Category: News

Southern Research joins Alabama bio-focused trade mission to Europe

Posted on April 20, 2017

Southern Research infectious disease researcher Tim Sellati, Ph.D., will join an Alabama delegation on a trade mission to Germany and Denmark next week that aims to raise the profile of the state’s bioscience sector and create pathways for collaboration.

Kicking off Monday, the “Alabama Life Sciences Trade and Investment Mission” features high-level networking events, expert briefings, presentations, and visits to biotechnology parks in Berlin and Copenhagen.

“Participating in Alabama’s European bio-focused trade mission provides Southern Research with an opportunity to showcase our organization’s extensive capabilities in life sciences while also sharing valuable information about the scope and vitality of the state’s biosciences sector,” said Art Tipton, Ph.D., president and CEO.

“As a group, the Alabama trade mission delegation can make connections and build relationships with counterparts in Germany and Denmark that can lead to productive research partnerships and strategic collaborations,” Tipton added.

Southern Research Europe trade mission
Infectious disease researcher Tim Sellati will share information about Southern Research’s life sciences capabilities on next week’s European trade mission.

Both Germany and Denmark have substantial life sciences industry concentrations. Germany is a leading international biotech hub and a primary location for pharmaceutical research and production. Denmark possesses an extensive research and development network and Europe’s largest commercial drug pipeline.

COMMUNICATING CAPABILITIES

Sellati, Distinguished Fellow and Chair of the Infectious Disease Department in Southern Research’s Drug Discovery Division, said he will share details about the Birmingham-based non-profit organization’s expertise in life sciences during presentations in both Berlin and Copenhagen.

“We obviously have a lot to be proud of in terms of our drug discovery and drug development capabilities,” Sellati said. “What I want to achieve by attending this mission is to communicate the diverse capabilities of Southern Research to groups in Europe.”

Sellati said Southern Research and Alabama’s emerging life sciences sector can benefit from collaborative opportunities and connections developed on the trip to the European bioscience hotbeds.

“The best science — whether it is basic research, translational research, drug discovery or drug development — simply cannot be done in a silo,” he said. “No one individual, no one institution has cornered the market on all the details necessary to move an idea from that light-bulb moment into a clinic so it can help a patient. It’s going to have to build upon a teamwork effort.”

In addition, interest in establishing broad international research partnerships is increasing within the scientific community as pressures build on government research funding, Sellati added.

“That’s really what is necessary to tackle some of the most significant public health challenges that we face, whether it be Ebola, Zika virus, Lyme disease, HIV/AIDS, or influenza,” he said.

“We know it is not a matter of if but when the world will face another influenza pandemic. We have no idea what Mother Nature has in store for us next month, next year, five years from now, in terms of infectious disease challenges.”

BIOTECH PARKS

Berlin biotech park
The Alabama trade mission delegation will visit Berlin Buch, one of the largest biotech parks in Germany.

While in Berlin, the Alabama delegation will visit BiotechPark Berlin-Buch, one of the largest such facilities in Germany, with more than 60 companies carrying out research, development and production. The team will also visit Bayer’s CoLaborator, an incubator for startups on the company’s campus.

In Denmark, there will be a tour of the Copenhagen BioScience Park (COBIS), a facility in the heart of the Medicon Valley bio-cluster that houses labs, startups and mid-size companies.

Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, is leading the life sciences trade mission, which begins in Berlin on Monday and concludes in Copenhagen on Friday.

The Alabama delegation includes two dozen representatives of bioscience organizations and companies, economic development specialists, elected leaders, and university officials.

Researcher Tim Sellati seeks genetic clues in Lyme disease mystery

Posted on April 13, 2017

Infectious disease researcher Tim Sellati, Ph.D., has spent much of his career trying to solve the central riddle of Lyme disease – why the tick-borne infection causes minor symptoms in some people but leaves others with lingering conditions such as arthritis and neurological problems.

“People should be very concerned about Lyme disease because we don’t have all the answers,” said Sellati, Distinguished Fellow and Chair of the Infectious Disease Department at Southern Research. “We don’t know who is going to develop symptoms and who is not, who is going to respond to treatment and who is not.

“If you are dealt a bad deck of genetic cards, you may suffer debilitating symptoms associated with this bacterial infection,” he said.

Sellati’s warning comes as tick activity begins to rise across the United States with the arrival of spring, triggering new cases of Lyme disease. The infection, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected blacklegged deer tick.

SR-0021-2017-Creative_TickInfographic-DFT1Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though the precise number is hard to pinpoint, the CDC estimates that 329,000 cases occur in the U.S. each year.

