Public healthNew Jersey lab on the forefront of fighting bioterrorism
A New Jersey company is working on defense against biological warfare; the 3-year $8.2 million contract with the Department of Defense calls for it to develop drug molecules used to combat biological warfare pathogens — centering its research around eight bacterial pathogens (although for security reasons, the list of pathogens has not been made public)
The secret to the U.S. military’s defense against biological warfare could already be in its infancy stages inside a Monmouth Junction, New Jersey laboratory.
Snowdon Inc. recently signed a 3-year $8.2 million contract with the Department of Defense to develop drug molecules used to combat biological warfare pathogens.
The DOD is requesting that the drug discovery and development company center its research around eight bacterial pathogens, although for security reasons Snowdon founder William Welsh could not discuss specifics.
“If you look at biological warfare pathogens, all of these are bacteria — like staph (infections) or strep (throat),” Welsh said.
MyCentralJersey.com reports that more serious types of bacteria — for instance, those causing anthrax — could have a devastating effect on a population, having the capability to spread widely and quickly in the hands of terrorists, he said.
Snowdon will look to create both vaccines and antidotes to combat these biological warfare pathogens.
The nearly 2-year process of applying and vying against much larger corporate competitors for the contract finally paid off in August, Welsh said. “We at Snowdon felt we submitted a compelling and innovative application with a novel concept,” he said. “But you can never say you expected it.”
The company’s new endeavors, however, also come with their own challenges, he said. “Drug discovery is very expensive and time consuming…and sometimes it can end in failure,” Welsh warned.
What separates Snowdon from its many competitors is that the company largely relies on computer-based algorithm for its research, employing chemists as well as biologists in the various steps of drug development, Welsh said. “This way, instead of taking months to do things, we can do (them) in a matter of weeks or days,” he said.
Welsh, a Philadelphia native, began his computer-based drug development research at the University of Cincinnati in the early 1980s. He established Snowdon as a continuation of his more recent research at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he still currently teaches.
“Drugs bind to proteins and either activate or inhibit that protein,” Welsh explained. “I can simulate that on a computer.”
The new DOD funding will continue to advance the future of the company, Welsh said. “It’s not only a validation of our technology, but also in terms of practical matters, it’s helped with equipment purchases and new hires,” he said.
Already the company has grown from its humble beginnings when two employees, including Welsh, spearheaded their projects out of a small New Brunswick laboratory in 2007.
It has more recently catapulted into a multimillion-dollar pharmaceutical maverick with 20-plus employees, working for major government agencies including the National Institutes of Health and the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, he said.
“The DOD contract allowed us to triple our footprint,” Welsh said. “In this economy and environment, we are very fortunate that we can provide jobs to skilled people so that they can stay in this area.”
