NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Biotechnology Association (TBA) announced plans today to relocate its headquarters to the Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET) life sciences facility in downtown Nashville. Joe Rolwing, director of the Life Sciences Center, has also been elected to serve as TBA's executive director.
The TBA is a statewide advocacy group dedicated to promoting and further advancing the biotechnology industry in Tennessee. The move makes the TBA the eighth tenant in the CET incubator, which provides office, research and laboratory space to companies in an effort to bring new biomedical technologies and products to the marketplace.
"We are extremely pleased to welcome the Tennessee Biotechnology Association to our Life Sciences Center," said A.J. Kazimi, chief executive officer of CET and Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. "The facility offers TBA an environment where it will have direct contact with its constituency. We look forward to the opportunity to expand our support of the TBA and the biotech industry as a whole."
The TBA and CET share the goal of facilitating the development of the biotech industry, as well as the local economy, by capitalizing on opportunities and resources in the area. With important research centers like Vanderbilt University Medical Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the state has significant room for growth in translating research and technologies from the clinician's lab to the commercial marketplace and, ultimately, patient use.
"Tennessee has the intellectual capital, managerial experience and entrepreneurial spirit needed to develop a vibrant biotech industry," said James McElroy, chairman of the Tennessee Biotechnology Association. "We look forward to combining our resources with those of CET to continue to develop our region's strengths in order to establish our state as a leader in biotechnology."
The TBA is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to promote and support the welfare of the life sciences in Tennessee. The organization, formed in 1998, has more than 150 members statewide, including universities, life science companies, researchers, academicians and business professionals. For more information on the TBA, please visit http://www.tnbio.org/ .
CET, a joint initiative between Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation, was formed to bring biomedical technologies and products from our region to the commercial marketplace. CET ( http://www.cet-fund.com/ ) helps manage the development process for researchers, companies and non-profit institutions, providing expertise on intellectual property, regulatory, manufacturing and other issues critical to the success of early-stage technologies. CET established its life sciences center to provide entrepreneurs with equipment, infrastructure, and flexible lab and office space, with close proximity to sources of research and support.
Cumberland Emerging TechnologiesCONTACT: Rebecca Kirkham of Lovell Communications, +1-615-297-7766