ImmunoSite Technologies Selected to Participate in State’s GrowFL Economic Gardening Program

Fort Lauderdale, Fla., (June 28, 2011) – ImmunoSite Technologies, LLC, a leading provider of contract research and test services for immune monitoring and particle characterization, has been selected to participate in GrowFL, a state-financed program that helps Florida-based second-stage companies achieve their potential.

The GrowFL initiative, which was created in 2009 by the Florida Legislature and based at the University of Central Florida’s Department of Research and Commercialization in Orlando, will assist IST in a variety of business development functions including database and market research, website optimization, strategic planning and referral services. GrowFL will also provide IST with access to key market research and technology, and CEO peer groups and forums.

According to Dr. Tom O’Neal, executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute, when selecting businesses for the program the institute looks for those that have the potential to be successful, but just need assistance in breaking through to become a second-stage company.

“IST’s potential growth is remarkable and makes them an ideal candidate for the program,” said Dr. O’Neal. “Florida’s biotech and manufacturing industries can benefit greatly from IST’s services, and by helping IST grow, we’re helping them as well.”

As an independent spin-out of Beckman Coulter, Inc., IST began business operations in 2009 and provides specialized testing services for particle characterization and immune monitoring. IST’s particle testing services allow companies in a wide array of industries – ranging from pharmaceuticals, to various construction materials, to cosmetics and more – to more efficiently develop product and streamline research and development.  

IST’s immune monitoring testing of patient clinical trial samples fills a critical need of pharmaceutical and biotech companies that strive to bring therapies to market faster through better testing so they can make better informed decisions. Their expertise in the art of automation for biomarker assays, and subsequent assay validation, puts IST in a unique position to assist drug developers and manufacturers to streamline their own processes for faster refinement of the pharmaceuticals including helping with post-market surveillance.

“We are excited and honored that GrowFL has selected IST for its growth potential,” said Wade Bolton, Ph.D., chief executive officer of IST. “This is an important step in our growth and we’re excited for the opportunities that it will bring.”

For more information on ImmunoSite Technologies, please visit http://immunositetechnologies.com/; follow IST on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ImmunoSite; or follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/ImmunoSite-Technologies-LLC/167604859950599; or LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/911966?trk=tyah. 

For more information about this press release, contact:

Kyle E. Glass, Public Relations/Marketing Manager ImmunoSite Technologies, 502-409-5953, kyle@marketingmatters.net.

Wade Bolton, PH.D, CEO ImmunoSite Technologies, jwilkinson@ist.us.com

Linda Jennings Nelson, Outreach Services, GrowFL, 407-882-046 Linda@growfl.com

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 407 644 4142; Lvershelco@aol.com or chagervandyke@yahoo.com. 

About ImmunoSite Technologies
A privately held, Ft. Lauderdale-based company, IST was formed in August, 2009, to bring together a highly qualified team of industry leading immune system research and development scientists who together have more than 100 years of experience developing and performing assays related to immune monitoring and surveillance. IST’s leadership has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications, authored over 30 U.S. and international patents, and has developed and successfully commercialized over 200 diagnostic (IVD) product reagents, kits and instrument systems. The IST team has been distinguished by their ongoing partnerships with best-in-class clinical trial organizations such as: the Immune Tolerance Network, the Immune Tolerance Institute, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Imperial College of London-managed CD4 Initiative, as well as leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies and universities. This extensive cell analysis R&D experience qualifies IST scientists to comply with complex and demanding international scientific and governmental regulations.

About the Florida Economic Gardening Institute:
The Florida Economic Gardening Institute was created by the 2009 Florida Legislature as the Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Program to stimulate investment in Florida’s economy by providing technical assistance for expanding businesses in the state.  Qualified companies must be engaged in the following sectors to receive no-cost technical assistance:  Manufacturing; Finance & Insurance Services; Wholesale Trade; Information Industries; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; Management Services; and, Administrative & Support Services.  Additional information is available at www.GrowFL.com.