Tag: Moving Science

Southern Research project aims to prevent future polio outbreaks

Posted on October 24, 2016
The polio virus is close to eradication but fears persist it could return in future outbreaks.
The polio virus is close to eradication but fears persist it could return in future outbreaks.

Poliomyelitis is a crippling and potentially fatal disease caused by a virus. As recently as 60 years ago, there were few diseases more frightening to parents of young children than polio. Today, polio cannot be cured. It is extremely rare, however, because it is safely and effectively prevented by vaccination.

With the poliovirus edging closer to eradication across the globe, Southern Research’s infectious disease labs are playing a critical role in the search for a drug that could aid the ongoing worldwide polio eradication initiative and help halt the spread of the crippling disease in a future outbreak or bio-attack.

Under a contract with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Southern Research scientists in Frederick, Maryland, are screening compounds that could prove useful against polio, as well as a related virus, coxsackie. Coxsackie virus infection is a leading cause of both acute and chronic myocarditis for which there is currently no effective treatment or vaccine.

The ultimate goal of the work is to identify a broad spectrum anti-viral agent that could be developed as a therapy to treat the highly contagious poliovirus and address the unmet medical need for an effective antiviral against coxsackie virus disease.

“Developing an anti-viral drug against polio is part of the strategy to mitigate risk associated with post-eradication exposure events, be they accidental or an intentional exposure resulting from a bioterrorist attack,” said Mike Murray, Ph.D., director of government business development for Southern Research’s Drug Development division.

“Once poliovirus is declared eradicated, the population may become more vulnerable to an outbreak because of potential changes in vaccine requirements and the rising number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children because they don’t see the need for it,” Murray added.

Moreover, Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) activities for 2013-2019 require approximately $7 billion to complete. “In this context, the reason to develop an antiviral is very simple – protect the multibillion-dollar investment made to eradicate polio,” said Murray, who previously headed infectious disease research for Southern Research in Frederick.

SEEKING A THERAPY

Southern Research’s Frederick labs have been involved in this effort with NIAID support since 2012. Murray said he’s optimistic that drug development efforts will produce a therapy against polio, though he notes bringing a drug to market is a costly process that typically takes years. Regardless, having an anti-viral drug effective against polio would be valuable, he added.

“Many people think polio is not a problem – it’s gone,” Murray said. “It’s not.”

Polio reemerged in Syria in 2013, and there were outbreaks in Somalia that year as well. Poliovirus is still circulating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with 19 cases reported so far in 2016.

“We are involved in the strategic end game now, helping to solve one of the world’s most difficult problems, so that’s exciting. This contract is part of that,” Murray said.

REDUCING THE TOLL

Polio, or poliomyelitis, affects the central nervous system, sometimes producing paralysis. Between the late 1940s and early 1950s, polio crippled around 35,000 people each year in the United States alone, many of them children. The viral infection earned a fearsome reputation during this period.

Since then, vaccines have dramatically reduced polio’s human toll. The World Health Organization says polio cases across the globe have decreased by more than 99 percent since 1988, from more than 350,000 cases to 359 reported cases in 2014.

There are still two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with endemic circulation of wild type poliovirus, and, recently, two children have been paralyzed by the disease in Nigeria after seeing no cases there for two years, said Eun Chung Park, Ph.D., NIH program officer and contract officer’s representative for the contract.

Since 2014, there have been isolated outbreaks associated with war-torn areas of the world, where vaccination is difficult or impossible, and the virus might travel with fleeing refugees.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has named polio eradication one of its key objectives, says the fight to end polio continues, often under some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous circumstances. It has vowed not to give up until every last child is protected.

INEVITABLE ERADICATION

Murray said polio’s eradication is inevitable, but it will not be easy. Poliovirus will become the third virus to be wiped out after a global campaign. The others are the smallpox virus, an ancient pathogen responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of people, and rinderpest, also known as the “cattle plague.”

As with the victory over small pox, however, there are fears that polio could make an unexpected comeback. To mitigate the risk associated with the reemergence of poliovirus, scientific research, vigilant surveillance, vaccine manufacture and new product development will continue.

The government is looking for drugs that will aid in the final eradication process and at the same time preparing for accidental exposure or nefarious use as a weapon. That’s where Southern Research contributes, Murray said.

