Category: News

Southern Research, Tonix team to develop potential vaccine against new coronavirus

Posted on February 26, 2020

Southern Research announced today that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with New York-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, to support the development of a vaccine, TNX-1800, against the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, based on Tonix’s proprietary horsepox vaccine platform.

Tonix is developing TNX-801 – a live horsepox virus vaccine for percutaneous administration — as a potential smallpox preventing vaccine for the U.S. strategic national stockpile and as a vaccine against monkeypox.

Tonix’s proprietary horsepox virus has the potential to serve as a vector for vaccines to protect against other infectious agents.

Southern Research and Tonix said the new research collaboration will develop and test a potential horsepox vaccine that expresses protein from the virus that causes COVID, a SARS-CoV-2, to protect against the disease.

Southern Research Tonix — Southern Research will test potential vaccines against the novel coronavirus under a research collaboration with New York-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals.

There are currently no vaccines to protect against COVID-19, which may cause serious complications. The SARS-CoV-2 is reportedly highly infectious and is associated with a significant rate of mortality.

“We look forward to this collaboration to advance a potential COVID-19 vaccine,” said Scott Goebel, a senior scientist in Southern Research’s Drug Development division and principal investigator of the project.

Birmingham-based Southern Research, which has considerable experience in infectious disease research, has long been a leader in the evaluation of vaccine candidates and possible therapeutics for emerging biological threats.

Goebel has previously worked on vaccinia and orthopoxvirus vaccines for other conditions and has studied coronaviruses.

TESTING VACCINE CONSTRUCTS

Under the terms of the research collaboration, Southern Research will test one or more vaccine constructs in the Tonix horsepox vector that express one or more proteins or protein fragments from COVID-19.

The collaboration seeks to leverage Tonix’s horsepox vaccine technology that was originally developed to protect against smallpox but has capabilities as a vector for other infectious diseases.

Tonix has previously reported that horsepox has efficacy as a vaccine and good tolerability in mice and cynomolgus macaques. Horsepox is closely related to vaccinia vaccines, which are a group of orthopoxviruses that have been used as smallpox vaccines. Some vaccinia vaccines have been engineered to express coronavirus proteins and to elicit vaccine responses successfully in the past.

“Although vaccinia vectors are available, different orthopoxvirus strains may behave differently as vectors in part because of their different repertoire of genes that modulate immune responses and host range,” said Dr. Seth Lederman, CEO of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. “Potential advantages of horsepox are the strong immunogenicity we observed in macaques and mice with good tolerability.

“The protein synthesis connected with a replicating live virus vaccine provides direct antigen presentation, which can stimulate cellular immunity in addition to humoral immunity,” added Dr. Lederman, formerly an associate professor at Columbia University who made significant original contributions to immunology.

Tonix is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecules and biologics to treat pain, addiction and psychiatric conditions.

To see the company’s detailed announcement on the collaboration, click here.

Southern Research expands STEM Ambassadors program to train new teachers

Posted on February 12, 2020

Southern Research continues to expand its efforts to transform STEM education in schools across Alabama.

The organization has revamped its STEM Ambassadors program, with an eye toward training a new crop of math and science teachers.

“Across the nation, there’s a huge shortage of qualified math and science teachers, just as there’s a shortage of STEM workers in general, so we are trying to help address that issue,” said Kathryn Lanier, Ph.D., Southern Research’s STEM Education Outreach director.

When it started several years ago, the STEM Ambassadors program was a summer program, in which University of Alabama at Birmingham students with an interest in STEM fields helped with summer camps for high school students at Southern Research’s state-of-the-art STEM Lab in Birmingham.

But now, STEM Ambassadors are working throughout the year, helping with field trips from high schools across Alabama.

Southern Research has partnered with UAB Teach, a program that allows UAB students majoring in STEM fields to take education courses as well. And when they graduate with a STEM degree, they will also be certified to teach in high school classrooms.

This semester, Southern Research has 10 STEM Ambassadors who are also a part of UAB Teach. They are paid by the hour, and they are gaining valuable training for their future careers.

“It’s a win-win for us,” Lanier said. “We need extra hands to help us facilitate our field trip experiences. It also provides these future educators with exposure to a very different learning environment – one that allows students to apply their content knowledge to tackle real-world problems.”

“PERFECT EXPERIENCE”

One of the newest STEM Ambassadors is Amber Lakey, a UAB freshman who is majoring in mathematics.

“I knew that working with kids in such an intellectually stimulating environment, the STEM Lab, would be an incredible experience that would hopefully prepare me for my career as a teacher,” she said.

After graduation, Lakey wants to teach high school math and later become involved in administration.

“The STEM Ambassador program is the perfect experience for me, since I want to teach,” she said. “As I work through my education courses, I’ve already begun to notice how much easier it is for me to connect with the students; it’s a skill that I take on with ease now. When I am a teacher, I will be able to apply these experiences to engage with students and encourage them to be passionate about STEM.”

