Birmingham, Ala. — A recent study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine suggests that men engaged in certain occupations—including mathematicians, office workers and artists—have a greater risk of having children with birth defects. Last month, an Australian woman born without arms and legs after her pregnant mother took an anti-morning sickness drug reached a multimillion settlement with the drug’s distributor. Birmingham-based Southern Research conducts studies that it hopes will lead to a better understanding of why these things happen.

“Clearly, the earlier a connection is made between a new drug or a chemical, and possible resulting birth defects, the better for all concerned,” said Eve Mylchreest, Ph.D., program leader for Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART) at Southern Research. “Most reproductive disorders have unknown etiologies, but there is evidence that environmental factors can be the cause or a contributing factor. Identifying these factors and understanding the mechanisms underlying key processes, including key target molecules, are crucial in preventing reproductive disorders and birth defects.”

Dr. Mylchreest came to Southern Research from Pfizer where she was a principal research scientist in reproductive toxicology. She has 15 years experience as a study director conducting Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) studies for drugs, pesticides and commodity chemicals. Since 2010, Dr. Mylchreest has worked with her Southern Research team to establish a program that investigates potential new drugs and environmental hazards, and determines the systemic impact to future parents and their offspring.

The program — DART — is a key component in Southern Research’s comprehensive toxicology services—providing a range of GLP-compliant specialized assessments that determine a compound’s effects on reproductive functions and developmental outcomes. The program is housed in state-of-the-art laboratories using market leading technologies, such as Instem’s integrated Provantis software system which is used to design and execute diverse study types to determine a compound’s effects on fertility, embryo-fetal development, and pre- and post-natal development.

“Southern Research was one of the first companies to validate its version of the Provantis software,” said John Boycott, Instem’s Product Manager, Reproductive Toxicology. “Because of the repro tox expertise of their scientific team, they created and added more than 50 new endpoints to meet the strenuous demands of DART data reporting.”

Reproductive toxicologists or teratologists at Southern Research use the system to conduct studies including ICH protocols, multigenerational, developmental toxicity, behavioral and development neurotoxicity studies, among others. Their system and process has simplified the management of event driven studies while enabling the technical staff to generate both simple and complex custom reports.

“Reproductive toxicology studies are complex, so the data needs to be reported in a comprehensive and meaningful way to facilitate the interpretation of results. We can now create endpoints that allow us to extract and calculate the precise data we need to evaluate if a compound has adverse effects,” said Dr. Mylchreest. “After all, the ultimate reason for conducting these preclinical studies is to ensure that new drug candidates do not cause harm to unborn children and do not impair the ability to have children.”

Southern Research conducts both contract research and basic research for clients, providing preclinical drug discovery, development, and clinical trial support services in cancer, infectious diseases, and CNS/neurological disease to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Scientists conduct translational science to invent small molecules and advance them from the design stage to the clinic. Services available include medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, high-throughput screening and a full set of in-house GLP development services including toxicology, ADME/PK, animal models, formulations, and bioanalytical services.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization founded in 1941 that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development, advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, and environment and energy research. More than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Southern Research today announced that it will collaborate with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to develop and validate a high-volume, high-throughput screening platform in their Galveston National Laboratory (GNL). High-throughput screening (HTS) involves the process of rapidly screening and testing large numbers of different chemical compounds against select disease targets. This collaboration will provide the means to perform disease screening in the highest level of biocontainment laboratory—Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4)—to look for new therapeutics to use against viruses that pose public health and biodefense threats.

“Combining our strengths and the expertise of Southern Research and the Galveston National Laboratory will create a research environment that is uniquely positioned to address emerging public health threats, to better understand the pathogens involved, and to find solutions for controlling the situation,” said Mark J. Suto, PhD, vice president of Drug Discovery at Southern Research.

“The GNL is uniquely situated for exactly this type of research partnership,” said James W. LeDuc, Ph.D., director of the GNL. “This work represents the next phase of disease therapy discovery.” UTMB is home to one of the most extensive academic biocontainment research enterprises (BSL-2, -3 and -4 labs) in the U.S. Researchers in the GNL at UTMB are focused on discovering new treatments, techniques and vaccines against high consequence diseases.

