2017 Summer News

To learn more about donations and additional naming opportunities in the Hope Grows Garden, visit hudsonalpha.org/hope-grows-garden.

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I have been a nurse all of my life and have taken care of friends and relatives with cancer. However, when I developed breast cancer, it put a whole new perspective on this devas-tating disease for me. I don’t wish for anyone to have to go through what my husband and I went through battling my breast cancer. It is our hope that someday the research being conducted at HudsonAlpha will eliminate this and other types of cancer.

–Pam Alexander, HudsonAlpha supporter

G A R D E NBreast and Ovarian Cancer

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has opened the “Hope Grows Garden: Breast and Ovarian Cancer,” to recognize its commitment to breast and ovarian cancer research and pay tribute to people impacted by these devastating diseases. The Hope Grows Garden will bloom on the double helix pathway in McMillian Park (on the HudsonAlpha campus) and is made possible by a generous gift from long-time HudsonAlpha supporters Pam and Joe Alexander. Available naming opportunities include the ribbon pathway where you can recognize and remember your loved ones; and the Kimberly Strong, PhD, Memory Area. Dr. Strong lost her battle to breast cancer in March of this year. She courageously shared her own struggle with cancer at HudsonAlpha’s annual Tie the Ribbons luncheon in 2015 and 2016. She also led the Information is Power initiative at HudsonAlpha and educated the public on how genetic cancer screening can help save lives. Strong’s professional and personal impact on the field of genetics and genomics is commemorated in a special memorial area of the Hope Grows Garden.

HudsonAlpha establishes Hope Grows Garden for breast and ovarian cancer

Research

2 Summer 2017 HudsonAlpha

Boeing pledges $100,000 to HudsonAlpha, UAB kidney cancer projectThe Boeing Company and the Boeing Employee Community Fund Board of Alabama have committed $100,000 to support a collaborative kidney cancer research project between HudsonAlpha and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). HudsonAlpha scientists recently identified biomarkers that are strong predictors of kidney cancer, and a research team at HudsonAlpha and UAB also identified changes to the genome associated with kidney cancer tumors. This research could lead to finding potential new molecules to target for treatment and detection of kidney cancer. On this particular project, kidney cancer research will be conducted in partnership with the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center under the direction of Rick Myers, PhD of HudsonAlpha and Mollie DeShazo, MD of UAB. “HudsonAlpha, one of the top genetic sequencing centers in the nation, and UAB, a premier medical research institution, can together change the standard of care for cancer patients by diagnosing patients earlier and using the right treatment for the right person at the right time,” said Myers. “Boeing’s support will be instrumental in making significant advances in cancer research through this project.”

HudsonAlpha, St. Jude study finds more childhood cancer survivors would likely benefit from genetic screeningTwelve percent of childhood cancer survivors may have an increased risk of developing cancer, according to a study conducted by HudsonAlpha researchers, in collaboration with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The project involved long-term cancer survivors who received treatment at St. Jude and were enrolled in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort (St. Jude LIFE) study. The St. Jude LIFE project represents the first time whole genome sequencing has been used in a large group of cancer survivors to study the impact of genetic factors on lifetime cancer risk. Results were presented in April 2017 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Shawn Levy, PhD, and members of his lab at HudsonAlpha, contributed sequencing and analysis expertise to the research. For the project, the group sequenced and analyzed whole genomes from more than 3,000 long-term childhood cancer sur-vivors. The team looked at germline mutations – changes to genes that can be inherited – in 156 genes that are associated with an elevated cancer risk. Since the genes can be inherited, the children of these cancer survivors are also at increased risk for developing cancer. Participants return to St. Jude periodically for several days of clinical and functional assessments. As a result of the study, the researchers recommend expanding genetic cancer screening and counseling to include childhood cancer survivors who have been diagnosed with second cancers. Genetic screening and counseling are currently reserved only for survivors who have a family history of cancer. In addition, these findings could help doctors design personalized therapeutic approaches for children who have been newly diagnosed with cancer based on individual genetic profiles.