Lakey said she has loved her STEM Ambassador experience so far.

“When the students are there, I’m super busy running around to be involved with each group, ask questions and encourage them to keep trying new things during the experiments, and I enjoy every second of it. There are some jobs that are just that – a job. This honestly feels nothing like a job. I have so much fun with the students,” she said.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Southern Research is in the middle of a robust schedule of about 80 field trips for the 2019-2020 school year. Field trips include hands-on experiments in the STEM Lab and cover a variety of topics, such as tracking and diagnosing infectious diseases and transferring renewable resources into electricity.

Lanier said another benefit for the STEM Ambassadors is the connections they are making with educators and administrators who are accompanying their students on the field trips, which could help with future job placements.

Over time, she expects the STEM Ambassadors to become comfortable with leading students through the various steps of the field trips on their own.

“The hope is that by the end of the semester, or next year, they’ll be confident enough to lead certain parts of the field trip, if they want to,” Lanier said. “And hopefully they will become teachers themselves and bring their students back here for a field trip.”

Researcher: Indicator points to active flu season, urges vaccination

Posted on December 10, 2019

Are we headed for a rough flu season? Southern Research scientist Landon Westfall, who specializes in influenza and vaccines, says one indicator is flashing a warning sign that the months ahead could bring flu-related misery to many Americans.

The reason: Australia experienced a fairly severe flu season. That suggests the same fate could be in store for the North Hemisphere. It’s precisely what happened in 2017, when the H3N2 flu strain clobbered Australia. In the U.S., almost 80,000 people died during that flu season.

“It’s too early to precisely gauge how severe this flu season will be for us,” said Westfall, Ph.D., associate director, influenza, in Southern Research’s Drug Development division. “But you can get an idea from how it unfolded in Australia and New Zealand. They had a relatively hard flu season this year. This often predicts we’re likely to have a severe one as well.”

Westfall said a change in how flu vaccines are being produced this year has the potential to offer increased protection. The vaccine viruses were grown in cell cultures, rather than in chicken eggs, which should reduce the risk of mutations that can lower the vaccine’s effectiveness.

“This approach should make the vaccine a better match for the circulating, ‘wild type’ flu strains,” he said. “It makes for a more stable vaccine.”

INCREASING ACTIVITY

Southern Research flu vaccine — Landon Westfall is an infectious disease scientist at Southern Research.

Levels of influenza-like illnesses have been increasing across the U.S., particularly in the South. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high rates of influenza-like illness were being reported in the five states stretching from Georgia to Texas, including Alabama, as of late November.

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported in early December that significant influenza activity has been detected throughout the state.

Westfall — who advises everyone to get a flu shot now, if they haven’t done so already — says influenza activity typically begins to spike around this time of year.

“Right now, the level is low, but it will increase pretty dramatically over the next four to six weeks,” he said. “Once we start getting into holiday season, and people start gathering together, it will pick up.”

While Australia’s 2019 flu season didn’t match 2017 in severity, it was an unusually tough one, with the dominant strain again being H3N2, which is blamed for more hospitalizations and deaths than other strains.

Australian health authorities reported laboratory-confirmed flu cases reached the nation’s highest recorded level during the 2019 season. The number of deaths attributed to the flu — 662 — was higher than normal but trailed the total of 745 from two years earlier.

Across the U.S., the 2017-18 influenza season was brutal, with nearly 49 million Americans sickened by the flu and almost 1 million of them ending up in the hospital. The death toll was estimated at 79,400, according to the CDC.

The nation’s most severe flu outbreak since the 2009 global pandemic was worsened by the fact that the seasonal flu vaccine was less effective against the H3N2 strain than usual.

While it’s too early to assess how much protection this year’s vaccine will offer, Westfall said it’s a good idea to roll up your sleeve and get the shot immediately. The vaccine is designed to protect against four different virus strains.

“I always tell people that regardless of how effective the vaccine is, you should still get it. Even though it may not be 100 percent protective, it will still lessen the effects of the flu. And if you’re elderly or very young, it might be the difference between life and death,” he said.

INFLUENZA PROGRAMS

Birmingham-based Southern Research has been heavily involved in U.S. government influenza programs since 2004, when H5N1, or bird flu, emerged as a pandemic threat. Since 2009, the organization has supported the government as a primary provider of flu vaccine testing and support.

Southern Research has worked extensively on influenza projects in support of clinical trials for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

Read a story about Southern Research vaccine research.

Southern Research SIPSE intern wins Milken ‘Oscar of Teaching’ award

Posted on November 14, 2019

A former intern at Southern Research has been honored as one of the nation’s top educators.

