KALAMAZOO ? ADMETRx Inc., a contract research organization located at the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center, has launched a national public relations campaign using resources provided through the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC).
Recent studies show that nearly 30 percent of drug failure during clinical trials is due to poor pharmacokinetic and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) results. ADMETRX, founded in 2003 by former Pfizer Scientists Jay Goodwin and Philip Burton, helps pharmaceutical companies achieve their drug discovery goals with a novel and innovative approach to ADME research. The ADMETRX approach teams experts with sophisticated techniques and advanced technologies to profile ADME and offer recommendations for improved decision-making ? enabling drug companies to make informed decisions that save money, and dramatically improving efficiencies in the drug discovery process.
The MI-SBTDC, by leveraging its collaborative resources, is providing ADMETRX with management assistance, student interns from Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College, and a loaned administrative professional through a program of the American Association of Retired Persons. ADMETRX is the first Southwest Michigan Innovation Center to receive these dedicated resources, specifically targeted to grow sales and market share for the young start-up. ADMETRX is one of 14 biopharmaceutical start-ups located there, and one of more than two dozen launched in Kalamazoo area in just the past two years.
MI-SBTDC District 11 (Southwest Michigan) Regional Director Lorie Wolfe, calls the project a pilot program for economic development. ?We know that higher education will continue to play a significant role in our community?s progress,? Wolfe said. ?At the same time, there is a generation of displaced professional talent that is anxious to get back into the workforce and to contribute. We hope that by exposing their talent to growing organizations, we?ll find permanent positions for both groups.?
Doug Morton, CEO of the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center, praises the support of the MI-SBTDC under Wolfe?s leadership. ?Our collaborative efforts enable continued progress for the Innovation Center and its client companies,? Morton said. ?Lorie?s efforts to blend the ingenuity and enthusiasm of students with the experience and knowledge of professionals is a major step forward in the development of life science companies in Kalamazoo.?
Jay Goodwin, CEO of ADMETRx, agreed: ?Student interns have a willingness to learn and an entrepreneurial attitude that is tremendously important in the stages of development and innovation,? he said. ?By marrying their energy with the experience and knowledge of proven professional talent, ADMETRx benefits by getting the best of both ends of the work continuum.?