Most Lyme disease cases are concentrated in the Northeast and upper Midwest, but the illness is reported in many other states every year, including Alabama.

“This is not a deadly infectious disease, but it can take a person who is used to an active lifestyle and they can have symptoms that make it very difficult for them to even get out of bed in the morning,” Sellati said. “It truly impacts quality of life.”

LYME ARTHRITIS

Initial symptoms of Lyme disease include a rash shaped like a bull’s eye around the infected area, fatigue, headaches, and fever. In most cases, these symptoms can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

Untreated cases can result in more severe symptoms. In addition, some people develop what’s called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), which can be debilitating.

Serious symptoms include severe headaches, neck stiffness, nerve pain, short-term memory problems, irregular heart beat (Lyme carditis), facial paralysis, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

As a graduate student at the State University of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island, New York, in the early 1990s, Sellati became keenly interested in another of these serious symptoms: Lyme arthritis.

“I wanted to understand why, if two individuals are infected with this bacterium that has the capacity to cause arthritis, some people develop the arthritis and some don’t.”

THE FIRST-RESPONDERS

Unraveling the mystery is a major thrust of his research today, which broadly focuses on the host-pathogen relationship in infectious diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes.

In Lyme disease, this interaction begins with the body’s response to the invading bacteria – a defensive counterattack by cells in the bloodstream called neutrophils, which act as the innate immune system’s first-responders.

“These are the equivalent of Pac-Men — they run around in the bloodstream and try to gobble up bacteria and viruses that invade our body,” Sellati said. “When the bacteria that causes Lyme disease enters the joint, it triggers these neutrophils to migrate out of the bloodstream and into the joint tissue itself.

“They are supposed to kill and clear the bacteria. They’re usually very effective at doing so,” he added. “But for some people, this works better than for others. And this begins to provide insight into why some people develop very severe arthritis and others don’t.”

‘GENETIC BAGGAGE’

Southern Research Sellati Lyme disease
Infectious disease researcher Tim Sellati, standing, is seeking to understand why Lyme disease causes minor symptoms for some people while leaving others debilitated. He is being assisted by Shiva Kumar Goud Gadila.

Another puzzling aspect of Lyme Disease is why most individuals infected with the bacteria after a tick bite respond to antibiotics while others end up with serious symptoms despite treatment.

Sellati believes genetics plays a significant role in PTLDS, and he’s drilling down into the “genetic baggage” that these patients bring to the host-pathogen relationship for clues. This approach could lead to improved treatment options.

“If we can identify up-front those individuals with genetic markers suggesting that antibiotic treatment is not going to be sufficient, then we can investigate what else we can do to prevent the lifelong debilitating symptoms that they are genetically prone to develop,” he said.

To better understand how genetics influences the likelihood of developing Lyme arthritis, Sellati’s team at Southern Research has worked with different strains of mice, including those naturally susceptible to Lyme arthritis and those resistant to it.

“We used this mouse model to focus our attention on specific proteins that are displayed on the surfaces on those neutrophils and macrophages, another Pac Man-like cell in the bloodstream that runs around gobbling up bacteria and viruses to kill them,” Sellati said.

THE CD14 CLUE

The work helped the Southern Research team better understand the role of a gene called CD14 in the development of Lyme arthritis. CD14’s protein is a key player in the human innate immune system, the important first line of defense against infections.

“Now, the interesting question is that if you and I both have the infection, and you have very severe Lyme disease arthritis and I don’t, is that because you have less CD14 decorating the surface of your cells than I do?”

To get a definitive answer, it will be necessary to inspect individual cells for the absence of CD14’s protein. Sellati intends to do just that, using flow cytometry, a technology that suspends cells in a stream of fluid and passes them by an electronic detection apparatus.

Eventually, he would like to take a large-scale look at the genetics of the human population and those individuals who develop a very severe and persistent inflammatory response to the bacteria. These are the individuals who suffer from PTLDS.

“Is the reason these individuals fail to respond to antibiotic treatment because of a genetic defect in some of their innate immune responses that allow other individuals to rapidly, effectively clear and kill the bacteria?”

The answer to this intriguing question will inform the development of novel treatment options for those suffering with PTLDS.

Technology targeting carbon fiber wins international ‘Shark Tank’ contest

Posted on April 3, 2017

A Southern Research scientist who developed a process that could lead to low-cost carbon fiber won a “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition at the World Bio Markets 2017 conference, an event that attracts innovators, investors and industrial leaders from around the world.

The technology pioneered by Amit Goyal, Ph.D., manager of sustainable chemistry and catalysis in Southern Research’s Energy & Environment division, converts non-food biomass into a colorless liquid called acrylonitrile that’s used in making artificial fibers.

