Year: 2015

Southern Research to Host Birmingham Innovation Week Events

Posted on August 18, 2015

Bham
Birmingham Innovation Week is an annual celebration of innovation in Birmingham, Alabama. Throughout the week, at various venues, speaking and networking events take place all over the city, featuring the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs, supporters, and catalysts that drive local progress. This year, Birmingham Innovation Week is Aug. 31 – Sept. 4, 2015, and Southern Research is pleased to host two events in conjunction with this unique initiative.

Join us Wednesday, September 2, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. at our Engineering Research Facility for a lively session about Southern Research, featuring leading Southern Research scientists and engineers. Each speaker represents our four divisions – drug discovery, drug development, engineering, and energy and environment – as well as our newest medical devices initiative AIMTech. Contact Southern Research Director, External Affairs Watson Donald to sign up for this event.

Speaker Line Up

3:30-4:00 – Art Tipton – President and CEO

4:00-4:10 – Jim Tucker – Director, Materials Research (Engineering Division)

4:10-4:20 – Michelle Valderas – Senior Project Leader (Drug Development Division)

4:20-4:30 – Corey Tyree – Director, AL Energy and Environment (Energy & Environment Division)

4:30-4:40 – John Gerdes – Senior Research Fellow (Drug Discovery Division)

4:40-4:50 – Bob Hergenrother – Director, Alliance for Innovative Medical Technology (Medical Devices)

4:50-5:00 – Closing / Final Q&A

Make sure to stick around afterward, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., for the Birmingham Business Alliance Business@Sunset event, sponsored by America’s First Federal Credit Union. Enjoy drinks and appetizers, networking, and view the Southeastern Solar Research Center. Register now for this event.

Our Engineering Research Facility is located at 757 Tom Martin Drive, Birmingham, AL 35211.

Southern Research Drug Discovery Continues J-1 Scholar Training Program

Posted on August 13, 2015
Shang Cai, of Soochow University in China, is currently conducting training in the oncology groups at Southern Research with Bo Xu, M.D., Ph.D., senior research fellow and chair, department of oncology.
Shang Cai, of Soochow University in China, is currently conducting training in the oncology groups at Southern Research with Bo Xu, M.D., Ph.D., senior research fellow and chair, department of oncology.

Since its founding in 1941, Southern Research has been actively participating in training the next generation of scientists. Various faculty members in Southern Research’s drug discovery division hold academic appointments in departments at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine. They also serve as training members of the UAB Graduate School.

Over the years, numerous graduate students have completed their doctoral thesis research in Southern Research labs. In addition, postdoctoral training is a major training mission in the drug discovery division. Many Southern Research postdoctoral trainees have advanced their scientific careers to become independent researchers in both academia and industry.

In October 2013, Southern Research, in collaboration with the American Immigration Council, initiated a J-1 Visa training program for international trainees. The program allows international interns and trainees to work in Southern Research labs for up to 18 months of training on biomedical research.

“Training international scholars further fulfils Southern Research’s mission of education and creates potential international collaborations for research in precision medicine in the future,” said Bo Xu, M.D., Ph.D., Southern Research’s cancer research department chairman.

Chunling Jiang, M.D., of Jiangxi Provincial Cancer Hospital in China, was the first to complete her one-year training in the oncology groups in fall 2014. Dr. Jiang is a seasoned radiation oncologist interested in developing novel approaches to helping cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. With bench-to-bedside training, she gained the knowledge and skills to conduct translational oncology research. Shang Cai, M.D. and Ph.D. candidate, from Soochow University in China is currently conducting training in the oncology groups at Southern Research.

For additional information about the program, contact Dr. Bo Xu, in the Southern Research Drug Discovery Oncology department.

Southern Research Awarded 5-Year, $4.5M NIH Grant to Develop Opioid Drugs with Diminished Side Effects

Posted on August 12, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – August 12, 2015 – Southern Research won a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health to develop opioid drugs for the treatment of chronic pain. These candidate compounds are being developed to have fewer adverse effects than currently marketed opioid pain-relief medications, such as morphine. The award is for $4.5 million for up to five years, under award number R01DA038635.

The funds will be applied to the discovery and development of improved therapeutic agents for the treatment of pain. Research will involve the design and synthesis of new compounds and their evaluation in vitro and in vivo to identify candidate compounds with potential for further development.