2018

MARCH26 - 28

3Xpressions

Genomic Medicine

The Alabama Genomic Health Initiative (AGHI) has begun recruiting patients at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) clinics in Birmingham. The AGHI, a partnership between UAB and HudsonAlpha, is one of the nation’s first statewide efforts to harness the power of ge-nomic analysis to identify those at high risk for genetic disease. Following the conclusion in May of a pilot project that recruited the first 100 participants, the AGHI has now opened widespread recruitment with the intent of adding 2,000 individuals in the first year. Over a five-year period, the goal will be to increase the number of participants to more than 10,000 persons. “The AGHI could lead to identification of new genetic diseases and new treatments that will benefit Alabamians and the rest of the world,” said Greg Barsh, MD, PhD, faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha and co-director of the AGHI. “Researchers working on finding cures to conditions like diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy and cancer will be able to utilize knowledge from these data to identify genetic factors that predispose people to these diseases as well as rare disorders – all with the ultimate goal of developing new approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.” Additional recruitment sites around the state will be added as the initiative progresses.

AGHI now recruiting patients across Alabama

To learn more, visit www.aghi.org.¥

Stay up-to-date on the latest from HudsonAlpha genomic medicine and subscribe to the Genomic Medicine e-newsletter, hudsonalpha.org/genomicmedicine

HudsonAlpha and UAB awarded $10 million for newborn whole genome sequencing project

HudsonAlpha, in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Medicine and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been awarded a four-year, $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to in-vestigate how genome sequencing can help with the diagnosis and care of babies with birth defects and genetic disorders. The project, “Clinical Sequencing Across Communities in the Deep South,” is part of a network of nationwide sites called the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research Consor-tium, or CSER2, and will enroll infants in neonatal nurseries with birth defects and/or other signs suggestive of a genetic disorder. The project is being led by HudsonAlpha Faculty In-vestigator Greg Cooper, PhD, together with HudsonAlpha Fac-ulty Investigator Greg Barsh, MD, PhD; and Bruce Korf, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the UAB Department of Genetics. CSER2 expands HudsonAlpha’s existing large-scale DNA se-quencing research project, the Clinical Sequencing Explorato-ry Research Consortium (CSER), also led by Cooper, in which collaborations with UAB and Children’s of Alabama North Alabama Children’s Specialists (NACS) have provided genetic diagnoses for children with intellectual disabilities and devel-opmental delay. To date, the team has sequenced the genomes of close to 500 children with developmental delay and provided a precise clinical diagnoses to nearly 30%.

For CSER2, the clinical sites will expand beyond North Alabama to fo-cus on infants in hospitals in other regions of the Deep South. Regions include the Birmingham area and Jackson, Miss., where the project directors are Renate Savich, MD, division chief of Newborn Medicine, and Brian Kirmse, MD, associate professor of Pediatrics.

“These regional partnerships improve our ability to help children and their families by providing a genetic diagnosis as early as pos-sible,” said Barsh, who brings more than 25 years of experience as a medical geneticist to the CSER2 team. Research reported in this publication was supported by the Na-tional Human Genome Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U01HG007301. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

The previous CSER project allowed HudsonAlpha to de-velop the infrastructure, knowledge, and partnerships needed for genomic medicine, and this new phase of work will build directly upon that foundation, particu-larly in underserved and diverse populations for whom genomics and genetics have not been accessible.

– Greg Cooper, PhD, faculty investigator

‘Southern Wonder’ author speaks at HudsonAlpha training session for barcoding project

