BioWV Hosts WV Pavilion at
2011 BIO International Convention

West Virginia's statewide bioscience industry was showcased at the 2011 BIO International Convention on June 27-30 in Washington, D.C. 

Steve Turner, Protea; Karel Schubert, BioWV; Derek Gregg, Vandalia; U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller

Billed as the largest annual event for the biotechnology industry, the convention attracted an audience of more than 15,000 biotech business leaders, scientists, executives and investors from around the globe. Hosted by the Bioscience Association of West Virginia, the West Virginia Pavilion was made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Huntington Area Development Council (HADCO) and the West Virginia Development Office. The delegation also included Marshall University, West Virginia University, Vandalia Research, Protea Biosciences, Progenesis Technologies, TRAX BioDiscovery and Cordgenics.

The Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation hosted a reception at the event featuring Senator John D. Rockefeller IV. During his remarks, Senator Rockefeller announced that he will join a trade mission to West Virginia designed to fuel growth, innovation, and job creation in the state's burgeoning biotechnology sector.  

Dr. Karel Schubert, Executive Director of BioWV, said, "Not only did the West Virginia Pavilion highlight the outstanding bioscience companies in West Virginia and the excellent biomedical research at our major universities, we also showcased all the state has to offer in terms of quality of life to our colleagues from the rest of the country and around the world."

WVU Research Receives National Recognition     

West Virginia University research accomplishments were recently recognized in a trio of prestigious national publications.   

WVU's research enterprise clocked in at number 20 on the list of best

places to work in academia as complied by The Scientist. The magazine's Best Places to Work in Academia survey was released in early July.  The

WVU Health Sciences Complex and   Research Office

magazine noted how experts in WVU's Physics Department helped build a new ultrasound machine from scratch for a researcher at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center across campus. The Scientist wrote that the story showed how WVU is a place where cooperation and collegiality "keep research running smoothly in the face of economic adversity."  

WVU and the National Energy Technology Laboratory earned an award

Ph.D. student Junwei Wu and Xingbo Liu, associate professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

known as the "Oscar of Innovation" for a technology that could improve the performance of solid oxide fuel cells as a source of clean electricity. R&D Magazine named the work one of the "100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year." Previous R&D 100 Award winners include such innovations as HDTV and the automated teller machine.

The work of Brian Anderson, assistant professor of in WVU's College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, to explore the potential for a geothermal energy bonanza in West Virginia was highlighted in the most recent issues of the Sierra Club's print and online magazine.  The magazine explained how the Mountain State sits on top of a geothermal hot spot that could provide 18,890 megawatts of energy.  Anderson is at work with a $1.2 million grant from the US Department of Energy to assess "enhanced geothermal systems."

Read more about all three stories at WVU's research web site.

MU Hosts Homeland Security Summit & Expo    

Thanks to Senator Jay Rockefeller and the Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation for leading the 2011 Homeland Security Summit & Expo on the campus of Marshall University. 

U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller

The event, which featured a keynote address by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, attracted law enforcement, first responders, scientists and researchers, National Guard personnel, innovative security companies, and government officials from throughout the state.       

In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano stressed the urgent need for cybersecurity to secure digital assets and protect key resources in addition to securing hard and soft physical targets.  The need for trained analysts will continue to grow, she noted, urging expansion of university degree programs to meet the demand.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano

Panel discussions explored critical infrastructure and public health preparedness, cybersecurity, and advances in emergency communications.  Senator Rockefeller discussed his legislation, the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act, which will build a national program of technology and communication designed to save lives, improve response times, and protect first responders.   

Other featured speakers included Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Bill Conner, President & CEO of Entrust, and MU President Stephen Kopp. 

Vandalia Research of Huntington has been awarded a $1.04 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a "Flu Vaccine Technology Program."  This program will focus on the scale-up and pre-clinical development of a pandemic flu vaccine manufactured by Vandalia's proprietary, large scale PCR process using the Triathlon™ bioreactor.

Scheduled to run 18 months, the contract will be performed in collaboration with researchers at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and the University of Louisville.  

Rep. Nick Rahall

"Vandalia Research is answering the national call to action for innovation in our manufacturing sector. As modern-day pioneers, blazing new trails with cutting-edge methodologies to keep us competitive and secure in the world, they strengthen our communities with job creation," said U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV). "The funds I obtained will help protect against pandemic outbreaks, keeping our families and our communities safer, and will create useful platforms for American industry to launch additional life-saving and sustaining products."

The program will create three to five highly skilled jobs immediately with the potential for additional jobs as the research progresses.  "This contract lends validation to our efforts to develop a scalable new method to rapidly develop and manufacture vaccines," stated Derek Gregg, CEO of Vandalia Research. "We would like to thank Congressman Rahall and his staff for aiding in our receipt of this contract."

Technology developed by MATRIC for BioAmber, Inc., has won a prestigious 2011 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, presented by the Environmental Protection Agency and the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award promotes technology that provides substantial environmental benefits using green chemistry.

Duane Dombek (L) of MATRIC and BioAmber Subsidiary President Ray Balee

BioAmber produces airport de-icing products from succinic acid. Its pilot plant facility at the WV Education, Research & Technology Park in South Charleston is operated by MATRIC, which developed a chemical process using biological feed stocks in place of petrochemicals.  The technology captures carbon dioxide rather than releasing it.   BioAmber is the first company to successfully commercialize a bio-based chemical that directly substitutes its petrochemical equivalent in an environmentally sound, cost-effective manner.    

"The award to BioAmber solidifies MATRIC's globally significant role in the development of new sustainable process for major products," said Keith Pauley, MATRIC's president and CEO.  MATRIC is also working with BioAmber on engineering plans for a succinic acid manufacturing plant that the firms plans to start building in North America later this year.