Chronic pain affects an estimated 100 million Americans. The economic burden of chronic pain in the U.S. was recently estimated at approximately $600 billion per year – greater than the combined annual cost of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Opioids are currently the most useful treatments available for moderate to severe acute and chronic pain, but their therapeutic use is limited due to their tendency to produce adverse side effects, including drowsiness, mental confusion, nausea, constipation, and respiratory depression. With longer term use, abuse is a factor including physical dependence, and addiction. Opioid medications include hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, codeine, and related drugs.

“There is a crucial, medical need for novel painkillers that are as effective as morphine, without the significant side effects,” said Subramaniam Ananthan, Ph.D., principal investigator and principal research scientist in drug discovery at Southern Research. “We recently discovered novel opioid compounds possessing analgesic activity with diminished propensity to induce tolerance. The goal of this grant will be to further the development of a potential compound with improved bioavailability for clinical development.”

The research will be led by Ananthan and performed by a team of scientists at Southern Research and the University of New England, with expertise in medicinal chemistry, molecular modeling, in vitro and in vivo opioid pharmacology, and drug metabolism/pharmacokinetics (DMPK).

“From our previous research, we have a better understanding of the neurobiology of opioid systems, pain, and addiction, and the scientists at Southern Research were able to synthesize lead molecules that interact with the opioid receptors in a novel way, providing pain relief, while having greatly reduced side effects,” said Edward Bilsky, Ph.D., University of New England vice president for research and scholarship and professor of pharmacology. “This new grant award from the National Institutes of Health is timely and critical for advancing the project towards the goal of having a clinical drug candidate for treatment of acute and chronic pain and will enable us to further refine these molecules and validate them for testing in humans.”

Bilsky has collaborated with Ananthan for over 20 years in the fields of opioid pharmacology, pain, and drug addiction.

“Dr. Ananthan is a highly-knowledgeable medicinal chemist with extensive experience in drug discovery and an exceptional publication record,” said Mark J. Suto, Ph.D., vice president of drug discovery at Southern Research. “The team of researchers is well qualified to handle this project, and they have a long-standing record of successful collaboration. I look forward to their progress.”

About Southern Research
Southern Research is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization with nearly 500 scientists and engineers working across four divisions: drug discovery, drug development, engineering, and energy and environment.

  • We’re developing 18 drugs to combat various forms of cancer, ALS, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, kidney disease, and Parkinson’s, among others.
  • We’ve developed seven FDA-approved cancer drugs.
  • We’re developing new medical devices.
  • We’re helping to launch manned missions to Mars.
  • We’re making the air and water cleaner here on Earth.

We work on behalf of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, major aerospace firms, utility companies, and other private and government organizations as we solve the world’s hardest problems.

Southern Research, founded in 1941, is headquartered in Birmingham with additional laboratories and offices in Wilsonville and Huntsville, Frederick, Maryland, Durham, North Carolina, Cartersville, Georgia, and Houston.

Southern Research Helps Power Plants Meet New Mercury Emission Standards

Posted on August 10, 2015

Southern Research’s Mercury Research Center in Birmingham is helping power plants, fuel suppliers, and technology suppliers meet new mercury emission standards that went into effect earlier this year.

The Mercury Research Center began operations for the first time in Birmingham this week. It’s the only testing facility of its kind in the world.

It’s geared towards helping companies meet the federal emission standard of 1.2 pounds of mercury per trillion BTU’s (1.2 lb./TBtu) that was imposed last April.

“The two biggest benefits we offer customers is convenience and a controlled test environment that mimics full-scale operations,” said Southern Research Director Corey Tyree, Ph.D. “We can test a wide variety of fuels at different process conditions, and we can do it based on our client’s scheduling needs. That faster turnaround time can save our clients money because they’re getting the important information they need in just a few weeks.”

The new emission standards apply to coal-fired power plants, which produce 38 percent of the electricity in the United States and 40 percent of the world’s electricity, according to the World Coal Association.

Coal is a fossil fuel that needs to be cleaned because it contains mercury, which can cause potential health problems.

This week, Southern Research began testing for one client to determine how activated carbon can adsorb mercury more efficiently.

“We’re trying to help our client create a better mercury adsorption product for the power industry,” said Tyree. “Activated carbon contains pores that can adsorb pollutants like mercury. So, we’re testing the activated carbon at different process conditions and using different types of fuels. No other research facility can do that in a way that mimics full-scale conditions.”

Gulf Power and Southern Research started the Mercury Research Center in Pensacola, Florida in 2005. Gulf Power helped relocate the testing equipment to Southern Research earlier this year. Southern Research installed the equipment at its Birmingham headquarters during the summer.

The Mercury Research Center houses a one-megawatt furnace, an air preheater, a baghouse, an electrostatic precipitator and a dry sorbent scrubber.

