The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute that combines research, education, health and commercialization to improve the human condition around the globe. Scientists apply the power of genomics to make research advances in disease and agriculture; and collaborate with a team of educators to create a more genomically-informed society while training the STEM workforce.
Opened in 2008, HudsonAlpha is uniquely positioned to translate scientific breakthroughs into market-ready solutions by co-locating entrepreneurs from around the globe to its campus. More than 45 companies in all stages of development are part of HudsonAlpha’s continuously growing state-of-the-art campus located in Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the nation.
The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute that combines research, education, health and commercialization to improve the human condition around the globe. Scientists apply the power of genomics to make research advances in disease and agriculture; and collaborate with a team of educators to create a more genomically-informed society while training the STEM workforce.
Opened in 2008, HudsonAlpha is uniquely positioned to translate scientific breakthroughs into market-ready solutions by co-locating entrepreneurs from around the globe to its campus. More than 45 companies in all stages of development are part of HudsonAlpha’s continuously growing state-of-the-art campus located in Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the nation.
HudsonAlpha’s expert scientists, geneticists, and bioinformaticians use genomics to improve life, whether that be the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of human disease or improvements to plants that provide us with nutritious food, sustainable fuel and fiber sources, and a healthy environment.
HudsonAlpha’s research labs are led by ten faculty investigators with varied backgrounds in genetics and genomics. Faculty and their labs are located in the main HudsonAlpha flagship building.
HudsonAlpha scientists leverage genomic technology to accelerate discoveries in human health. HudsonAlpha scientists identify genetic variations associated with various diseases, from rare genetic disorders to common complex diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. This builds a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these diseases and enables the development of new diagnostic tools and targeted therapies that are more effective and personalized.
Faculty and their labs are located in the main HudsonAlpha flagship building.
Our growing population and changing climate are placing unprecedented pressure on plants worldwide. HudsonAlpha’s team of expert plant geneticists, computational biologists, and bioinformaticians applies genomics to plant research to improve plants that are used for food, fuel, and fiber, by helping identify and create plants that thrive on marginal lands or poor soil conditions, require fewer inputs such as water and fertilizer, and have resistance to common pests detrimental to their survival.
The HudsonAlpha Genome Sequencing Center and Plant Genomics Research faculty and their labs are located in the main HudsonAlpha flagship building.
The HudsonAlpha Foundation grows and stewards private support to advance genomic discoveries and science education at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Through philanthropy, we help donors achieve their desire to improve human health and global wellness.
Members of the Foundation would be glad to talk with you about making a gift that will impact people around the world for generations to come.
The HudsonAlpha Foundation is located in the main HudsonAlpha flagship building. Many of the Foundation events are held in the Widener Auditorium, located just inside the main building.
The Anita Loya Café is open to the public weekdays from 7 a.m. till 2 p.m., and offers a wide variety of dining choices. Daily specials, pick-up-and-go and cooked-to-order selections are available. A salad bar is provided daily. Breakfast is served 7-9:30 a.m. with lunch 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The cafe is open for snack purchases from 1:30-2 p.m.
The Café and seating are located in the back of the main HudsonAlpha flagship building.
HudsonAlpha’s Economic Development team strives to advance the collaborative spirit of the Institute’s founders and their passion to foster the transition of discoveries made in research labs to the marketplace by supporting entrepreneurs and the biotech industry. Regardless of company size or stage, HudsonAlpha has the resources to help expand biotech and agtech businesses grow and thrive.
The HudsonAlpha Economic Development team is located inside the main HudsonAlpha flagship building.
Huntsville and HudsonAlpha’s biotech campus are strategically located for global visitors, a regional workforce, consistent supply chain management and to move a company's products to domestic and international markets. With access to the interstate highway system, an international airport and multimodal center, and a key waterway system for cargo transportation, HudsonAlpha and it’s partners work to make your corporate goals become reality.
As an active part of Huntsville, the fastest-growing city in the state and one of the most lauded cities in the country, HudsonAlpha strengthens and diversifies the region’s economy and workforce. More than 45 life science companies call HudsonAlpha home.
The Associate companies are located across all buildings on the HudsonAlpha campus.
Part of Jim Hudson’s vision was to have the campus be a hub for sharing information and learning. A variety of professional development events are held at HudsonAlpha, including the CROPS Conference and the Immunogenomics Conference. They help promote the research and bring people to HudsonAlpha from around the world. Weekly research seminars also help bring researchers from around the world to talk about genomics and genetics.
The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine, LLC., a wholly-owned subsidiary of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, was established to diagnose patients with undiagnosed and misdiagnosed diseases. Patients are seen by a clinical geneticist who will evaluate symptoms, or patient phenotype, and determine whether whole genome sequencing or another genetic test is appropriate. The data found from the genomic sequence is then interpreted clinically to identify variants, or changes in the DNA, linked to the disease. The clinic has a geneticist and genetic counselors on site to help patients and their medical providers to find answers.
The clinic is located at 701 McMillian Way on the campus of HudsonAlpha.
The HudsonAlpha AgTech Accelerator (powered by gener8tor) connects cutting-edge agriculture technology startups to the coaching, capital, and connections they need to build and grow their businesses. The Accelerator invests up to $100K in high-growth agtech startups working at the forefront of agriculture innovation in cohorts of five. The concierge accelerator provides meaningful engagement with the program team, global community, and regional resources from both HudsonAlpha and gener8tor. Participants also receive intensive and individualized coaching and access to gener8tor’s national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners, and investors, which helps startups secure customers, accelerate their revenue growth, and attract additional funding.
