Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center today announced new business developments related to its commercialization
enterprise, Wake Forest Innovations, as well as a new brand for Piedmont Triad Research Park.
Wake Forest Innovation Quarter
After consultation with key stakeholders in and beyond the community and an analysis of park names worldwide, Piedmont Triad Research Park has been renamed ‘Wake Forest Innovation Quarter’ (www.WakeForestInnovationQuarter.com). Park tenants that are not part of Wake Forest may choose to use Innovation Quarter, as an alternate version.
This new brand builds on the name of the Medical Center’s commercialization enterprise, Wake Forest Innovations, and at the same time differentiates the urban-based Innovation Quarter from other research parks in the state and nation. The Innovation Quarter portion of the name suggests more than a place to work and reinforces the urban model where people Work, Live, Learn and Play. Further, “Wake Forest Innovation Quarter” positions the development of a major eco-system in downtown Winston-Salem as a new national hub for innovation in biomedical technology, materials science, and information technology.
More importantly, the new name is easy to remember, flexible and allows tenants and partners to use their own brands or to co-brand if they desire.
“The opportunity to create a dynamic hub for innovation in the biomedical sciences and information technology here in Winston-Salem represents the evolution of the classic research park,” said Eric Tomlinson, D.Sc., Ph.D., chief innovation officer, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and president, Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, “in which we can support and encourage all of the community to engage creatively with one another both socially and professionally.”
Commercialization
In a move designed to jump-start operations at the new commercialization enterprise, Wake Forest Innovations launched its public website, www.WakeForestInnovations.com, as the primary way for industry and other business partners to engage with Wake Forest Innovations and its internal business units.
The new Wake Forest Innovations website includes two key portals to encourage engagement and collaboration designed to commercialize Wake Forest’s many new licensable technologies and to market Wake Forest’s unique and broad-based scientific services.
In combination with this launch, three new dot-com websites also went live. They market the newly organized scientific services of Wake Forest Innovations that are now available on a fee-for service basis. Numerous additional scientific services and their dot-com websites are in development and are expected to be launched in the coming months.
These first scientific services units of Wake Forest Innovations are:
Preclinical Translational Services (www.WakePreclinicalServices.com): This unit offers Wake Forest’s extensive research capabilities in medical device and therapeutic testing to its partners. The initiative expands existing work and relationships in comparative medicine and preclinical surgical services that provide testing of medical treatment options to patients more quickly and cost-effectively. For example, the unit performs safety and efficacy testing of orthopaedic and other medical devices as well as testing of vaccines and other drugs. Generating preclinical data is the critical first step to gain FDA approval to begin trials in humans.
Core Laboratory Services (www.WakeCoreLabs.com): This new unit offers the services of a growing number of Wake Forest’s internal scientific core labs to support industry. This capability is especially important to young companies that may not have the ability to purchase or train on expensive equipment or maintain a specialty lab in order to get a product to market. For example, if a company needs to use a mass spectrometer or electron microscope, the company could work with labs that have this equipment to advance their product development in a cost-effective manner.
Ultrasound Education (www.WakeUltrasoundEducation.com): This unit offers ultrasound education in the newest advanced technologies, such as elastography (an imaging technology that provides better diagnosis of tumors and lesions), and is an expansion of Wake Forest’s existing ultrasound education business. Physicians, sonographers and other allied health professionals often take this training to increase their knowledge and remain current in the use of leading-edge ultrasound technology.
New Tenants
Also announced today, three companies have located in, or are expanding their operations at, Innovation Quarter. Two start-ups, both founded by former Targacept employees, have moved in to One Technology Place. Blue Atom Technologies, Inc. provides innovative software tools designed to increase efficiencies and probability of success in chemical research and development. Blue Atom combines search and predictive analytics, molecular modeling and its unique chemistry experience to allow Life Science companies to focus investment dollars on drug candidates with the highest potential of success. The company has five employees and anticipates growing to15 staff by end 2013. Biolucidation, LLC, is a privately owned contract research firm that delivers non-clinical abuse liability testing services to Life Science institutions by uniquely blending academic insightfulness with the purpose and discipline of industry. The company expects to have five employees by the end of 2013 increasing to 10 by the end of 2014.
In addition, AsInEx, a Russian medicinal chemistry company has decided –after consideration of alternative locations in the U.S. – to establish its North American operations in Winston-Salem. When AsInEx learned last fall that a number of medicinal chemists and a nice facility were available in Winston-Salem, this changed the dynamic and made Winston-Salem competitive with well-known drug discovery “hot beds” such as San Francisco and Boston. Coupled with lower costs and less traffic, Winston-Salem won out over a West Coast location. AsInEx plans to grow from its current 11 employees in Winston-Salem to 30 staff by end 2013. The company will add to operations in Albert Hall by occupying laboratories and ancillary space in One Technology Place. Several of AsInEx’s new chemists were formerly employed by Targacept.
Note: This announcement will be streamed live over the internet beginning at 10:00 a.m. EDT (secondary live stream link). Mac users may need to download Flip4Mac player to view. Media materials, including speaker bios with photos, background information about Wake Forest Innovations and the rest of the media kit will be available for download at the same time.
Media Relations
Paula Faria: pfaria@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-1279
Chad Campbell: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587
Mac Ingraham: mingraha@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-3487