HCAR - Hershey Center for Applied Research. South Centrals Pennsylvania's Premier Research Park Located Adjacent to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine.

Apogee Biotechnology Corporation

HCAR's first private company tenant, Apogee Biotechnology Corporation, established its headquarters on the HCAR campus, in Building One, in February of 2008. Apogee, a spin-off of the Penn State College of Medicine's Department of Pharmacology, is developing chemical compounds that will inhibit the activities of sphingosine kinase, an enzyme known to drive cell proliferation and inflammation. Sphingosine kinase is overactive in several diseases such as cancer, diabetic retinopathy, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and atherosclerosis.

The lead compound being developed by Apogee was identified in 2006, and is the first-in-class non-lipid inhibitor of sphingosine kinase. It has shown promising biological activity in several disease models, and Apogee expects that it will advance into human trials in 2009. The Company currently has six employees, four of whom hold PhDs, and received more than $7 million from the Small Business Innovative Research grant program from the National Institutes of Health.

Apogee will reside in the HCAR Technology Suites, which is flexible wet lab space that is being supported by the Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania (LSGPA). LSGPA recently awarded HCAR a $700,000 grant to subsidize leasing in the HCAR Technology Suites for start up companies such as Apogee.

 

Testimonial

Dr. Charles D. Smith, Apogee Biotechnology Corporation CEO

Why did you locate your company in Hershey, PA?
Apogee was founded in Hershey as a spin-out company from the Penn State College of Medicine, with support from the Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania.

What do you enjoy most about Hershey, PA?
Hershey maintains a small-town atmosphere, but has excellent resources for biomedical research, and a high quality of life.  

Why locate your company at the Hershey Center for Applied Research (HCAR):
Apogee operates in the central Pennsylvania region because of critical collaborative connections with researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine, as well as key biotechnology support provided by the Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central PA and tax credit programs from the state of Pennsylvania.  We are pleased that state-of-the-art biotechnology incubation facilities have finally become available in this region through the establishment of HCAR, and hope to be joined by additional biotech companies in these facilities.