Biotech institute gets chief

HudsonAlpha hires Stanford genetics director

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

By BRIAN LAWSON

Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com

Dr. Richard Myers, chairman of Stanford University's department of genetics and a Tuscaloosa native, has been named the scientific director of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

Myers will be formally introduced today by Gov. Bob Riley at a ceremony at Adtran Inc., near the site where the institute is being readied for its November opening.

Myers directs Stanford's Human Genome Center and has had a long association with HudsonAlpha President Jim Hudson.

"People have asked me why I'm doing this," Myers said during a recent interview. "I'm proud of what I helped to build at Stanford, but I was drawn to the vision of this institute. What Jim has created so far is very, very ambitious and he wants to do things that are very hard to do.

"I want to be in a place that makes a big, positive impact on the world."

Myers will continue at Stanford for the next year, completing commitments on projects, the institute said, while serving in a consulting role here. He will begin full-time work at the institute in fall 2008.

Hudson said he wanted a scientific director who was one of the leaders of the Human Genome Project, which mapped the genes in human DNA. Myers and Hudson were both part of the project, and Hudson said Myers was the top of his list of candidates.

"It's a matter of the perfect candidate finding the perfect opportunity to come home and build something unique, exciting and special," Riley said in a statement. "I firmly believe Dr. Myers will drive major contributions to the state, the country and humanity."

The institute's focus will include examining how a person's genetic makeup affects areas such as disease and possible treatments.

'Help solve problems'

The HudsonAlpha Institute was announced in August 2005, backed by $80 million in private contributions and $50 million in state funds. Hudson, Huntsville's biotech pioneer, envisions an institute that combines top researchers working for the institute's nonprofit component and also collaborating with some of the 10 biotechnology companies that will also call the institute home. The building housing the institute is 270,000 square feet and features an open set-up designed to encourage interaction among scientists.

Myers said that structure will provide tremendous freedom and opportunity.

"It will be sort of like an academic institution and entrepreneurial," he said. "But we don't want it to be just applied science. We want to make discoveries and answer scientific questions. Our mission will be to help solve problems."

'After world's best'

The institute will focus on whole-genome-based research, Hudson said, which he called the future of medicine. The work will be done using the map laid out in the Human Genome Project.

That project, with all its success, also marked the beginning of a new field of research, Myers said. The task of understanding a person's genetic sequence and what roles our genes play leaves plenty of work to be done, he said.

"They are going to be doing this kind of work for the next century," Myers said.

Myers, a graduate of the University of Alabama, is also a believer in collaborative research, which he said is essential in genomic work, though discouraged in academic circles. He said the interdisciplinary approach, combining biology with fields such as physics, computer science, statistics, epidemiology and social science, is needed to understand the genetic diversity in humans and other species.

Myers, the subject of an intense recruiting effort by Hudson, is now helping lead the search to hire the institute's top researchers.

"We're going after the world's best," Myers said.

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 also 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.



Biotech institute gets chief HudsonAlpha hires Stanford genetics director Wednesday, September 12, 2007 By BRIAN LAWSON Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com Dr. Richard Myers, chairman of Stanford University's department of genetics and a Tuscaloosa native, has been named the scientific director of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Myers will be formally introduced today by Gov. Bob Riley at a ceremony at Adtran Inc., near the site where the institute is being readied for its November opening. Myers directs Stanford's Human Genome Center and has had a long association with HudsonAlpha President Jim Hudson. "People have asked me why I'm doing this," Myers said during a recent interview. "I'm proud of what I helped to build at Stanford, but I was drawn to the vision of this institute. What Jim has created so far is very, very ambitious and he wants to do things that are very hard to do. "I want to be in a place that makes a big, positive impact on the world." Myers will continue at Stanford for the next year, completing commitments on projects, the institute said, while serving in a consulting role here. He will begin full-time work at the institute in fall 2008. Hudson said he wanted a scientific director who was one of the leaders of the Human Genome Project, which mapped the genes in human DNA. Myers and Hudson were both part of the project, and Hudson said Myers was the top of his list of candidates. "It's a matter of the perfect candidate finding the perfect opportunity to come home and build something unique, exciting and special," Riley said in a statement. "I firmly believe Dr. Myers will drive major contributions to the state, the country and humanity." The institute's focus will include examining how a person's genetic makeup affects areas such as disease and possible treatments. 'Help solve problems' The HudsonAlpha Institute was announced in August 2005, backed by $80 million in private contributions and $50 million in state funds. Hudson, Huntsville's biotech pioneer, envisions an institute that combines top researchers working for the institute's nonprofit component and also collaborating with some of the 10 biotechnology companies that will also call the institute home. The building housing the institute is 270,000 square feet and features an open set-up designed to encourage interaction among scientists. Myers said that structure will provide tremendous freedom and opportunity. "It will be sort of like an academic institution and entrepreneurial," he said. "But we don't want it to be just applied science. We want to make discoveries and answer scientific questions. Our mission will be to help solve problems." 'After world's best' The institute will focus on whole-genome-based research, Hudson said, which he called the future of medicine. The work will be done using the map laid out in the Human Genome Project. That project, with all its success, also marked the beginning of a new field of research, Myers said. The task of understanding a person's genetic sequence and what roles our genes play leaves plenty of work to be done, he said. "They are going to be doing this kind of work for the next century," Myers said. Myers, a graduate of the University of Alabama, is also a believer in collaborative research, which he said is essential in genomic work, though discouraged in academic circles. He said the interdisciplinary approach, combining biology with fields such as physics, computer science, statistics, epidemiology and social science, is needed to understand the genetic diversity in humans and other species. Myers, the subject of an intense recruiting effort by Hudson, is now helping lead the search to hire the institute's top researchers. "We're going after the world's best," Myers said. 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 also 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. © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.