Raisa Eady, a biology teacher at Jefferson County’s Pinson Valley High School, last month received the Milken Educator Award, known as the “Oscars of Teaching,” during a surprise assembly at her school.

Given for more than 30 years by the Milken Family Foundation, the awards honor unsung heroes of the classroom for their impressive achievements. Each award includes a $25,000 cash prize.

Eady was part of the first Summer Internship Program for STEM Educators, or SIPSE, at Southern Research in 2018. She spent the summer working alongside the organization’s scientists and had many amazing learning opportunities, she said.

“My biggest take away from my wonderful experience would be how the science world is truly multifaceted,” she said. “Students often think of science as one-dimensional. In fact, there are many opportunities to be a part of the research world.”

Milken Educator Award Southern Research — Raisa Eady, an Alabama teacher who worked as an intern at Southern Research, won the Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national honor. She was a member of the first SIPSE cohort at Southern Research.

Eady said she enjoyed being part of the research process.

“I have always loved science and education; however, I never felt confident in my instrumentation. During my internship, I became a real member of my team. I also realized I had a great passion for cell culture!”

IMPORTANT LESSONS

The experience made a lasting impression, she said.

“My time at Southern Research had a profound impact on my work in the classroom. As I learned more about the intricate details of contract science, I realized that science does not always follow a typical ‘scientific method’ approach. It is definitely not a cookbook recipe process that is often projected in our science classrooms,” she said.

Eady also was exposed to the business world behind research, and she is sharing that with her students.

“I have made it a point to discuss all of the possible career opportunities that are vital pieces to the world of research, whether it be cell culture, drug development, contract science, administration and more. It is important for our students to understand the varied pathways available to them in the field of science.

“It is also great to be able to throw in the occasional, ‘while I was doing cancer research at Southern Research,’ while teaching!”

‘AN ABSOLUTE NATURAL’

Eady impressed her colleagues from the beginning of her internship, said her mentor, Michael Koratich, associate director and head of Oncology Drug Development at Southern Research.

“Raisa was awesome and an absolute natural,” he said. “Within a couple of weeks of her coming on board, we had completely integrated her as a regular functioning technician in the laboratory.”

Koratich said Eady asked good questions, thought things through and caught on to her new tasks quickly. Her summer project involved learning to grow cancer cells and perform cytotoxicity experiments.

“What we do in Drug Development is very different from a traditional research science path since we work with commercial customers as well,” he said. “We interface with clients and determine how much a project will cost. The goal was to expose her to different sides of science, so she would have a frame of reference to let students know that it’s not just all about working in the lab.”

‘A REMARKABLE TEACHER’

The Milken Awards target early- to mid-career education professionals for their achievements and for the promise of future accomplishments. Winners are given access to powerful networking and development resources throughout their careers.

To date, more than 2,800 awards have been given, totaling $70 million. Eady is among 13 award winners for 2019-20.

Eady earned a bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University in 2012 and a master’s degree from the University of West Alabama in 2018. Both are in biology education.

She serves as chair of Pinson Valley’s science department, as well as lead teacher for the district’s 150 science educators in grades 6-12.

Her Milken Awards bio notes her ability to make biology relevant to her students’ lives, building great rapport with them and using daily learning targets, grouping, visuals and formative assessments to engage them.

She mentors new teachers, leads the district’s Literacy Design Collaborative Initiative and serves on the school’s ESL committee and transformation team.

Eady also is working to build a robust AP Biology program, with the number of students taking the course and AP exam increasing over the past three years. She coaches the Science Olympiad and sponsors the Science National Honor Society.

Kathryn Lanier, Ph.D., Southern Research’s STEM Education Outreach Director, said she knew Eady would win a top award someday.

“She is truly a remarkable teacher, and you can go into her classroom and see that right away,” she said.

SIPSE was expanded from six spots in 2018 to 14 spots in 2019. The program offers participating teachers real-world applications of the subjects they teach. During the summer, the educators develop new strategies to teach STEM subjects in the classroom.

“All of the teachers that come to SIPSE are truly exceptional educators, and all SIPSE is doing is empowering them to challenge themselves,” Lanier said. “SIPSE is giving them that extra nugget of research and science and giving them the opportunity to live that life.”

Read an article about the program.

Southern Research to develop smart robots for next-gen nuclear reactors under DOE grant

Posted on October 3, 2019

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a team led by Southern Research a $2.8 million grant to develop smart maintenance robots that will work autonomously in the challenging conditions inside next-generation nuclear reactors.

The team working on the project, funded by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to train the robots to complete maintenance tasks at a future molten salt reactor (MSR) large component test facility.

Autonomous maintenance is seen as an enabling capability to making MSR technology economically viable as a safe, carbon-free energy source, according to Robert Amaro, Ph.D., a mechanical engineer and advanced manufacturing specialist at Southern Research’s Engineering division.

