Purdue News

August 23, 2004

Event to celebrate Cook Biotech's new facility

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Research Park's life sciences company Cook Biotech Inc. will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. on Sept. 10 to unveil the company's new manufacturing, research and development facility.

The recently completed 55,000-square-foot building, where the event will take place, sits on acreage directly behind the company's original building, located in the research park at 1425 Innovation Place in West Lafayette. The ceremony is not open to the public.

An expansion of Cook Biotech's original facility was in response to increased demand for the tissue-engineering technology discovered at Purdue University, and licensed, developed and produced by the company. The facility will include clean room manufacturing space to turn a specific portion of porcine (swine) small intestine into strong, sterile, pliable tissue that provides a scaffold for a patient's cells to replace and repair damaged tissue. This complex structure helps guide the natural growth of new tissue. These biomaterials are currently being used for surgical repair of hernias, wounds, burns and other soft-tissue injuries.

Journalists are invited to tour the facility following a presentation featuring speakers Mark Bleyer, president of Cook Biotech; a representative from Cook Biotech's parent company Cook Group; Joseph Hornett, senior vice president and treasurer of the Purdue Research Foundation; and Jan Mills, mayor of West Lafayette.

Parking will be available in the lot surrounding the building and along Innovation Place.

CONTACT: Jeanine Phipps, media relations, Purdue Research Park, (765) 494-0748, jeanine@purdue.edu; Madia Milks, Cook Biotech corporate communications coordinator, (765) 807-1928, milks@cookbiotech.com