Tag: In The News

Southern Research Appoints Josh Carpenter as President and CEO and Allen Bolton as Executive VP for Strategy and Finance

Posted on May 13, 2021

Two prominent Birmingham leaders have been named to leadership posts at Southern Research – the scientific discovery and research institution headquartered on Birmingham’s Southside.

Josh Carpenter has been named president and CEO, and Allen Bolton has been named executive vice president for strategy and finance. They begin the new roles on June 1.

They’ll be taking the reins at an organization with vast potential for shaping the future of Birmingham’s economy and its innovation ecosystem.

Carpenter, a Rhodes Scholar, most recently served as director of innovation and economic opportunity for the city of Birmingham. He previously worked at UAB.

Bolton most recently was senior vice president for finance and administration at UAB where he also served on the board of Southern Research.

“I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about what’s in front of us because of the people who are there,” Carpenter said.

In addition to the expertise of the people and the legacy of Southern Research, Carpenter said he was attracted to the role because of the organization’s potential to transform the region’s economy.

Historically, he said Birmingham has been home to many islands of innovation. One of his goals is to create a better through-line to connect those pockets of R&D excellence in the community and raise their collective impact.

“Southern Research, perhaps better than any other organization, is specifically geared toward playing the role of that translational bridge – translating ideas to innovation and economic opportunity,” Carpenter said. “If we can create the storefront to access those immense capabilities, we can present ourselves as the next frontier market in biotech.”

Carpenter said Birmingham is well-positioned for growth in life sciences, precision medicine and related fields, and he said Southern Research, with expertise in those fields and others, can play a critical role in that innovation economy.

With the way the medical sector is trending, Carpenter sees a growing need for the type of capability expertise that can be found on the campus of Southern Research, which has 400 employees.

He’s also excited about the role the organization can play in building the local innovation ecosystem – an effort with vast implications for Birmingham’s economy.

There have been numerous examples of successful biotech companies that have originated from research conducted in Birmingham but ultimately moved elsewhere. One of his goals at Southern Research is to help build an environment that keeps those companies – and the jobs they create – in metro Birmingham.

“Southern Research is at it’s finest when the halls are brimming with first-rate intellect that come up with a novel discovery that becomes a commercial enterprise and creates jobs right here in Birmingham,” he said.

Carpenter said there will be a focus on having a deeper and more profound relationship with UAB, which is located adjacent to Southern Research’s campus.

“We have not tapped the potential of working to integrate our approach,” he said.

Carpenter also said a priority will be adapting Southern Research’s business model to capitalize on the opportunities at hand. What that will entail is likely to become more clear with a strategic plan that could be released later this year to coincide with Southern Research’s 80th anniversary.

He said he’s happy to have a veteran leader like Bolton joining him at Southern Research.

“No one has better experience navigating not just the UAB ecosystem, but a labyrinth of medical systems,” Carpenter said. “He’s going to be a really effective arbiter of our strategic and financial interests.”

https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2021/05/13/new-leaders-take-the-reins-at-southern-research.html

Southern Research selects new president and CEO

Posted on May 13, 2021

Birmingham’s Southern Research announced today that Josh Carpenter will be its new president and CEO, effective June 1.

Allen Bolton will also serve as its new executive vice president for strategy and finance.

Carpenter recently served as the City of Birmingham’s director of innovation and economic opportunity, where he led the city’s efforts in workforce development, COVID recovery and business expansion. He will lead the independent, non-profit scientific research organization which employs more than 400 engineers and scientists.

UAB President Ray Watts, who chairs the Southern Research Board of Directors, said Carpenter and Bolton are “forward-thinking leaders who are ready to chart a bold new course for Southern Research.” Alabama Power President and CEO Mark Crosswhite, a board member, said the two men’s “vision and expertise will play an important role in leading this institution forward as a continued center of excellence.”

Carpenter also previously served as UAB’s director of external affairs and earned a doctorate in political economy from the University of Oxford, where he studied on a Rhodes Scholarship.

“I am truly honored to take the helm of Southern Research and lead this incredible team that is finding solutions to improve people’s lives around the world,” he said. “Southern Research has had 80 successful years, but I know the best is yet to come.”

Bolton most recently served as UAB’s senior vice president for finance and administration and served as a Southern Research board member. He was also executive administrator at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the largest research center in the University of Alabama System.

“Discoveries made at Southern Research have provided breakthroughs in cancer research, pushed the boundaries of science and saved lives,” Bolton said. “I am grateful for this opportunity to work alongside dedicated and talented people who have an unmatched passion for science and discovery.”

Southern Research generates more than $150 million in annual economic impact and supports more than 1,000 Alabama jobs.