“Poliomyelitis is still a risk. You could imagine a situation similar to measles where people become complacent or worse, refuse to vaccinate their children,” Murray said. “Then all of the sudden, there’s an outbreak. We saw this in the Disneyland measles outbreak last year. The outbreak spread to Disneyland and then to seven states and two other countries due to the virus being carried by travelers to and from the theme park.”

TARGETING COXSACKIE

Coxsackie, the other target in Southern Research’s NIAID contract, is a leading cause of both acute and chronic myocarditis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the heart wall. Coxsackievirus can also cause pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas.

Today, there is neither a vaccine nor a therapeutic treatment for this viral infection.

Like polio, coxsackie is an enterovirus, a group of single-stranded RNA viruses associated with a wide range of human diseases. Taken together, the screening performed by Southern Research’s infectious disease labs provides a means to evaluate broad-spectrum therapeutics against enteroviruses.

NOTE: This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN2722010000221.

Southern Research at 75: Engineers assist ‘Return to Flight’ Shuttle missions

Posted on October 20, 2016

Just three months after Charles J. Camarda flew on NASA’s pivotal STS-114 Space Shuttle mission in 2005, the astronaut paid a visit to Southern Research — and he brought souvenirs.

Shuttle astronaut Charles Camarda visited Southern Research in 2005. (Image: NASA)
Shuttle astronaut Charles Camarda visited Southern Research in 2005. (Image: NASA)

STS-114 was one of the most important Shuttle missions for a simple reason: It represented the “Return to Flight” for the space agency after the tragic loss of Columbia two years earlier.

Camarda served as a mission specialist on Discovery, which covered 5,796,419 miles and circled the Earth 219 times at speeds reaching nearly 17,700 miles per hour. During the mission, the Shuttle docked with the International Space Station, and the crew tested new flight-safety procedures and damage inspection and repair techniques.

Camarda visited Birmingham on Nov. 10, 2005, to talk with Southern Research engineering teams that had helped NASA understand how the Columbia accident unfolded and worked to devise new safeguards to prevent a repeat.

To show the Discovery crew’s gratitude, Camarda presented the engineers with a Southern Research banner that had been aboard the Shuttle during the 14-day mission. He also gave them a composite containing a U.S. flag that also had flown on STS-114.

SR 75th_Logo_Horz_RGBThe visit of Camarda, an aerospace engineer who had supervised NASA test facilities, represented a special moment for the Southern Research team.

“We’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Charlie on a series of efforts prior to his selection to fly on STS-114,” John Koenig, director of materials research, said at the time. “We share a heritage in materials engineering with Charlie, making this flight even more special in that ‘one of us’ was on board.”

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Southern Research's John Koenig inspects a fuel nozzle damaged on an early Shuttle mission.
A Southern Research engineering team led by John Koenig identified a serious Space Shuttle fuel nozzle problem.

Soon after the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003, Koenig and the Southern Research team became heavily involved in a wide-ranging quest for answers to what had happened to the Shuttle.

NASA engaged Southern Research in multiple roles in the inquiry. The team looked into aspects of the obiter wing failure, triggered when super-heated gases entered through damaged tiles on the leading edge.

Engineers modeled the impact of the foam debris that struck the left wing’s leading edge 82 seconds after Columbia’s lift-off, causing the damage.

Impact tests were conducted on materials that could come off the launch system during lift-off: ice, insulating foam, composite materials, graphite from the booster separation system.

Southern Research engineers prepared specimens, conducted pre- and post-nondestructive evaluation, and studied damage modes. They also developed new testing techniques that avoided the release of debris from the booster separation motors.

In addition, the team evaluated whether the age of the carbon-carbon composites on the leading edge enhanced the probability of failure after repeated exposures to temperatures reaching 3,000 degrees.

The engineers also worked with teams that studied potential in-flight repairs to the Shuttle’s leading edge, such as patches, plugs, overwrap, and fillers. Astronaut Scott Parazynski acted as an adviser to the Southern Research team on this program.

‘SILVER SNOOPY’

After Discovery returned to Edwards Air Force Base in California to end STS-114 on Aug. 9, 2005, NASA didn’t mount another mission for almost another year. STS-121, launched on July 4, 2006, was considered the second “Return to Flight” mission for the Shuttle program.

