By: Deborah Johnson Wood
A consortium of 21 laboratories across Michigan life sciences corridor are available to entrepreneurs to research, test, develop, and even package clinical products. The Core Technology Alliance (CTA), which is housed at the Van Andel Institute in downtown Grand Rapids, is making it easier for life sciences startups to make their product without building an expensive laboratory many can't afford.
"CTA provides everything from the time an idea is developed through discovery through commercial packaging," says John C. Greenfield, executive director. "It acts as one stop shopping for a life sciences client."
The CTA's seven members—Grand Valley State University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Michigan State University, University of Michigan, the Van Andel Research Institute, Wayne State University, and Western Michigan University—provide fee-based services in 10 core technologies: animal models, antibody technology, high throughput screening, biological imaging, structural biology, bioinformatics, proteomics, genomics, bioscience commercialization, and clinical stage pharmaceutical manufacturing practices.
The alliance plays an important role in fostering new business growth in life sciences because companies can conduct different research projects through the CTA by using cutting edge laboratories that already exist, says Greenfield. It creates a turnkey opportunity for entrepreneurs who want to get their product developed and to market quickly.
"There isn't any other state that has this established network of laboratories," Greenfield says. "For life science entrepreneurs, it's an attractive network of resources they can use. It will draw scientists and people with business experience to the state."
Source: John C. Greenfield, Core Technology Alliance; Kim Bode, West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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