Jim founded a company in 1987 known as Research Genetics where he served as its CEO until 2000. The company merged that year with Invitrogen in a deal valued at $138 million.  Prior to the merger, Research Genetics had become the world's leader in genetic linkage products and was a critical partner in the Human Genome Project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. Jim has advised and incubated multiple companies in industries ranging from internet services to genetics research.  In his role as President of the biotech institute he is focused on building groundbreaking research and companies that can apply it for the benefit of society.

Jim is very well known in the biotech community and is often quoted by national, state and local media.  This podcast is your opportunity to hear Jim in his own words talk about his life’s work and his newest and greatest venture.

He was an early contributor to the program design of the Alabama Launchpad competition and was a judge during the inaugural 2007 season. Listen to this podcast for a Venture Capitalist’s perspective on the competitors and the program.

Steve’s resume is crowded with firsts: He was the first
to clone a rabbit;
to clone bovine embryos from embryonic stem cell lines;
to clone a transgenic calf;
to clone the first human embryonic stem cells derived from discarded embryos;
to clone the first calf from a dead cow;
to clone the first motor neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells; and
to create the first human embryonic stem cell product to be commercialized.
 
In this podcast Steve talks to us about stem cell research and where it is going. We also learn about how his company has developed a toolkit which is designed to accelerate the pace of neurological research for scientists working on treatments for spinal cord injuries and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, and even depression.

The team founded a private company in 2006 to create a solution for neurological researchers who needed better lab equipment for their experiments – initially its focus is in developing cell culture technology.  Their first commercial product will be a revolutionary lab Petri dish that will dramatically shorten research and test time while lowering costs.

Listen to the IntelCell story here.

Incubated at Auburn University, the company has developed ground-breaking technology that allows for medicines to be taken via a person’s eye contacts instead of old-fashion eye drops. The medicines typically help with eye comfort, allergies, infections and inflammation.

This is an exciting development that could revolutionize eye care for humans and animals in the not too distant future.