Southern Research, which operates two BSL-3 facilities, has years of experience developing and adapting assays to HTS formats and then executing screens in one of those BSL-3 labs using the safety protocols required for higher biocontainment levels. Southern Research first developed its BSL-3 HTS platform more than seven years ago in response the SARS outbreak and the federal government’s request to increase screening and drug discovery in infectious diseases. Since then, Southern Research has successfully performed multiple 100,000-plus compound screening campaigns in BSL-3 high containment.

Both Southern Research and the GNL are registered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service to conduct studies involving select agents. Southern Research scientists will extend their high containment capabilities by collaborating with GNL scientists who have expertise working with hemorrhagic fever viruses, viruses for which there are no approved small molecule drugs, nor U.S. licensed vaccines. Researchers at both institutions will benefit from this collaborative effort to facilitate and enhance screening for candidate compounds that are effective against highly-pathogenic viruses.

“The demand for new therapeutics and targets against high mortality hemorrhagic fever viruses is important in areas of the world in which these pathogens are endemic, and for biodefense reasons,” said James D. Noah, PhD, manager of Virology at Southern Research.

“Being able to exploit high-throughput screening options against diseases like Ebola and Nipah viruses in a BSL-4 lab in an academic setting is quite a unique opportunity,” added GNL director of High Containment Operations Thomas G. Ksiazek, PhD, DVM.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website, the term “viral hemorrhagic fever” is used to describe diseases in which the vascular system is damaged. Symptoms are often accompanied by hemorrhage (bleeding); however, the bleeding is itself rarely life-threatening. While some types of hemorrhagic fever viruses can cause relatively mild illnesses, many of these viruses cause severe, life-threatening disease.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization founded in 1941 that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development in cancer, infectious diseases and CNS disorders; advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, and environment and energy research. More than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

About the Galveston National Laboratory

The Galveston National Laboratory is an academic research facility located on the campus of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. One of the largest and most sophisticated biocontainment laboratories in the United States, the GNL conducts basic and applied research utilizing the unique resources of its BSL-2, -3 and -4 containment facilities to discover novel diagnostics, therapeutics and preventatives for some of the world’s most threatening infectious diseases. GNL scientists work collaboratively with experts from around the world to make fundamental discoveries and translate this knowledge into useful products for global applications. The GNL was dedicated in 2008, is AAALAC accredited and is approved to handle select agents.

BIRMINGHAM and HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Southern Research today announced that it is on the winning team with prime contractor BANC3, a rapidly growing technology and engineering firm in Princeton, NJ which was recently awarded a $1.78 billion contract by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Night Vision and Electronics Sensors Directorate (NVESD) to provide engineering support and technology assistance under the Warrior Enabling Broad Sensor (WEBS) support contract.

Services provided by Southern Research will include support for mission research, development, and administration. This will also include supporting rapid response requests for numerous potential technologies and specific programs, such as spiral developmental improvements, which have extremely specific requirements and require a high level of expertise.

“We are pleased to partner with BANC3 in supporting this important U.S. Army program,” said Michael D. Johns, vice president of Engineering at Southern Research. “We remain committed to working with NVESD in its mission of developing advanced technologies to ensure the safety of our military, and we look forward to being part of this exceptional team.”

The Southern Research Engineering Division conducts research and development in the areas of thermal and structural behaviors of advanced composite materials, advanced material processing techniques, electro-mechanical systems and integration, aerospace engineering, and computational sciences. Clients include most federal agencies and numerous commercial companies worldwide.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization founded in 1941 that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development, advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, and environment and energy research. More than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

OFFICIAL WEBS ANNOUCEMENT ON FBO

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Have a new research idea? Southern Research may be interested in hearing about it. The Birmingham-based not-for-profit research organization today announced that it is actively soliciting proposals from established investigators with new, multidisciplinary research ideas as part of its new program “Innovation at the Interface.”

“We want to aggressively expand our research environment by finding, encouraging and supporting new innovative, creative research initiatives that integrate different disciplines to address real-world technology challenges, especially those not commonly addressed in more conventional research silos,” said John A. Secrist III, Ph.D., president and CEO. “Our objective is to identify cutting-edge, visionary research that will set the stage for future technological breakthroughs, and execute those programs by adding talented investigators to our growing team.”