Educational Outreach

Alabama is home to more species of plants than any other state east of the Mississippi River. Now, local students will be able to help catalog plants native to their home state through HudsonAlpha’s Bicentennial Barcoding project. A famous Alabama author was part of an early training session in April for teachers involved in the project. Scot Duncan, PhD, a professor of Biology and Urban Environmental Studies at Birmingham-Southern College and author of “Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Surprising Biodiversity,” was the special guest speaker at the training session. Published in 2013, “Southern Wonder” combines the disciplines of ecology, evolution and geology into an explanation of why Alabama is home to so much genetic diversity. “As a biologist, my current work is focused on the dynamics of rare plant communities,” said Duncan, “so there is a need for initiatives such as the Bicentennial Barcoding project. The training session gave attendees the opportunity to act as plant detectives, and collect and analyze samples. “We wanted to give collaborators a hands-on experience, and have them actually go through the process of collecting samples and data so they are prepared to lead students in their own investigations, said Jennifer Carden, leader of the project and a member of the HudsonAlpha Educational Outreach team. “Having Scot Duncan here to discuss how significant this project is to Alabama’s rich history will give our teachers additional insight to share with their students.” HudsonAlpha is searching for community partners who are experts in Alabama’s native plants to partner with their local schools and catalog the biodiversity in our state.

To learn more about becoming a community partner, visit hudsonalpha.org/bicentennial-barcoding¥

Stay up-to-date on the latest from Educational Outreach and subscribe to the Learners e-newsletter, hudsonalpha.org/learners

HudsonAlpha to offer professionaldevelopment for middle school teachers

Educational Outreach is now offering a free professional develop-ment workshop to mid-dle school life science teachers. Middle School GPS (Genetics Perfor-mance Standards) is a

one-day workshop that will help teachers navigate the genetics components of the Alabama 7th grade Life Science course of study. During the workshop, teachers will practice utilizing models, cutting edge genomics research and pedagogical strategies to bring real-world genetics content to their classrooms. At the end, teachers will leave with eight hours of professional learning as well as digital resources and kits to take back to their classroom.

HudsonAlpha hosted a reception in April to honor APPLE (Advanced Placement Program for Learning Enhancement) volunteers. APPLE program educators and volunteers bring the equipment, materials and resources needed for Enzyme Catalysis and Transformation labs to advanced life science classrooms in the Madison County metro area. Emanuel Waddell, PhD, associate professor and associate dean of chemistry at the University of Alabama in Huntsville joined Neil Lamb, PhD, and Dasi Price, who leads the APPLE program at HudsonAlpha, in thanking the 55 volunteers who have made the program such a success. Educators and volunteers interacted with more than 500 students from 15 area high schools. “The APPLE program would simply not be the same without the dedication of our volunteers who help promote STEM education in local high schools,” said Lamb. “We appreciate their service and recognize them for the contributions they’ve made to advance science education.”

Registration for the Huntsville workshop is now closed, but you can register for upcoming workshops in Mobile, Auburn and Pelham at hudsonalpha.org/middle-school-gps.

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APPLE volunteers honored at HudsonAlpha

9

The Foundation

HudsonAlpha is giving patients a chance at finding a diagnosis with the Hero Fund. Established by an anony-mous donation to the HudsonAlpha Foundation, the Hero Fund helps patients at Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine who need, but cannot afford, access to genomic medicine. Smith Family Clinic, powered by HudsonAlpha, Children’s of Alabama and UAB Medicine, uses whole genome sequencing to diagnose rare, undiagnosed and misdiagnosed disease. Although whole genome sequencing is a comprehensive test that offers information not found in one comprehensive tool elsewhere, it is not often covered by insurance. Through the Hero Fund, qualified clinic patients have the opportunity to find answers without the financial burden. “We named it the Hero Fund because in our world, those individuals who have these rare conditions are day-to-day heroes who really are fighting that problem every day,” said David Bick, MD, a clinical geneticist and the medical director for Smith Family Clinic. “When we find answers for these patients, it’s one of the greatest satisfactions of working here at the clinic.” One such patient is Jim Wall of Huntsville, Ala. Jim has struggled with back problems, balance problems and swallowing issues for more than 20 years, but just ignored the symptoms and accepted them as a part of life. After two decades of unexplained symptoms and appointments with countless specialists and clinics, Jim finally had a complete answer. “Dr. Bick diagnosed me with spastic paraplegia type 7,” said Jim. “It was nice to find out exactly what was wrong. Without the Hero Fund, I would have never gone through this and found out the true diagnosis.”