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2021/05/southern-research-selects-new-president-and-ceo.html

Southern Research and Tonix Pharmaceuticals Reports Positive COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy Results

Posted on March 25, 2021

Vaccine Candidate TNX-1800 Protected Both Upper and Lower Airways After Challenge with SARS-CoV-2, Suggesting an Ability to Block Forward Transmission

TNX-1800 is Based on a Proprietary Vaccine Platform Designed to Stimulate Long Term T cell Immunity

CHATHAM, NJ, March 25, 2021 – Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix or the Company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced preliminary results following vaccination of non-human primates with TNX-1800 (modified horsepox virus, live vaccine), a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine candidate engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 (CoV-2) spike protein. Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of single-dose TNX-1800 were assessed at two dose levels (n=4 per group). At Day 41 after the vaccination, animals were challenged with live SARS-CoV-2 through intra-nasal and intra-tracheal routes. Protection was assessed at Day 47 or six days after challenge. The research is part of an ongoing collaboration between Southern Research, the University of Alberta and Tonix.

“We are pleased that all eight animals vaccinated with TNX-1800 had undetectable SARS-CoV-2 in their upper and lower airways 6 days after challenge with SARS-CoV-2,” said Seth Lederman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. “Today’s results are from the second phase of a study, in which TNX-1800 vaccinated and control animals were challenged with SARS-CoV-2. Last Fall, we reported that all eight of the animals manifested ‘takes’, a skin reaction to horsepox vaccination which is a validated biomarker of functional T cell immunity, and that vaccination was associated with neutralizing antibodies in each case. The positive results of the protection from live CoV-2 challenge that we are reporting today validate the capacity for TNX-1800 to protect against COVID-19, and also validate the ‘take’ after TNX-1800 vaccination as a biomarker for functional T cell immunity.”

Dr. Lederman continued, “’Take‘ is considered important because it is otherwise difficult and costly to measure the T cell response to a vaccine. Vaccines that elicit a strong T cell response, like horsepox and closely related vaccinia, have been established to provide long-term, durable immunity and to block forward transmission. Single dose horsepox and vaccinia vaccination led to the eradication of smallpox, which, like CoV-2 is transmitted by the respiratory route. In the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox, ‘take’ was used as a biomarker for protective immunity. We believe the absence of detectable CoV-2 in the upper or lower airways shows the potential for TNX-1800 to decrease shedding of virus and is consistent with decreased transmission.”

Dr. Lederman continued, “Although many successful vaccines have been put into use around the world, much remains unknown about COVID-19, its emerging variants, and the durability of current vaccines. We designed TNX-1800 as a single dose vaccine using a vector known to provide long term T cell immunity. This was originally demonstrated by the vector’s use as the backbone of Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine which typically provided lifetime immunity with a single dose. Moreover, by preventing forward transmission of the smallpox virus, it became a defining force in establishing herd immunity.” Dr. Lederman continued, Like Jenner’s smallpox vaccine, TNX-1800 can be scaled up for manufacturing and will not require a costly and cumbersome cold chain for distribution and storage. It will also be glass-sparing, with 100 doses filled per vial. These features, coupled with the results announced today, encourage us to advance TNX-1800 to human Phase 1 trials in the second half of 2021 when we expect to have Good Manufacturing Practice or cGMP quality TNX-1800 available.”

The Company believes the findings also demonstrate the flexibility of the horsepox vaccine platform and its capability to be tailored to other diseases of interest in military and civilian populations.

Key features and results:

STUDY DESIGN: This study of non-human primates compared TNX-1800 (modified horsepox virus encoding CoV-2 spike protein) to TNX-801 (horsepox virus, live vaccine) at two doses. Also a control group received a placebo. Each of these five groups (TNX-1800 high and low dose; TNX-801 high and low dose and placebo) included four animals.
CoV-2 CHALLENGE: At day 41 after vaccination (or placebo), each animal was exposed to SARS-COV-2 by intra-tracheal (1 x 10⁶ TCID₅₀) and intra-nasal (1 x 10⁶ TCID₅₀) administration.
DETECTION OF SARS-COV-2 in Upper and Lower Airway: Upper airway virus was studied by oropharyngeal swabs and lower airway virus by tracheal lavage using qRT-PCR to determine the number of genome copies of SARS-CoV-2 present in the samples. Six days after challenge, no (0/8) samples taken from animals vaccinated with TNX-1800 had detectable SARS-CoV-2 in either upper or lower airway samples. In contrast, all (8/8) animals vaccinated with the control vaccine TNX-801 showed infection (more than 1,000 genome copies) as did three of four monkeys vaccinated with vehicle control.
NEUTRALIZING ANTI-CoV-2 ANTIBODIES: At day 14 after a single vaccination, all eight of the TNX-1800 vaccinated animals made anti-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (≥1:40 titer) and, as expected, none of the eight TNX-801 vaccinated control animals, or any of the four animals in the placebo group made anti-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (≤1:10 titer). At 6 days after CoV-2 challenge, TNX-1800 vaccinated animals showed neutralizing antibody titers of (≥1:1280 titer). The level of neutralizing anti-CoV-2 antibody production was similar between the low and high dose TNX-1800 groups (1 x 10⁶ Plaque Forming Units [PFU] and 3 x 10⁶ PFU, (respectively). For unvaccinated animals challenged with SARS-CoV-2, neutralizing antibodies were measurable after vaccination (≥1:40 titer) that were lower and appeared later than neutralizing antibodies in TNX-1800 vaccinated animals.
TOLERABILITY: TNX-1800 and TNX-801 were well tolerated at both doses.
SKIN TAKE BIOMARKER: Further, as an expected additional outcome, all 16 animals vaccinated with either dose of TNX-1800 or the control TNX-801 manifested a “take”, or cutaneous response, signaling that the horsepox vector elicits a strong T cell immune response.
DOSE: These results support the expectation that TNX-1800 at the low dose of 1 x 10⁶ PFU is an appropriate dose for a one-shot vaccine in humans and indicate that 100 doses per vial is the target format for commercialization, which is well suited to manufacturing and distribution at large scale.
CONCLUSIONS: Together, these data show that TNX-1800 induces protection against SARS-COV-2 infection in non-human primates. These data confirm that “take” is a biomarker of protection of upper and lower airways from SARS-CoV-2 challenge, and a biomarker of immunological response to TNX-1800’s cargo COVID-19 antigen, which is the CoV-2 spike protein.
NEXT PHASE: Phase 1 human study targeted to start in the second half of 2021, following IND clearance by the FDA and the production of GMP material.