The process developed by Goyal’s team produces acrylonitrile that is around 20 percent cheaper than conventional production methods. It’s also a lot cleaner, with a 37 percent reduction in greenhouse gases.

Amit Goyal Joel Stone World Bio Markets 2017
Southern Research’s Amit Goyal, left, shakes hands with Joel Stone of Lee Enterprises Consulting, who moderated the ‘Shark Tank’ competition at World Bio Markets 2017.

A panel of five judges in the World Bio Markets’ “Shark Tank” competition on March 29 in Amsterdam selected Southern Research’s technology over those pitched by bio-fuel firms based in India and Mexico. Contestants got seven minutes to make their case to the judges, who then had five minutes to ask questions and comment.

The judges, primarily bankers and venture capitals, picked the winning technology based on its investment potential and the likelihood it will reach commercial scale.

“I am really proud of Amit and pleased to get this positive feedback from the market,” said Bill Grieco, Ph.D., vice president of Southern Research’s E&E division. “We know that Amit and his team are solving important sustainability problems with cost-effective chemical processes, but there is no substitute for strong interest from potential customers and investors to show that our biomass sugar to chemicals technology is headed in the right direction.”

LINKING THE SOLUTION

Goyal said the victory represents a strong endorsement of the work being done by his team at the Birmingham-based non-profit organization’s E&E lab in Durham, North Carolina. He said he hopes the validation adds momentum to the team’s goal of eventually commercializing the technology.

“I really appreciated the feedback from industrial professionals and investors who have actually looked at several such technologies,” he said. “It’s very valuable for us.”

Goyal said the World Bio Markets “Shark Tank” judges carefully considered the viability of the technologies in the competition, including factors such as the cost and availability of raw materials, potential buyers, and projected growth metrics.

“So they really wanted to link the solution – the uniqueness of your technology – with the rest of the pieces of the puzzle,” he said. “They were essentially looking for something they could invest in that has low risk and flexibility.”

World Bio Markets has been called the “Paris Airshow of the bio conference world,” referring to the high-level gathering for aerospace industry leaders. Word Bio Market conferences have attracted speakers including former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and humanitarian Sir Bob Geldof, along with the top thinkers in renewable energy.

This year’s conference, which took place March 27-29 at Amsterdam’s NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, attracted more than 500 professionals in search of partnerships, investment opportunities, biotech breakthroughs, and innovations.

CAPITALIZING ON INTEREST

The U.S. Department of Energy selected Southern Research in 2014 for a $6 million project to advance production of high-performance, low-cost carbon fibers from renewable biomass feedstocks.

As part of this project, Goyal’s team devised a multi-step catalytic process that converts sugars from non-food biomass to acrylonitrile, a key precursor for strong, lightweight carbon fiber.

Traditional, fossil fuel-based production methods for carbon fiber have limited its use, but industrial demand for the material continues to surge in fields such as aerospace, automotive, and wind turbine production. Use of carbon-fiber composites by automakers alone is expected to rise by 11 to 18 percent annually.

Goyal, the principal investigator on the DOE project, said its first phase is complete through the demonstration of the validity of the biomass production process. He expects to launch the second phase – a pilot plant to scale up production – in coming months.

“There’s a lot of interest from industry, and a lot of interest from investors. We hope we can capitalize on that,” he said. “I’m very optimistic.”

 

Southern Research carbon fiber
This graphic shows Southern Research’s process that converts biomass to acrylonitrile, a precursor of carbon fiber.

Helping clients with Immuno-Oncology research

Posted on March 27, 2017

Since Southern Research received its first contributions for cancer research in 1946, our scientists have been working independently and with U.S. government and commercial clients to understand and work toward cures for various cancers. During the organization’s 71-year history fighting this devastating disease, Southern Research has endeavored to stay on the front of this challenge. This commitment has led to the development of the first quantitative tumor models, the log-kill model, combination chemotherapy, and the discovery of seven approved chemotherapeutic drugs. Our Drug Development team has built a well-established reputation as a pioneer in anticancer drug development, having evaluated half of all FDA-approved anticancer drugs currently on the market. And we continue to evaluate hundreds more compounds annually to establish the in vitro biochemical effects and in vivo efficacy of potential new anticancer drugs.

The world’s “newest” tool helping to eliminate cancer is the human immune system. Southern Research is committed to helping clients working in the Immuno-Oncology realm the same way we have helped the cancer research community for the past seven decades. The first of our Immunology-Oncology models was presented at the 2016 Immuno-Oncology Summit in Boston. Since then, our efforts have continued. If you plan to attend the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., our drug development scientists will be waiting to talk with you at the Southern Research booth, #2423, about our anticancer efficacy services.