HudsonAlpha ‘Hero Fund’ brings hope to patients in need

Your donation could make a huge difference in someone’s life and put an end to their diagnostic odyssey. Give to the Hero Fund today hudsonalpha.org/hero.

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Stay up-to-date on the latest from the HudsonAlpha Foundation and subscribe to the Engage e-newsletter, hudsonalpha.org/engage

HudsonAlpha Foundation welcomes new board membersThe HudsonAlpha Foundation Board recently welcomed two new members: Bobby Bradley and Chris Russell. Bobby Bradley co-founded Computer Systems Technology (CST) in 2003 to provide innovative technologies and solutions to government and commercial organizations. Prior to her time at CST, she worked at Northrop Corporation, Computer Sciences Corporation and the U.S. Army Missile Command. Currently, she is a partner in two LLC’s, Lewis Properties and Genesis II. In 2011, she co-founded Village of Promise (VoP), a nonprofit organization with a vision to eradicate generational poverty, one neighborhood at a time. Chris Russell is a senior vice president and market executive with Cadence Bank. Russell has been active in Leadership Huntsville, serving recently as the Chair for the Board of Directors. He also helped start the Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County in 2009, serving as Board Chair for the first two years. Mr. Russell is a current board member for the Community Foundation, HudsonAlpha Foundation and the Boys and Girls Clubs. He is also a participant on the HudsonAlpha Professional Advisors Council and Mayor Tommy Battle’s Advisory Council, and has been a Rotary Club member for 15 years.

Jim Wall

Bobby Bradley Chris Russell

Economic Development

HudsonAlpha economic impact outpacesnational average, exceeds $1.85 billion

HudsonAlpha and the associate companies have over 750 people on campus today. We are a key driver in this important North Alabama economic sector, but there are over 2,000 additional people working in the life sciences in Madison County alone. The findings from this study have re-energized all of us to keep focused on entrepreneurship, recruitment and business expansion as we continue to build a vibrant life sciences hub.

– Carter Wells, vice president for economic development for HudsonAlpha

HudsonAlpha has generated more than $1.85 billion in economic impact for the State of Alabama, according to a recent study by the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). In the past two years alone, the economic impact has been more than $500 million. HudsonAlpha and the associate companies co-located on the life sciences campus have shown 19 percent job growth in the past year – compared to the national job growth rate of 1.8 percent – with a lifetime growth rate of 25 percent. “We know that HudsonAlpha adds extraordinary economic value to the state of Alabama, and we’re excited to see these numbers continue to increase,” said Rick Myers, PhD, HudsonAlpha’s president and science director. “These figures reflect what we see every day on our campus – excitement about the life sciences sec-tor in our regional economy and consistent growth of Alabama as a leader in the biosciences industry.”

The economic impact analysis was prepared by the Center for Management & Economic Research at UAH and includes data from 2006-2016. The study reflects the impact of the entire biotech campus, combining economic data and impact from the nonprofit HudsonAlpha as well as more than 30 resident associate companies. Economic impact estimations summarize the impacts of an entity on the specified economy, summarizing the impact of the monetary value and jobs resulting from the presence of HudsonAlpha in our region. This growth reported in the economic impact study has generated more than 1,376 direct and multiplier jobs with a total $634 million in direct and indirect payroll impact over the last 11 years. In particular, the companies on campus have shown steady growth in four key bioscience sub-sectors, with a diversification emphasizing growth in the drug and pharmaceutical sub-sector. “A little over a decade ago, Lonnie McMillian and I envisioned a life sciences campus that would become a biotech hub for the Southeast,” said Jim Hudson, co-founder of HudsonAlpha. “This new study shows that our model is not only successful, but it is exceeding our expectations.” The Institute’s model of genomic research, educational outreach, genomic medicine and bioscience companies on one collaborative campus creates an ecosystem of success for start-up companies and small businesses. Bioscience start-ups on HudsonAlpha’s campus leverage the advantages of the expanding life sciences ecosystem. Evidence from the recent study shows an increasing average company longevity rising to approximately five years, outpacing the typical start-up’s lifespan. The bioscience ecosystem at HudsonAlpha is positively impacting the economy and the companies choosing to locate on the collaborative campus. “The growth of Diatherix has been in a large part due to our location and relationship with HudsonAlpha. From talent acquisition to outstanding lab space, HudsonAlpha has been key to our success,” said Dennis Grimaud, CEO of Diatherix Laboratories. “Having entrepreneurs, educators and scientists together in a collaborative environment benefits all involved”.

