JVIC space nears limit

As dozens of research projects move full speed ahead within its walls, the Roy D. Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center is practically bursting at the seams. Two expansions taking place this year will bring the center’s occupancy to 95 percent of capacity, according to its leader.

“If we had more space that was finished, we could lease it. Basically, we’re right up to the limit,” said Ryan Giedd, executive director at JVIC.

Bringing Missouri State University’s center to its approximately 75,000-square-foot capacity is a 3,200-square-foot addition by corporate partner Brewer Science Inc. and the opening of a 1,500-square-foot Saliva Diagnostics Laboratory by the school’s Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences. Both expansions are due to spin-offs from research already under way at JVIC.

Progressing research at two other corporate partners, Crosslink and St. John’s Medical Research Institute, recently has spurred the addition of five jobs and more may be on the way, officials said.

Growing out of space
Rolla-based Brewer Science performs much of its carbon nanotube research out of 4,000 square feet of leased space on JVIC’s fifth floor. Its expansion into JVIC’s second floor will allow the company to expand its focus on nanotechnology, said Brewer Science spokeswoman Loretta Wallis. Build-out costs of approximately $600,000 will be covered by the university, Giedd said. The additional space will include labs, offices and a small manufacturing area, she said.

“In our industry, the biggest part of the work takes place on coming up with the idea for the work and doing the research. The products coming out of there will be manufactured in very small quantities,” she said. “It’s so leading edge, the demand has not grown – we’re ahead of the need.”

Construction already has started, and Wallis said employees should occupy the office space by July. Lab space, she said, should be finished by year-end. Five employees have been hired this year, Wallis said, adding that two more staffers may be needed in the nanotechnology department.

On JVIC’s third floor, MSU’s Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences also is experiencing growth through existing research, Giedd said. Its work analyzing saliva samples to help patients suffering from migraine headaches has spun off into the addition of the Saliva Diagnostics Lab, which will take up about half the space on JVIC’s second floor, Giedd said. Build out for that expansion is estimated at $400,000.

“That will allow it to start developing a database of proteins and other (components) of saliva that can be used to detect certain illnesses and diseases,” he said.

Phase III ahead
St. Louis-based Crosslink has spent five years on the first two phases of its research on self-detoxifying coatings that would be used to protect soldiers from biological and chemical agents, said project coordinator Eve Fabrizio.

Officials are awaiting the green light for an expected $1.4 million in Phase III military funding, said technical lead Von Ebron.

During Phase II, the scientists focused on applying the coating to fabric (in Phase I, very small-scale surfaces, such as glass slides, were used) and testing it against warfare agents, Fabrizio said.

In Phase III, the goal is to make sure the coatings hold up to various environmental conditions. The scientists also will collaborate with MSU’s Center for Applied Science and Engineering to activate the coating system using military generators, she said.

Crosslink also has received approval for another military project, Fabrizio said. This one will be a $5 million, two-year test funded through the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Resource Center. Crosslink researchers will collaborate with the Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences to produce a controlled drug-release system that can be used on the battlefield, she said.

“Ideally, you could load multiple drugs into a single patch that would be used to treat a trauma burn or wound,” she said, until a patient could be treated by a doctor.

Fabrizio said she expects work to begin on that project by July 1, and a chemist and team leader would likely be hired.

Push to commercialization
At St. John’s Medical Research Institute, 26 projects are in various stages of research. An advanced hand sanitizer that can be applied to cuts and scrapes is about seven weeks away from hitting the market, said Dr. Roger Huckfeldt, medical director for the research institute.

After three years of research, projects are getting close to the commercialization phase, he said.

“We’re just now getting to see that light in the tunnel and know it’s not a train coming our way,” he said.

A solid-surface cleanser designed to kill spores and more safe on skin and equipment than bleach is approximately six months away from approval by the Environmental Protection Agency, he said. A surgical positioning device for infants is about seven weeks away from completion, he said.

Other projects, including a contact lens that protects and treats eye injuries and a sensor that is designed to continually measure pH levels in critically ill patients, are further off.

The sheer number of projects created the need for expansion. In November, the research institute occupied the entire sixth floor of JVIC and four full-time scientists were hired in 2009. Another two employees were added in 2010, and a recent hire is expected to start by the end of April, bringing the institute’s total staff count at JVIC to 26, Huckfeldt said.

The next staffing need is an addition to the commercialization department, he said.