Protein Discovery Inc. Celebrates Opening of New Downtown Lab and Office Facility
Protein Discovery, Inc., a privately held life sciences company, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the opening of its new downtown Knoxville laboratory and office. Located on the second floor of Knoxville's historic Phoenix Building at 418 South Gay Street, the new facility provides needed space for the company's imaging mass spectrometry operations, research and development labs, and administrative offices.
Protein Discovery chief executive officer Chuck Witkowski, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership CEO Mike Edwards hosted the event, which was also attended by University of Tennessee president John Peterson and a number of Protein Discovery's board members, investors, and employees.
Protein Discovery is among the cornerstone companies for Tennessee's Innovation Valley initiative in the life sciences, said Mayor Bill Haslam. The company is a product of local ideas, investment, and entrepreneurship that has attracted talent from California's Silicon Valley."
Protein Discovery is a great fit for our dynamic downtown, and Im pleased that the City was able to assist the company with the build out of its state-of-the-art biotech laboratory in a historic building, continued Mayor Haslam. Protein Discoverys commitment to downtown confirms that Knoxville is a great place to locate and grow a business.
In his remarks at the event, Protein Discovery's chief executive officer Chuck Witkowski said, "The fundamental technologies upon which Protein Discovery was founded were developed in Tennessee's Innovation Valley, from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to Vanderbilt University. We're excited to be moving ahead with our product and commercial development right here in Knoxville, and we're proud of the contribution we're making to the growth and vitality of the downtown area."
Protein Discovery's new Knoxville location is ideally situated to support and strengthen the company's partnerships with the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Vanderbilt University. Funds to secure certain of the companys laboratory equipment were provided by Technology 2020s Center for Entrepreneurship.