Year: 2012

Southern Research Institute Continues to Play a Role in U.S. Government’s Program to Make World Safer

Southern Research prime contractor—Black & Veatch—awarded continuation of Ukrainian contract to help counter biological threats

Birmingham, Ala. – Southern Research Institute today announced that its prime contracting partner, Black & Veatch, has been selected by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to continue its work in Ukraine to enhance the nation’s sustainable capacity to detect, diagnose, report, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Southern Research will continue working with Black & Veatch on this program, as it has since the first award in 2008.

“We are honored to continue working with Black & Veatch to support this important global program, using Southern Research’s unique knowledge and expertise about biosafety and advancing critical research to protect the world against infectious disease health threats,” said Mark J. Suto, Ph.D., vice president of the Drug Discovery Division at Southern Research.

Under the contract, Black & Veatch will support implementation of the agency’s Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP) with the Government of Ukraine. This award has a potential contract value of about $85 million over five years. The CBEP program enhances the animal health system by providing modern lab facilities, equipment and training. Black & Veatch is completing support for similar program activities it began in 2008 to strengthen the human health system in the Ukraine.

The DTRA rated Black & Veatch and its integrated partner companies at the highest “exceptional” level for contract performance in the first implementation phase of the Ukraine program from 2008 to present. In 2010, under the existing contract, Southern Research helped develop the Ukraine’s first Bio-Safety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory to enhance the existing biosurveillance system to detect and respond to bioterrorism and potential pandemics.

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 520 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 Dedicates New $5.6 Million Expansion of Engineering Research Center

Birmingham, Ala. — At a building dedication ceremony held today, Southern Research Institute leaders said that rapid business growth in engineering research and development necessitated the construction of a new $5.6 million high-tech engineering laboratory on its Engineering Research Center (ERC) campus in Birmingham.

“Over the past five years alone, the engineering division has grown over 60 percent, to now over $36 million in revenue,” said Michael D. Johns, vice president of Engineering. “This is the type of growth the leaders at the Institute envisioned over 20 years ago when we built the first world-class engineering laboratory building on this campus. Two years ago, we had to ask ourselves what are the necessary steps we need to take to continue that growth trajectory? The new ERC Phase II building was the answer.”

“For Alabama’s economic development, having this world-class engineering institute is critical to supporting the sustainability of companies located here, as well as enhancing our continuing efforts in attracting new industry,” said Bill Taylor, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA).

Southern Research’s engineers work primarily in areas that make the country stronger, safer, and cleaner—in bioenergy and alternative fuels, clean-coal technologies, next-generation composite materials for advanced space flight, lightweight materials for advanced transportation and power delivery, and imaging systems for airborne flight platforms.

Because of this expansion, Johns estimated that during the next two years, Southern Research will hire approximately 12 new senior level engineers and 12 technicians, and potentially generate $6 million in new revenue annually. In addition, Johns said the building will serve as a technology proving ground for Southern Research’s new engineering business spin-out opportunities.

“We are a market-driven research business and pride ourselves on our ability to rapidly change and adapt to changing government and commercial funding environments,” said Johns. This expansion will allow Southern Research to expand current programs in airborne imaging systems, advanced materials, light-weight composite materials, and structural integrity research of large complex systems, such as aerospace vehicles. The building will house:

  • A large structures evaluation laboratory to conduct complex multi-axial load studies on aerospace and industrial structures as large as rocket components and composite utility poles,
  • A lab to conduct composite structures development and prototyping to spin out technology and products,
  • A lab for material conditioning and aging programs that play a critical role in aerospace and national security; and,
  • A lab to conduct electro-optic systems, electronics and hardware assembly that requires vibration isolated floors.

Construction of the $5.6 million ERC Phase II facility—a 19,000-square-foot building with three high-bay labs and two floors of offices—was completed in July 2012. Construction costs were vetted through a formal estimation process using Hill International in Atlanta, GA. KPS Group served as the architect for the project. Brasfield & Gorrie was selected as the building contractor. Funding for the new facility was supported by grants from the Daniel Foundation and the Alabama Power Foundation and through tax-exempt bond financing approved by the City of Birmingham.

Also participating in today’s dedication ceremony were Congressman Spencer Bachus, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Bill Taylor, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama; and Dr. Richard Marchase, interim president of The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

“The work of our engineers has been recognized by a number of their clients—most notably NASA— for our efforts on behalf of the space program,” said John A. “Jack” Secrist III, Ph.D., president and CEO of Southern Research. “And that our engineers so often link with other Alabama research entities proves that our founders were correct that Southern Research Institute could play a supporting role to create new products and technologies here in the state.”

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 500 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 has offices in Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., and Washington, DC.