On both of these missions, NASA had what it called “eyes in the sky” to record the lift-off and its climb toward orbit. High-flying WB-57 aircraft carried an innovative nose-mounted video system that allowed NASA to monitor the flight for debris impacts.

Southern Research’s Airborne Imaging and Recording System is still in use.

On STS-121, Discovery again returned to the International Space Station, and the crew continued to test new equipment for the in-flight inspection and repair of the Shuttle’s thermal protection system.

After the mission, NASA decided that the Shuttle was prepared to resume its scheduled flights.

That year, Koenig received a Silver Snoopy Award, an honor given by NASA astronauts for contributions that improve the success and safety of space flight.

 

This is Part Seven of a series looking at the history of Southern Research.

 

 

NIH director thanks Southern Research for ‘treatments, cures and real hope’

Posted on October 14, 2016

In a message to mark Southern Research’s 75th anniversary, Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, praised the organization’s scientists for making significant advances against cancer and other diseases.

“Since 1941, Southern Research has made advances that have helped people all across this country – in fact, all around the globe,” Collins said in a video shared with the Birmingham-based non-profit.

In particular, the leader of NIH, the nation’s chief medical research agency, noted the achievements of Southern Research’s long-standing cancer research program. The organization’s scientists played key roles in developing effective chemotherapy methods and in the discovery and development of numerous FDA-approved oncology treatments.

“Of the 200 or so drugs currently used to treat cancer, seven were discovered at Southern Research,” Collins said. “In fact, two of them – fludarabine and clofarabine – are even on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines.”

In addition, Southern Research has provided vital research tools and models that allowed other scientists to advance the development of cancer therapeutics, he said.

TARGETING DISEASES

While efforts to discover new oncology drugs continues at Southern Research, Collins noted that its scientists are also working on potential therapeutics for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and tuberculosis, among others.

At the same time, Southern Research is helping researchers around the world test new disease-fighting strategies. “The area of HIV/AIDS research has been a real standout,” he said.

Collins singled out Southern Research’s work in the field of reproductive toxicology, which seeks to prevent birth defects, and on the Zika virus, which has suddenly emerged as a serious threat to public health around the world.

Collins also responded to a letter from Southern Research CEO and President Art Tipton, Ph.D., who thanked the NIH for providing the Birmingham non-profit with more than $500 million in funding over the past three decades.

“Mr. Tipton, I want to let you, along with all of Southern Research and its supporters, know that you are indeed welcome,” Collins said. “And on behalf of the NIH and the American taxpayer, I want to thank you, Southern Research, for a tremendous return on this investment – a return measured in treatments, cures and real hope for a better future for people all around the world.

Southern Research at 75: Labs spin out new fabrics and capabilities

Posted on October 13, 2016

From its earliest days, Southern Research scientists were engaged in textile projects such as devising new techniques for spinning yarn, developing novel polymers for synthetic fibers, and designing special purpose garments.

Their work yielded a number of advances: new wrinkle-shedding fabrics, improved materials for carpets, innovative methods for producing types of Nylon. Southern Research laboratories also developed a fabric for astronaut life rafts and a garment to protect steelworkers, among other things.

Southern Research textile technology
Southern Research fiber-spinning labs produced many advances.

Dr. Wilbur Lazier, the organization’s first director, established a Textile Research Group as one of his first moves after his hiring in 1944. The research emphasis reflected the critical importance of the textile industry to the South’s economy in those days.

Not surprisingly, much of Southern Research’s early work on textiles focused on cotton, which remained a major cash crop across the region.

The organization’s research on cotton focused on just about every aspect of how it could be processed – spinning, bleaching, dyeing, and finishing. In 1946, Textile Division head Dr. Robert J. Taylor used an experimental hot-air slasher to study the effects of sizing to improve yarn strength for Minneapolis-based Pillsbury Mills.

Programs were carried out for textile companies, chemical manufacturers, and government agencies.

