Huntsville, Ala. — HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology announced today that it will break ground on a new building December 13 — 800 Hudson Way. The 100,000 square foot building will foster job growth of several new and expanding life sciences companies, and also will house components of HudsonAlpha’s research, Educational Outreach, genomic medicine and informatics programs.
Named after its location, 800 Hudson Way will be similar in look, feel and layout to the 601 Genome Way building. This will be the fourth building on the biotech campus, which currently employs more than 700 people.
“HudsonAlpha provides competitive advantages, whether you are starting a new company, growing an existing company or searching for your next biotech destination,” said Carter Wells, vice president for economic development. “This building marks progress for retaining and creating new life sciences jobs in Alabama. “We greatly appreciate the support of the State of Alabama and our many partners for making this new addition possible.”
“It wasn’t that long ago that Lonnie McMillian and I had this dream of bringing researchers, educators and entrepreneurs under one roof,” said HudsonAlpha co-founder Jim Hudson. “It is wonderful to be breaking ground on another building so that our dream can continue to grow.”
Conversant Bio, a longtime HudsonAlpha associate company, will be one of the first companies to move to the new building.
“When we joined the HudsonAlpha campus, we knew Conversant Bio would be at the heart of life sciences research,” said Marshall Schreeder, co-founder and CEO of Conversant Bio. “Being here has allowed the company to continue to grow and stay on the cutting-edge of research and connected to the needs of scientists around the world on a daily basis.”
Conversant Bio supplies human tissue and viable cell samples to researchers working to develop new therapeutics and diagnostic tools. The company joined the HudsonAlpha biotech campus in 2006 and has expanded its employee base tenfold in that time.
The Institute will hold a groundbreaking ceremony December 13 at 10:30 a.m. Government and community leaders and HudsonAlpha supporters will be in attendance.
About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to innovating in the field of genomic technology and sciences across a spectrum of biological challenges. Opened in 2008, its mission is four-fold: sparking scientific discoveries that can impact human health and well-being; bringing genomic medicine into clinical care; fostering life sciences entrepreneurship and business growth; and encouraging the creation of a genomics-literate workforce and society. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park. Designed to be a hothouse of biotech economic development, HudsonAlpha’s state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. The relationships formed on the HudsonAlpha campus encourage collaborations that produce advances in medicine and agriculture. Under the leadership of Dr. Richard M. Myers, a key collaborator on the Human Genome Project, HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education, and includes more than 30 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit: http://hudsonalpha.org/.
HudsonAlpha Media Contact:
Margetta Thomas
mthomas@hudsonalpha.org
256-327-0425