The Accelerator is located in the Pearce Innovation wing of the 701 building on the campus of HudsonAlpha.
HudsonAlpha is dedicated to staying on the edge of technology to help ensure that the interpretation of genomic science is of the highest quality and at the most proficient speed to our partners at universities and companies around the globe.
Our data center is split between two physical buildings (601 and 701) and includes 100 Gb network connectivity between data centers. Over the past year this infrastructure supported nearly 2 million research analysis jobs, consuming more than 10 million computing core hours .
We have 10 Petabytes of storage. For context, a quadrillion 10 to the 15th bytes of digital information (a petabyte) would fill approximately 20 million four-drawer filing cabinets with text, and is like watching super 4K video for 27,115 years straight.
The HudsonAlpha Software Development team both develops and makes use of applications to analyze genomic and clinical datasets to support the interpretation of genomic research. The team provides software and informatics support for the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and tools for clinical genomics applications such as those used at the HudsonAlpha Clinical Services Lab, LLC., to help patients and their physicians to find answers to unknown or misdiagnosed diseases.
HudsonAlpha has a number of ongoing internal and external collaborations aimed at analyzing data from individuals, families, or cohorts to uncover the presumed disease associated molecular changes such as the Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research program CSER and SouthSeq. Goals are to not only identify variants but also to identify molecular relationships that assist in the selection of new or repurposed treatments.
Opened in 2010, McMillian Park is named for HudsonAlpha co-founder Lonnie McMillian. The park features the campus’ signature double helix walkway. McMillian Park is home to a variety of activities, including HudsonAlpha’s annual 5k and 1-mile fun run, Double Helix Dash, which benefits childhood genomics research programs. In addition, the path is popular with bike riders, runners and walkers and bird watching enthusiasts.
In addition, McMillian Park is home to the original GenomeWalk®, an activity that encourages visitors to follow a variety of genomic pathways that explain mechanisms in human health and disease. By downloading the free GenomeCache app, visitors to McMillian Park can experience a scaled model of the genetic information found across the human chromosomes! GenomeCache allows you to learn more about the human genome through clues, fun facts and trivia questions.
Also while in McMillian Park, visit the Hope Grows Garden. The garden was created in 2017 to pay tribute to those who are battling or have battled breast and ovarian cancers as well as those who are working diligently to find new discoveries for these diseases. The Hope Grows Garden for breast and ovarian cancer is located in McMillian Park. Visit the garden and walk the paved path or sit on one of the benches for a moment of quiet or reflection.
To learn more about the story of Lonnie McMillian, how to participate in the Double Helix Dash,or use the Genome Cache, click the links and the videos below.
HudsonAlpha’s Educational Outreach team inspires tomorrow’s bioscience workforce while building a more genomics-literate society. HudsonAlpha reaches students, educators, medical providers, patients and the community through hands-on classroom modules, in-depth school and workshop experiences, and digital learning opportunities.
The team inspires and prepares society to embrace and use genomic information and nurtures the workforce for tomorrow’s life science laboratories and companies.
- Free teacher trainings across the state
- Student experiences such as field trips and summer camps
- Life-long learning opportunities, including HudsonAlpha U
- Workforce Development
Hands-on and digital classroom resources are used in all 50 states and more than 20 countries.
The Educational Outreach team and labs are located at 800 Hudson Way in the Paul Propst Building.
This eight-member team is responsible for telling the HudsonAlpha story by building awareness, reputation and support for the Institute.
The Paul Propst Center’s 2nd floor is home to HudsonAlpha’s Communications Department. You can also find creative services, video production and conference planning on the second floor of 800 Hudson Way on the HudsonAlpha campus.
The Kathy L. Chan Greenhouse is a state-of-the-art facility designed to help HudsonAlpha’s plant scientists advance their mission to use genomics to help sustainably feed and fuel our planet. The 14,000-square-foot facility includes two molecular lab spaces, a glasshouse with seven grow rooms, a bioinformatics lab, and many technologically advanced features. Each grow room in the glasshouse is climate-controlled, closely replicating plants’ natural growing parameters. Scientists can control temperature, humidity, and day length. The on-site molecular labs allow scientists to collect samples from the plants in the greenhouse and quickly process them in the lab before detrimental degradation processes occur. The expert greenhouse staff works hand-in-hand with the scientists to provide the best plant care year-round.
The Greenhouse is located at 1000 Hudson Way on the campus of HudsonAlpha. There is parking in the rear of the building.
Coming 2023. Located in front of the Kathy L. Chan Greenhouse, the Demo Garden will serve as a model to help teach the genomics of various plant species as well as showcase some of the plants that are being researched on the HudsonAlpha campus.
There is parking behind the Greenhouse at 1000 Hudson Way
Opened in 2023, the global headquarters for Discovery Life Sciences (DLS), the world's largest biospecimen inventory and procurement network with preeminent multi-omic service laboratories to accelerate precision medicine programs. DLS provides biospecimens and ancillary services to researchers focused on oncology, hematology and immunology research.
The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second-largest research park.
About half the HudsonAlpha campus includes sites available for developing bioscience headquarters, R&D facilities, lab, office, and manufacturing space. The campus co-locates nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education and fosters more than 50 diverse biotech companies on campus.