SC Launch Company KIYATEC Adds Physician/Scientist as Chief Medical Officer
November 4, 2010
Physician specializing in cancer research to advance 3D cell culture company KIYATEC solutions in drug discovery and personalized medicine
GREENVILLE, SC – November 4, 2010 – SC Launch Company KIYATEC Inc., a life sciences company commercializing advanced three-dimensional (3D) cell culture plasticware and cell-based diagnostics, is pleased to welcome Howland Hal Crosswell, M.D. as the newest member of its senior management team. Crosswell, a board certified oncologist with research interests in metastatic solid tumors and rare leukemias, has significant experience in cell culture-based research.
Dr. Crosswell trained at the third largest oncology program at Emory University, where, as a Cure Childhood Cancer Fellow he developed in vitro (cell culture) and in vivo cancer models for investigating novel small molecular inhibitors in solid tumors. Since completing his fellowship, Dr. Crosswell has served as Principal Investigator on a number of clinical trials that focus on improving patient outcomes with metastatic or unresectable solid tumors using novel therapeutic approaches.
As a clinician-scientist, I find KIYATEC’s 3D cell culture platform to be truly compelling, commented new CMO Crosswell. We have reached our maximum potential with traditional research and therapeutic approaches; KIYATEC’s technology may be a powerful driver in the needed paradigm shift toward efficient drug discovery and ‘smart’ medicine with the ultimate beneficiary being the patient.
In August, the company commercially launched its KIYAKUBE™ 3D Cell Culture Plasticware positioned to become the universal standard for 3D cell culture, particularly due to its unique ability to accommodate segregated co-culture of any cell type on any scaffold or matrix material. The technology enables researchers to replicate the biological interactions of multiple organs or tissues in a more natural microenvironment. 3D cell culture has much higher fidelity to in vivo biology (i.e., whole, living organisms) when compared to traditional 2D Petri dish techniques.
We were very impressed with Dr. Crosswell’s experience leveraging cell culture tools to better understand drug mechanisms and improve their pre-clinical testing, and his ability to translate these concepts into strategies for better patient outcomes, said Matthew Gevaert, Ph.D., KIYATEC’s CEO. The combination of his technical skill set and clinical insight create an incredible fit with our efforts in two key markets, drug discovery and personalized medicine.
SCRA and SC Launch are very pleased that Dr. Crosswell has joined KIYATEC, said SCRA Bill Mahoney. Dr. Crosswell is a sterling individual example of the type of expert Knowledge Economy jobs that SC Launch companies like KIYATEC are creating in South Carolina.
ABOUT KIYATEC
http://www.kiyatec.com
KIYATEC Inc. is a life sciences company commercializing advanced three-dimensional (3D) cell culture plasticware and cell-based diagnostics. KIYAKUBE™ 3D Cell Culture Plasticware incorporates the cost effectiveness of disposable tissue culture polystyrene and the scientific utility of existing cell-based analysis and laboratory equipment in a platform that accommodates every form of all commonly used scaffold-matrix materials. This technology creates a universal system offering a standardized approach to 3D cell culture.
By combining the best aspects of traditional 2D cell culture with the enormous scientific benefits of culturing cells in 3D, KIYATEC helps researchers better understand and predict complex behavior of cell and tissue systems in vitro. The KIYAKUBE 3D Cell Culture Plasticware technology platform captures high value information that creates new opportunities for improving human health while reducing the time and cost associated with life science research, drug discovery and personalized medicine.
About SCRA
http://www.scra.org
SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization services with its headquarters in South Carolina. SCRA collaborates to advance technology, providing knowledge-based solutions with assured outcomes to industry and government, with the help of research universities in SC, the US and around the world.
About SC Launch
http://www.sclaunch.org
SC Launch, an SCRA collaboration, assists entrepreneurial start-up companies with up-front counseling, seed-funding, and access to a powerful resource network. The SC Launch mission is to help generate knowledge economy jobs in South Carolina, enhance the state’s quality of life and provide opportunity for all South Carolinians in the new economy.
