Research Triangle Park, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/18/2011 -- The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences (http://www.thehamner.org), a nonprofit research organization focused on translational safety sciences and a pioneer in liver toxicity research, and PBM Capital Group (PBM), a Charlottesville, Va.-based investment group with significant interests in biotech and life sciences, have announced the formation of a new joint venture in contract research services called Triangle Research Labs, LLC (TRL), which will be located on The Hamner’s campus at 6 Davis Drive. The new company will work on predictive toxicity testing, which will involve screening drug compounds prior to clinical studies to provide biopharma companies an “insurance policy” to quickly identify compounds that will be toxic to humans, potentially saving billions in the drug discovery process. As part of this effort, PBM has shifted the contract research service resources of its GigaCyte subsidiary in Branford, Conn., to The Hamner’s facilities in Research Triangle Park.

Leading TRL’s operations will be Ivin Silver, Ph.D., formerly director of DMPK (Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics) at GlaxoSmithKline, with more than 20 years of comprehensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry applying in vitro and in vivo DMPK techniques to support both drug discovery and development, and Shiloh Barfield, formerly vice president of sales and marketing for the former venture capital based CellzDirect Inc., the world’s leader for many years in hepatic drug development services and cell products. Edward LeCluyse, Ph.D., a senior research investigator in the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences at The Hamner and an adjunct associate professor in the Curriculum in Toxicology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with more than 25 years of experience in the fields of pharmacology and toxicology, will supervise the research and development programs.

QUOTES:
“This partnership with PBM Capital Group aligns quite well with our shared vision to advance global public health,” said William Greenlee, president and CEO of The Hamner. “We are delighted that The Hamner will be the home for Triangle Research Labs, and I look forward to the many breakthroughs that will transform predictive drug safety models and accelerate new medicine development.”

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to work in close collaboration with The Hamner on a partnership that we believe will benefit both of us, as well as the field of predictive toxicity testing,” said Paul Manning, CEO of PBM Capital Group. “The Hamner’s reputation for scientific excellence is well known, and we are privileged to be associated with them. It is our belief that this research collaboration will lead to innovative science and advances in developing and gaining adoption of the next generation of predictive tools to aid in chemical toxicology and drug discovery and development. We are pleased that the science being developed at our GigaCyte subsidiary can contribute to these advances. ”

DETAILS:
- TRL has recruited a staff of industry-recognized specialists in the areas of cell culture, cell isolations, drug metabolism and disposition, mass spectrometry, stem cell developmental biology, analytical chemistry, molecular biology and high content image analysis.

- The company offers an array of services focused on drug metabolism, drug-drug interactions, in vivo pharmacokinetics and toxicology, drug characterization, drug transporters, diabetes research, virology, hepatotoxicity and neural toxicology. Immediate R&D efforts are focused on virology of HCV, stem-cell derived hepatic models, media development, and in vitro hepatotoxicity. For more information, please visit http://www.triangleresearchlabs.com.

- GigaCyte will continue as the cell products division focused on innovative 3-D culture systems, primary hepatocytes, beta-islets, primary and stem cell derived neurons, and newly developed application specific cell culture media. For more information, please visit http://www.gigacyte.com.

About he Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences
The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences is a nonprofit research organization located in the heart of Research Triangle Park (RTP), N.C. The two flagship institutes at The Hamner, the Institute for Chemical Safety Sciences and the Hamner-UNC Institute for Drug Safety Sciences, build upon 37 years of preeminent research in toxicology and human health research to develop and validate new cutting-edge tools for safety assessment. Novel technologies currently being developed include in silico models for predictive toxicology, in vitro models that utilize human cells or cell lines to evaluate perturbations of cellular responses, and in vivo models to elucidate genes that play a role in susceptibility to drug-induced toxicities. The Hamner continues to grow its open, multidisciplinary campus through global partnerships with academia, industry, and government, and remains dedicated to positively impacting human health. For more information, please visit http://www.thehamner.org.

About PBM Capital Group, LLC
PBM Capital Group, LLC. is a private investment firm primarily focused on private equity, publicly traded securities and special opportunities. The firm invests across all stages of corporate development including venture capital, leveraged buyouts, growth capital, and distressed/turnaround, as well as public equity value investing. PBM Capital Group creates long-term value by applying extensive industry knowledge and contacts, providing superior operational expertise, and bringing entrepreneurial spirit to attractive investment opportunities. The firm’s investments span a range of industry sectors, including life science, specialty pharmaceutical, medical devices, health/wellness, and consumer products.

PBM Capital creates revolutionary companies with innovative products that can change the world and improve the quality of people’s lives. For more information, please visit http://www.pbmcap.com.