Anthony Macaluso, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Strategic Development at Tonix Pharmaceuticals said, “In addition to their impact on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, these data also demonstrate the utility of horsepox as a vaccine platform that can be used to address many other diseases of interest to the military and the general public. The horsepox platform has the following attributes favorable for vaccine development: strong induction of both B- and T-cell immunity; amenability to genetic modification; and the ability to express multiple genes, either alone or in combination. In addition, the horsepox vaccine platform allows for rapid scalability of manufacturing, which is a key advantage of HPXV over other platforms such as non-replicating viruses, DNA/RNA, or protein subunit vaccines.”

About TNX-1800

TNX-1800 is a live modified horsepox virus vaccine for percutaneous administration that is designed to express the Spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and to elicit a predominant T cell response. Horsepox and vaccinia are closely related orthopoxviruses that are believed to share a common ancestor. Tonix’s TNX-1800 vaccine candidate is administered percutaneously using a two-pronged, or “bifurcated” needle. TNX-1800 is based on a horsepox vector, which is a live replicating, attenuated virus that elicits a strong immune response. The major cutaneous reaction or “take” to vaccinia vaccine was described by Dr. Edward Jenner in 1796 and has been used since then as a biomarker for protective immunity to smallpox, including in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) accelerated smallpox eradication program that successfully eradicated smallpox in the 1960’s. The “take” is a measure of functional T cell immunity validated by the eradication of smallpox, a respiratory-transmitted disease caused by variola. Tonix’s proprietary horsepox vector is believed to be more closely related to Jenner’s vaccinia vaccine than modern vaccinia vaccines, which appear to have evolved by deletions and mutations to a phenotype of larger plaque size in tissue culture and greater virulence in mice. Live replicating orthopoxviruses, like vaccinia or horsepox, can be engineered to express foreign genes and have been explored as platforms for vaccine development because they possess; (1) large packaging capacity for exogenous DNA inserts, (2) precise virus-specific control of exogenous gene insert expression, (3) lack of persistence or genomic integration in the host, (4) strong immunogenicity as a vaccine, (5) ability to rapidly generate vector/insert constructs, (6) readily manufacturable at scale, and (7) ability to provide direct antigen presentation. Relative to vaccinia, horsepox has substantially decreased virulence in mice¹. Horsepox-based vaccines are designed to be single dose, vial-sparing vaccines, that can be manufactured using conventional cell culture systems, with the potential for mass scale production and packaging in multi-dose vials.

¹Noyce RS, et al. (2018) PLoS One. 13(1):e0188453

About Southern Research

Founded in 1941, Southern Research (SR) is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, scientific research organization with more than 400 scientists and engineers working across three divisions: Drug Discovery, Drug Development, and Engineering. SR has supported the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental, and energy industries. SR works on behalf of the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA and other major aerospace firms, utility companies, and other external academic, industry and government agencies. SR pursues entrepreneurial and collaborative initiatives to develop and maintain a pipeline of intellectual property and innovative technologies that positively impact real-world problems. SR has numerous ongoing drug discovery programs, which encompass drug discovery programs to combat various forms of cancer, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, opioid use disorder, human immunodeficiency virus, disease, Parkinson’s, tuberculosis, influenza, and others. SR’s strong history, which includes over 75 years of successful collaborations to solve complex problems, has led to the discovery of seven FDA-approved cancer drugs—a number rivaling any other U.S. research institute. Furthermore, experts at SR are well-equipped to assist with the challenging landscapes of drug design and development technologies and market viability. SR is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama with additional laboratories and offices in Frederick, Maryland.

Further information about SR can be found at https://southernresearch.org/

About Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.

