Expert researcher and Australian biotech company first tenants for CMU's Applied Research and Technology CenterMount Pleasant 16 October 2001 A joint venture between an expert in molecular research and an Australian biotechnology company is the first new tenant for a high-tech research and incubator facility at Central Michigan University.
Dendritic Nanotechnologies Limited, a joint venture of chemist Donald Tomalia and Melbourne, Australia-based Starpharma Pooled Development Ltd., recently leased 808-SF of space in the new 12,000-square-foot (SF) multi- tenant research and incubator complex. It is part of the Center for Applied Research and Technology at CMU, a 300-acre certified technology park in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Dendritic Nanotechnologies' space, which should be ready for occupancy in Jannuary 2002, will include incubator space, offices, several individual "secure zones" with controlled access and a conference area. The centre will also give the scientists easy access to CMU's nationally recognised research resources, including faculty, students, labs, a powerful IBM supercomputer and high-speed Internet connectivity.
Starpharma intends to invest up to $2.18 million over the next three years in the new company, which will employ Tomalia's team of dendritic polymer scientists. They will develop scientific and commercial uses for dendrimers, a unique molecular structure that Tomalia created. Unlike other man-made molecules, dendrimer molecules are three-dimensional, with a hollow core and sticky points on the outside to which various chemical units can be attached. Potential uses include innovations in gene therapy, drug delivery and computer chips.
For example, dendrimers could carry genetic material into human cells to repair birth defects. Another option: a dendrimer's hollow core could be filled with a cluster of metal atoms that store data in binary form, allowing a single molecule to act as a computer.
Created by CMU and the city of Mt. Pleasant, the Center for Applied Research and Technology at CMU is home to the Mt. Pleasant SmartZone, part of a network of technology-oriented business centres throughout the state. SmartZones are an initiative of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MMDC), and bring business, research activities, and training and support services together in one location for easy collaboration. The centre is Michigan's first certified technology park.
Businesses locating in the Center for Applied Research and Technology and/or its research/incubator space will profit from sophisticated commercial software applications. Attractive financial incentives and financial assistance are available to qualified companies. The centre is managed and developed by the private, non-profit MMDC, which represents Clare and Isabella counties in the central Michigan regio.
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