The work resulted in the development of:

  • New treatments to produce wash-and-wear cotton fabrics
  • New lubricants and sizing formulations for processing cotton yarn
  • New ways to use synthetic rubber latexes to improve the performance of cotton garment fabrics and the resiliency of cotton-pile carpets
  • New flame-proofing treatments

SYNTHETIC FIBERS

SR 75th_Logo_Horz_RGBCotton wasn’t the only focus of Southern Research scientists.

Lab work on synthetics became extensive, centering on the preparation of polymers and the production of fibers, as well as the processing and finishing of synthetic yarns and fibers.

Scientists evaluated totally new types of polymers for fabrics and studied new ways to make fabrics from batches of existing polymers. Facilities were installed at Southern Research for spinning synthetic fibers using various methods.

In the 1960s, some of this textile technology work focused on polypropylene, today considered one of the most versatile of plastics, found in area rugs, exercise apparel and many other items.

As part of this work, Southern Research developed a super-tenacity polypropylene fiber that won accolades from Industrial Research magazine, which named it one of its 100 most significant new products of 1963.

Southern Research textile technology
An early look at Southern Research’s textile spinning lab.

Southern Research scientists also conducted innovative work in Nylon production. In the 1960s, they developed Nylon 1313 from crambe oil, an inedible seed oil, and produced several hundred pounds of it for evaluation under a U.S. Department of Agriculture program.

In the 1970’s, Southern Research’s unique fiber-spinning capabilities permitted its scientists to develop a method to spin heat-sensitive Nylon 4 on standard melt-spinning equipment, an unmatched technical achievement.

Over the years, Southern Research developed several specialty products from its fiber work. These included:

  • Disposable garments for protection against noxious materials
  • A garment to shield workers in steel mills from molten metal splash
  • A fabric for life rafts for astronauts

This expertise in fiber-spinning and polymers would set the stage for Southern Research’s pioneering work in controlled-release technology and new drug delivery systems. The organization’s fiber-spinning work led to the development of the first synthetic, bio-absorbable surgical suture, introduced in the early 1970s.

 

This is Part Six of a series looking at the history of Southern Research.

Southern Research at 75: Helping Apollo spacecraft beat fiery re-entry

Posted on October 6, 2016

When the Apollo 11 flight crew returned from the historic Moon expedition on July 24, 1969, their command module pierced the Earth’s atmosphere traveling at 36,237 feet per second and became engulfed in a fireball burning at 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

NASA Apollo 11
This NASA rendering depicts the Apollo 11 capsule during re-entry. The capsule’s heat shield, developed with input from Southern Research, protected the astronauts from the incredible heat.

The capsule’s heat shield – developed with input from Southern Research – protected the astronauts, with a special epoxy resin in the shield’s honeycomb backing structure dissipating the intense heat while vaporizing in the hellish environment.

Long before the Apollo 11 crew splashed down in the Pacific, Southern Research’s expertise in high-temperature testing provided NASA with important information about the materials being considered for the spacecraft’s thermal protection system.

Under contracts with NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia during the 1960s, Southern Research engineers working in test facilities exposed specimens of various classes of materials to the harsh conditions of re-entry, including temperatures nearly three times the melting point of steel.

In rigorous evaluations under extreme conditions, Southern Research engineers recorded more than a dozen different thermal and mechanical properties of the heat shield materials. Afterwards, mathematical models were developed to predict actual performance during re-entry.

AN UNUSUAL ‘BALL OF STRING’

Before the Apollo program even got off the ground, Birmingham-based Southern Research had performed high-temperature work for government sponsors and aerospace companies, beginning in the 1950s. Under the guidance of Coultas “Colt” Pears, its high-temp testing lab gained an international reputation for work on advanced materials like carbon-carbon composites.

Pears recalled that he first saw the exotic composite material early on, when “a fellow walked in with a ball of string and asked me to dip it in sugar water and heat it to 5000°F.”

SR 75th_Logo_Horz_RGB“It was 15 years before the material became a heat shield or nose tip,” he said.

In addition to work on the space program, Southern Research engineers conducted important materials evaluation work on key U.S. missile systems. In 1967, the U.S. Navy recognized the organization’s role in the development of the Polaris missile system with a special award.

Pears’ ambition at Southern Research was to create a world-class high-temperature materials characterization laboratory. His lab developed a facility that could make accurate measurements of loads on brittle high-temperature metals. Another innovation involved new optical strain measurement techniques.