Tonix is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, licensing, acquiring and developing small molecules and biologics to treat and prevent human disease and alleviate suffering. Tonix’s portfolio is primarily composed of central nervous system (CNS) and immunology product candidates. The CNS portfolio includes both small molecules and biologics to treat pain, neurologic, psychiatric and addiction conditions. Tonix’s lead CNS candidate, TNX-102 SL¹, is in mid-Phase 3 development for the management of fibromyalgia, and positive data on the RELIEF Phase 3 trial were recently reported. The Company expects interim data from a second Phase 3 study, RALLY, in the third quarter of 2021² and topline data in the fourth quarter of 2021. The immunology portfolio includes vaccines to prevent infectious diseases and biologics to address immunosuppression, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Tonix’s lead vaccine candidate, TNX-1800³, is a live replicating vaccine based on the horsepox viral vector platform to protect against COVID-19, primarily by eliciting a T cell response. Tonix reported positive efficacy data from animal studies of TNX-1800 in the first quarter of 2021. TNX-801³, live horsepox virus vaccine for percutaneous administration, is in development to protect against smallpox and monkeypox.

¹TNX-102 SL is an investigational new drug and has not been approved for any indication.

²Pending submission and agreement from FDA on statistical analysis plan.

³TNX-1800 and TNX-801 are investigational new biologics and have not been approved for any indication.

This press release and further information about Tonix can be found at www.tonixpharma.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “expect,” and “intend,” among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Tonix’s current expectations and actual results could differ materially. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks related to failure to obtain FDA clearances or approvals and noncompliance with FDA regulations; delays and uncertainties caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to the timing and progress of clinical development of our product candidates; our need for additional financing; uncertainties of patent protection and litigation; uncertainties of government or third party payor reimbursement; limited research and development efforts and dependence upon third parties; and substantial competition. As with any pharmaceutical under development, there are significant risks in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new products. Tonix does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Investors should read the risk factors set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 24, 2020, and periodic reports filed with the SEC on or after the date thereof. All of Tonix’s forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date thereof.

Histotechnology Professionals Day at Southern Research

Posted on March 10, 2021

In honor of Women’s History Month and Histotechnology Professionals Day, Southern Research wants to take a moment to recognize our team of histotechnologists and their team leader, LaVinia Ray. She was deemed by the National Society of Histotechnology to be the 2020 Histotechnologist of the Year and the 2016 Advanced Laboratory Technician of the Year.

LaVinia was able to receive a proclamation from the Governor of Alabama to name this week Histotechnology Professionals Week and from the Mayor of Birmingham to mark March 10^th Histotechnology Professionals Day in Birmingham. She constantly lifts up her team members and enjoys bringing her team deeper into the field by helping them get ready to sit for their HT American Society of Clinical Pathologists certification exam. We’re proud to have her and her team with us at Southern Research.

Histotechnology is a science that centers around the microscopic detection of abnormal tissue that helps in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This knowledge and understanding of composition is what allows pathologists to give a clinical diagnosis and treatment plan based off of differences in appearances from healthy tissue and the abnormality.

Our highly skilled technicians are HT American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) certified or certification eligible experts in their field. Our full-service laboratory team has established a long track record of proven success and high quality work. Southern Research provides necropsy and histology services tailored to the unique needs of research and veterinary clients. If you want to know more about the customized services that our qualified team can offer, check out our page on Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.

Southern Research and Tonix Pharmaceuticals COVID-19 Vaccine Research Update

Posted on November 25, 2020

On the 16th of November, 2020, Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced preliminary results for a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine candidate engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 (CoV-2) spike protein after vaccination. The research is part of an ongoing collaboration with Southern Research, Tonix Pharmaceuticals, and others.

Southern Research Tonix — Southern Research reports positive
immune response results with New York-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals.

In the announcement, they explain that the preliminary results produced the desired reaction. This reaction of the skin showed that there is functional T cell immunity in the subjects and the result of the given vaccine led to the counteracting of antibodies in each of the cases . Vaccines that bring about strong T cell responses have been established to provide prolonged and enduring immunity and the ability to block continued transmission.

Dr. Lederman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tonix, commented that their hope “is to produce a vaccine that will provide long term immunity with a single dose using a proven technology that can be readily scaled up” to manufacture and distribute quickly.

Alabama Power Foundation grant accelerates research on potential ALS drugs

Posted on May 30, 2019

A Southern Research scientist’s early-stage work on potential new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is getting a push thanks to a grant that will speed the project.

Rita Cowell, Ph.D., Fellow and Chair of the Neuroscience Department in Southern Research’s Drug Discovery division, is studying compounds that in lab tests have prevented the neuronal loss that is a hallmark of ALS, a devastating condition characterized by muscle atrophy and paralysis.

The Alabama Power Foundation grant will permit her to accelerate her research into these compounds and to gather the extensive scientific data needed to apply for substantial federal funding opportunities.

“In this internal project, we’re actually working on two areas of ALS research,” Cowell said. “One is related to drug discovery, and the other focuses on understanding the biology of this debilitating disease.

“We don’t have additional resources to devote to this work, so this grant allows us to expand our studies, which have a lot of potential.”

NOVEL TREATMENTS

Rita Cowell, Ph.D., Fellow and Chair of the Neuroscience Department, is studying compounds that in lab tests have prevented the neuronal loss that is a hallmark of ALS.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, killing motor neurons in the body that control movement. It’s sometimes called “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” after the baseball great from the 1930s.