 

Southern Research contributes to unique Solar Probe Plus mission

Posted on March 27, 2017

When a NASA probe launching in mid-2018 approaches its final destination – the roiling upper atmosphere of the Sun – the spacecraft’s heat shield will encounter temperatures hot enough to melt steel.

Testing conducted by Southern Research engineers demonstrated that the carbon composite materials selected for the Solar Probe Plus’ thermal protection system will protect the craft and its instruments from the relentlessly brutal conditions.

“The probe is going to be getting pretty hot, pretty toasty, and it’s going to be hot for a while,” said Jacques Cuneo, a member of Southern Research’s

Solar Probe Plus heat shield
NASA expects the launch the Solar Probe Plus in summer 2018.

engineering team who worked on the project. “It’s not a transitory thing; it’s going to be baking for a while.”

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland is managing the mission and building the spacecraft. The lab brought in the Southern Research team to conduct high-temperature evaluations of the heat shield materials – a task the Birmingham non-profit organization has been performing since the early days of NASA.

Making sure the Solar Probe Plus can handle the hazards of intense heat and radiation is crucial. Scientists have imagined a mission to the Sun since 1958, and data collected by this probe will yield important new insights about the sun’s atmosphere – known as the corona – and its role in producing fierce solar winds.

Scientists want a deeper understanding of solar activity so they are better able to predict space-weather events that can impact life on Earth and disrupt the operations of orbiting satellites.

“The talented engineers and technicians at Southern Research have made many important contributions to the nation’s space program over several decades,” said Michael D. Jones, vice president of Engineering. “Solar Probe Plus is an exciting mission, and we are proud to have been part of an endeavor that will advance scientific knowledge about the Sun.”

REVOLUTIONARY MISSION

Solar Probe Plus
Engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, prepare the developing Solar Probe Plus spacecraft for thermal vacuum tests that simulate conditions in space. (Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL)

The Solar Probe Plus will travel closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft, approaching as close as 3.9 million miles as it hurtles past the star at 450,000 miles per hour. That will put the craft well within the orbit of Mercury, the planet nearest to the sun.

Over seven years, the probe will complete two dozen solar orbits, using seven gravity-assisted flybys of Venus to skirt continually closer to the Sun’s blazing corona.

So it can perform this revolutionary investigation, the spacecraft and its instruments will be protected from the heat by a 4.5-inch-thick carbon composite shield capable of withstanding temperatures climbing to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Applied Physics Laboratory.

“As you can imagine, the heat shield is a big article,” Cuneo said. “It’s made up of carbon-carbon sheets on the top and the bottom, and in the middle, there’s a rigid carbon foam.”

The Southern Research engineering team was asked to determine the mechanical and thermal properties of the heat shield materials. The carbon composite used in the sheets represented familiar ground for testing, thanks to Southern Research’s longstanding involvement in the space program.

The carbon foam, however, was different. Just figuring out how to the test the relatively brittle open-cell foam was technically challenging, Cuneo said. The issue: How can you measure strain when you can’t even touch the specimen?

“When you pressed on the foam, it would create dust. It wouldn’t actually break, it just kind of machined itself down,” Cuneo said. “Anything that generated compression was a real issue with the foam, so we developed a way to stiffen the ends by impregnating them.

“We were able to figure out how to grab and pull or torque a specimen, and develop ways to measure strain because you couldn’t mount anything on the specimens,” he added.

The Southern Research engineers generated a database of the carbon foam properties, and the material passed muster.

“The foam fit what they thought it was going to do – particularly at high temperatures, which is what they were concerned about — and it’s on track for launch,” Cuneo said.

In July 2016, NASA said the Solar Probe Plus is slated to launch during a 20-day window that opens on July 31, 2018. The spacecraft has passed NASA’s design review stage, meaning it is has moved to final assembly. Engineers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory are now finishing assembly and installing spacecraft systems and science instruments.

Kaul Foundation’s $100,000 gift boosts economic development mission

Posted on March 15, 2017

The Hugh Kaul Foundation, which has funded many worthy programs in the Birmingham region, is supporting Southern Research’s wide-ranging economic development efforts with a $100,000 gift.

The Kaul Foundation’s donation is the charitable organization’s first to Birmingham-based Southern Research, which is involved in activities including infectious disease research, drug discovery, and solar energy technology.

Southern Research drug discovery
Southern Research’s drug discovery efforts aimed at cancer and Zika are aided by a high throughput screening system and a large-scale compound library.

