NEWS

“Alabamians have always been innovators – from cutting-edge agricultural techniques to the Saturn V rocket that took humans to the moon. At Innovate Alabama, we are on a mission to continue fostering Alabama’s rich history of innovation through initiatives like our grant program,” said Cynthia Crutchfield, Innovate Alabama CEO. CerFlux, was a first-round grant recipient of this program that seeks to drive innovation from new knowledge to address some of the most intractable challenges facing humanity. More at: Innovate Alabama.

The company's work involves testing multiple cancer drugs simultaneously on standard biopsy tissue obtained from a patient’s tumor. The benefits of the new technology include not only life-saving and quality-of-life-improving treatments for patients, but potential billions of dollars in savings for pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Budhwani, CEO of CerFlux, an Alabama cancer biotech, will lead a panel at the 2022 BIO International Convention in San Diego, where 20,000 people from 60 countries are expected to attend. The panel will explain how personalizing cancer treatment can also improve clinical trials and help the health care system save money.

New members of the BCRFA Medical Advisory Council include Dr. Karim Budhwani, the co-founder and CEO of CerFlux, a Birmingham-based company working to create a personalized medicine approach to cancer treatment that allows patients to live better lives. The Medical Advisory Council has the critical job of reviewing funding requests from researchers across the state, ensuring that their science is sound and the BCRFA’s investments have maximum impact.

The pandemic has spared few sectors, and Birmingham’s startup scene is no different, with Covid-19 causing a mix of challenges and opportunities. Dr. Karim Budhwani, CEO of the biotech startup CerFlux, encountered a lack of basic laboratory supplies due to supply chain issues. “I think we will all agree that we anticipated this to be a challenge, and we were able to respond rather than react,” he said. “And I believe that has helped us all actually come out ahead."

“The BCRFA is proud to continue our legacy of driving breast cancer breakthroughs across Alabama,” said Beth Davis, BCRFA President & CEO. 2022 grantees include Dr. Karim Budhwani and Dr. Chelsea Crawford (CerFlux) for "Getting the Right Treatment to the Right Patient by Matching Regimens to Patient Biopsy Before Treatment."

Clips from the BIO International Convention 2022 panel, "Cancer Trials Don’t Have To Fail 90% of the Time. Seriously." moderated by Dr. Karim Budhwani, CEO of CerFlux with expert panelists Ms. Shara Avis from MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Matthew Clark from CerFlux, and Dr. Scott Lundeen from Johnson & Johnson.

Here is a list of ten women scientists in Birmingham who are making their mark in science, technology, and innovation from new knowledge around the city… inlcuding Dr. Mary Kathryn (M.K.) Sewell-Loftin who is a Senior Scientist at CerFlux - a biotechnolgy company in Birmingham.

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA) has awarded CerFlux $100,000 Innovation award to fast-track research and development of the CerFlux Personalized Oncology Efficacy Test (POET)

Last year, as word of the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread across the United States, Dr. Karim Budhwani realized that the country was not prepared to face this crisis. He joined forces with others to put out briefs identifying critical areas of shortages, helped design, produce, and test the inexpensive PABR (Pierce-Arora-Budhwani Respirator), and teamed up with Dr. Craig Wilson to design inexpensive desk partitions for Birmingham areas schools using PVC pipes and shower curtains.

“[Cancer] is not a monolithic disease…it has many many heads,” Budhwani explained to Hypepotamus. “So we need to be able to look at cancer from a multi-headed monster perspective rather than a single monolithic disease.”

Its technology is working to take one single biopsy of a tumor and treat it with dozens of different regimens – something that can save valuable time in finding the right treatment for someone with cancer.

An estimated 90% of cancer clinical trials fail, sending those potential oncology treatments either to the drawing board or the scrap heap. Each unsuccessful trial means billions lost in R&D investment and, potentially, countless lives. During the upcoming BIO International Convention, experts from CerFlux, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Aga Khan University will weigh in with insights.

Across the spectrum of the economy, there are Birmingham businesses well positioned for success in the new year, with many primed to lead our economy. We’re highlighting 22 such companies. In 2022, CerFlux established a new 3,000 sq-ft biotech facility at a busy intersection in downtown Birmingham. The company’s continued growth and success would cement Birmingham’s reputation as a biotech and health care innovation leader.

CerFlux, a local startup focused on cancer, has been selected for the NIH I-Corps Accelerator to fast track the commercialization of the company’s personalized medicine test also known as the Personalized Oncology Efficacy Test (POET). The company has also received a $50,000 grant from the NIH.

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama has selected the projects that will earn part of $1.05 million delegated to Alabama-based breast cancer research. “Despite Covid-19, individuals and companies throughout the state stepped up for breast cancer research,” said Beth Bradner Davis, executive director of the BCRFA.