NEWS

As COVID-19 rapidly reshapes daily life, Dr. Karim Budhwani and Dr. Matthew Might share a grounded set of “survival tips” that go beyond handwashing and social distancing to address the broader ripple effects of the pandemic. They highlight unintended consequences of well-intentioned policies (e.g. campus closures worsening travel exposure) and warn that “work from home” protections can leave “atoms” jobs (service and retail workers) economically vulnerable. The article argues for measured, steady leadership that preserves social connection while flattening the curve, stabilizes supply chains, and prevents the health system from being overwhelmed. It closes with optimism that science, technology, and responsible collective action can reduce the aftershocks and improve outcomes.

It’s kind of dizzying to look at all the good work this sizable donation was able to fund. Here are the very broadest brushstrokes: 7 fully funded projects, 7 projects that received partial grants or second-year funding, BCRFA Endowed Professorship. Many, but not all, of the projects are affiliated with the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. Other recipients included CerFlux, Southern Research Institute and USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.

In our 2019 CFO Awards, we’re recognizing those talented leaders who are often at the right hand of CEOs – guiding companies through periods of growth and navigating increasingly complex regulations while also shaping the strategies of their businesses. Among those honored was Christopher M. Krebs, CFO, CerFlux, Inc.

In front of a sold-out crowd in Selma on February 28, six Alabama startups made their best pitch. And the winner is (drumroll) our health. Check out what $100,000-winner VentorLux and $50,000-winner CerFlux, based in Birmingham, have in store for us. CerFlux is developing a test to identify the most effective first-line cancer treatments for each individual patient. Compared to traditional protocols, this saves money and precious time. It also saves patients from enduring side effects from ineffective treatments.

Did you make it to imerge? A signature event of Birmingham’s recent Innovation Week and hosted by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), imerge recognized movers and shakers in Alabama’s start-up business scene.

A Birmingham company emerged victorious in the seed-stage category of the first Alabama Launchpad competition of 2020. CerFlux won the $100,000 seed stage prize from the Feb. 27 contest, which is a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. CerFlux previously won the concept stage prize during Alabama Launchpad in 2019.

While the rest of Birmingham goes about its business, a team of superheroes at CerFlux is working tirelessly to crush cancer. Dennis Leonard, from the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, said Alabama’s second chance at a Moon Shot is the eradication of cancer.

For the past 20 years, Dr. Karim Budhwani has been honed in on innovation and how it can change business, science and the lives of people around him. “We’re always focused on being future-ready, rather than just addressing the challenges that they may be having today,” Budhwani said. Now, Budhwani and his team are taking inventions and turning them into innovations. But he said this is just step one, and they have a long way to go.

From the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Southern Research to recent startups, Birmingham is already on the forefront of the battle against breast cancer in many respects. “If you look at breast cancer cases, there are almost 300,000 cases a year. So building that body of knowledge is great, but we have to do something about taking that research, pulling out from the labs and bringing it to life, and that’s where the entrepreneurial mindset comes in: how do you take these ideas that would otherwise die in labs, how do you put them into labs and bring them to life so that it can applied? That’s what we need more of – we need the entrepreneurial mindset, and we need more funding,” said Dr. Budhwani, CEO-Scientist of CerFlux.

The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama named the winners for its 2018 EDPA Innovation Awards at the 2018 imerge event. Startup Executive of the Year, Dr. Karim Budhwani, is CEO of CerFlux Personalized Medicine, which aims to reduce the pain, reduce the discomfort and reduce the cost of cancer treatment.

We are proud to support these innovative entrepreneurs,” said EDPA President Steve Spencer. “Alabama Launchpad is here to serve early-stage companies all over Alabama, and we look forward to seeing these finalists compete onstage in our state’s capital”.

A new space to house biotech and R&D startups in the Magic City is preparing to open in downtown Birmingham. The project has been in the works for more than two years, and the end result is expected to provide a boost to the local innovation scene by providing critical lab space and a hub for young companies that are tackling the world’s biggest problems, such as cancer.

Birmingham Medical startup CerFlux and Phenix City’s VentorLux LLC were the two winners. CerFlux took home the $50,000 prize in the concept stage of the competition. The company has conceptualized an approach to finding more precise treatment of people with a cancer diagnosis, using a patent-pending precision medicine model. This model can individualize a therapy that can yield better results in fighting the disease.

My goals include #CrushCancer, expand health care access, and reduce incorrect claims payments. First, through CerFlux, we want to equip patients and physicians with additional data about the most efficient treatment for each individual’s tumor,” Johnson said.