Southern Research nuclear energy — Robert Amaro of Southern Research will lead a project to develop autonomous robots for next-generation nuclear reactors.

“The MSR technology is very promising because of its inherent safety, but the high-temperature, high-radiation environment makes it necessary to remotely maintain the reactor. Training robots to perform maintenance tasks is a key capability in the development of these reactors,” Amaro said.

As the project’s program manager, Amaro will prepare the robots for their mission, but what is unusual about this project is that the robots will be trained in a virtual environment, using machine learning to execute a range of routine maintenance tasks. The operator would provide high-level guidance to the smart robots but would not have to direct each specific task they perform in the MSR, Amaro said.

The success of this project promises to significantly advance future nuclear power generation.

On the project, Southern Research has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the creator of the original MSR technology; PaR Systems, a leading manufacturer of automation and robotic technology used in nuclear facilities; Intuitive Research and Technology Corp., which specializes in 3-D virtual training environments; DEFT Dynamics, an innovative small business developing real time feedback for robots and manipulators; and Southern Company, a leading energy company based in Atlanta.

The project supports a proposed concept being explored by Southern Company Research and Development (R&D) to develop a molten salt large component test facility in conjunction with its efforts to advance Generation IV nuclear energy systems. Southern Company and TerraPower, a nuclear startup founded by Bill Gates, received DOE funding in 2016, as part of an ongoing effort to develop a Molten Chloride Fast Reactor that uses liquid salts as both a coolant and fuel.

Southern Company will assist the Southern Research team by providing 3-D modeling of the future test facility to help the robot training efforts. It will also provide oversight to ensure the technology developed by Southern Research is applicable to MSR technology.

“Southern Research has put together a strong technical team for this project, and this is a great opportunity for the organization to become part of a large, collaborative, industry-leading effort to develop next-generation nuclear power for the clean, safe, reliable and affordable generation of electricity,” said Nick Irvin, Southern Company director of research strategy, next-generation nuclear and crosscutting R&D.

Though MSR technology has never been commercialized, it was first developed as an experiment at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1960s. Now, almost 60 years later, the technology is seen by many as an energy system for the future.

Interest has been rekindled in MSR technology because it offers a zero-carbon energy resource that operates at high temperatures and low pressure using a nonreactive coolant. And these reactors are capable of being designed and scaled for both small- and large-scale deployments.

COLLABORATIONS

For Birmingham-based Southern Research, the project is groundbreaking in a number of ways, said Corey Tyree, Ph.D., senior director of Southern Research’s Energy and Environment division. It’s the organization’s first large-scale nuclear project and the first time it’s been funded by ARPA-E, a government agency that typically funds higher-risk projects that have a greater impact and a higher reward in the energy sector.

For Southern Research, it also represents the first major collaboration between its Engineering and Energy & Environment divisions on a project of this magnitude, he added.

“This is an exciting project because it moves us into some new directions,” Tyree said. “The work leverages our knowledge base in materials, energy and environment, while also moving us into new technical areas like automation, robotics and virtual environment training by partnering with other world leaders in these areas.”

Both Amaro and Tyree agree that the development of this autonomous robot technology can better position Southern Research for new industrial partnerships looking for applications in advanced manufacturing as well as applications supporting the nation’s space program, where a similar skill set may be required to perform complex tasks in hostile environments.

Full slate of field trips magnifies impact of STEM outreach program

Posted on October 1, 2019

Southern Research is making significant strides in efforts to improve STEM education in classrooms across the state.

As of last month, the organization’s STEM education outreach program has touched 35,045 students from 40 of Alabama’s 67 counties.

Field trips, which bring students to Southern Research’s Birmingham campus and its state-of-the-art STEM lab, are a key part of the program.

Last school year, there were about 30 field trips, and that number has grown to nearly 80 in the current, 2019-2020 year.

“It has evolved into something truly spectacular, and we are swamped with field trip requests,” said Kathryn Lanier, Ph.D., Southern Research’s STEM education outreach director. “We have an online request form, and we are completely booked, with a waiting list.”

Kathryn Lanier Southern Research — Kathryn Lanier directs Southern Research’s STEM education outreach program, which has touched more than 35,000 students from 40 Alabama counties.

Lanier credits the growth of the field trips to Liz Johnson, Ph.D., who was hired about a year ago as a STEM education specialist.

Johnson, she said, has done an impressive job of coming up with new content and fresh ideas to present the important work that Southern Research scientists do in a fun and relatable way.

Field trips cover a variety of topics and are designed to correspond with Southern Research’s different focus areas, including Drug Discovery, Drug Development, Engineering, and Energy & Environment.

For example, one field trip format focuses on infectious diseases, walking students through the process of tracking and diagnosing infections. They learn basic principles of immunology, including how the presence of foreign substances, known as antigens, can induce the formation of antibodies.