The ALS Association says the condition, which usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, affects at least 16,000 Americans at any given time. The average life expectancy of an ALS patient is two to five years from the time of diagnosis, the group says.

Cowell said there are only two FDA-approved drugs to combat the disease, and while these medicines have been shown to slow the progression of ALS, they don’t help some patients at all. That leaves them with no treatment option.

“There is a desperate need for new drugs for ALS,” she said.

Myla Calhoun, President of the Alabama Power Foundation, said the grant provided to Cowell’s team can help to deepen the understanding of this devastating disease and contribute momentum to promising drug discovery efforts.

“Health and Human Services is one of the five focus areas of the Foundation and we hope this grant will help position our state as a leader in medical research and development,” said Calhoun. “Southern Research is uniquely positioned to make progress in this area, and our grant will allow its Drug Discovery team to continue moving therapies closer to patients in need. “

CELL DEATH TRIGGER

Working in Southern Research labs, scientists have identified compounds that have the potential to counteract the cell death that is a central feature of ALS. This neuronal loss is tied to an overabundance of what is called “reactive oxygen species,” or ROS, a stress response that leads to cell death.

“Certain cells, like the motor neurons that are lost in ALS, have been shown to be sensitive to this stress response over time,” Cowell said. “The compounds we have identified could boost the ability of these neurons to counteract the stress response and protect them from cell death.”

To move the project forward, Cowell’s team will conduct key tests of the compounds in a series of cell-based assays to gauge how the chemicals work against ALS. The data could provide a pathway to government or commercial funding for tests in mouse models of ALS and eventually Phase I clinical trials.

“This drug discovery research is in its very early stages, so we don’t expect to have a lead compound in a clinical trial after one year of funding,” Cowell said. “But the grant from the Alabama Power Foundation will help us move toward our long-term goals of discovering new approaches and therapeutics to treat ALS.”

Cowell’s team in Southern Research’s Neuroscience Department focuses on the mechanistic underpinnings of why people develop neurological diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, schizophrenia and depression.

Southern Research specialist to collect solar eclipse data from stratosphere

Posted on July 25, 2017

When a total solar eclipse unfolds over the United States on Aug. 21, Southern Research communications engineer Donald Darrow will have a front row seat for the spectacular event some 50,000 feet above Earth.

Darrow will be aboard one of two NASA WB-57 high-altitude research planes flying in the stratosphere that day on a groundbreaking mission to capture the clearest views ever produced of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and the first thermal images revealing temperature shifts on the surface of Mercury.

“It certainly will be an exciting mission,” Darrow said. “I’m going to have the best view of probably anyone on the planet.”

Darrow is serving as the lead special equipment operator, or SEO, on the mission. His job is to operate a unique instrument developed by Southern Research called AIRS/DyNAMITE, which functions like an airborne telescope with special capabilities.

Southern Research solar eclipse — Southern Research’s Donald Darrow will operate the AIRS instrument on a NASA WB-57 aircraft during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21.

The system is mounted on both of the WB-57 planes flying on the eclipse mission.

From nearly 10 miles above Earth, the AIRS/DyNAMITE’S high-speed, visible-light and infrared cameras will provide scientists with highly precise observations of the solar corona and the Sun’s nearest planetary neighbor.

The mission is being directed by Texas-based Southwest Research Institute, which brought in Southern Research to outfit the instruments with solar filters, new data recorders, and other upgrades. Darrow is flying on the WB-57 through Southern Research’s work with NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Darrow has served as an SEO on WB-57 missions involving the AIRS/DyNAMITE equipment for around five years. The instrument, developed for the Space Shuttle program in 2004, has been deployed on a wide range of missions, from rocket launches to aircraft test flights.

“It’s a phenomenal asset, and everybody we show it to is very impressed by its capabilities, both by its versatility and by the resolution of its images,” Darrow said.

THE MISSION

On Aug. 21, Darrow’s day will be a long one.

It will start early that morning in Houston with three hours of equipment checks, briefings and other preparations. The flight to Carbondale, Illinois, the site picked to make observations because that’s where the total eclipse will last the longest, and back to Houston will take about six hours. After that, there will be debriefings and data transmission chores.

High above Carbondale, the two WB-57 aircraft will take turns collecting data on the eclipse for a combined total of around eight minutes. The fast-moving planes will be able to chase the moon’s shadow, giving Darrow and the other equipment operator additional time to make observations.

In addition, the AIRS/DyNAMITE instruments on the planes will capture thermal images of Mercury’s surface that could allow scientists to calculate temperatures on the planet’s entire night side for the first time.

Johanna Lewis, director of the Program Management Office in Southern Research’s Engineering Division, has worked with a SR team making modifications to the AIRS/DyNAMITE instruments to prepare them for the mission.

She said the long flight for Darrow will boil down to a few eventful minutes on Aug. 21.

