Hudson-Alpha 'in home stretch'

Sunday, July 08, 2007

By BRIAN LAWSON

Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

Potential director has committed; researchers ready

With 75 percent of the work completed, a director choice committed, an opening date in sight and some world-class investigators signed up, the waiting may the hardest part for Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology President Jim Hudson.

The 270,000-square-foot institute is scheduled to open in November, about a month later than first projected, but within 20 months of the groundbreaking on a building that is unique in design, requires a vast array of technical and laboratory capabilities and is aimed to foster interaction between the scientists and companies it will house.

"We are really in the home stretch now. It feels good," said Hudson, the Huntsville biotechnology pioneer who has led the development of the institute, which will combine some $80 million in private investor money and $50 million in state contributions. "It's good to see it taking shape every day."

The institute in Cummings Research Park broke ground in January 2006 and now has 325 workers engaged in the building's construction.

Along with the work going on outside, Hudson is aggressively pursuing talent to work within the institute's walls, successfully recruiting two of the four principal investigators he'd like to have around the time the institute opens. Hudson also has received a commitment from the person he wants to run the institute as director. Hudson is not ready to identify the director choice, but an announcement is expected soon.

The pursuit of top scientific talent takes some creativity, Hudson said: They are being recruited to serve on the ground floor of an institute and really, a biotech community, that is in its developmental stages.

"The idea of being part of a new institute is a selling point," Hudson said. "Asking them to locate in an area where there is no previous track record is the biggest challenge. But each person we've brought here has found Huntsville amazing. We are looking for the best people in this field, and they are typically based at academic institutions. That means we are asking them to leave tenure behind.

"But we're offering them twice the lab space they have now, making a five-year commitment to their projects rather than the standard three years and allowing them to concentrate strictly on research."

Hudson's vision for the institute includes housing 10 or so biotech companies on one side of the facility with the other occupied by the nonprofit biotech research institute. The building's design is aimed at a key mission for the institute: Bring together companies and researchers for the development of biotech products that eventually can be brought to market.

The state's commitment to the project was based in part on spurring the development of biotech work in Alabama and the economic impact of bringing in a number of high-paying scientific jobs to the state.

Hudson expects the research facility to open with about 45 employees, including four principal investigators, and that will expand over the next two years to 100 to 120 researchers. He expects the institute side to top out with abut 150 employees.

There are 10 companies set to move into the facility, and they will begin with about 200 employees total. Hudson said that number will increase to 450 to 500 over the next three years.

Biotechnology covers a vast array of possible areas of concentration, but Hudson said the institute will focus on sequence-based biology, which uses the DNA mapping done by the Human Genome Project, to examine how DNA and RNA sequences change. Hudson said there are consistent changes in DNA sequencing that are a "little bit unexpected," and he wants to focus on that area to see how those sequences affect areas such as disease.

"This is just going to be a killer environment," Hudson said. "Technically the space is full, though we may add a couple of one- or two-person companies. I'm feeling really good."



Hudson-Alpha 'in home stretch' Sunday, July 08, 2007 By BRIAN LAWSON Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com Potential director has committed; researchers ready With 75 percent of the work completed, a director choice committed, an opening date in sight and some world-class investigators signed up, the waiting may the hardest part for Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology President Jim Hudson. The 270,000-square-foot institute is scheduled to open in November, about a month later than first projected, but within 20 months of the groundbreaking on a building that is unique in design, requires a vast array of technical and laboratory capabilities and is aimed to foster interaction between the scientists and companies it will house. "We are really in the home stretch now. It feels good," said Hudson, the Huntsville biotechnology pioneer who has led the development of the institute, which will combine some $80 million in private investor money and $50 million in state contributions. "It's good to see it taking shape every day." The institute in Cummings Research Park broke ground in January 2006 and now has 325 workers engaged in the building's construction. Along with the work going on outside, Hudson is aggressively pursuing talent to work within the institute's walls, successfully recruiting two of the four principal investigators he'd like to have around the time the institute opens. Hudson also has received a commitment from the person he wants to run the institute as director. Hudson is not ready to identify the director choice, but an announcement is expected soon. The pursuit of top scientific talent takes some creativity, Hudson said: They are being recruited to serve on the ground floor of an institute and really, a biotech community, that is in its developmental stages. "The idea of being part of a new institute is a selling point," Hudson said. "Asking them to locate in an area where there is no previous track record is the biggest challenge. But each person we've brought here has found Huntsville amazing. We are looking for the best people in this field, and they are typically based at academic institutions. That means we are asking them to leave tenure behind. "But we're offering them twice the lab space they have now, making a five-year commitment to their projects rather than the standard three years and allowing them to concentrate strictly on research." Hudson's vision for the institute includes housing 10 or so biotech companies on one side of the facility with the other occupied by the nonprofit biotech research institute. The building's design is aimed at a key mission for the institute: Bring together companies and researchers for the development of biotech products that eventually can be brought to market. The state's commitment to the project was based in part on spurring the development of biotech work in Alabama and the economic impact of bringing in a number of high-paying scientific jobs to the state. Hudson expects the research facility to open with about 45 employees, including four principal investigators, and that will expand over the next two years to 100 to 120 researchers. He expects the institute side to top out with abut 150 employees. There are 10 companies set to move into the facility, and they will begin with about 200 employees total. Hudson said that number will increase to 450 to 500 over the next three years. Biotechnology covers a vast array of possible areas of concentration, but Hudson said the institute will focus on sequence-based biology, which uses the DNA mapping done by the Human Genome Project, to examine how DNA and RNA sequences change. Hudson said there are consistent changes in DNA sequencing that are a "little bit unexpected," and he wants to focus on that area to see how those sequences affect areas such as disease. "This is just going to be a killer environment," Hudson said. "Technically the space is full, though we may add a couple of one- or two-person companies. I'm feeling really good." © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.