California biotech firm locates in Technology Business Center

AlphaGenix, Inc., a biotech company developing products for diagnostic use by other research companies, has relocated to the South Dakota Technology Business Center from Carlsbad, California. Dr. Stephen Hall, the founder and president of AlphaGenix, is a graduate of Purdue and Indiana University who started previous biotech companies in California.

Hall said that the high cost of doing business in California, especially for start-up biotech firms, is driving these high-potential companies to locations like Sioux Falls. The technology incubator, Hall said, is a perfect fit for businesses like his that require lab space, a shared communications infrastructure and proximity to strong medical facilities and universities. Hall is working with both SDSU and USD on adjunct faculty status and has a connection with the state school of medicine, as well.

AlphaGenix is currently selling about 400 products, generating about a half million dollars in annual sales, a percentage of which goes into further research and development of new products. The AlphaGenix line is primarily high-end kits which allow researchers to use specific antibodies to identify certain types of cells which aid their work in the causes of disease, especially neurological maladies such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

The company expects to grow in Sioux Falls, Hall said. He expects to have two technicians on staff soon, and the number could increase to ten eventually, as the product line continues to develop. AlphaGenix has had success in growing skin cells in the laboratory, a scientific achievement with applications in the treatment of diabetics and burn victims. Hall, who has a background in immunology and vaccine development, is also doing work in cancer research as well as his specialty in neurological disorders.

Sioux Falls Development Foundation
Directions
Published Nov./Dec. 2007