Southern Research

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Southern Research Institute (SRI), founded in 1941, is a non-profit scientific research company affiliated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and headquartered at 2000 9th Avenue South. The president and CEO of the firm, since September 2006, is Jack Secrist III.

SRI's southside location houses its main offices, its drug discovery and development divisions, a Tuberculosis Antimicrobial Acquisition & Coordinating Facility (TAACF), the National Gene Vector Lab, and a center for infectious disease research.

In 2005 SRI was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

Research areas

Cancer research

SRI has been active in cancer research, and has developed six treatment compounds that were approved by the FDA and six others still undergoing clinical trials. SRI pioneered the chemotherapy protocols now in common use for cancer treatment.

Infectious diseases

SRI's Emerging Infectious Disease Research Program develops animal models, conducts in-vitro antimicrobial and antiviral drug discovery, and pursues basic research on the molecular and cellular biology of microbial pathogens.

SRI's High-Throughput Screening Center (HTS) is one of nine facilities in the National Institute of Health's Molecular Libraries Screening Centers Network (MLSCN).

Neuroscience

SRI is expanding its capabilities for research in neuroscience and neuropharmacology. The facility is focussed on studying cellular physiology of neurons and glial cells under normal and disease conditions.

Pollution controls

Southern Research has been involved in several groundbreaking studies of particulate emissions from power generation facilities. It has developed numerous sampling and detection instruments as well as emission control technologies.

Aeronautics

SRI's extreme temperature testing facility was used in the testing of heat-shield materials for the Apollo program, and is still used in materials testing for NASA Space Shuttle program and for the development of other manned and unmanned vehicle platforms.

SRI-designed radiometers were used to measure temperatures on the lunar surface before selecting landing sites. Sensing elements designed at SRI measured heating rates on the Saturn program booster rockets. SRI continues to assist NASA with the development and manufacture of gimbal and stabilized platform systems used in vehicle tracking and imaging.

Automotive engineering

With the development of automobile manufacturing in Alabama and the rest of the South, SRI has increased its automotive engineering capabilities. Current research is investigating composite materials for automotive applications.

Chemical weapons research

Beginning in 1945 SRI contracted with the U. S. Army to conduct research into chemical warfare, focusing on detection and defense. Later research went toward the development of protective gear for the military and into technology for the destruction of chemical agents and weapons.

SRI has been involved in training emergency response teams and developing US policies on chemical and biological defense.

In January 2007 SRI began to dismantle the 2,400 square-foot suite of laboratories which made up its Toxic Agent Facility. The space is expected to be adapted for infectious disease studies under a biosafety level two (BSL2) designation.

Other locations

References

  • Parks, Dave (January 31, 2007) "Southern Research dismantling former toxic agent laboratory." Birmingham News.
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