You can contact Southern Research’s Senior Project Leader Laura Berry at (205) 581- 2502 to learn more.

Airborne Imaging and Recording System (AIRS) Tenth Anniversary

Posted on July 26, 2015

WB-57 Flyover

July 26, 2015, marked the tenth anniversary of NASA’s Space Shuttle Return to Flight. On July 26, 2005, the Space Shuttle Return to Flight occurred with the launch of STS-114, the Shuttle mission that returned NASA to active flight status following the tragic loss of Columbia. Southern Research captured video of the launch using technology produced in its labs: Airborne Imaging and Recording System (AIRS) turrets, part of the WB-57 Ascent Video Experiment (WAVE). Two AIRS-WAVE equipped WB-57 aircraft flying at 60,000 feet in an orbit over Cape Kennedy were able to collect video of the Space Shuttle Discovery’s launch from ranges of up to 20 nautical miles. The AIRS-WAVE units provided full motion video (FMV) of the Space Shuttle Discovery, from lift off, to well beyond booster separation at 146,000 feet.

After the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentry, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommended that NASA capture high resolution images of Shuttle launches from high altitude. Imaging the Shuttle from high altitude could provide NASA a perspective not available to ground-based cameras and would offer an additional means to identify damage incurred during launch. Southern Research provided the technology to capture these high-altitude images.

The AIRS design, fabrication, and integration effort was a joint endeavor between Southern Research and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The AIRS-WAVE development effort took 14 months to complete and yielded two turrets equipped with video cameras that could be mounted to the nose of NASA’s WB-57 high altitude research aircraft. The AIRS-WAVE turrets provided FMV of the Space Shuttle at extreme range and the video yielded valuable insight of Shuttle launch conditions not previously available to NASA.

Although only originally envisioned to provide video of NASA Shuttle launches, the AIRS turrets have also been used since 2005 by a variety of Southern Research’s government clients. The AIRS turrets continue to provide video of critical rocket launches and have been used for remote sensing operations and sensor research and development projects. The AIRS turrets have hosted multiple experimental sensor payloads and assisted with the transition of new technologies, from laboratory environments, to flight testing. The AIRS units have also been used to support flight testing and remote sensing operations in the U.S. and abroad.

Over the last 10 years, AIRS-related efforts have provided approximately $39 million in research and development work for Southern Research’s Engineering division. Southern Research is the prime contractor for NASA’s WB-57 Special Capabilities Support and Engineering Services Contract, a $36 million dollar contract which NASA and other government clients use to support current WB-57 operations.

Southern Research Names Jim Tucker Director of Materials Research

Posted on July 13, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – July 13, 2015 – Southern Research announced, today, that James R. Tucker joined its Engineering division as director of materials research. Tucker will lead a team of engineers and experimentalist technicians who specialize in materials characterization and precision testing of materials and structures for industrial, aerospace, and military applications. Southern Research has a decades-long legacy in materials research supporting commercial and government customers, most notably NASA’s space flight missions to include the Space Launch System, and the Department of Defense’s hypersonics program.

“Jim’s strong technical and management experience with advanced composites and materials make him a significant asset to Southern Research’s materials research team, and we are pleased to have him on board,” said Southern Research Vice President, Engineering Michael D. Johns.

Tucker is a physicist with more than 30 years of experience in the development, characterization, and data analysis of advanced composite materials and structures, with specific expertise in non-destructive testing and metrology. He was formerly at Southern Research in the Nondestructive Characterization Group until 2004, when he went to San Diego to work with Orbital ATK.

At Orbital ATK, Tucker worked in its space systems group as senior metrology and testing engineer where he founded and directed the ATK Verification Science Lab (VSL) . The VSL developed technology including construction of the ATK Interferometric Metrology Facility, a world leader in thermal expansion capability used to test materials for the James Webb Space Telescope.

“It’s an exciting time to be at Southern Research, particularly with respect to the latest developments in the aerospace and defense industries,” said Tucker. “I look forward to working with exceptional peers in state-of-the-art facilities.”

About Southern Research
Southern Research is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization with nearly 500 scientists and engineers working across four divisions: drug discovery, drug development, engineering, and energy and environment.

  • We’re developing 18 drugs to combat various forms of cancer, ALS, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, kidney disease, and Parkinson’s, among others.
  • We’ve developed seven FDA-approved cancer drugs.
  • We’re developing new medical devices.
  • We’re helping to launch manned missions to Mars.
  • We’re making the air and water cleaner here on Earth.