In this field trip, students participate in a simulated disease outbreak activity, investigate primary and secondary immune responses and diagnose disease using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

In another field trip series, students focus on green engineering in learning how to transfer renewable resources like wind, water or solar energy into electricity. They learn about the basics of kinetic and potential energy, the conservation of energy and the transfer of energy by designing, building and testing renewable energy prototypes.

Students also explore how strains of bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, and they learn the underlying chemistry of ocean acidification.

LAB SETTING

Johnson said the Southern Research STEM lab, which opened in the summer of 2018, is the perfect setting to capture students’ attention and fuel their interest in STEM subjects.

The brightly colored space is outfitted with equipment and supplies to conduct physical and life science experiments in a fully functional lab setting. It also features 3D printers, robotics equipment and other innovative engineering gear.

Southern Research STEM outreach — STEM field trips introduce students to the wide range of activities at Southern Research, ranging from drug discovery to engineering.

“Every time a new group comes in, it’s so fun to watch their faces,” Johnson said. “They tell us it looks like Disney World or Nickelodeon Studios, and that excitement helps them learn.

“We want to fuel their desire to learn through engaging hands-on experiments. A new and exciting environment allows them to open up and be more receptive to new things,” she added.

Most field trips include between 40 and 44 students. Participating students range from sixth grade to 12^th grade, with a good mix of middle and high schools visiting the campus.

One of the major goals of the field trips is to give students a real-world understanding of the lessons they are taught in the classroom, Johnson said.

“We not only want to align our content with the Alabama course of study, but we also want to align it with the science and engineering we do here at Southern Research,” she said.

The field trips are free. Southern Research provides materials and supplies, as well as lunch if the students are on campus for a full day. The organization also offers reimbursement for bus transportation and substitutes in the classroom for the teachers who make the trip.

“We’ve learned a lot of these school systems don’t have the financial means to go on field trips, and us offering this for free really gives them the opportunity to enjoy it and not worry about the financial strain. That has enabled a lot of students and teachers to come,” Johnson said.

HANDS-ON LEARNING

Feedback from teachers has been positive.

Cheryl Massey, 8^th Grade Science & STEM Instructor at Fort Payne Middle School, took her students on a field trip to Southern Research after they studied energy in physical science class.

The group participated in the green engineering project in which they designed, constructed and tested wind turbines. After that, students used their data to create and analyze graphs, which helped them brainstorm ways to improve their designs.

“Standing back and observing our students apply their knowledge and work together was enlightening. Southern Research is an outstanding way to provide students the opportunity for hands-on application learning. The program schedule fit perfectly with our day, allowing us lunch time and travel time,” Massey said.

Lanier said the field trip program grew out of STEM Day, a one-day event that pairs students with Southern Research scientists to get a behind-the-scenes look at careers in STEM fields.

“Incredible things happen when you put students in a space that that not only inspires a sense of discovery but also places them right next door to world-class scientists and engineers. It creates an atmosphere where students can begin to believe that they too can be the ones who shepherd impossible innovations and create the technologies of the future,” she said.

The hands-on experience students gain in the lab helps further the ultimate goal of Southern Research’s STEM education outreach program, which is to strengthen the pipeline of students entering STEM careers.

“There’s such a history of innovation and greatness here at Southern Research, and it’s very different from anything they could experience at school,” Lanier said. “It gets these kids so excited, and that’s what we want to see.

“We want to show them how rewarding, how much fun and what a difference they can make if they choose a career in STEM.”

Southern Research licenses technology to Agra for ‘waste-to-energy’ project

Posted on September 18, 2019

Waste from cities, restaurants and farms across the nation presents a problem because of resulting greenhouse gas emissions, but innovative technology developed by Southern Research could soon help address environmental concerns and spark investment that supports dynamic change.

Under a licensing deal that is the first of its kind, Southern Research’s Energy & Environment (E&E) division is providing an Irvine, California-based company with patented technology and specialized equipment for a “waste-to-energy” project.

Agriculture is a key marketspace for Agra Energy Corp. By partnering with dairy farmers across the nation, Agra Energy intends to use an advanced chemical-conversion process developed by Southern Research scientists to turn cow manure into clean, renewable fuels conventionally produced from crude oil.

Southern Research sustainable chemistry — Southern Research’s Sustainable Chemistry team includes, from left, Chanse Appling, Wesley Wilson, Swanand Tupsakhare, Amit Goyal, Zora Govedarica and Jadid Samad.

Southern Research’s collaboration with Agra Energy comes at a time when concerns are rising about the negative impacts of solid waste produced at large-scale agricultural operations such as dairy, poultry and hog farms.

