Launched: 2010

Company leadership: Shelly Zacharias, DVM, Director of Veterinary Operations

Life sciences space: A subsidiary of General BioTechnology – another 16 Tech tenant – RenovoCyte is dedicated to the use of multipotent stem cell therapy in veterinary medicine. RenovoCyte actively works with veterinarians to treat various diseases in dogs, cats, horses and rabbits and use this technology in veterinary hospitals around the nation. The company also offers Wellness BankingTM of adult stem cells from healthy animals for future use by owners and veterinarians. Dr. Zacharias is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on drug approval for an allogeneic, intravenous cell therapy product and has obtained four investigational new animal drug (INADs) licenses on behalf of RenovoCyte.

Point of distinction: RenovoCyte believes it is the first veterinary stem cell company to obtain INADs in the cell therapy field in order to conduct clinical trials for allogeneic MSC drug approval. And because RenovoCyte is already using stem cells in animal therapy, the company is an important resource to academic institutions and research companies seeking to progress the use of human cellular medicine as a treatment for various diseases that have an inflammatory or immune mediated etiology. "Many of the diseases between animals and humans are very similar, which makes working with the natural model of disease in pets an easier translation into human medicine. We feel the natural model of disease is more applicable than a lab-induced model," explains Dr. Zacharias. "As we move cellular medicine forward on the veterinarian side – and we've made great strides – we're able to evaluate it in the human context and, eventually, with our partners, test its potential."

Why 16 Tech is an ideal location: RenovoCyte is just minutes from one of its key collaborators: the Indiana University School of Medicine, one of the nation's foremost research institutions—and one that is becoming well known for its advancements in cell therapy.

More information: www.renovocyte.com

Launched: 2004

Company leadership:
Robert McCarthy, PhD, Co-Founder, President and Principal Investigator
Francis Dwulet, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Charles Koehler, CPA, Chief Financial Officer

Life sciences space: VitaCyte purifies enzymes to help research companies and institutions improve their cell isolation process and, ultimately, use that process to treat – and even prevent or cure – various diseases, including diabetes, pancreatitis and more. VitaCyte manufactures and sells reagents, kits and purified cell populations to academic and commercial labs in the United States and Europe.

Point of distinction: Only one of three companies in the world purifying enzymes—and only one located in the U.S.

Number of employees: 10

Why 16 Tech is an ideal location: "As a small life sciences company, our location at 16 Tech is ideal. It's conducive for collaborating with investigators at Purdue University and Indiana University, which, together, have a satellite campus – IUPUI – in Indianapolis, not far from 16 Tech. We also work with universities in Chicago and Louisville—cities just a few hours drive from here," McCarthy says. "Our long-term enterprise development depends on finding meaningful ways to partner with universities to research, develop and manufacture things much faster than what we could do on our own. 16 Tech puts us right where we need to be."

Launched: 1997

Company leadership:
Erik J. Woods, PhD, Founder, President and CEO / Adjunct Assistant Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine
W. Scott Goebel, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Director

Life sciences space: The core of General BioTechnology’s work revolves around large scale cell manufacturing and the complex processing of biological materials for clinical use. Customers – which include biotechnology companies and clinical trial research institutions in the U.S., parts of Europe, Central America and Russia – seek out GBT for cell and tissue processing, biobanking and contract research.

Number of employees: 25

Point of distinction: A 9,000-gallon liquid nitrogen tank – visible from the road at GBT's facility near Indiana University School of Medicine – fuels storage units that, collectively, can hold two million samples, giving GBT the largest cryogenic storage capability in the state and among the largest in the country.

Subsidiaries:
o    RenovoCyte: Cellular medicine company dedicated to multipotent stem cell therapy in human clinical and veterinary medicine
o    The Genesis Bank: Commercial cord blood bank
o    Genome Resources: Autologous sperm bank

Why 16 Tech is an ideal location: "By being located in the 16 Tech area, we can tap into the high caliber talent coming out of Purdue University’s biomedical engineering programs, as well as Indiana University’s medical programs,” explains Dr. Woods. “It’s also much less expensive to do the work we do here than if we were located on the east or west coast. Plus, with 16 Tech being in downtown Indy, it’s close to the airport and provides a lot of options when we’re meeting with potential clients or collaborators."

More information: www.gnrlbiotech.com