Stay up-to-date on the latest from HudsonAlpha economic development and associate companies and subscribe to the Busness e-newsletter, hudsonalpha.org/business6 Summer 2017 HudsonAlpha

7Xpressions

Associate Company

AcclinateGenetics joins HudsonAlpha campusHudsonAlpha is pleased to welcome AcclinateGenetics to its growing list of associate companies. The recent startup aims to create a more efficient market for connecting healthcare providers in need of genomic screening and diagnostic services with the specialized laboratories performing such services. AcclinateGenetics leverages a comprehensive network of specialized partner labs to provide healthcare providers with a centralized source for fast, accurate, and reliable genetic screening and diagnostic services.

HudsonAlpha associate company transOMIC technologies now offers the pCLIP-dual vector

system for combinatorial knockouts, in which one vector expresses two gRNAs, each targeting a separate gene. The simultaneous knockout of two genes can help identify functional relationships between genes, which can lead to a better understanding of biological systems and can have direct implications for cancer therapeutic development as well as other therapeutic advancements. “Our transEDIT-dual CRISPR products give researchers a superior set of genome-editing tools. These tools speed up the pace of our understanding of complex biological pathways, which helps to rapidly identify key therapeu-tic targets,” said Blake Simmons, CEO of transOMIC technologies. “We expect the transEDIT-dual CRISPR arrayed library and our new combinatorial gene knock-out kits to take our customers’ research further, faster.”

Volatile Analysis is currently working on a new gum that’s designed to determine whether a person has cancer. The gum absorbs what are known as “volatiles” in a person’s saliva as they chew it, then the chewed gum is analyzed to determine whether it contains certain chemicals produced in the body when a person has cancer. “We are committed to bring in whatever investment and the right partners necessary to accelerate these technologies to market because we know people will choose gum a lot quicker than other more invasive methods for diagnostics,” said Katherine Bazemore, CEO of Volatile Analysis. Volatile Analysis Corporation (VAC) is a privately held company that specializes in volatile chemical detection and measurement for medical and industrial purposes. The research group focuses on links between biomarkers and diagnosis of human and animal diseases, an area collectively known as volatile metabolomics.

CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC) and its mentor, Raytheon, have been awarded the prestigious Nunn-Perry Award by the Department of Defense (DoD). The award recognizes successful Mentor-Protégé teams that have excelled in technical developments, cost efficiencies and increased business opportunities for small businesses.

“The Nunn-Perry Award is highly valued in the DoD and small business communities, and is a significant honor for CFDRC,” said Sameer Singhal, president and CEO of CFDRC. “The Mentor-Protégé program has strengthened our capabilities as a value added supplier to Raytheon and MDA and we are grateful to MDA for sponsoring the agreement and Raytheon for sharing invaluable resources and experience.” The Nunn-Perry Award, named in honor of former Senator Sam Nunn and former Secretary of Defense William Perry, was first awarded in 1995 to recognize outstanding DoD Mentor-Protégé program teams. This program is a national initiative that encourages and incentivizes major defense industry contractors, such as Raytheon, to share their technical expertise and knowledge of government contracting to increase development and technical capabilities of small disadvantaged business subcontractors and new mission partners.

transOMIC technologies launches new vector system

Volatile Analysis developing cancer-detecting gum

CFDRC receives Nunn-Perry Award

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The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is creating a healthier, more sustainable world through genomics by passionately delivering meaningful solutions that improve the quality of life around the world.

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