“There may be millions of people on the ground watching exactly what he’s doing,” Lewis said. “He’s going to be involved in so much activity during a few minutes — tracking, making sure everything is in focus, making sure the system is operating just the way he wants, because he’s not going to get another chance to go around and do it again.”

While Darrow agreed that the mission promises to be a taxing one, the former Marine said he is confident it will go smoothly.

“This mission is very similar to our rocket launches in that we don’t get a second shot. If we miss this, we miss it,” he said. “When we are doing mapping, or something similar to that, we can always come back around for another pass.

“This time, it has go perfectly and smoothly. Otherwise, we don’t get the science.”

Darrow said he’s looking forward to seeing the scientific discoveries that come from the mission’s unprecedented look at the first total solar eclipse to track across the entire continental U.S. since 1918.

“We expect that within a few weeks of the data being delivered that we will have some preliminary observations about its quality and utility,” he said.

Southern Research readies for ‘Great American Eclipse’ viewing

Posted on July 20, 2017

Southern Research physicist Jim Tucker said a total solar eclipse cutting a path across the entire continental United States on Aug. 21 will offer dramatic views of a spectacular celestial event to millions – as long as they take precautions to observe it safely.

It’s the first total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. since 1979, though that one only touched a sliver of the Pacific Northwest. The last time a total solar eclipse crossed the entire U.S. was June 1918.

“It’s been a long, long time since a total eclipse was visible in the United States – and this one is particularly unique. They’re calling it the ‘Great American Eclipse’ because the U.S. is the only place where the total eclipse will visible,” said Tucker, who is director of Materials Research at Birmingham-based Southern Research.

Southern Research total solar eclipse — This NASA map shows the path of totality for the ‘Great American Eclipse.’

This path of totality, as it’s called, starts off in Salem, Oregon, and ends in Charleston, South Carolina, later that day. Along a 14-state path, day will turn to night for around two minutes as the moon’s shadow completely obscures the Sun.

And while people living outside a 70-mile-wide corridor on the total eclipse’s path won’t see the full show, everyone else in the lower 48 states will get a chance to see a partial eclipse.

In Birmingham, the eclipse will be 93 percent total, meaning there won’t be a total blackout but skies will get dim, he said.

“If it’s a sunny day, as you approach the mid-eclipse, you’re going to have this sensation of it getting cooler, like a really big cloud is coming over,” Tucker explained. “It will seem cooler and darker. The Sun – you shouldn’t look at it without protection – will appear to have a bite out of it.”

SAFE VIEWING

Tucker stressed that everyone should use proper viewing equipment to observe the eclipse, or construct a pinhole camera to observe a projected image of the Sun.

“You should never look at the Sun. There’s never a time you should look at the eclipse without proper solar viewing equipment,” he said. “That does not include looking through three layers of sunglasses. That will not be OK because there will be ultraviolet rays getting through. Even though you cannot see UV rays, they can damage your retina.”

Southern Research is offering a spot to safely take in the Great American Eclipse.

From 12:30-2 p.m. Aug. 21, Southern Research will host a free eclipse-viewing event at its downtown Birmingham campus, where solar viewing glasses will be distributed. In addition, a telescope fitted with a solar filter will offer a detailed look at the Sun during the eclipse.

Visitors can also view live broadcast feeds of the eclipse from NASA and two of the agency’s WB-57 high-altitude research planes outfitted with a special high-definition imaging system developed by Southern Research.

HOW AN ECLIPSE HAPPENS

Tucker, an avid amateur astronomer, said a total solar eclipse happens when the alignment of the moon and Sun are just right. While the moon circles the Earth every month and nominally travels between the Earth and Sun, it has to be exactly in line with the Sun to cast a shadow on the Earth’s surface.

The Sun is much larger than the moon but also much more distant from Earth. As it happens, the Sun and moon appear about the same size in the sky, with the moon appearing larger when it’s closest to Earth and slightly smaller when at the farthest point in its orbit.

That can make a difference in a solar eclipse. There are times when the alignment is right but the moon doesn’t fully cover the Sun even at mid-eclipse, creating what looks like a ring of fire around the darkened solar disc. This is called an annular eclipse.

In a total eclipse, the moon appears bigger than the Sun and totally blocks its light for a period of time. At its longest duration, the “Great American Eclipse” will last for just over two and half minutes. In eclipses occurring when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, totality can last for more than seven minutes.

SECOND TOTAL ECLIPSE

On Aug. 21, Tucker plans to be near Kansas City, Missouri, to view his second total solar eclipse, where he hopes to encounter clear skies. The first was in 1970, when his family traveled to the Florida Panhandle.

“I was 8 years old, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was an incredible experience, even though it was cloudy. Still, it was amazing that in the middle of the day it got totally dark,” he said.

The next total solar eclipse to cross the U.S. will be in April 2024 on a path that takes it from Texas north to the Great Lakes.

Tucker’s career includes contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope, a next-generation successor to the Hubble telescope that NASA plans to launch in 2018.

Southern Research technology to provide unique look at solar eclipse

Posted on July 18, 2017

A high-definition imaging system developed by Southern Research and deployed on NASA aircraft flying nearly 10 miles above Earth will give scientists a unique look at the Sun’s corona during a rare total eclipse taking place over the United States in August.