Using the guidelines on the Southern Research website, investigators can submit their ideas in the form of a brief, non-confidential white paper that includes a discussion of the nature and scope of the research and the proposed technical approach. Investigators with prior experience working with or leading interdisciplinary teams are particularly encouraged to submit a white paper. Upon submission, investigators will receive confirmation that their proposal has been received. Then, the Interdisciplinary Innovation Team at Southern Research-comprised of senior level leaders-will review those proposals and follow up with the applicants accordingly.

Southern Research is nearing completion of a new Engineering Building expansion and planning for the construction of a new Discovery Building that will provide a collaborative facility and environment to fuel creative and novel research. Investigators will also have full access to the expertise of diverse groups within Life Sciences and Engineering to support their research. Additionally, Southern Research is committed to assisting investigators with internal funds to facilitate the development of these visionary programs.

For more than 70 years, Southern Research has conducted noteworthy research and development in life sciences and engineering, with successes that include having several marketed oncology drugs and development of the imaging systems critical to NASA’s successful Return-to-Flight. Southern Research’s expertise in discovery and development of new molecular entities, combined with strengths in material science and environmental research, could lead to multiple unique interdisciplinary research opportunities.

More information about the program and submission details can be found on the Southern Research website at southernresearch.org. Submissions will be accepted through August 1, 2012. Correspondence may be directed to Gini Bell at innovation@southernresearch.org.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization founded in 1941 that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development, advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, and environment and energy research. More than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

Southern Research Accomplishments

• Established the link between gasoline pump fumes and cancer
• Developed the protocol for combinatorial chemotherapy
• Discovered seven of the FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs used to treat cancer patients
• Helped develop heat pump technology
• Supported NASA’s manned space flight program, primarily in materials development and mechanical engineering programs
• Played a key role in the space shuttle’s program’s return to flight following the Challenger disaster
• Plays a critical role in working with the federal government to evaluate flu vaccine responses and pandemic disease therapeutics
• Helps to advance and scale up new alternative energy technologies
• Currently has a proprietary pipeline of several potential new drugs in late stage preclinical/early clinical development

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Southern Research Institute today announced that it has received financial gifts from the Daniel Foundation of Alabama and the Alabama Power Foundation to help fund the construction of a new building on the organization’s Engineering Research Center campus and the recruitment of new engineering talent. The gifts from the Daniel Foundation and the Alabama Power Foundation will allow Southern Research to expand its engineering research into critical new areas and advance other research programs.

“The Daniel Foundation of Alabama is pleased to partner with such a well-known and respected research institute,” said Maria S. Kennedy, executive director of the Daniel Foundation of Alabama. “This facility will help to attract top talent to our area and provide the environment for engineering breakthroughs that will affect our lives.”

“Alabama Power has a long history with Southern Research and we are proud to continue to provide support as they recruit world class talent to our state,” said Leigh Perry, president of the Alabama Power Foundation. “The new engineering building will provide new jobs and research facilities to study engineering and environmental sciences, fields that will help spur innovative research that will have a global impact.”

Late last year, Southern Research announced construction of a new research facility on its Engineering Research Center campus in Birmingham using bond funding it received from the City of Birmingham in 2009. This new facility will allow Southern Research to conduct work in new engineering areas, and includes dedicated space solely for the purpose of innovating new engineering technologies and applications.

Historically, Southern Research fundraising has been very limited and very specific with the purpose of funding construction of new laboratory buildings and promising research. Both the Daniel Foundation and Alabama Power contributed to the construction of the existing Engineering Research Center facility built in 1991. Last year, the Daniel Foundation offered Southern Research a Challenge Grant of $300,000. Alabama Power Foundation matched the challenge with a Leadership Gift.

“We are very grateful for these gifts from the Daniel Foundation and Alabama Power Foundation, and are encouraged by their desire to support the work we do,” said John A. “Jack” Secrist III, Ph.D., president and CEO of Southern Research. “We pride ourselves in being operationally self-sustaining. However, one of our greatest challenges is being able to attract and retain top talent in high-technology disciplines in Birmingham. Doing so requires state-of-the-art office and laboratory facilities that allow senior engineers and scientists the ability to develop and grow new program areas.”