The foundation, created by businessman and philanthropist Hugh Kaul in 1989, has a long history of supporting area landmarks such as the Birmingham Zoo, the Altamont School, Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

“The unique capabilities of the world-class scientists and engineers at Southern Research are leading to advances in disease treatment, new technologies, and more,” said Sam Yates, a member of the Kaul Foundation’s distribution committee.

“The Kaul Foundation is pleased to support this meaningful work, which aligns perfectly with the foundation’s overall mission,” he added.

SUPPORTING GROWTH

Kaul was a highly regarded lumber industry executive, civic leader and four-term member of the Alabama Legislature. He was a founder and president of the Alabama Forestry Council and served as president of Kaul Lumber Co. from 1931 until his retirement.

The Hugh Kaul Foundation supports cultural, educational and civic endeavors in Birmingham, as well as Coosa and Clay counties. The foundation’s giving has exceeded $70 million since its inception.

The foundation’s gift to Southern Research will be placed in the endowment, with annual earnings used to support the non-profit organization’s ongoing projects in economic development in the Birmingham region. Examples include:

  • A thermochemical energy storage system that enables solar power facilities to provide reliable energy when the sun isn’t shining.
  • Research advancing the understanding of the Zika virus, which emerged just last year as a public health threat.
  • Extensive drug discovery efforts targeting new therapies for cancer and other diseases.

Southern Research was founded in Alabama in 1941 with a goal of improving the region’s economy through the development of new technologies and technical innovations.

“Southern Research has long been a catalyst for economic development in Alabama through high-level research, collaborations, talent recruitment and commercialization,” Art Tipton, Ph.D., president and CEO of Southern Research, said. “The Kaul Foundation’s generous gift will add vitality to these efforts.”

Southern Research project turns captured CO2 into useful chemicals

Posted on March 1, 2017

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy has awarded Southern Research nearly $800,000 for a project that targets a more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly method of producing some of the most important chemicals used in manufacturing.

Southern Research is developing a novel nano-engineered catalyst-driven process for the production of light olefins, such as ethylene and propylene, using carbon dioxide, or CO2, from coal-fired flue gas and lower alkanes derived from shale gas as feedstocks.

Southern Research olefins
Southern Research’s Amit Goyal, left, Lindsey Chatterton, center, and Jadid Samad work in special test lab for industrial catalyst development for chemicals and fuels in Durham, North Carolina.

Olefins are a class of chemicals that serve as building blocks for a sweeping variety of products such as packaging, plastics, textiles, paints and electronics. Industrial demand for olefins such as ethylene and propylene is rising with improving living standards across the world.

Ethylene and propylene are the petrochemicals produced in the greatest volumes today. Current production methods are capital- and energy-intensive, and emit significant amounts of  greenhouse gases.

Southern Research’s new production method, combining CO2 with readily available shale gas, promises to have meaningful economic and environmental impacts.

In addition to this novel approach of producing olefins, Southern Research’s Durham, North Carolina, facility is exploring new ways to make chemicals such as acrylonitrile and fuels from sources such as non-food renewable feedstock, and coal, waste emissions and natural gas, respectively.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Production techniques for ethylene, which is manufactured in amounts greater than any other chemical, typically use naphtha or ethane as raw materials, and require a large amount of energy to crack apart molecules.

Amit Goyal, Ph.D., manager, Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis and principal investigator, said Southern Research’s innovative process concept can use CO2 captured from coal-fired power plants, or derived from any source, to produce light olefins. The new technique can yield significant environmental benefits, he added.

“Ethylene alone accounts for 1 percent of the world’s energy consumption and 180 to 200 million tons of CO2 emission,” Goyal said. “Due to the large magnitude of ethylene production, any reduction on the energy requirement will be highly impactful.”

The approach would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired plants, the top emitters of the colorless, odorless gas in the U.S power sector. In 2015, coal-based power plants in the United States emitted nearly 1.4 billion metric tons of CO2.

“Coal is abundant and cheap, making it a vital energy source,” said Jadid Samad, Ph.D., advanced chemical engineer and co-principal investigator for Southern Research. “A smart solution to the issue of emissions from coal-fired power plants lies in the prospect of using CO2 as feedstock to produce valuable chemicals.”

Samad said Southern Research’s approach on the project directly supports the Carbon Use and Reuse research and development portfolio being assembled by the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Fossil Energy. The portfolio is developing and testing novel approaches that convert captured CO2 from coal-fired power plants into useable products.

The funding from the Office of Fossil Energy for Southern Research’s project is $799,422. The office has committed $5.9 million to funding projects to support its Carbon Use and Reuse R&D portfolio.