The first known measurements of tensile properties at 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit took place at Southern Research, and extreme-temperature testing and analysis became a core competency of the organization.

ASSISTING APOLLO SPACECRAFT

Apollo 11
Apollo 11 lifted off on its historic mission to the Moon on July 16, 1969. (Image: NASA)

Southern Research’s contributions to the Apollo program weren’t limited to materials evaluation.

Engineers were involved in several instrument development programs. One of those focused on the design of a radiometer that was paired with a telescope to take temperature readings on the Moon’s surface. The instrument was part of a critical NASA program to select landing sites for Apollo missions to the lunar surface.

In another Apollo project, Southern Research engineers used graphite sensing elements to build several calorimeters to measure heating rates on various portions of the Saturn booster exit.

Other groups at Southern Research also got involved in work on the Apollo spacecraft program.

Around the time of the Apollo 1 fire in 1967, the organization established onsite laboratory operations at Kennedy Space Center to support contractors involved in launches of the giant Saturn rockets. The 25 staffers evaluated spacecraft materials and attempted to pinpoint the causes of malfunctions in connections.

At that time, chemist Ruby James was Southern Research’s specialist in gas chromatography, a means to separate the different components of a mixture by forcing gas through a column.

The program at Kennedy Space Center ran for two years.

After the last Apollo mission, Southern Research remained active in the nation’s space program, making important contributions to the Space Shuttle and working on projects including the Voyager probe and the James Webb Space Telescope.

Today, Southern Research engineers are involved in the Space Launch System, a NASA project that aims to put man on Mars.

 

This is Part Five of a series looking at the history of Southern Research.

 

National Cancer Institute extends toxicology contract with Southern Research

Posted on October 5, 2016
NCI extends long-term toxicology contract with Southern Research.
NCI extends long-term contract with Southern Research for preclinical toxicology screening of cancer drugs.

Southern Research has been awarded a five-year IDIQ contract with a potential value of $19 million from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study the preclinical toxicology of new drugs under development for the treatment of cancer — contract number HHSN261201600018I.

The contract is one of three ongoing contracts between Southern Research and the NCI, and has been in place continuously since 1979. This is the latest in a series of contract extensions for the organization.

The two additional ongoing contracts between Southern Research and the NCI are for research on the pharmacology of potential new cancer drugs, and for evaluation of drugs intended for the prevention of cancer.

“Our ultimate goal with this contract is to help the NCI develop an understanding of how different drug candidates interact with and affect living systems,” said Charles Hébert, Ph.D., senior program leader and principal investigator on the project for Southern Research. “The collection of this information is necessary so the FDA can determine whether a particular drug candidate is safe for clinical trial testing in humans.”

Toxicology testing is an integral part of the drug development process. In order to determine the safety of a new drug candidate, researchers must first conduct dose range-finding studies to establish the maximum tolerated dose, and to aid in the selection of dose levels for use in further testing.

Once the appropriate dose range has been established for the selected species, larger and more detailed definitive studies are conducted. Those definitive studies differs from dose range-finding studies in that they require deeper and more thorough analysis of the ways a particular drug may affect animals, and by extension, humans. Ultimately, the definitive studies provide key information that is used by the FDA to determine the recommended dose options for any drug candidate approved for clinical trial.

“Southern Research has been at the pioneering forefront of cancer research for more than 70 years, and we are particularly proud of our work with the National Cancer Institute,” said Art Tipton, Ph.D., president and CEO of Southern Research. “We have invested heavily to develop unique capabilities and institutional knowledge in this field, and work diligently to stay on the forefront of the field enabling us to improve people’s lives by finding cures to some very challenging diseases.”

Southern Research at 75: ‘Boss Kettering’ provides key early support

Posted on September 29, 2016

Charles Kettering, the genius engineer behind many of General Motors’ breakthrough innovations, racked up 186 patents and earned a reputation as a great inventor in his day.

Southern Research Skipper Kettering
Southern Research’s Howard Skipper, left, talks with famed inventor Charles Kettering, a strong supporter of Skipper’s cancer research.

He also became a high-profile supporter of Southern Research in its early days, thanks to a relationship with the new research organization’s chairman, Thomas Martin.

