BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Research Institute, celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, announced today that it will join other Alabama life sciences leaders and industry advocates in the Alabama Pavilion (Booth #515) at the BIO 2006 Annual Meeting being held in Chicago, April 9-12. The emergence of avian flu is expected to be a big topic of discussion at BIO this year, and Southern Research and other Alabama colleagues will be prepared to share their expertise on this important public health issue.
“This year BIO is focusing on research areas that are very applicable to the work we do,” said Tina S. Rogers, Ph.D., vice president of the Drug Development Division at Southern Research. “While our track record in cancer drug discovery and development is firmly established, many may not realize the role Southern Research is currently playing in addressing emerging public health threats like influenza, including the H5N1 avian flu.”
Southern Research scientist Thomas Rowe, M.S., who previously conducted flu research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, will be in the Alabama Pavilion to talk about Southern Research’s unique capabilities in flu research, including its ability to conduct BSL-3 flu studies under GLP conditions, the addition of aerosol-challenge capabilities, and the recent $1.4 million federal grant received to develop HTS-assays for flu drug screening. Southern Research has also provided scientific support in a large federal flu vaccine study, the results of which were published in the most recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. (Volume 354, Issue 13: March 30, 2006)
“Flu researchers have been watching the potential emergence of the avian flu for some time; fortunately Southern Research, because of its extensive work in infectious diseases, was in a position to ramp up for flu studies very quickly,” said Rowe. “Given that we also have very unique capabilities, there has been a great deal of interest in what we can do to support drug and vaccine research efforts.”
In November 2005, Dow Biocides and Viragen, Inc. announced the results of H5N1 flu studies conducted for them by scientists at Southern Research.
“Southern Research is an outstanding example of how researchers in Alabama are on the forefront in contributing to the knowledge base regarding infectious diseases and public health issues,” said Angela Wier, vice president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama.
Wier, whose organization recently completed an inventory of influenza research and vaccine manufacturing capabilities in the state, says Alabama is well positioned in these areas, because of the experience and capabilities of Southern Research, Brookwood Pharmaceuticals, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, and the state’s prolific university research programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tuskegee University and Auburn University, for example.
Besides Southern Research, other representatives in the Alabama Pavilion are Auburn University; Aetos Technologies, Inc.; BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; the Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology; the University of South Alabama Cancer Research Institute, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Research Foundation, Open Biosystems, Inc.; and the Partnership for Biotechnology Research.
The Alabama Pavilion is sponsored by the Alabama Development Office, Alabama Power Co., the Biotechnology Association of Alabama, the City of Auburn, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, the Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Development Board (Birmingham), the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, ProEthic Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the UAB Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering.
About Southern Research
For more than 60 years, Birmingham, Ala.-based Southern Research Institute has provided contract research and testing services in preclinical drug discovery and development for many of the most well-established names in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Southern Research has an outstanding track record in helping to move proprietary and client compounds through the pipeline and into the clinic. This year, Southern Research celebrates its 65th Anniversary as a not-for-profit contract research organization. For more information about our capabilities, please visit www.southernresearch.org or call 1-800-967-6774.
Media Contact: Rhonda Jung, Southern Research, 205-581-2317, (cell 205-337-9634), jung@southernresearch.org.
Southern Research Institute
CONTACT: Rhonda Jung of Southern Research, +1-205-581-2317, or cell,+1-205-337-9634, or jung@southernresearch.org
Web site: http://www.southernresearch.org//