“We have to produce our food more sustainably,” said Corey Tyree, Ph.D., senior director of E&E at Southern Research. “There are opportunities to manage agricultural waste to do less harm to our land and water resources. One opportunity is to convert waste like manure into liquid fuels. This benefits the farmer and the environment. The technology being licensed to Agra enables all of this to happen.”

Tony Long, president of Agra Energy, said the Southern Research technology aligns with his company’s broad mission.

“Our directive, as an innovative renewable energy company, has a laser-focused agenda: implement engineering solutions that shift consumption away from fossil fuels, convert pollution sources into clean energy sources, and offer real economic returns that provoke real action within the industry and greater society,” Long said.

“We are excited to join our experienced team together with Southern Research to bring their base technology processes into commercialization.”

‘GTL’ PROCESS

Southern Research scientists developed the proprietary process being licensed to Agra Energy through work on a series of U.S. Department of Energy projects that explored how to convert low-rank coal and coal-biomass mixtures to high-quality liquid fuels, among other things.

Southern Research’s unique “gas-to-liquids” (GTL) process, patented in 2016, will feature in small-scale GTL units that Agra Energy will deploy to farms to produce renewable diesel and other valuable liquid fuels after the manure is converted into a synthesis gas, or syngas.

“Our GTL technology is a unique combination of novel stable catalysts with better yields to fuel and a reactor system with better heat management, improving efficiency,” said Amit Goyal, Ph.D., director of Southern Research’s Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis laboratory.

“These advances allow technology to be deployed at smaller modular scales, enabling biogas obtained from farm manure to be converted to syngas and subsequently to fuels.”

While conventional GTL technology has been around for decades, it has required massive scale with major investment commitment. By utilizing Southern Research’s GTL process, Agra Energy aims to deploy the technology on a cost-efficient “micro” level across the nation.

As part of this collaboration, Southern Research is now fabricating equipment in Birmingham that Agra Energy will install as a pilot program at a dairy farm in Wisconsin to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology.

‘GLOBAL POTENTIAL’

Tyree said this agreement commercializing technology developed by scientists in Southern Research’s E&E division gives Agra Energy exclusive rights to the GTL process across the United States.

“While we think there is global potential long term, we are thrilled to partner with Agra and benefit U.S. farmers and the environment,” Tyree said.

He also expects other commercialization deals involving intellectual property created by Southern Research’s E&E scientists to be signed in the future.

Project funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation targets deeper understanding of neuronal death in Parkinson’s

Posted on August 23, 2019

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded Southern Research scientist Rita Cowell, Ph.D., a $150,000 grant to study how certain brain cells die in Parkinson’s disease in order to gain insights that could lead to new therapeutic targets.

Cowell, a fellow and chair of the Neuroscience Department in Southern Research’s Drug Discovery division, said her investigation will classify different types of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain’s substantia nigra region and determine how vulnerable they are to cell death and dysfunction.

The impairment of these neurons – nerve cells that transmit high-speed signals to regions of the brain involved in initiating movements – and the resulting loss of dopamine, a chemical messenger, are key contributors to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Rita Cowell Southern Research Parkinson's — Technical approaches for Southern Research neuroscientist Rita Cowell’s projects involve capturing images of neurons with fluorescent light microscopy to visualize and localize gene expression to subpopulations of neurons.

To better understand why this happens, Cowell’s team aims to pinpoint the subtypes of dopaminergic neurons that are lost in brain tissue samples from Parkinson’s disease rodent models and humans who had the disease.

“Basically, we are going to use gene markers to identify and investigate whether the neurons that die in a mouse model are the same neurons that die in people,” she said.

“This could be really informative because if only one group of the neurons in the mouse matches what is going on in the human, that’s the only group we should be studying.”

Cowell said understanding the different molecular profiles of these neurons – and being able to identify which ones are most vulnerable to degeneration — could help scientists identify new pathways for therapies targeting Parkinson’s.

The neurological disorder affects an estimated 1 million . Around 60,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States, typically in people over 60, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

URGENT NEED

Cowell said new treatments are urgently needed against the disease, which progressively slows movement, impairs speech and even leads to dementia in some patients.

“Currently, the main treatment for patients with Parkinson’s is L-Dopa. This dopamine replacement therapy can manage symptoms, but it does not slow the progression of the disease,” she said.

“What happens is that, over time, the L-Dopa becomes less effective. There is only so much the drug can do – it can’t stop cell loss.”

Southern Research neuroscience — Rita Cowell chairs the Neuroscience Department at Southern Research.

The grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation is Cowell’s third from the non-profit organization.

All of these projects share the long-term goal of finding ways to prevent cell loss in Parkinson’s disease.

Cowell said funding for supplies needed to collect critical preliminary data for The Michael J. Fox Foundation grant application stemmed from donations to Southern Research’s inaugural Change Campaign in 2018. The peer-to-peer fundraiser generated a total of $200,000 to advance research projects in neuroscience, oncology and sustainable chemistry.

