NEWS
Alabama’s BIO International delegation to promote state’s investment, opportunities
6/16/2026
When Dr. Karim Budhwani leads a discussion at BIO International's annual conference in San Diego this month, he'll be wearing his signature Iron Man bow tie along with a "Made in Alabama" pin on his lapel."We are trying to showcase that we are not tourists in the biotech sector. We are the hosts. We are the tour guides," said Budhwani. His panel on NAMs in cancer treatment research will again put Budhwani and the pioneering personalized medicine work underway at CerFlux before a worldwide audience of biotechnology leaders. It's also another opportunity to promote Alabama's bioscience innovation and ecosystem.
CerFlux Supports Innovation Through SBIR
1/15/2026
Programs such as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) play a vital role in advancing high-risk, high-reward innovation by bridging early scientific discovery and private-sector investment. This is particularly important in biotechnology and the life sciences, where the translation of early scientific discovery into real-world solutions can have profound societal impact - across geographies and over generations.
CerFlux Awarded BCRFA Grant to Advance Obesity-Informed Breast Cancer Treatment
12/17/2025
CerFlux has been awarded a competitive research grant from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA) as part of the foundation’s latest statewide investment in breast cancer research. The project will use CerFlux BEST™ (Bioprinted ex vivo Slice Tissue) models to study how obesity alters the tumor microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer and how those changes can affect therapeutic response. The work aligns with growing momentum for New Approach Methods (NAMs) that reduce reliance on animal testing while improving human relevance in preclinical research.
Bridging the gap with a molecule to medicine expressway
6/17/2025
At BIO 2025, Dr. Karim Budhwani, CEO-scientist of CerFlux, moderated a panel of biopharma executives to discuss how companies can bridge “the valley of death” and move to a “molecule-to-medicine expressway” to improve drug discovery and development. It’s the “best panel at BIO four years in a row,” Budhwani quipped. “Do you know who our opening act was?” (Former U.S. President George W. Bush headlined the day). The panel discussed ways of optimizing $90 billion/year investment to reduce the 96% failure rate and help biopharma executives navigate the current turbulence and emerge stronger on the other side.
Addressing Key Biotech Innovator Challenges
4/9/2025
Developing breakthrough drugs is painstakingly slow. Questex’s summit on this theme kicked off by spotlighting how emerging technologies can improve the pipeline. Dr. Budhwani joined industry leaders from Johnson & Johnson and Bayer in the opening keynote, “Key Innovator Challenges in Bringing New Projects into the Clinic,” sharing strategies for incorporating new technologies while addressing risks and ethical implications to accelerate drug development.
CerFlux Presents Cancer Model Benchmarking Studies at AACR
4/20/2026
CerFlux joined the cancer research community at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting in San Diego, presenting two posters with UAB that benchmarked how faithfully preclinical models reproduce the human tumor microenvironment (TME). Dr. Rachael Guenter compared human pancreatic cancer with a commonly used mouse model, while Dr. Dhruva Dave examined matched patient and PDX tumors in endometrial cancer. Together, the studies reinforce a core CerFlux principle: model fidelity to human disease must be measured, understood, and matched to the question being asked.
CerFlux Awarded Patent for a Multimodal Tumor “Supermodel”
1/9/2026
CerFlux was awarded a new U.S. patent for a multimodal tumor “supermodel,” which is at the heart of CerFlux PROPHET™ technology. The patented method is designed to test cancer therapies against living human tumor tissue, with an intact tumor microenvironment, donated by patients after their passing. By integrating in vitro, ex vivo, and in silico (AI/ML) models, it can help surface and prioritize therapies that conventional approaches might miss. This latest addition to a growing CerFlux IP portfolio reinforces the CerFlux commitment to human-relevant NAMs and the mission to #CrushCancer.
CerFlux CEO Gets Fierce about the Future of Drug Development
10/10/2025
At Fierce Biotech Week 2025, Dr. Karim Budhwani, CEO-Scientist of CerFlux, served as Chair of the Drug Development track and as an expert panelist on next-generation formulation and process innovation. In opening remarks, he framed the day around “Precision, Partnerships, and Purpose,” emphasizing the need to pair AI with human-relevant biological grounding. He cautioned that AI without biological truth risks becoming a "synthetic echo chamber" that is fast, elegant, and wrong. He outlined a new paradigm for "tunable" AI hallucinations - from strict regulatory precision to "AI Shroom" hypothesis generation - matched to the risk and innovation objective.