Though the dynamic founder of Southern Research and the inventor of the automobile starter motor had exchanged letters since 1934, they didn’t actually meet until both attended a nutrition conference in New York in 1945. Martin told Kettering about the work getting under way in Birmingham.

Intrigued, Kettering contributed advice, expertise and funding to help accelerate growth at Southern Research, particularly the cancer program headed by Howard Skipper, Ph.D.

“I do remember very well that a lot of the early money when I joined Skipper’s group came from Kettering, and it was pretty soon after that we also got money from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation,” recalled John Montgomery, Ph.D., a key member of Southern Research cancer team from 1952 until 1990.

“Sloan was the money man at General Motors when Ket was the inventor, and they tossed some money in the pot, too. And so we had enough money to begin to do something,” Montgomery added.

In 1945, around the time that Southern Research was launching its first projects, Kettering joined his GM colleague to open the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research (SKI) in New York. SKI’s director was Cornelius Rhoads, who had served with Skipper in the Army’s chemical warfare section during World War II.

SR 75th_Logo_Horz_RGBThese connections would drive growth in Skipper’s labs.

‘BOSS KET’ COMES TO TOWN

Kettering made frequent visits to check on Southern Research’s progress. The first came on Nov. 12, 1947, dedication day for the organization’s first new building – Laboratory No. 5.

At the time, Southern Research had about 50 scientists, working on early projects such as heat pump technology, extending food uses of peanuts, new paints from coal by-products, and chemical detectors for the Army. Kettering talked to the scientists, toured the facilities, and spoke that night at the Chairman’s Dinner.

Charles Kettering Southern Research
Charles Kettering speaks at Southern Research during his first visit in 1947.

“Set up your laboratories, equip them,” he told the researchers. “You cannot tell what is going to come out of them now, or 10 or 15 years hence. Your achievements will be different from what you now think, but they will be wonderful.”

He was keenly interested in Skipper’s cancer program, which was started the year before thanks to a $25,000 gift from Mobile businessman Ben May.

“One of my favorite memories is of Boss Kettering, as we called him, and his visits to our group,” Montgomery recalled in an oral history of Southern Research published in 1991. “He came to see us three or four times a year, to talk to the boys and see how things were getting along on cancer research.”

He did more than just offer encouragement to Southern Research’s scientists. He made possible the organization’s first permanent labs for biomedical research — the Kettering-Meyer Laboratory.

The Charles F. Kettering Foundation contributed $200,000, and Birmingham’s Robert Meyer Foundation donated $100,000 for the lab. Kettering attended the groundbreaking on June 26, 1953, and Sloan was on hand to turn the first shovel.

Significantly, Sloan agreed to provide substantial funding to advance the cancer work being done at Southern Research under partnership with SKI.

Just five years later, K-M Laboratory II opened on Southern Research’s campus, a project spurred by the cancer program’s rapid growth.

Kettering was among Southern Research’s many important early benefactors. Besides May and the Meyer family, these include Robert I. Ingalls, Harry Frueauff Jr., Daniel Construction Co. and the Daniel Foundation.

 

This is Part Four of a series looking at the history of Southern Research.

SJR13: A resolution honoring Southern Research’s 75th Anniversary

Posted on September 20, 2016

AL State Capitol_SJR13Southern Research was founded in 1941 with the purpose of advancing science and becoming an economic driver for the region. Today, 75 years later, Southern Research employs nearly 500 people across five states, working to help solve the world’s hardest problems.

In recognition of this historic anniversary, the Alabama Legislature passed a joint resolution recognizing our hard work and commemorating the contributions Southern Research has made to science and engineering on behalf of our numerous clients.

Related: Southern Research through the years, a timeline.

We would like to thank Senators Rodger Smitherman and Jabo Waggoner for carrying this resolution, and our other friends in the legislature for their support. Your recognition means a lot to us, and we look forward to continuing our work to make Alabama and the world a better place.

Read the entire transcript below, or visit Legiscan to access a PDF of the joint senate resolution.