“This is a prime example of how we often just need seed funding to promote good ideas. We had the ideas, but we just didn’t have the resources to pursue them,” Cowell said.

“We knew there were opportunities that would allow us to secure that extramural funding. The project simply needed that little nudge, and the Change Campaign provided it.”

Southern Research is in the process of planning its next Change Campaign event to support similar projects and increase the likelihood of identifying new ways to treat disease.

Southern Research’s Drone Academy propels students’ creativity to new altitudes

Posted on August 20, 2019

High school students from across the state and beyond have reached new heights in engineering and innovation this summer at Southern Research.

The organization’s first Drone Academy drew 124 students, split up into four one-week sessions. They represented more than 40 schools, mostly in Alabama, but also in Georgia, North Carolina, and California.

Each week, the students designed and produced fully functioning drones using 3D printers in the new STEM lab at the Birmingham campus. Then they took a field trip to an airport in Walker County to try out their creations.

Southern Research STEM — Josh Hill, left, and Caleel Holifield, both freshmen at Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, show off the drones they built at Southern Research’s Drone Academy.

“This academy has allowed students to dive into the engineering design process,” said Kathryn Lanier, Ph.D., Southern Research’s STEM Education Outreach Director. “And not only do they get to design and print their own drone, they also get to take it home with them.

“They’re so proud by the end of the week, and I’m even more proud of what they have accomplished.”

Kamari Marzette, a 10^th grade student at Ramsay High School in Birmingham, said she found the experience inspiring.

“What I learned this summer gave me the confidence to achieve things I never thought I was capable of,” Marzette said. “It was also really cool that the Academy was led by mostly women — it helps me believe that I can make my STEM dreams become a reality, too.”

‘NOVEL IDEA’

The idea to implement the Drone Academy program came about during the planning phase of the STEM lab, which opened last summer.

Outfitted with equipment and supplies to conduct both physical and life science experiments, the facility has been the site of many camps and other programs that are part of a Southern Research goal to attract more students to STEM careers.

“When seeking funding we discovered that the Drone Academy program is one of a kind,” Lanier said. “While there are several drone programs offered around the country, there are no known programs that incorporate drone design and engineering using computer-aided design (CAD) software and 3D printing, especially in the state of Alabama.”

“The Drone Academy has been extremely successful in sparking students’ interest in STEM careers, and we are most grateful to the American Honda Foundation, Motorola Solutions Foundation, and Best Buy Foundation for providing almost $50,000 in funding to make this program possible,” Lanier added.

Additionally, Sanders Aviation partnered with Southern Research to provide visits to the flight training center at the Walker County Airport, where the students raced their drones and also learned about pilot’s license programs offered there.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

Lanier and her team faced many challenges while building the program from the ground up, including mastering 3D printing and dividing the use of eight 3D printers among approximately 30 students each week, since each drone takes about four hours to print.

“There’s not a guide for this type of program out there, but now I think it’s one of the best programs we offer. People from other states are calling and asking about it.”

The Southern Research team also designed backup drones before the camps started, so the students would have something to take home if they struggled with their own projects.

“But by the middle of the first week, the students’ drone designs were better than our backups. They didn’t need the backup drones at all,” Lanier said.

GROWTH PLANS

Lanier said it’s exciting to see the organization’s STEM Education Outreach programs continue to grow.

Next year, she would like to add more 3D printers to the Drone Academy, as well as a new technology that would eliminate the need to provide a remote control for each student’s drone.

Chris Crawford, Ph.D., a University of Alabama computer science professor, has been involved in brain-controlled drone racing. It involves connecting electroencephalogram, or EEG, devices to drones and headsets, so people can race each other with their brains instead of controllers.

Crawford was a speaker during one of the Drone Academy sessions this summer, and Lanier hopes to collaborate with him again next year.

“Basically, you have to think about something really complex to get those beta brainwaves firing, and the harder you think, the more it will lift,” Lanier said. “One of the most expensive parts of this program is the remote controls, so maybe next year they could fly drones with the EEG headset instead of standard drone remotes.”

For now, though, Lanier is proud of the progress of the first class of Drone Academy graduates. Most of those who attended this summer had never used CAD software or 3D-printed anything.

“Some of their drones are Star Wars themed, some look like UFOs, some put on chicken feet as landing gear. Their designs are so creative and so much better than anything I could have ever made. They’ve really blown me away,” she said.

“It’s a rewarding experience for us to see them and for them to see themselves solving problems.”

Southern Research aims to speed drug discovery with 3-D bioprinting

Posted on July 25, 2019

Inside a Southern Research lab, a new 3-D bioprinter is silently stitching together a gelatin structure that mimics a human tumor, the device’s precise movements directed by a computer program’s highly detailed geometry.