Why Birmingham's presence at BIO matters
5/28/2025
When our team speaks with biotech leaders from around the world, we’re not just representing CerFlux, we’re representing our city’s potential as a biotech destination. This goes beyond pipettes, microscopes and lab coats. The economic impact on the region could also be transformative. Innovation in biotech creates high-wage jobs, attracts investment capital and generates spinoff businesses. Birmingham has always been a city of innovation and reinvention – from steel to medicine. Biotechnology represents our next frontier – our promise for creating a healthier future while generating economic opportunities at home.
BIO Alabama Leader eyes NIH cuts, biotech priorities
3/18/2025
BIO Alabama Chair and CerFlux CEO-Scientist, Dr. Karim I. Budhwani, sat down with Harper Harwell of the Birmingham Business Journal to discuss how recent cuts in research funding are poised to impact biotech innovation in Alabama. In the interview, Dr. Budhwani outlines a 3-prong strategy to chart a course through this turbulence so that biotech in Alabama not only weathers these storms but comes out ahead and stronger on the other side.
CerFlux Reframes the AI Debate at the Alabama AI Summit
4/9/2026
At the first Alabama AI Innovation Summit, hosted by The University of Alabama, CerFlux CEO-Scientist Dr. Karim I. Budhwani reframed the AI-and-jobs debate by describing AI as a "mental tower crane," arguing that the real concern is not whether AI takes jobs but who shapes AI — pointing to social media's failed promises as a warning that AI reflects the humans who engage with it. He later joined The Noon Show to discuss the CerFlux mission to #CrushCancer, using a cookie-and-muffin analogy to explain the influence of the tumor microenvironment on treatment.
ASFA Middle School Team Wins Samsung Innovation Award for Research with CerFlux
12/18/2025
Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) middle school team, working in collaboration with CerFlux to advance human-relevant cancer research, won a national Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Promising STEM Innovation Award. Selected from thousands of submissions across all 50 U.S. states, the team was recognized for their innovative STEM project focused on improving how treatments are matched to tumors. The project integrated biochemistry, digital pathology, and AI to study how tumor structure influences treatment response, addressing a major driver of cancer treatment failure. Media: Yellowhammer News | Pathology News.
It’s not rocket science: The Karim and Henna Budhwani story
08/24/2025
Birmingham Business Journal features CerFlux CEO-Scientist Dr. Karim Budhwani and Dr. Henna Budhwani in its “Power Couples” series, spotlighting their shared commitment to improving health outcomes and making a lasting, meaningful impact across geographies and generations. The profile weaves together their complementary strengths: Henna’s work as a professor and implementation scientist at Florida State University focused on advancing women’s health, alongside Karim’s leadership in translational cancer research and building CerFlux, a cancer-focused biotech company aimed at improving cancer treatment outcomes.
CerFlux CEO to lead distinguished panel at BIO 2025
4/23/2025
The panel will address a critical challenge in oncology drug development: despite over $90 billion invested annually in R&D, the industry continues to face a staggering 96% failure rate. Dr. Budhwani and fellow panelists - Drs. Menon, Mortko, Bortone, and Scully from Alnylam, Merck, J&J, and Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research - will explore how emerging technologies can transform the current "valley of death" into an efficient pathway for bringing promising cancer treatments to market.
CerFlux, Alabama Power lead BIO Alabama Board
3/17/2025
BIO Alabama appoints Dr. Karim I. Budhwani, CEO-Scientist of CerFlux, as Chair, and Ms. Amendi Stephens, economic development leader with Alabama Power, as Vice Chair of its Board. Executive Committee members include Amy Sturdivant, Dr. Gregory Grossman, Jared Sharp, Steve Pelham, Dr. Kathy Nugent, and Dr. Nicholas Landau. This leadership transition comes at a pivotal time as Alabama’s life sciences sector continues to grow in economic impact and innovation.