We work on behalf of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, major aerospace firms, utility companies, and other private and government organizations as we solve the world’s hardest problems.

Southern Research, founded in 1941, is headquartered in Birmingham with additional laboratories and offices in Wilsonville and Huntsville, Frederick, Maryland, Durham, North Carolina, Cartersville, Georgia, and Houston. Visit SouthernResearch.org for more information.

 

Southern Research Awarded New $22 Million NIAID-DAIDS Contract to Support Ground-Breaking HIV Cure Research

Posted on July 7, 2015

Red_Ribbon

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – July 7, 2015 – Southern Research has been awarded a seven-year contract of up to $22 million to support research that could contribute to the cure of HIV disease. Under this contract, Southern Research will develop and standardize assays that quantitate latent reservoirs of HIV.

“This is a revolutionary area in HIV research that is opening up new avenues for us in infectious diseases,” said Southern Research President and CEO Art Tipton, Ph.D. “It supports our 24-year legacy in HIV drug discovery and development for government and pharmaceutical clients.”

HIV replication can be effectively suppressed in infected patients with antiretroviral therapy (ART), which reduces the level of HIV in the blood to an undetectable level. However, HIV remains a chronic infection due to its ability to stay hidden within these infected blood cells – latent reservoirs – that are invisible to the body’s immune defenses and are not sensitive to anti-HIV drugs. When a latently infected cell is reactivated the cell begins to produce HIV again.

In order to support the HIV cure initiative, Southern Research was awarded the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) contract HHSN272201500017C, “Quantitative Viral Outgrowth Assay (QVOA) Service Resource.” The QVOA is the current best assay for characterizing the latent viral reservoir. However, the assay is not available to many laboratories conducting HIV cure research because it is expensive and labor intensive. Southern Research will expand access to the QVOA and support future clinical research focused on eliminating the latent viral reservoir.

In addition to providing the QVOA as a service resource, Southern Research will work with experts in the field of HIV latency and cure research to develop alternative assays that are more sensitive, less costly, can be completed more rapidly, and require smaller amounts of blood than QVOA. Southern Research will also provide training in the performance of the QVOA to investigators interested in running the assay in their laboratories.

“Our team is excited and energized to be partnering with the HIV research community to enhance our collective understanding of the latent reservoirs of HIV in support of the HIV cure initiative,” said Southern Research Director, Infectious Disease Research and Principal Investigator for the contract Mike Murray, Ph.D.

Facts About HIV

  • Currently, there is no cure for AIDS caused by HIV, and the virus continues to spread despite the increased global commitment to controlling the pandemic.
  • HIV is the world’s leading infectious killer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 39 million people have died since the first cases were reported in 1981.
  • In 2013, globally, there were more than 35 million people living with HIV: 2.1 million people became newly infected and 1.5 million died.
  • In the U.S., there are more than 30 FDA approved HIV medicines. A variety of interventional agents are used in combination to control virus replication and successfully manage the disease, and they show promise in prevention of new infections.
  • Millions are relying on antiretroviral therapy (ART) until a sterilizing cure can be identified, but according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vital Signs report, only 3 in 10 people living with HIV have achieved viral suppression.
  • Oral administration of ART was approved worldwide to inhibit transmission in high risk populations and mother-to-child transmissions.
  • In 2013, approximately 12 million people received ART, but drug resistance is an ongoing issue.

About Southern Research
Southern Research is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization with nearly 500 scientists and engineers working across four divisions: drug discovery, drug development, engineering, and energy and environment.

  • We’re developing 18 drugs to combat various forms of cancer, ALS, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, kidney disease, and Parkinson’s, among others.
  • We’ve developed seven FDA-approved cancer drugs.
  • We’re developing new medical devices.
  • We’re helping to launch manned missions to Mars.
  • We’re making the air and water cleaner here on Earth.

We work on behalf of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, major aerospace firms, utility companies, and other private and government organizations as we solve the world’s hardest problems.

Southern Research, founded in 1941, is headquartered in Birmingham with additional laboratories and offices in Wilsonville and Huntsville, Frederick, Maryland, Durham, North Carolina, Cartersville, Georgia, and Houston. Visit SouthernResearch.org for more information.

 

Southern Research Is a National Leader in Fighting Cancer

Posted on June 26, 2015

shutterstock_260417279

We’ve developed seven cancer drugs – rivaling any other scientific research organization in the country.

Each year, more than 1.6 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer. It’s a diagnosis that affects the patient, their family and friends.

Southern Research has developed seven FDA-approved cancer drugs that bring new hope to patients and their loved ones. The drugs we’ve developed help patients take on some of the toughest cancers, and even help them cope with cancer treatment.