In the future, Southern Research scientists will be able to use this tumor model, created with realistic three-dimensional architecture and implanted with living cells, as a revolutionary kind of testing platform to accelerate drug discovery efforts.

“Additive manufacturing technologies have the potential to improve how we develop drugs, which today is a hugely expensive process that too often fails,” said Stacey Kelpke, Ph.D., program manager for medical device technologies at Southern Research.

“With 3-D bioprinting, we can create models using human cells in a tumor that is structured just like you would see in someone’s body, increasing accuracy when drug candidates are being evaluated,” she added.

Southern Research additive manufacturing — Southern Research’s Stacey Kelpke shows Birmingham businessman Gene Robinson a computer image of an object being created by the 3-D Bioplotter. Robinson’s donation made the purchase possible.

Southern Research acquired its EnvisionTEC 3-D Bioplotter in June, thanks to a generous gift from Birmingham businessman Gene Robinson, who has become a champion of the game-changing potential of 3-D printing technologies. In further support of Alabama business, Southern Research purchased the Bioplotter from SWIGRO, an Auburn, Alabama-based company that is focused on additive manufacturing.

Robinson’s $100,000 donation was paired with $50,000 in federal grant funding to complete the purchase of the device capable of printing three-dimensional structures with biomaterials. Only a small number of the specialized devices are in use across the Southeast.

“Without Gene, none of this would have happened,” Kelpke said. “His vision will help advance drug discovery and development at Southern Research as we work to uncover new insights against a whole range of diseases and new therapies to combat them.”

OPENING NEW DOORS

Rebecca Boohaker, Ph.D., assistant fellow in Southern Research’s Oncology Department, said plans are already under way to integrate the 3-D Bioplotter into a sweeping range of future drug discovery research projects.

“We’re developing a skin model to test topical-based drugs that would protect against harmful agents that can be absorbed through the skin,” she said. “We can develop a 3-D lung model for cystic fibrosis for compound testing. That is aside from what I was initially interested in – tumor models. We can also develop 3-D models in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.”

During a recent visit to Southern Research, Robinson got an opportunity to see the 3-D Bioplotter in action, as the device meticulously built the structure of a miniature human brain, layer upon layer, in a demonstration.

Robinson, who has invested in an additive manufacturing company in Auburn, wants his gift to Southern Research to inspire other Alabama business leaders to make donations to spread the adoption of 3-D printing technology across the state. He’s also eager to see Alabama solidify its position as an emerging hub for the development of additive technologies.

“The business leaders of Alabama need to get behind this. We’re No. 1 in football, but that only goes so far. I want us to be No. 1 in additive manufacturing,” Robinson said.

Southern Research 3-D Bioprinting — Southern Research’s 3-D Bioplotter creates precise three-dimensional objects based on computer designs like this one of a miniature human brain.

Robinson, who founded the medical device company IMS in Birmingham, said he was interested in helping Southern Research acquire the 3-D Bioplotter because the device can make an impact.

“Since I sold my company in 2014, I have just been looking for something significant to do, something that can make a difference. You know, people donate to all kinds of causes, but what will make a difference? That’s what I asked myself. Then I called Stacey,” he said.

SPEEDING DEVELOPMENT

Thanks to its potential to industrialize the production of 3-D human tissues, Kelpke said bioprinting technology can help researchers address problems that have slowed drug development. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says current methods of delivering new drugs can take decades, cost billions of dollars, and fail about 95 percent of the time.

Today, for example, researchers use 2-D cell models for testing potential drugs for activity against certain diseases, Kelpke said. But the cell-to-cell interaction can be quite different when the compound is tested in animal models. There are also issues with testing results derived from animal studies, which can be misleading or disappointing.

As a result, most drug candidates fail in clinical trials because they are shown to be unexpectedly ineffective or toxic, despite encouraging results in early testing.

To accelerate the technology’s development, the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences has established a bioprinting project so its scientists can develop 3-D laboratory-grown human tissue models that can be produced efficiently and at scale.

At Southern Research, Kelpke and Boohaker are assessing the full potential of the 3-D Bioplotter for the Birmingham-based organization’s Drug Discovery team.

The potential seems unlimited. In addition to realistic tumor models, Kelpke said the device could be used to print cartilage for joint replacements. It also has potential in unlocking the mystery of how to get medicines for Alzheimer’s past a barrier that blocks the path to the brain.

“For us, it’s really just imagine how you can use it, and you can build a 3-D structure and validate it,” Boohaker said.

Robinson wants his gift to Southern Research to spark a movement to make Alabama a leader in this transformational technology.

“I just hope that business leaders across Alabama will take a moment and start investigating additive manufacturing technologies and seeing how they can embrace it for their companies, how they can invest in additive companies, or how they can embrace it for the state of Alabama,” he said. “We don’t want to lose this opportunity.”

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