 

Understanding the Cause and Prevention of Birth Defects: Southern Research’s DART Program Conducts Critical Reproductive Toxicology Work

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.

 

Southern Research and LSU Health Sciences Study Validates Using Imaging to Study the Progression of Parkinson’s Disease in Preclinical Animal Studies

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and SHREVEPORT, La. — Using preclinical molecular imaging, scientists from Southern Research Institute and LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport have published data which could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Their study — “PET Imaging a MPTP-Induced Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease Using the Fluoropropyl-Dihydrotetrabenazine Analog [18F]-DTBZ (AV-133)”— was published in a recent edition (June 18, 2012) of PLoS ONE—an online scientific publication which provides free access to scientific studies that will accelerate progress in science and medicine.

Study findings suggest that MPTP-induced Parkinson’s disease in a mouse model is appropriate for following the degeneration of the dopaminergic system and that the[18F]-DTBZ analog is a potentially sensitive radiotracer that can be used to diagnose changes associated with Parkinson’s by positron emission technology (PET) imaging in mice.

The paper was co-authored by James Toomey, DVM, and Andrew Penman, Ph.D., of Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, and Michael Mathis, Ph.D., of LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. It is available online at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0039041.

Many scientists believe finding the cure for Parkinson’s will require a much deeper understanding of what causes the disease.

“This imaging pilot validates a diagnostic approach which could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Penman, Vice President of Drug Development at Southern Research. “By validating this imaging model we can acquire better data faster, more cheaply, and also limit the number of animals required to conduct a study in the search for new drugs to treat this debilitating disease.”

“Parkinson’s researchers who are working to develop novel therapeutics for this disease now have a new option—a validated, non-invasive model that further quantifies the use of preclinical imaging as a way to follow the degeneration process of Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Mathis, Director, Small Animal Imaging Facility at the LSU Health Sciences Center.

Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year, with as many as one million Americans living with Parkinson’s. It is estimated that seven to ten million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease. The combined direct and indirect cost of Parkinson’s including treatment, social security payments and lost income from inability to work is estimated to be nearly $25 billion per year in the U.S. alone. Medication costs for an individual with Parkinson’s disease averages $2,500 a year. Therapeutic surgery can cost up to $100,000 per patient.

Southern Research and the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, along with the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, formed a collaborative partnership last year to conduct preclinical imaging studies.

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.

Southern Research and Galveston National Laboratory to Develop High-Throughput Screening Platform in Biosafety Level-4 Laboratory

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.

 

Southern Research Signs Agreement with Apath, LLC to Conduct Preclinical Studies with Virus-Based HCV Screenings

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Southern Research today announced that it has signed an agreement with Apath, LLC which will allow Southern Research to conduct laboratory testing, research, and/or screening of potential therapeutic agents for hepatitis C (HCV) on an exclusive, fee-for-service basis using Apath’s HCV virus-based technology.

Apath—a privately held technology company focusing on HCV and other human viral pathogens—was founded by Charles M. Rice, Ph.D., Professor at The Rockefeller University and formerly of the Washington University School of Medicine.

“Preclinical screening using a virus-based system will advance potential treatments for the disease because new therapies for HCV will be screened against the actual virus rather than a subset of the replication machinery,” said Andrew D. Penman, Ph.D. vice president of Drug Development at Southern Research. “We are very pleased to work with Dr. Rice, a world renowned HCV expert and offer this new service to our clients.”

Most preclinical drug screening for new HCV therapies use cell lines that harbor replicons—intracellular sub-genomic, self-replicating RNA molecules that contain the nucleotide sequences required for RNA replication, transcription, and translation, but are not themselves infectious.

Using a virus-based system, researchers can now develop antiviral treatments targeting viral entry into the cell, all of the replication machinery of the replicon, as well as downstream events such as viral assembly and release from the cell. As such, the entire viral life cycle is available for drug discovery and development.

“Successful treatment for chronic hepatitis C, given HCV diversity and the spectrum of disease, is likely to require combination therapy and new drugs well beyond those already approved,” said Dr. Rice.

“As part of our commitment to remaining the global leader in the sublicensing of HCV-related technologies, I am particularly pleased with the expansion of our contract services agreement with Southern Research Institute, and I am extremely encouraged by the potential of this business venture assisting our clients in the fight against hepatitis C,” said Robert M. Roth, Apath vice president, Strategic Operations.

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.

 

Southern Research Wins Sub-Contract from BANC3 for Army’s Warrior Enabling Broad Sensor (WEBS) Project

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

 

Southern Research Seeks Innovative Ideas from Established Investigators and Researchers

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

Daniel Foundation and Alabama Power Foundation Donate to Southern Research

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 Prepared to Help the Coal-Fired Utilities Industry Address New Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Cost-Effectively

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.