Atlanta-based Southern Co. is teaming with Southern Research on the project and will provide the research team with the composition of various flue gases generated in a utility plant. In addition, a petrochemical consultant will provide guidance on catalyst development, as well as scale-up and commercialization aspects of the project.

Stuart Starrett tapped for Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame

Posted on February 16, 2017

Southern Research’s Stuart Starrett, who has made many significant contributions to the nation’s defense, aerospace and energy industries, is being inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame at a ceremony this Saturday.

During a career that began in the 1960s, Starrett has built a formidable international reputation as an expert in the behavior of materials in extreme environments such as atmospheric reentry and rocket propulsion systems.

Starrett Southern Research
Stuart Starrett, who worked on key defense systems, is being inducted in the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

Those who worked with Starrett say his technical insights were vital to the development of reentry nosetips for advanced defense systems, including the U.S. Navy’s C4 and D5 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles and the Air Force’s Minuteman III Ballistic Missile.

“His efforts helped win the Cold War without much official recognition,” said John K. Shigley, Ph.D., of defense contractor Orbital ATK.

Added Keith Bowman, Ph.D., of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: “I equate what Stuart did for the nation’s defense to what the engineers working for NASA in the 1960s did for space exploration.”

They say Starrett also provided valuable insights into engineering challenges ranging from composite materials to hypersonic vehicles.

“What makes me proud is just being involved in programs that I thought were important to the U.S.A. and to national defense. That was sort of a mission for me, I guess,” Starrett said.

SOLVING COMPLEX CHALLENGES

Starrett joins Coultas “Colt” Pears, an innovator who led the development of Southern Research’s high-temperature materials laboratory, in the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. Southern Research and the high-temperature lab, renamed for Pears, have also been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“Stuart’s technical excellence allowed Southern Research to become the leader in high-temperature materials. His quiet leadership also inspired those around him, leading to programs in aero-propulsion, reentry systems, heat shields, ground-based turbines, and nuclear power,” said Art Tipton, Ph.D., president and CEO.

“This honor is richly deserved, and recognizes the Stuart’s legacy of impressive technical expertise and his many achievements that have strengthened national defense,” he added.

Starrett, who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, joined Southern Research in 1965 as an associate engineer. He soon progressed to head the Solid Mechanics Section, then the Mechanics Division. In 1990, he was named Director of the Materials Research Department, a post he held for 16 years.

Officially in retirement, Starrett remains an active consultant on a variety of engineering projects.

“From the beginning, Stuart was able to use his love of mathematics to solve some of the most complex materials challenges of his day,” said Michael D. Johns, vice president of Southern Research’s Engineering division.

“He was a pioneer in the development and understanding of carbon-carbon composites, which are a foundational technology for human space flight, atmospheric reentry, and many other extreme-environment applications,” he added.

Johns said Starrett’s work helped to establish Southern Research’s high-temperature materials lab as one of the few locations in the world capable of conducting thermal and mechanical tests at temperatures ranging from 70 to 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

While much of his work has concentrated on U.S. Department of Defense projects, Starrett also used his extensive materials and engineering know-how to help solve challenges for the energy industry. For example, he was involved in the development of material systems for the filtration of hot gases from boilers to be used in the recovery of the energy in a gas turbine – a technology being deployed today.

Starrett has made many technical presentations, primarily in the U.S. but also overseas, and published scientific papers on a wide variety of topics related to materials research.

HALL OF FAME

The State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame is overseen by engineering colleges and schools at Auburn University, Alabama A&M University, the University of Alabama, Tuskegee University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Alabama in Huntsville and the University of South Alabama.

Since its inception 30 years ago, the Engineering Hall of Fame has honored 168 individuals. Saturday’s induction ceremony will take place at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa.

Johnson Space Center selects Southern Research for SEAM contract

Posted on February 13, 2017

Southern Research has been selected by NASA’s Johnson Space Center for work under a specialized engineering, aeronautic, and manufacturing (SEAM) contract to support the Houston center’s Flight Operations Directorate, which performs critical functions for the space agency.

JSC Super Guppy
Johnson Space Center’s aircraft fleet includes the Super Guppy cargo plane.

Under the contract, Southern Research will provide services associated with aero avionics, electrical and software systems to the Flight Operations Directorate (FOD), which manages the center’s aircraft fleet and trains astronauts and flight directors.

Southern Research is also positioned to perform aero structural engineering and analysis work for the Johnson Space Center’s FOD as a major subcontractor to another firm selected for SEAM tasks.