As a bonus, Southern Research’s Airborne Imaging and Recording System, or AIRS, will provide highly detailed observations of Mercury’s surface and could uncover the first solid evidence of the existence of vulcanoids, a belt of asteroids believed to be circling the Sun.

To capture this data, Southern Research and its AIRS/DyNAMITE technology are supporting the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), which won a NASA contract to carry out the mission during the Aug. 21 eclipse.

AIRS/DyNAMITE turrets will be mounted on two NASA WB-57 research aircraft, which will fly at 50,000 feet and collect high-resolution video and infrared data throughout the first total solar eclipse occurring over the length of the entire continental U.S. in 99 years.

“NASA is providing the WB-57 aircraft, Southern Research is providing the unique on-board sensors, and Southwest Research Institute is conducting the science,” said Johanna Lewis, director of the Program Management Office in SR’s Engineering Division.

“Southern Research will be handling the data collection, and we will be making sure that Southwest Research Institute is getting the best data that we can provide on Mercury and the Sun,” she added.

UNPRECEDENTED OBSERVATIONS

The total eclipse will unfold over 14 states, from Oregon to South Carolina, as the moon’s shadow completely blocks the Sun, turning day into night for a few minutes. For scientists, the event is a chance to get a close look at the otherwise hidden solar corona, as well as planets and stars normally obscured by the Sun’s blinding light.

SwRI says the mission will provide the clearest images ever of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and the first thermal images of surface temperature variations on Mercury.

“This airborne platform provides us with higher-quality, higher-speed images than are achievable from current or previous space-borne instruments,” said Amir Caspi, Ph.D., principal investigator of the project and a senior research scientist in SwRI’s Boulder, Colorado, office.

“We hope to better understand what causes the corona and why it’s so hot. It’s millions of degrees Celsius, hundreds of times hotter than the visible surface below,” he added. “The corona is the source of electromagnetic storms here at Earth, which can damage satellites, cause power grid blackouts, and disrupt communication and GPS signals, so it’s important to better understand it.”

‘EYES IN THE SKY’

Southern Research AIRS — Three NASA AIRS/DyNAMITE-equipped WB-57 aircraft fly over Houston.

Lewis and John Wiseman, Ph.D., a senior project leader in Southern Research’s Engineering Division, traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this month for test flights of one of the WB-57 aircraft with an AIRS/DyNAMITE instrument modified for the mission.

“The system provides a means of tracking events you might not be able to get elsewhere, with simultaneous mid-wave infrared and visible light data,” said Wiseman, one of the instrument’s inventors. “It’s configurable, and we have had a number of payloads in it, so it’s very versatile.”

Southern Research developed the technology in partnership with NASA, which was looking for a system to capture HD video of the July 26, 2005, launch of the Space Shuttle’s “Return to Flight” mission after the Columbia mishap. Acting as “eyes in the sky” for NASA, the system, from a distance of 20 miles, captured full-motion video of the shuttle’s lift-off and tracked it to 146,000 feet.

“It was developed as an experiment, and it was supposed to have about five to 10 flights,” Wiseman said.

Since then, the high-altitude video system has been used to monitor critical rocket launches, to collect data for science missions, and to assist the Department of Defense on security missions. In the past six years alone, the AIRS/DyNAMITE technology has flown on nearly 500 flights.

EXTENDED VIEW OF ECLIPSE

On Aug. 21, the twin WB-57 aircraft flying in the stratosphere over Carbondale, Illinois, will tag-team the total eclipse, gathering exceptionally accurate measurements of the solar corona to better understand how energy moves throughout the Sun’s atmosphere, according to NASA.

From a vantage point high above the clouds and Earth’s weather systems, the AIRS/DyNAMITE-equipped planes will get a clear view of the eclipse and collect data during totality for around eight minutes. That’s far longer than the 2 minutes and 40 seconds available to ground stations monitoring the event.

In addition, the instruments will be in position to make unprecedented observations of Mercury’s surface in infrared light, which can be otherwise hindered by radiation from the Sun. Scientists hope these measurements will give new information about how Mercury’s surface temperature changes as its day turns to night, shedding light on its surface composition, NASA says.

“Because Mercury is so close to the Sun, it’s very difficult to perform direct observations. When the moon is going into eclipse over the Sun, we will have a rare opportunity to collect Mercury infrared data,” Lewis said.

There’s even more to this mission. While the Sun’s bright light is blocked, AIRS’ HD cameras will search the skies for evidence of vulcanoids, a hypothetical band of asteroids traveling around the Sun in Mercury’s atmosphere. That’s important because vulcanoids could provide insights about the creation of the planets and the solar system’s earliest period.

“Most people have never heard of vulcanoids before. This will be an unique opportunity for them to look for these things that scientists theorize are there, but nobody has ever proven,” Lewis said. “If we provided the instrument that proves they were there, that would be a major accomplishment.”

