Another year has gone by and 2015 is right around the corner. This January marks our seven-year anniversary. It is hard to believe that eight years has passed since Pfizer closed its doors in Ann Arbor, Michigan. January 22nd, 2007 was the announcement day that made all of us wonder what would happen after Pfizer. I was one of the lucky ones that had a plan shortly after the announcement and that plan was founding TransPharm Preclinical Solutions. We incorporated on April 13th, 2007, started renovation to the lab in September of that year, and opened our doors on January 2nd, 2008. Today we are considered a global leader for Infectious Disease research and have generated more than $6 million in revenue with over 60 clients around the world. TransPharm has never been stronger and we are eager to see what the future holds for us. During the holidays, we are very thankful to do what we love and even more thankful to you for allowing us to do this important work.

I would like to wish a happy summer to all of you. As we move into warmer weather, vacations and outdoor activities fill our days and time to get things done seems to shorten. Towards that end, I will be brief with this newsletter and announce that TransPharm has finally been awarded PHS registry with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. This means that companies receiving grants from NIH are now allowed to spend those funds directly with TransPharm Preclinical Solutions. This is a huge milestone for us and I know it will open the doors to many smaller companies receiving grant funds. Please see the notice below and use our Assurance #A4707-01 for all future grant applications to the National Institute of Health.

Over the past several quarters, the TransPharm team has been busy performing numerous C. difficile studies and looking for ways to best serve our clients’ needs. As a result, we’ve added two new offerings to complement our robust model of C. difficile infection. These new features are Toxin A/B detection and recurrence studies. We feel these two new, clinically-relevant features will be advantageous to our clients who currently work in the C. difficile therapy development field. Please contact us for more information.

It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone, but here we are again. Getting bundled up and trying to stay warm is never easy, but it is hard to beat the beauty of Michigan in the fall season. The photograph below was taken in early October just outside the TransPharm facility. We are extremely lucky to be surrounded by 15 acres of trees and a pond, and our Northern property line border is on Stoney Lake Creek. Visiting clients are always pleasantly surprised by our location and the country feel of our facility. One client, in particular, was taken aback by a flock of wild turkeys outside our lab window. I was told he doesn’t get to see that in France! It’s also not uncommon to see the occasional fox or deer strutting across the grounds. We truly do have a unique setting and would like to use this opportunity to invite you to come out and visit. I can’t guarantee that the wildlife will cooperate and offer you a glimpse, but I can promise that you will be impressed with our AAALAC-accredited facility – inside and out.

I’m proud to start out this newsletter by announcing that as of July 20th, TransPharm Preclinical Solutions has once again received a recommendation for accreditation from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International. AAALAC accreditation is evaluated every three years. Programs constantly change, as do the regulations for the use of animals in research. AAALAC’s mission is to ensure that all of these changes are enforced and that the Program Description for our facility is accurate, complete, and in adherence. The continued success of our program is directly related to those individuals on our Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).