The work extends Southern Research’s decades-long collaboration with NASA, which began with high-temperature testing of heat-shield materials for the Apollo program and continues to this day with support of the Space Launch System (SLS) and other critical programs.

The SEAM contract award also builds on the Birmingham-based organization’s relationship with the Johnson Space Center, which has responsibility for planning and executing human space flight missions.

“This is a really great opportunity for us because it expands on the work and support we have been providing to the Johnson Space Center over the past 10 years,” said John Collier, director of the Systems Development Department for Southern Research’s Engineering division.

“We will now have a role in supporting multiple aircraft types for the FOD, and we will support aero avionics as well as participating in structural analysis and flight qualification,” Collier added.

WB-57
Three AIRS system equipped WB-57 planes fly over Houston.

The FOD air fleet includes NASA’s Super Guppy, an oversize cargo aircraft, and the WB-57, a high-altitude research plane and technology platform that has deployed the Airborne Imaging and Recording System (AIRS) developed by a team that included Southern Research.

COLLABORATION

The Johnson Space Center’s SEAM contracts are multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts, with firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials task orders. The SEAM contracts have a combined maximum potential value of $49.5 million over five years.

Houston-based QTS is working with Southern Research on the aero avionics, electrical and software systems contract as a major subcontractor.

In addition, Southern Research is a major subcontractor for Huntsville-based FMS Aerospace on aero structural engineering and analysis work at Johnson Space Center as part of the SEAM contract. This involves a wide range of aircraft support, engineering services, testing, and system integration, among other tasks.

Internship program offers research experience, attracts bright minds to science

Posted on January 27, 2017

College students from across the U.S. are getting firsthand experience with the innovative work conducted at Southern Research in the latest generation of the nonprofit’s internship program.

Interns from Princeton University, Emory University, the University of Virginia, Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Alabama, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are among those who have participated and gained experience similar to that found in potential future careers.

Southern Research internship
Daniel Unger, a UAB senior majoring in chemistry and neuroscience, is working with a Southern Research team to develop a small molecule target for anti-HIV drugs.

The internship program within each department at Southern Research (SR) offers different opportunities. In general, most students do research for course credits. During the summer months, SR has paid interns which allows the students to gain additional experience outside of the classroom.

Southern Research has had various internship programs, but the newest program was initiated by Corinne Augelli-Szafran, Ph.D., director of the Chemistry Department in the Drug Discovery division.

“The intern program at SR is an excellent opportunity for the students to get hands-on experience in a laboratory. In addition to having the students exposed to a drug discovery environment, this program contributes to the Chemistry Department while reaching out to the community,” she said. “This type of program is good for everyone involved.”

In the Chemistry Department, a team of more than 25 chemists works on various research programs, including those involving treatments for Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, tuberculosis, kidney disease, HIV, and a wide range of cancers. The department is responsible for the preparation of potential new chemicals that will become drugs.

INITIATING A PROGRAM

Augelli-Szafran’s career in drug discovery research spans 30 years, with stints at Harvard Medical School, Parke-Davis, and Pfizer. At both of the big pharma firms, there were internship programs that drew students from neighboring universities into the workplace. At Harvard, she initiated a student internship program similar to the one she initiated at Southern Research.

When she came to SR, there was no such program in place at the time. What resulted in the Chemistry Department, is a program where students can earn course credits. Throughout the term, the students work with a mentor and do a presentation or write a research report at the end of the term.

Southern Research internship
Intern Katie Russell, a junior chemistry major at Birmingham-Southern College, is considering a career in drug discovery research.

“It’s been over a year now since we started the program, and we’ve had seven students come through in Chemistry,” she said. “They work in the lab, they do chemistry reactions, they make compounds, isolate them, purify them and characterize them – the same things a chemist would do.”

During their time in the program, if students are able to make a few compounds to be tested, it’s a major accomplishment, Augelli-Szafran added.

“It’s a great experience to learn how to do the chemistry. It’s just great exposure, and it can sometimes help the students decide what to do after undergraduate studies, whether to pursue further education or seek a job in a certain specialty.”

LAB EXPERIENCE

For the Drug Development division, the nine interns who worked there last summer served a great need, said Sarah Ziegler, Ph.D., biosafety program and compliance manager.

The group mainly worked on biosafety issues – keeping workers safe and regulatory compliance – in the division that is focused on taking pharmaceuticals and equipment to market and all that entails. The Drug Development division is responsible for a wide range of testing activities.

Out of the nine interns, Southern Research hired three for full-time positions after their internships were over.

“It was a way for us to get in help, but they also had a great perspective in a more innovative way,” Ziegler said. “They were mostly focused on biosafety and working with us on inventorying samples. They also did paperwork for us and lab cleanup. It was not necessarily the most fascinating work, but it was definitely very helpful for us.”