 

Senate Joint Resolution 13 (SJR13)

By Senators Smitherman, Waggoner, Albritton, Allen, Beasley, Blackwell, Brewbaker, Bussman, Chambliss, Coleman-Madison, Dial, Dunn, Figures, Glover, Hightower, Holley, Holtzclaw, Livingston, Marsh, McClendon, Melson, Orr, Pittman, Reed, Ross, Sanders, Sanford, Scofield, Shelnutt, Singleton, Smith, Stutts, Ward, Whatley and Williams

First Read: 18-AUG-16

SJR13

ENROLLED, SJR13,
RECOGNIZING SOUTHERN RESEARCH ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY.

WHEREAS, it is with highest commendation that we recognize the invaluable contributions to the betterment of mankind made by the scientists and engineers of Southern Research since its founding in 1941; and

WHEREAS, Southern Research, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, has served as a driver of economic development for the State of Alabama since its inception in a number of highly technical fields of discipline; and

WHEREAS, whether it is drug discovery, drug development, engineering, energy, and environment, or medical devices, the men and women of Southern Research are making contributions every day to help make the world a better place in which to live; and

WHEREAS, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and development organization has discovered seven FDA-approved anticancer drugs, a record rivaling any nonprofit research organization in the world; and

WHEREAS, in addition to cancer, the scientists of Southern Research are actively pursuing new drug therapies in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Tuberculosis, Kidney Disease, and Diabetes, in addition to other areas, and are proud partners in the Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance; and

WHEREAS, the organization’s drug development division has a notable record of achievement in the fields of infectious diseases and vaccine development, to include work in HIV/AIDS and mosquito borne viruses, and has been leading the way in our state to help combat Zika; and

WHEREAS, Southern Research engineers are developing technologies to help the Department of Defense, NASA, the intelligence community, and commercial companies solve some of the most challenging problems in the fields of mechanics, materials, and systems development, including work on Prompt Global Strike and an aerial imaging system utilized by NASA to capture full motion high definition video of rocket launches from greater than 25 miles away; and

WHEREAS, the men and women of its energy and environment division continue to be focused on producing cleaner energy, providing clean water, developing new sources of energy, including energy storage, and driving innovation that enhances and promotes our state in a multitude of ways such as the Southeastern Solar Research Center and Gen IV Nuclear research; and

WHEREAS, Southern Research continues to do its part to help with job and industry recruitment in Alabama through not only its own successes, but in partnership with a number of economic development entities throughout the state; now therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That it is a privilege to commend the significant achievements and meritorious efforts of Southern Research, and by copy of this resolution, we extend our congratulations on 75 years of accomplishment and best wishes for another 75 years of scientific and engineering excellence.

President and Presiding Officer of the Senate

Speaker of the House of Representatives

SJR13
Senate 18-AUG-16
I hereby certify that the within Senate Joint Resolution originated in and was adopted by the Senate.

Patrick Harris
Secretary

House of Representatives
Adopted: 19-AUG-16

By: Senator Smitherman

Southern Research at 75: Improving peanut butter and other early projects

Posted on September 15, 2016

SR 75th_Logo_Horz_RGB
The first project at the fledgling Southern Research got under way in April 1945, when the entire technical staff consisted of an organic chemist, Carl Bordenca, and the director, Dr. Wilbur A Lazier.

The Morris-Cartwright Home in Birmingham, purchased months before by Chairman Thomas Martin, was converted into a base for Southern Research’s chemical laboratories and equipment.

Southern Research peanut butter
An early Southern Research project involved improving peanut butter.

The National Peanut Council was among the first to turn to the organization, requesting an extensive study on how the industry could expand its reach in post-war era. Specifically, Southern Research scientists looked at ways to make peanut butter more spreadable and stable. They even tried to produce a peanut butter ice cream.

Another early project called for devising a machine that would perform chemical and physical tests on cigarettes, sponsored by Larus & Brother Co. of Richmond, Virginia. The tobacco firm used the work to improve its products and develop new ones.

Southern Research scientists also explored to how to produce better-tasting potato chips.

By September 1945, Lazier reported that the organization had grown to 20 scientists on staff and that $250,000 in sponsored projects had been lined up. The growth continued.

TACKLING PROBLEMS

Three years later, the staff was approaching 90, most of them highly specialized scientists and technicians. They worked in six different buildings, and had already prepared nearly 50 technical papers and applied for 25 patents.