FLYING WITH THE WB-57

Southern Research will play another important role in the eclipse mission. A Houston-based SR communications engineer, Donald Darrow, will serve as the special equipment operator in the back seat of one of the WB-57 aircraft, operating the AIRS/DyNAMITE instrument during the flight.

Lewis said a Southern Research team on the ground at NASA’s Johnson Space Center will assist Darrow on the mission.

“We can be another set of eyes, seeing what he’s seeing. If we see there are any adjustments he needs to make – open the camera’s iris more, sharpen the focus – we can call that up to him,” she said. “We’ll be doing the same for the other back-seater when it’s his turn.”

To make sure the scientists at SwRI’s Colorado labs get the data they need, the AIRS/DyNAMITE equipment flying on the mission have received modifications including software upgrades and a filter to protect the visible light camera. In addition, new video recorders that capture a full range of data have been added.

“This is one of the most exciting missions for this technology,” Wiseman said.

NIH orders High Throughput Screening for Zika

Posted on November 7, 2016

In 2014, Southern Research received funding from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) through a multi-center U19 grant (U19AI109680) administered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham to conduct high throughput screening (HTS) against six disease-causing viruses: dengue, West Nile, SARS, influenza, Venezuela equine encephalitis complex, and chikungunya. With the program in place, and as Southern Research has completed screening the viruses, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a supplementary $650,000 award for the Birmingham-organization to expand its program to include high throughput screening for Zika.

“Southern Research has a long history in antiviral research, including screening viruses in the same flavivirus genus as Zika, so we’re pleased the NIH saw fit to expand the U19 program to include screening on Zika,” said Bob Bostwick, Ph.D., director of the High-Throughput Screening Center at Southern Research. “For drug discovery purposes, we hope to identify compounds that work well across this entire genus.”

According to the supplemental grant, Southern Research will construct an assay for Zika that can be conducted in HTS, and test over 300,000 compounds against the virus, a process that will take nine months.

Developing robust screening capabilities

For Southern Research, compound screening has been a part of the organization’s efforts since the mid-1950s, when researchers began manually screening anticancer drugs under a contract with the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Around this same period, the Virus Research Division began evaluating antiviral agents against a wide range of pathogenic viruses, including the herpesviruses, poxviruses, acute upper respiratory disease viruses, and mosquito-borne viruses, such as Yellow Fever virus.

By the 1960s, the early work had already shown promise. Manual screenings conducted by the viral research team had identified the compounds that led to the discovery of Ara-A, an antiviral used to treat human herpesviruses, chicken pox, shingles, human cytomegalovirus — a cause of childhood hearing loss — and a lethal encephalitis.

In the 1980s, following the emergence of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, Southern Research expanded into HIV antiviral research through a series of contracts and grants with the United States Army and the NIH. This effort involved screening compound collections consisting of approximately 20,000 samples, and developing a staff of scientists proficient in working with many infectious diseases. By the following decade, the organization’s anti-HIV screening program had become the largest in the country.

While earning a global reputation for producing high quality antiviral research, Southern Research’s screening capabilities were expanding far beyond antivirals to include screening of other infectious diseases and cancer. In the late 1990s, the organization invested in emerging HTS technologies to maintain a prominent role at the forefront of drug discovery. This involved assembling a large compound collection — consisting of over 1 million samples — and acquiring robotic platforms for automated screening, thus enabling the organization to test hundreds of thousands of compounds for each new target. Eventually, the program would become involved in the NIH Roadmap Molecular Libraries initiative, and serve as one of twelve centers in the NCI Chemical Biology Consortium.

“Southern Research’s in-house screening capabilities are unmatched by most universities and private research organizations across the globe,” said Art Tipton, Ph.D., president and CEO of Southern Research. “With our Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) facility, an active in-house library of over one million compounds, and a wealth of institutional knowledge, our researchers pride themselves on finding chemical structures needed to develop drugs against some of the greatest global health threats.”

High Throughput Screening and drug discovery

Today, HTS is an automated process that allows researchers to rapidly test a large number of compounds in order to determine their potential use as starting points for the invention of new drugs. With time and advances in technology, the process of screening compounds has evolved significantly from the early days. However, despite these advances, some things remain the same.

“Whether you are working on an antiviral or an anti-cancer medication, the drug discovery process is incredibly complex and often starts with screening,” said Bostwick. “HTS usually requires screening hundreds of thousands of compounds to find three or four good chemical starting points for medicinal chemistry.”

With the recent expansion of its U19 program to include screening of the Zika virus, Southern Research maintains a prominent global position in antiviral research. Its work has led to the fight against HIV/AIDS — supporting the United States government and numerous drug companies in the production of many of the FDA-approved antiviral drugs currently on the market — and screening of compounds that allowed for numerous other drug breakthroughs, including several against previously drug resistant strains of tuberculosis and malaria. Yet, despite this record of success, researchers admit a cure for Zika will still take time.

“Even though we know a lot about flaviviruses, discovering and developing effective therapeutic agents may take several years,” Bostwick continued. “Just like any other project we’ve undertaken, we will use data as our guide and hope our efforts will yield results which can be helpful to the scientific community.”

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