Dr. Timothy J. O'Brien

Professor, researcher, director, entrepreneur.

It’s hard to pin a label on Timothy O’Brien, who founded UAMS Arkansas BioVentures five years ago.

Nine companies have been started in the state since Arkansas BioVentures was formed to license technologies developed at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Those companies employ more than 100 in high-paying jobs.

O’Brien, an obstetrics/gynecology professor who specializes in ovarian cancer research, has been involved in biomedical research for 24 years and at UAMS for 18 years. He was prompted to begin BioVentures when he realized that most of the patents derived from UAMS research were being licensed to out-of-state companies.

O’Brien’s vision was to create economic development in Arkansas by licensing those patents to enterprises in the state. One company that holds great potential is Safe Foods, the North Little Rock firm that still awaits federal approval for its anti-microbial product to destroy bacteria on meat products.

This busy doctor also is director of the UAMS Biomedical Biotechnology Center, a founding member of the Arkansas Biotechnology Association and director of the Arkansas Ag-Medicine Consortium.

His BioVentures plans include building a 25,000-SF accelerator facility on the UAMS campus to house high-tech startup companies that license UAMS technologies and a GMP lab to process high-tech biopharmaceutical products.

“We have the makings of a great technology base to build Arkansas,” O’Brien said. “We shouldn’t be afraid to take on that challenge. There’s lots of potential for downstream production.”

BioVentures, funded by UAMS in the past, has launched a five-year $8 million campaign to build the accelerator building and fund it.

Much of research’s potential is dependent on seed capital, which is just starting to develop, O’Brien said.

“Investors must be willing to risk to develop Arkansas,” he said.