Though the organization was founded to serve Southern business concerns, companies from other states sponsored research projects. The Army, Navy and the Atomic Energy Commission came calling. It frequently functioned in a trouble-shooting capacity for corporations needing help, and much of the work was confidential.

Southern Research artificial flavors
An early project at Southern Research involved producing artificial flavors.

Significant projects in these early years included:

  • Metallurgy: Scientists tackled a problem caused by the high level of phosphorous present in Southern pig iron, which dulled the cutting edges of high-speed machine tools. Southern Research discovered that adding a small amount of zirconium altered the microstructure of the pig iron, improving its machinability.
  • Artificial flavors: Southern Research developed new chemical compounds from the oils of orange and grapefruit peels, resulting in new flavor and perfume ingredients.
  • Paint: Scientists helped a steel company develop a line of paints from coal-tar byproducts.

One of the early Engineering Department projects was a heat pump for the Muncie Gear Works. Southern Research engineers designed the plumbing system for the heat pump patented by Muncie that named Emory Kemler, director of the Engineering Department, as co-inventor.

In 1947, Southern Research produced some of the first chemical agent detectors for the military.

 

This is Part Two of a series looking at the history of Southern Research.

Southern Research hires VP of Quality and Compliance

Posted on September 14, 2016

Southern Research is pleased to announce the hiring of Greg Furrow as Vice President of Quality and Compliance. As vice president, Furrow joins the executive team, and in addition to overseeing quality and regulatory compliance, will have oversight of environmental health and safety (EH&S) standards across all of Southern Research.

Prior to joining Southern Research, Furrow served as Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Compliance at WIL Research, where he was responsible for all areas of compliance and EH&S across six laboratories in the United States, France and the Netherlands. Furrow is also a board member and past-president of the Society of Quality Assurance (SQA), and is active in the quality assurance community globally.

“We are excited for Greg to join Southern Research, and look forward to the contributions he will make across our organization,” said Art Tipton, Ph.D., president and CEO of Southern Research. “Our scientists and engineers come to work every day prepared to help solve some of the world’s hardest problems, and the quality of our work and compliance to regulatory standards is of the utmost importance. This move further streamlines communication on safety issues directly to the executive team, and will strengthen our organization more broadly.”

Early Career

After receiving a master’s degree in analytical chemistry at the University of Maryland, Furrow started his career as an analytical chemist at the USDA, then with Eli Lilly and Company, where he worked for 21 years. He left the bench to oversee the company’s analytical laboratories at their Clinton Laboratories manufacturing site. This transition opened the door to a management position in human resources for global Toxicology and Drug Disposition, and ultimately a position as Manager of Quality Assurance for Global Toxicology & Drug Disposition and global Elanco nonclinical and clinical.

“Like a lot of other things, management is all about people,” Furrow added. “My role is to ensure that the people who are working in the lab are empowered with the knowledge and resources they need to be successful and accountable. I am excited to bring my expertise in the field to lead this function and work as a team to accomplish our quality and compliance goals.”

In 2006, Furrow left Eli Lilly to lead a segment of Regulatory Affairs and Quality as a senior director with Charles River, based in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. In this role, he spent five years expanding his focus and deepening his understanding of the quality and safety standards involved with industrial chemicals and new devices.

Quality and Compliance as a tool

“I have always approached quality assurance from the position that we are not the police,” Furrow said. “The key to any successful operation is to change the perception from one where QA is the watchdog, to one where QA is a valued partner available to offer insight, feedback and guidance. Southern Research has a distinguished reputation for high quality work, and I look forward to working with teams to harmonize QA, improve quality and efficiency across the entire company and empower individuals to take ownership of their processes and improve performance.”

A past-president of the SQA, Furrow remains active in the global QA field. Additionally, he is co-chair of the committee tasked with writing a response to the GLP Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (proposed revision to the FDA GLP regulations). Furrow also has a deep appreciation for the importance of environmental health and safety and will bring an experienced viewpoint as the new leader for this critical function.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the people. For the past 75 years Southern Research has empowered its people to drive innovation within the state, region and for a global clientele. Furrow will strengthen this tradition while continuing to influence policy and advancing best practices that will lead to future scientific discoveries.

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