Nashville, Tennessee (September 25, 2003) — Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET) and RHIZOMA Corporation recently signed an agreement for RHIZOMA to make use of space in CET’s downtown Life Sciences Facility in Nashville, adjacent to the Union Station Hotel.

RHIZOMA Corporation, started in Sheffield, Alabama, has been involved for a number of years in research and development in proteins, amino acids, enzymes, metals and particulates, using extracts from plants growing in Alabama and Tennessee for advanced proprietary processes and products. The company has recently been awarded a Phase I grant under the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program funded by the US Department of Agriculture.

“We were looking for some ready-equipped ‘wet’ laboratory space in which to conduct our initial Phase I feasibility studies,” said Llewellyn Parks, President of RHIZOMA Corporation. “CET had just finished equipping its Shared Laboratory in its Life Sciences Facility, and this was exactly what we needed for our work in terms of available equipment. Our primary in-house and consulting scientists were already located in Middle Tennessee.”

“We are pleased to welcome RHIZOMA into our Life Sciences Facility,” said A.J. Kazimi, CEO of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. “We set up the Shared Laboratory specifically to provide our tenants with access to general purpose laboratory and equipment infrastructure. But this is ideal also for companies undertaking a short-term feasibility study while finalizing their plans for the next phase of development, which may include a lease for dedicated space in our facility.”

Cumberland Emerging Technologies Inc. (CET) is a joint initiative between Vanderbilt University, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc, and the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC). The mission of CET (www.cet-fund.com) is to bring biomedical technologies and products conceived at Vanderbilt and other regional research centers to the commercial marketplace. CET helps manage the development and commercialization process for select projects, and provides critical expertise on intellectual property, regulatory, manufacturing, and marketing issues that are critical to successful new biomedical products. The Shared Laboratory was supported by a $100,000 Tennessee Industrial Infrastructure Program (TIIP) grant to CET and the TTDC.

(Nashville, Tennessee) – June 10, 2002

Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET), a partnership created to bring biomedical technologies and products to the marketplace, has signed a lease agreement to access up to 20,000 square feet of downtown space for development as a life sciences incubator. CET will use part of the facility for its main office, and will provide such services as laboratory space, equipment, management and technical assistance to future tenants. The location is adjacent to the Union Station Hotel and across the street from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The space is part of the Gateway to Nashville complex.

CET is a joint initiative formed in 2000 between Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc., Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC). The organization manages the development and commercialization process for select projects, and provides expertise on intellectual property, regulatory, manufacturing and marketing issues critical to successful new biomedical products.

“Our new life sciences laboratory facility will help attract and support companies that specialize in medical products and research advancements,” said A.J. Kazimi, CEO of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. “The facility will also provide entrepreneurs with access to flexible lab space and other resources to investigate the commercial potential of their ideas.”

Tom Rogers, executive director of TTDC, says the project will help foster technological and economic development in Tennessee for the future. “This type of partnership helps position the state in the recruitment of biotech industries – a primary focus of Tennessee’s New Economy Strategy. It will also help us retain some of the research already in development at our universities, and translate those good ideas into new Tennessee companies.”

The incubator project complements efforts of both the Nashville Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor’s office to expand downtown development in Nashville, and is designed to alleviate the current shortage of laboratory space in the Metro area.

Vanderbilt University professors and spin-offs are expected to be among the first tenants in the new space. “It is very exciting to have new laboratory space so close to our main campus that can aid in the progress of commercializing new life sciences technologies,” said Chris McKinney, Director of the Office of Technology Transfer for Vanderbilt.

Cumberland Emerging Technologies Inc. (www.cet-fund.com) was established to bring biomedical technologies and products conceived at Vanderbilt and other regional laboratories to the marketplace, by providing the necessary infrastructure and facilitating business-oriented federal grants. Dr. James Green will coordinate on-site activity at the new facility in his role as CET Vice President and General Manager.

(Cookeville, Tennessee) – December 17, 2000

A university professor in Middle Tennessee has found a way to make anti-lock braking systems safer for motorists — but his discovery may never make it to the marketplace.

Because there’s no effective statewide support system to turn innovations into marketable products, many Tennessee Board of Regents (“TBR”) schools, including University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University, Austin Pea University, Tennessee Technology University and East Tennessee State University, plan to build a bridge from innovation to marketability. The collaboration should make it easier for universities and federally managed laboratories to turn ideas into profitable ventures.

Tennessee Tech is the lead institution for the project funded with a three-year, $579,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Partner organizations include several TBR universities, Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET), Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Tennessee Biotechnology Association and TennesSeed.

“There are islands of discovery dotting the state — isolated agencies competing for limited funds and ideas trying to turn knowledge into profitable, usable products,” said Tennessee Tech’s College of Engineering Dean Glen Johnson. “What we propose to do is connect the knowledge at universities and laboratories in the state with the development of new products and services that will create new jobs with economic development.”

The project will be a two-year study program that will enable students, faculty and researchers gifted in biotechnical fields to study and experience starting a technology business and seeing it through to become owner/operator. Students or researchers with undergraduate degrees and biotechnical innovations — such as pharmaceutical research, genetic marker testing and equipment improvements or innovations — are candidates for the program’s first class.

A screening process will identify the ideas for completeness and readiness for continued development, then partner institutions will provide students with technical and entrepreneurial mentors to make sure the ideas are technically sound and market savvy.

“One strength of this program is the communication participants will have through an electronic notebook on the Internet, allowing teams to share their success, struggles and advice with each other,” said Ken Currie, TTU’s interim director at the Center for Manufacturing Research and member of the Innovation Board.

According to Johnson, the project’s principal investigator, federal laboratories hold hundreds of patents that have yet to be tested for economic success and many more potentially patentable inventions exist in the labs of TBR universities with little likelihood of commercialization without this grant program.

He says the current lack of coordination and communication makes it extremely difficult for the state to reach a critical level of innovation.

“There is a prevailing influence in the state that workforce education should be training-based rather than innovation-based,” he said. “Our proposed work will be a first step toward transforming current low-skill, assembly-only economic development into a self-sustaining way to create wealth through innovation.”

Currie says the growth of wealth in the state can be exponential when companies are started based on innovative, new technologies.

“The Silicon Valley is an example of how promoting and supporting innovation can lead to growth and wealth for an entire area or state,” he said. “This program can be the first step toward improving Tennessee’s success in innovation and growth, something that can benefit every Tennessean.”

Applications for the program will be accepted through April 2001 for the first classes to begin in Fall 2001. The classes may be taken for credit, or students not enrolled in a university may take them as non-credit classes, depending on the policy of the school.

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