Biotech institute to open in September

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

By BRIAN LAWSON

Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

$130 million project to house 8 to 10 companies initially

The Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology expects to open for business in September, institute President Jim Hudson said Tuesday.

The institute, in Cummings Research Park, will be home to eight to 10 companies at its opening, Hudson said Tuesday while addressing the Alabama Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research annual meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The $130 million project, which combines private and state resources and will house nonprofit research teams and for-profit companies and about 900 total employees, is moving forward quickly, Hudson said. He effectively created the biotech sector in Huntsville through his former company, Research Genetics.

The institute was announced in August 2005.

In addressing the future, Hudson cited recent history to imagine what is possible.

Hudson described the role that Research Genetics played in assisting the Human Genome Project, which mapped the human genome - all of a human's hereditary information - in 13 years. Hudson said Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA, credited the Research Genetics team with saving the project two years of work.

"How could a small company in Alabama play such an important role? It's a continuation of the same old, 'can-do, no-nonsense spirit' that took us to the moon," Hudson said.

"For biology, mapping the genome was just as exciting as the race to the moon."

Hudson said that the genomic field is still new and that there is no one center dominant in its research. He said Huntsville has a chance to play a major role.

The nonprofit research facility will pursue various investigations in the field of human genomics, related to treating and recognizing disease and other applications. Hudson said the nonprofit researchers are not obliged to collaborate with the for-profit companies, but he hopes that initial discoveries by the institute's investigators can be turned into successful products by the companies.

Hudson said one of the institute's investigators has done significant work in multigene diseases. He said heart disease and diabetes, for example, are diseases that require a number of genes to develop. Dr. Tom Hodge, an institute investigator, has identified some of the genes that are essential for HIV to form.

Hudson said identifying the genes is a key step in the possible development of a drug to treat the related disease.

He said the institute is busy recruiting researchers.



Biotech institute to open in September Wednesday, February 14, 2007 By BRIAN LAWSON Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com $130 million project to house 8 to 10 companies initially The Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology expects to open for business in September, institute President Jim Hudson said Tuesday. The institute, in Cummings Research Park, will be home to eight to 10 companies at its opening, Hudson said Tuesday while addressing the Alabama Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research annual meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The $130 million project, which combines private and state resources and will house nonprofit research teams and for-profit companies and about 900 total employees, is moving forward quickly, Hudson said. He effectively created the biotech sector in Huntsville through his former company, Research Genetics. The institute was announced in August 2005. In addressing the future, Hudson cited recent history to imagine what is possible. Hudson described the role that Research Genetics played in assisting the Human Genome Project, which mapped the human genome - all of a human's hereditary information - in 13 years. Hudson said Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA, credited the Research Genetics team with saving the project two years of work. "How could a small company in Alabama play such an important role? It's a continuation of the same old, 'can-do, no-nonsense spirit' that took us to the moon," Hudson said. "For biology, mapping the genome was just as exciting as the race to the moon." Hudson said that the genomic field is still new and that there is no one center dominant in its research. He said Huntsville has a chance to play a major role. The nonprofit research facility will pursue various investigations in the field of human genomics, related to treating and recognizing disease and other applications. Hudson said the nonprofit researchers are not obliged to collaborate with the for-profit companies, but he hopes that initial discoveries by the institute's investigators can be turned into successful products by the companies. Hudson said one of the institute's investigators has done significant work in multigene diseases. He said heart disease and diabetes, for example, are diseases that require a number of genes to develop. Dr. Tom Hodge, an institute investigator, has identified some of the genes that are essential for HIV to form. Hudson said identifying the genes is a key step in the possible development of a drug to treat the related disease. He said the institute is busy recruiting researchers. © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.