For the interns, the experience offered real-world work experience in a lab setting, she said.

“They actually had a lab they were in charge of, so they were understanding how to function in that arena. Their projects spanned the whole Southside campus. They interacted with people from Drug Discovery and Drug Development, and they met researchers in every lab.”

Part of the program involved a weekly lunch and learn where Ziegler invited interns from across the campus to hear from Southern Research scientists and other professionals.

“We had people talk about quality, human resources, Zika, influenza and more. It was really interesting, and I even learned things about my organization I didn’t know,” Ziegler said.

EXPLORING CAREERS

Southern Research internship
Abigail Holt, a sophomore chemistry major at Birmingham-Southern College, is interning at Southern Research.

Interns working in the Drug Discovery division say the experience they have gained is invaluable.

Birmingham-Southern College students Katie Russell and Abigail Holt are both interning at SR during the month of January to explore their future career and education paths.

Russell, a junior chemistry major, is learning organic synthesis techniques and how to analyze structure and purification data. She is an intern for postdoctoral researcher Shilpa Dutta, Ph.D., who is working on small molecule inhibitors for cancer therapeutics.

“I’m interested in the drug discovery career path, and I want to go to grad school,” Russell said. “I’ve done research work for one of my professors at Birmingham Southern, and I wanted to see how the process varies in an industry setting.”

Holt, a sophomore chemistry major, said she’s always been interested in pharmaceuticals and she’s trying to decide whether she wants to work as a researcher for a large firm.

“I think I’m really learning the most about day-to-day life and how professional chemists do their jobs instead of just being in a lab with a bunch of my classmates,” she said. “Even if I don’t end up becoming a researcher at a big pharmaceutical company, this internship has been really helpful in figuring out what I want to do. I’m glad I had the opportunity.”

UAB seniors Jaden Cowan and Daniel Unger are in the middle of longer internships. Cowan has been with Southern Research since last May, while Unger joined in August.

Southern Research internship
UAB senior Jaden Cowen, a chemistry major, is working on creating compounds for a potential anti-viral drug as part of his Southern Research internship.

Cowan, a chemistry major, initially did the internship for school credit, and he liked it so much he signed up for another semester to do his senior thesis. The thesis is on the work he’s done so far, which is creating compounds that could be used in an anti-viral drug.

His ultimate goal is to become a research scientist. During his time at SR, he has set up experiments, monitored those, run tests on the compounds, and analyzed the results.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve decided I’m going to try to obtain a Ph.D. in chemistry, and all these skills I’ve learned so far during this internship are going to be directly used in graduate school,” Cowan said. “This is good experience working in a professional lab alongside professional researchers. They’re prepping me so I can be independent and work in a lab by myself later on.”

Unger, a chemistry and neuroscience major, joined Southern Research after reconsidering his career plans.

“I added my chemistry major in the spring of last year, after I decided to look into career options other than medicine. I came the realization that I really enjoyed teaching,” he said. “So I decided to get a Ph.D. in chemistry, and I needed hands-on experience in the lab.”

Currently, Unger is working with a team on a project to develop a small molecule inhibitor as an anti-HIV therapy, a compound that essentially stops the virus from being able to replicate itself.

He sets up reactions on his own, as guided by his research mentor, and he follows the reactions, checking to see when they are completed. He also isolates and characterizes products from various reactions.

“It’s absolutely been beneficial, and I feel I’ve learned a lot. I have a much better grasp on what’s involved in doing the work as I prepare for grad school,” Unger said.

ATTRACTING TALENT

Dr. Bo Xu, MD, Ph.D., distinguished fellow and chair of the Oncology Department, said the internship program helps Southern Research attract more talented people to join the nonprofit.

Xu notes SR’s long and storied history when it comes to cancer research, which dates to the 1940s and includes more than $90 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health alone.

“It is part of our mission that we want to attract more talented people to join us, to be future scientists,” he said. “We want to see them get involved and engaged in the early stages of their career and training.”

Interns in the Oncology Department typically are assigned a small project, as well as a mentor who provides hands-on training. They’re taught how to design an experiment, analyze the data, write a report and present it to the entire department at the end of the term.

The subject matter the interns are studying is the cutting edge of cancer research, Xu said.

For example, this year a student from UVA shadowed a Southern Research scientist and learned about immunology/oncology research, specifically how to culture lymphocytes and how to design experiments for potential treatments.

“Basically we are having more young people come and learn and understand what science is, what cancer research is and how cancer research can help people,” he said.

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