Biotech firm honored for innovation

Genaco founder to join HudsonAlpha Institute

Thursday, September 27, 2007

By BRIAN LAWSON

Times Business Writer, brian.lawson@htimes.com

A testing system, developed by a Huntsville biomedical products firm, that quickly detects the presence of infectious disease has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal in the newspaper's annual Technology Innovation Awards.

Genaco Biomedical Products, which was sold to Netherlands-based Qiagen last year, was the runner-up in the Journal's Medical-Biotech category. Genaco employs 17 people in Huntsville.

The Tem-PCR technology, developed by Genaco founder Dr. Jian Han, allows researchers and medical personnel to test for the presence of a number of infectious diseases from one test sample. The technology has been used in China for detection of avian flu and has been deployed in Singapore and Hong Kong, with an expected entry into India, said Genaco CEO Dennis Grimaud.

Grimaud said the company was glad to receive the national notice, which recognizes "the value of the technology" known as multiplexing.

Grimaud said Qiagen is looking to expand the markets for the technology, including hospitals, but the current focus is in detection of infectious disease.

The Tem-PCR molecular testing technology has been extensively reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is used in this country by researchers. Han said the product was recognized because of its high automation; that is, with a push of a button it can "deliver so beautifully" a test to identify a number of possible diseases.

While the expansion of Tem-PCR use is on the horizon, Han has decided to take on a new challenge, accepting a position as a principal investigator at Huntsville's HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

The institute is set to open in November. Han said he will remain a scientific consultant for technology development for Genaco.

Han said the common theme with his work at Genaco and his focus at HudsonAlpha is "the promised land of genomic technology, personalized medicine. That is either tailor-made drugs based on genetic makeup or the ability to make a diagnosis on a personal basis and deploy the best medicine available."

Han joins a team led by Jim Hudson, the institute's president and an original investor in Genaco, and Dr. Rick Myers, the institute's scientific director. Myers is leaving his position as head of the genetics department at Stanford University to oversee HudsonAlpha's research efforts.

"The mission statement of HudsonAlpha matches what I want to do, to speed up technology applications, the commercialization of genomic discoveries and education," Han said.

"That is what I've been working on for so many years."



Biotech firm honored for innovation Genaco founder to join HudsonAlpha Institute Thursday, September 27, 2007 By BRIAN LAWSON Times Business Writer, brian.lawson@htimes.com A testing system, developed by a Huntsville biomedical products firm, that quickly detects the presence of infectious disease has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal in the newspaper's annual Technology Innovation Awards. Genaco Biomedical Products, which was sold to Netherlands-based Qiagen last year, was the runner-up in the Journal's Medical-Biotech category. Genaco employs 17 people in Huntsville. The Tem-PCR technology, developed by Genaco founder Dr. Jian Han, allows researchers and medical personnel to test for the presence of a number of infectious diseases from one test sample. The technology has been used in China for detection of avian flu and has been deployed in Singapore and Hong Kong, with an expected entry into India, said Genaco CEO Dennis Grimaud. Grimaud said the company was glad to receive the national notice, which recognizes "the value of the technology" known as multiplexing. Grimaud said Qiagen is looking to expand the markets for the technology, including hospitals, but the current focus is in detection of infectious disease. The Tem-PCR molecular testing technology has been extensively reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is used in this country by researchers. Han said the product was recognized because of its high automation; that is, with a push of a button it can "deliver so beautifully" a test to identify a number of possible diseases. While the expansion of Tem-PCR use is on the horizon, Han has decided to take on a new challenge, accepting a position as a principal investigator at Huntsville's HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The institute is set to open in November. Han said he will remain a scientific consultant for technology development for Genaco. Han said the common theme with his work at Genaco and his focus at HudsonAlpha is "the promised land of genomic technology, personalized medicine. That is either tailor-made drugs based on genetic makeup or the ability to make a diagnosis on a personal basis and deploy the best medicine available." Han joins a team led by Jim Hudson, the institute's president and an original investor in Genaco, and Dr. Rick Myers, the institute's scientific director. Myers is leaving his position as head of the genetics department at Stanford University to oversee HudsonAlpha's research efforts. "The mission statement of HudsonAlpha matches what I want to do, to speed up technology applications, the commercialization of genomic discoveries and education," Han said. "That is what I've been working on for so many years." © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.