 

  • Pralatrexate:
    The first drug approved as a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma, or PTCL – a group of aggressive blood cancers.
  • Clofarabine:
    The first drug to be approved for treatment of pediatric leukemia in more than a decade.
  • Lomustine:
    is used to treat brain tumors.
  • Carmustine:
    is used to treat brain tumors, Hodgkin’s disease and cancer of blood plasma cells.
  • Dacarbazine:
    is used to treat skin cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, sarcomas (tumors that form in the bones and in the soft connective tissues), and islet cell cancers that can occur in the hormone-producing cells of the pancreas.
  • Fludarabine:
    is used to treat leukemia (cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues) and lymphomas (cancer of immune cells).
  • Amifostine:
    It helps protect against kidney, bone marrow and nervous system damage caused by certain chemotherapy drugs. It’s also used to protect normal cells against radiation damage.

Southern Research’s Corey Tyree Helps Alabama Municipalities and Companies Become Environmental Stewards

Posted on June 26, 2015

Corey Tyree, Ph.D, Southern Research’s new director of energy and environment for Alabama, is charged with helping their municipal and corporate customers meet federal and state environmental regulations and improve Alabama’s air and water quality along the way.

Tyree’s team of engineers and technicians develop sophisticated technology that can keep cities, county governments and companies compliant¬¬ –– and that saves Southern Research customers plenty of cash.

That’s because local governments and corporations can be faced with millions of dollars in fines and legal expenses if they don’t abide by environmental laws.

“We help our customers balance their business objectives with environmental stewardship,” Tyree said. “That’s not an easy task since that often requires us to come up with new ways for factories, coal plants, or city water facilities to keep the air and water clean. But we save our customers money and that provides an important value.”

It’s a critically important role considering that more than 4.8 million people breathe the air and drink the water in Alabama.

Alabama is also one of the most biologically diverse states in the country with 4,533 different species of wildlife and plants that need to be protected.

Tyree and his team specialize in these areas: water, analytical services, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts, mercury control, coal combustion, carbon capture, and carbon sequestration.

Tyree came to Southern Research from Georgia Power, where he was engineering manager at Plant Bowen near Cartersville, Georgia.
Before that, he was engineering manager at Georgia Power’s Howell B. Wansley Power Plant in Heard County, Georgia.

Tyree also worked as principal engineer with Southern Company, where he was responsible for emission control technology development.

“Corporate and governmental responsibility –– especially when it comes to the environment –– is critically important in this day and age,” Tyree said. “It impacts our customers image, their reputation and their ability to do business with others.”

Bill Grieco Joins Southern Research as Vice President of Its Energy & Environment Division, Where He Will Lead Efforts in the Growing Field of Clean Energy

Posted on June 17, 2015

SRBillGrieco

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – June 17, 2015 – Southern Research announced today that William Grieco, Ph.D., has been named vice president of the research institute’s Energy & Environment division.
Given the ever-increasing importance of these areas, the organization now has a senior leader on board to solely focus on energy and environment.
Southern Research has a long history in these disciplines, from pioneering technologies to reduce pollution from coal combustion in the 1970s, to the recent launch of the Southeastern Solar Research Center.
Grieco will lead this division’s continued efforts toward cleaner and more efficient energy production, water research at the industrial and watershed level, new technology development for grid-scale energy storage, creation of carbon fiber production technologies from bio-based sources, and new fuel source development from biomass and other feedstocks.
He will also be in charge of identifying international business opportunities for Southern Research’s clean coal technologies.
Grieco joins Southern Research from Owens Corning in Granville, Ohio, where he was director of innovation for a 70-person science and technology team that developed energy-efficient building materials. While there, he also established a Department of Energy-funded partnership to develop solar roofing shingles.
He has more than 17 years’ experience leading innovation teams at Owens Corning, Gardenia Ventures, PetroAlgae, Alkermes, and Rohm and Haas Company in solar energy, biofuels, biodegradable polymer manufacturing and nanotechnology, among other specializations.
He earned his doctorate and master’s degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
“It’s exciting to join such a respected research institute where technology is core to what they do and where the team is passionate about making an impact on global problems in energy and clean water,” said Grieco.
“We have a strong team in Energy and Environment, and I am thrilled to welcome Bill to lead them. He is a great fit for us because he combines innovative ideas with a track record of commercializing them,” said Southern Research President and CEO Art Tipton, Ph.D. “Bill has the talent and the experience to take our Energy & Environment division to new levels here in the U.S. and globally.”

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