Southern Research also holds endowments from Alabama Power Foundation, The Hess Family, and the Ingalls Family. These endowments are used primarily to help newly-hired scientists on Southern Research’s Birmingham campus establish their labs in order to conduct research in cancer, infectious diseases, and disorders and diseases of the nervous system.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization founded in 1941 that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development, advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, and environment and energy research. More than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

Southern Research Accomplishments

• Established the link between gasoline pump fumes and cancer
• Developed the protocol for combinatorial chemotherapy
• Discovered seven of the FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs used to treat cancer patients
• Helped develop heat pump technology
• Supported NASA’s manned space flight program, primarily in materials development and mechanical engineering programs
• Played a key role in the space shuttle’s program’s return to flight following the Challenger disaster
• Plays a critical role in working with the federal government to evaluate flu vaccine responses and pandemic disease therapeutics
• Helps to advance new alternative energy technologies
• Has seven potential new drugs in late stage preclinical/early clinical development

Southern Research to give technical presentations at EUEC in Phoenix

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Late in 2011, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Dec. 21 announced new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) – limiting mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution from power plants-engineers and technicians at Birmingham-based Southern Research were already working with industry to respond to dictates of the new rule, one which could prove costly to some coal-fired utilities.

The EPA issued the rule in response to health and environmental concerns associated with emissions of mercury, other toxic trace elements, acid gases, and particulates. The new standard, based on maximum achievable control technology (MACT), applies to coal and oil-fired utilities.

“This rule means some coal-fired power plants may need to shut down, while others will be required to install various types of environmental control technologies,” said Robert Dahlin, director of Southern Research’s Power Systems and Environmental Research in Alabama. “The EPA estimates the cost impact to be $9.6 billion, making it one of the most expensive rules ever promulgated.”

Southern Research is able to measure the levels of mercury, trace elements, hydrogen chloride, and fine particles being emitted from power plants. Its pilot-scale demonstration facility can quantify the level of control achieved from conventional pollution-control technologies.

“The utility industry is already investigating the use of improved environmental control technologies such as activated carbon injection for mercury capture,” said Dahlin. “Many plants have already installed or are in the process of installing scrubbers that can be optimized for capturing certain pollutants.”

Dahlin added that Southern Research is already working to improve processes to control mercury, selenium, arsenic, hydrogen chloride, and fine particles, in some cases conducting groundbreaking work developing new test methods and instruments, and improving process and emission control technologies. Southern Research also manages the on-site chemistry and particulate laboratories at the National Carbon Capture Center.

“There is a need for additional measurements to better define the problem and a need for pilot-scale demonstrations to determine which technologies can be used to meet the new rule most cost effectively,” he said. “Our highly-qualified technical team has extensive experience making all of the applicable measurements using EPA methods and other accepted procedures. We are able to make these measurements at the customer’s site or in our pilot-scale combustion research facility where various technologies and sorbents can be tested.”

Southern Research will attend (Booth #726) the Energy, Utility and Environment Conference (EUEC) meeting Jan. 30-Feb. 1 in Phoenix. In addition to being able to discuss this new rule and impact to power plants, the team will present the following technical information:

Hg Control Demonstrations & Bromine?C2.5 “BR Injection Technology for Hg Mitigation at Coal-Fired Power Plants”?Thomas Gale, Power Systems Research Manager, Southern Research Institute

Monday, Jan. 30, 3:30 to 5:30 pm

Biofuels / Ethanol?H2.5 “Novel Integrated Catalytic Hot Gas Cleanup”?Austin Vaillancourt, Associate Chemical Engineer, Southern Research Institute

Monday, Jan. 30, 3:30 to 5:30 PM

Bio & Waste Energy?H5.4 “Aqueous Sludge Gasification Technologies”

Wes Kowalczuk, Chemical Engineer, Southern Research Institute

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 1:00-3:00 PM

Landfill Gas to Energy?H6.4 “Microturbine Power Generation from Landfill & Other Waste Gases”

Tim Hansen, Interim Director/Program Manager-Clean Energy Demonstrations

Southern Research Institute (pending session co-chair)

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 3:30 – 5:30 PM

Water & Electric Utilities II?I8.2 “Development of a Water Research Center”

Kenneth Cushing, Manager (Environmental Field Services), Southern Research Institute

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 10:00 am to Noon

About Southern Research

Southern Research is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization that conducts advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, environment and energy, and preclinical drug discovery and development. Southern Research has more than 550 scientific and engineering staff that support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., Southern Research operates research and development facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and PENNINGTON, NJ – Southern Research Institute today announced that it has signed an agreement with New Jersey-based BioLeap to apply its computational fragment-based design technology to the discovery of new disease therapeutics. Terms of the agreement will not be disclosed.

