Arkansas isn’t standing in the way of innovative ideas. You don’t have to go somewhere else to create incredible things, even in a field as complicated and highly regulated as biomedical manufacturing. We are proving that every day at NuShores.
Our company holds an exclusive global license from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to commercialize university-owned bone regeneration technologies, including NuCress bone regeneration scaffolds. Developed through research led by UA Little Rock-based scientist Dr. Alex Biris, his team and collaborators, NuCress scaffolds are made of an advanced polymer embedded with two naturally occurring components that have been shown in studies to promote bone growth.
This implantable material can be custom-molded to fill defects or even major injuries in some bones. In early testing, once the NuCress scaffold is implanted, the patient’s own bone then grows in and throughout the scaffold. The NuCress scaffold is engineered to harmlessly biodegrade at roughly the same rate new bone grows and to eventually disappear, leaving only healthy bone behind.
If NuShores can do biotech at that level in Arkansas, so can others. Think you can’t find world-class biotech talent in Arkansas? As Biris and his colleagues at UA Little Rock demonstrate, that’s just not true. Our universities have top-ranked minds doing important research. For other specialized hires, cast a wider net and do a national search. By offering nationally competitive wages and bringing candidates and their families here to see what Arkansas could mean for their quality of life, I’ve been very successful. And why not? We have a low cost of living, beautiful scenery, world-class outdoor recreation and more.
Think you can’t find funding for an Arkansas-based biotech startup? Again, it’s about believing it can be done from Arkansas and casting a wide net. I often bring investors here to shake up their preconceived notions and show them this state means business. I help them understand that great startups can come from anywhere, then show them Arkansas has the advanced technology, entrepreneurial culture and generous incentives to make it happen. Put it all together, and teams behind great startup ideas don’t have to “move to the money” like they used to.
Time and again, the startup-friendly community in Arkansas has been an asset to bringing NuCress to market. From the support we’ve received from UA Little Rock and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to the beautiful scenery that has helped NuShores convince top-tier talent to relocate, Arkansas is not standing in the way of innovation.
We hope to submit a clearance request to the Food & Drug Administration by the first quarter of 2023; upon FDA clearance we will be allowed to offer NuCress scaffolds for use in humans as soon as this time next year. If cleared, we plan to accelerate to full production in our facility’s first-in-the-state class 5 biomedical clean environmental area, the rigorous standard required for medical device manufacturing. As long as I’m CEO of NuShores, manufacturing for the NuCress product family will remain here in Little Rock. This is also the wish of the owners of NuShores.
NuCress and its potential to advance the field of medicine is the reason that, at 71 years old, I’m not retired and enjoying time with my grandchildren. Biris’ innovations are the reason, and the opportunity they present to put Arkansas on the map as a biotech innovation state. I truly believe we’re going to change the world. That’s what I want to work on at this point in my life: Change the World Stuff. And we can do that from right here in Arkansas.
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