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State leaders joined Southern Research Tuesday in Montgomery at the State House to launch a new initiative that will provide patients across Alabama with access to free genetic tests and clinical insights about medications and risks for certain chronic diseases.
“The goal is to offer all Alabamians access to the cutting-edge technologies that can hopefully improve their health and their medical outcomes,” said Josh Carpenter, D.Phil., CEO of Southern Research. “We want to make sure that the latest health innovations are available not just in urban medical centers but also in rural, underserved communities across our state.”
Catalyst will launch statewide for patients to receive testing ordered through their primary care providers and will host kickoff events in Selma, Tuskegee, Demopolis and Jasper as well as Florence, Dothan and Mobile. The kickoff events in these communities will be an opportunity to share details with patients, healthcare providers and community leaders.
Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth said that by promoting biomedical research, Catalyst will have economic development implications as well as potential healthcare benefits in communities across the state.
“The clinical trials industry is expected to reach $80 billion by 2030, and Catalyst can help Alabama attract a sizable portion of that investment,” Ainsworth said. “Equally important is the prospect of creating high-paying, long-lasting, 21st Century jobs in a sector that is already ripe for explosive growth.”
Dr. Khalilah Brown, vice president of Medical Affairs and Patient Advocacy for Southern Research, said Catalyst will seek to ensure access for Alabamians to advance medical research that can lead to new treatments and can offer hope to patients living with a wide range of diseases.
“In addition to getting access to genetic risk information that can be used to inform their own care, patients participating in Catalyst can contribute to the important work of drug discovery that will benefit patients everywhere,” Dr. Brown said. “Catalyst is a bridge between the great work that is already happening at Southern Research and the patients who ultimately benefit from our research.”
Southern Research received $20 million in state American Rescue Plan Act funds to support the development and launch of Catalyst as well as $5 million in ARPA funds from the City of Birmingham.
Southern Research currently has an annual statewide impact of $300 million, and the organization also has $120 million in active construction projects.
“Catalyst gives us the opportunity the improve the health of our friends and neighbors throughout Alabama, making sure our research is directly connected to every corner of the state,” Carpenter said. “We are fortunate to have state leaders like Lt. Gov. Ainsworth who saw this potential and were willing to make this investment to benefit people across our state.”