“Given our focus and expertise in drug discovery and development, we are always interested in assessing new approaches to possibly advance research,” said Mark J. Suto, Ph.D., vice president for Drug Discovery at Southern Research. “This investment allows us to properly evaluate a technology that could prove useful in leading to new drug candidates.”

Southern Research has discovered or contributed directly to the discovery of seven FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs. Altogether, Southern Research has discovered more than 20 compounds which entered into clinical trials. Its current pipeline includes seven additional drugs that are in late-stage preclinical/early clinical trials. The not-for-profit research organization also plays a significant role in infectious disease research, helping to evaluate vaccines used to protect the public against the threat of H1N1 and Avian influenzas. More recently, Southern Research launched a drug discovery program for new therapies to treat a range of neurodegenerative diseases.

According to BioLeap, its technology expedites the drug discovery process by allowing chemists to create completely new molecules-using the building blocks most likely to result in effective drug candidates-in a shorter amount of time.

“We are pleased to be working with Southern Research to produce novel medicines,” said David Pompliano, Ph.D., BioLeap CEO. “Our molecular design technology and Southern Research’s drug discovery experience and know-how are a powerful combination.”

BioLeap is a pioneer in computational fragment-based molecular design. In pharmaceutical applications, the company uses its proprietary software to design drug candidates both through its internal programs and in collaboration with partners. BioLeap thus addresses one of the biggest problems in drug discovery: the limitation of drug-like and patentable leads for important but often difficult biological targets. This in silico design capability also finds application in product development for the consumer-product and agriculture industries, promising to achieve greater speed, economy, and odds of success than traditional compound screening. In 2011, BioLeap has entered research agreements with DuPont, Syngenta, and Unilever. More information is available at www.bioleap.com. On the home page, a video offers an overview of the company by CEO David Pompliano.

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization founded in 1941 that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development, advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, and environment and energy research. More than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

Independent SCR catalyst testing facility to open mid-2012

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Southern Research Institute, an independent, not-for-profit scientific research organization headquartered in Birmingham, today announced plans to construct and operate a new facility designed to test selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts used by the utility industry to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x).

Construction of this SCR Catalyst Test Facility is expected to be complete by mid-2012. Southern Research will then be able to offer services to utility companies that use catalysts for emissions reduction, as well as other organizations that regenerate the catalysts and provide catalyst management services for utilities. All testing will be done in accordance with industry-accepted standard protocols for the tests. The testing services offered will include:

• Measurement of SCR catalyst de-NO_x activity under conditions that match industrial use,
• Measurement of SO₂-to-SO₃ conversion under the same conditions,
• Inspection of catalyst materials to detect any warping or other changes in dimensions,
• Analysis of the catalyst surface for contamination using x-ray fluorescence; and,
• Measurement of catalyst specific surface area and pore-size distribution.

“By providing these measurements to utilities and others, we will function as an independent evaluator of catalyst performance, so catalyst users do not have to depend on the manufacturer to assess catalyst performance,” said Robert Dahlin, Director of Power Systems and Environmental Research-Alabama Operations. “It is important for utilities and other users to maintain good catalyst performance in order to continuously meet strict regulations on the emissions of NO_x.”

NO_x is a byproduct of the combustion of coal and other fossil fuels. When emitted into the atmosphere from power plants, automobiles, and other sources, NOx is converted to nitric acid, a primary ingredient of acid rain. NO_x also participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions that produce smog and ozone. Acid rain, smog, and ozone, along with NO_x itself, have adverse health and environmental impacts that have led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the emissions of NO_x.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization that conducts advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, environment and energy, and preclinical drug discovery and development. Southern Research has more than 550 scientific and engineering staff that support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., Southern Research operates facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.