October 21, 2008

Pharmacy professor honored for improving lives, creating jobs

Stephen Byrn
Download photo

The award, sponsored by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, is being presented to Stephen Byrn, the Charles B. Jordan Professor of Medicinal Chemistry. Byrn also is head of the Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and co-founder and consultant for SSCI (Solid State Chemical Information) Inc., an Aptuit Company.

Byrn will speak about the founding of SSCI and the future of the pharmaceutical industry from 3:30-5 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Purdue Memorial Union West Faculty Lounge, and will receive a plaque and $5,000 stipend. The lecture, sponsored by Purdue's Office of Engagement, is free and open to the public.

Byrn also will be honored during the Inventors' Recognition Dinner at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom. The event, sponsored by the Purdue Research Foundation, will highlight the accomplishments of 44 university faculty or staff whose research has or may soon result in commercial applications.

In the fiscal year from July 2007 through June 2008, the Purdue Research Foundation reported 237 invention disclosures and 31 issued patents. The foundation also reported the creation of 10 new companies from Purdue-licensed technologies.

 “The exceptional accomplishments of these faculty and staff have led to a wide variety of commercial applications that enhance our quality of life,” said Joseph B. Hornett, the foundation’s senior vice president, treasurer and chief operating officer. “Our Office of Technology Commercialization helps Purdue inventors protect, market and license their discoveries. Stephen Byrn is a prime example of a Purdue faculty researcher who uses his expertise to make a positive difference in the lives of Indiana residents and throughout the world."

Stephen and Sally Byrn founded SSCI in the “midnight hour” in 1991 to provide professional development short courses and other educational services to the pharmaceutical industry. In 1993 the company opened its first laboratory in the Purdue Research Park. Meanwhile,  all business activities were carried out on a computer in a sewing room at the Byrns's home.

In 2006 SSCI was sold to Aptuit, Inc., which provides solid-state chemistry research and analytical services for the pharmaceutical industry. Its workforce consists of approximately 100 research scientists who are connected to both the academic and industrial worlds of pharmacy, chemistry and analytical instrumentation. Their expertise accelerates the pace at which clients develop their products while improving the quality of the prescription medication. SSCI/Aptuit's laboratories now occupy 44,000 square feet in a new facility at the Purdue Research Park.

Byrn said the company is positioned to address many of the issues faced by the pharmaceutical industry, including fragmentation and reduced productivity.  Many large pharmaceutical companies are shifting their focus to biomolecules, while smaller pharmaceutical companies and generics are focusing on niche products. As the pharmaceutical industry fragments, there also is a need for a company that can develop a molecule into a medicine.

Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue vice provost for engagement, said Byrn's forward-thinking approach will continue to benefit both his company and society.

"Stephen Byrn has made a major contribution to the economy of Indiana and the health-care system," Lechtenberg said. "His pioneering research should be productive for years to come."

Byrn said his company could not have grown so quickly without the support of the Purdue Research Park.

"SSCI is an example of how research parks serve as the 'incubator' in which great ideas can grow outside classrooms and laboratory settings," Byrn said. "According to a certified technology park survey by the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the average wage of employees working in the park ranges from $40,000 to $50,000, which is significantly higher than the state's average wage of $35,000. Moreover, these jobs stayed here in Indiana with local workers."

The Purdue Research Park encompasses 725 acres in West Lafayette, Ind., and is home to the largest university-affiliated business incubator complex in the nation. Within the park, 150 businesses, of which more than 90 are high-tech, employ more than 3,000 people. The Association of University Research Parks recognized Purdue Research Park for the Excellence in Technology Transfer in 2005, and the park received the organization's Research/Science Park Company of the Year Award of Excellence in 2004.

This is the sixth time Purdue has presented the Outstanding Commercialization Award. Previous recipients include Alok Chaturvedi, a professor of management at the Krannert School of Management and founder, president and CEO of Simulex Inc. at the Purdue Research Park; Phillip Low, the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry; R. Graham Cooks, the Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science; Leslie Geddes, the Showalter Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering; and Fred Regnier, the John H. Law Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.

Writers: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Steve Martin, (765) 494-6872, sgmartin@prf.org

Sources: Stephen Byrn, (765) 494-1460, sbyrn@purdue.edu

Joseph B. Hornett, (765) 494-8645, jbhornett@prf.org

Victor L. Lechtenberg, (765) 494-9095, vll@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: The media are invited to attend the lecture by Steven Byrn that will take place at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Purdue Memorial Union West Faculty Lounge. To reserve a seat, contact Marydell Forbes, Purdue News Service, at (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu . To reserve a seat at the Inventors' Recognition Dinner, contact Steve Martin, (765) 494-6872, sgmartin@prf.org .

To the News Service home page