovelady | kal@CerFlux.com | https://CerFlux.com

(Photographer Dustin Massey – Dustin Massey Studios)
L-R: Dr. Lizhong Wang; Dr. Selvarangan Ponnazhagan; Dr. Rajeev Samant; Dr. Ahmed Elkhanany; Dr. Barry Sleckman; Ms. Beth Bradner Davis; Dr. Jamil Saad; Ms. Laura Hinton; Dr. Karim Budhwani; Dr. Laura Rogers; Dr. Lalita Shevde-Samant; Dr. Xu Feng

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA) has awarded CerFlux $100,000 Innovation award to fast-track research and development of the CerFlux Personalized Oncology Efficacy Test (POET)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., (December 6, 2021) – CerFlux, Inc., creators of advanced personalized medicine technology for identifying the most efficient and effective treatments for each cancer patient on an individualized basis, announced the receipt of a $100,000 grant from the BCRFA. Funding from this grant will help bolster research, development, and lab-to-life translation of its low-cost, rapid Personalized Oncology Efficacy Test (POET).

More than 3.8 million women in the US have a history of breast cancer. This year an estimated 281,550 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the US. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama supports innovative research that will help improve outcomes of patients with breast cancer. Since 1996, they have contributed almost $12 million dollars to breast cancer research. Despite the impact of COVID-19, BCRFA donated their largest amount to date. CerFlux is honored to have their support in their mission to #CrushCancer.

What makes BCRFA support for CerFlux particularly noteworthy is the focus on lab-to-life translation of technological breakthroughs like POET in transforming cancer treatment around the world. Today, less than 3% of funded research makes such a lab-to-life leap. Further, while extensive biopharma research makes new treatment options available, the lack of tools to quickly select the right treatment for each patient on a personalized basis creates a frustrating dilemma in clinical decision-making. This is because every tumor is unique in its makeup and its response to treatment.

Without personalized predictive tools like POET, treatment is based on generalized parameters such as age, disease stage, etc. often leading to a mismatch between treatments and tumors. Consequently, about 75% of patients – nearly 3 out of 4 – must endure first line chemotherapy which turns out to be ineffective because the treatment regimen does not match the patient’s tumor. This results in lost time and a substantial physical, emotional, and financial burden.

CerFlux POET addresses this critical, urgent, and unmet need for accessible and affordable predictive technologies that identify optimal therapy regimens and strategically eliminate ineffective options. With BCRFA support, CerFlux is developing bioreactor technology to identify the most promising treatment strategies on a personalized basis using biopsy tissue from the patient’s own tumor. CerFlux already holds five patents on this technology with another five patents pending.

“Accounts of cancer date back some 5,000 years and yet, “slash, poison, and burn” continue to remain predominant approaches to treatment. Knives, salts, pastes, and heavy metals of the past have evolved into surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and combinations of the three. Despite recent advances in the field, socioeconomic impact of cancer continues to spiral out of control with 42% of patients depleting their entire life savings in just 2 years from diagnosis. Developing better tools for cancer treatment is not merely an intellectual exercise or business driver, but a mandate for us. We have designed our patented technology so that it can be applied across the cancer care continuum: POET to better match treatments to tumors and PEER (Preclinical Estimate Efficacy Report) to predict clinical success of new therapies still under development at pharmaceutical companies. Our goal is to transform both discovery and delivery of cancer treatment,” explains CerFlux CEO Dr. Karim Budhwani.

"The BCRFA is pleased to again support the promising research being conducted by the CerFlux team," said Beth Bradner Davis, Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. "Our organization's core mission is to find and fund projects that have a deep impact on breast cancer patients in Alabama and around the globe. CerFlux Personalized Oncology Efficacy Test (POET) is making great advances in treatment for cancer patients. We are proud to continue our partnership."

Predictive technologies like POET – that match each patient with the right treatment regimen BEFORE treatment is administered – will transform cancer treatment in the near-term and make a difference in the lives of patients and their families, as well as providers around the world.

About CerFlux, Inc.

CerFlux, Inc., a Birmingham, Alabama, based biotech company, is creating advanced, personalized medicine solutions to rapidly identify the most effective cancer treatments for each patient on an individualized basis. While breakthroughs in biopharma discovery are helping to produce a library of treatment options, many new therapeutics are becoming more specialized and therefore effective for smaller populations. This underscores an even greater need for matching treatments to tumors on an individualized basis; ironically, cancer is a ubiquitous rare disease. Our goal is to build solutions that quickly and clearly separate optimal from ineffective options, so clinical teams can successfully treat the disease, thereby improving treatment outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients.

Additional Information

To request collateral materials for publication or to schedule interviews with principals from CerFlux, Inc., please contact Ms. Kathleen A. Lovelady at kal@CerFlux.com for availability.

UAB Biotech Startup, Reliant Glycosciences, Enables Treatment for IgA Nephropathy

Birmingham, AL / October 2021– Reliant Glycosciences, LLC (Reliant) is pleased to report its successful completion of a $200,000 Phase I SBIR Grant from the NIH. This grant has enabled Reliant to initiate the process of translating their proprietary biomarker tests for a kidney disease, IgA nephropathy (IgAN), to the clinical setting. Biomarkers are biological molecules in blood or tissues that can indicate normal or abnormal processes or a specific disease. Since its spin-off from UAB at the recommendation of Dr. Selwyn Vickers, Dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, Reliant’s initial focus has been to provide measurements of potential disease-specific biomarkers for ongoing IgAN clinical trials.

The Reliant team

Reliant was formed in 2016 with the mission of enabling development of transformative and targeted treatments for IgAN by providing a means to characterize disease-specific biomarkers. The biotechnology company, located in Birmingham, AL, focuses on developing diagnostic and prognostic tools for patients with IgAN. IgAN, one of the most common forms of glomerulonephritis in the world, affects more than 150,000 Americans and is even more prevalent in other countries. Glomerulonephritides are diseases that injure glomeruli, the part of the kidney that filters waste products from the blood. Several of the Reliant founders helped define IgAN as an autoimmune disease wherein kidneys are injured as innocent bystanders.

The company was founded by Drs. Bruce Julian, Jan Novak, Matt Renfrow, Will Placzek, and Dana Risk as a spinout company from UAB. The founders serve on the advisory board for the company. The company has taken advantage of the Discovery BioMed incubator headed by Dr. Erik Schwiebert, an established biotech entrepreneur in the Birmingham area. The company now has one full-time scientist and one full-time administrative employee. Janusz Tucholski, Ph.D. is the Lead Scientist at Reliant and served as the PI on the Phase I SBIR grant. He received his Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland in Biochemistry. Dr. Tucholski guides and leads IgAN biomarker assays for Reliant. Tatum Street, MBA is the Communications Manager at Reliant. She received her MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is the team’s most recent hire, focusing on the internal and external communications of the company.

As stated by one of the founders, Matt Renfrow, “Reliant Glycosciences started with the goal of getting the IgA nephropathy biomarker assays developed in Dr. Novak’s laboratory out to the market for wider use. The UAB Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship helped us make that happen through the licensing agreement and by becoming partners with us in the endeavor. We have a working team of experts, advisors, and scientists in the company that have successfully made these assays available for use by biopharmaceutical companies. The ultimate goal is to get these assays into nephrologists’ hands so they can monitor and better treat patients with IgA nephropathy.”

To learn more about Reliant Glycosciences, see their website at

https://www.reliantglycosciences.com/

Written by: Tatum Street

Updated 11/17/21