O’Brien Elected to Board of Safe Foods Corporation

(North Little Rock) UAMS researcher and champion for the application of science through biotechnology for business in Arkansas, Professor Timothy J. O’Brien, Ph.D., has been elected to the corporate Board of Directors of Safe Foods Corporation of North Little Rock.

As Director of the Biomedical Biotechnology Center at UAMS, O'Brien collaborates with high-tech companies throughout the country and mentors other faculty members whose research projects might spin-off new products or processes. He has also guided the development of nine new biotech companies based on UAMS research through Arkansas Bioventures, an incubator at UAMS for science-based businesses. He holds patents for improved, highly effective tests that enable early diagnosis and follow-up monitoring of patients with ovarian cancer.

Carl S. Rosenbaum, Chairman of the Board of Safe Foods Corporation, made the announcement and said, "Dr. O’Brien is widely recognized as the state’s leading advocate for scientific research that can be applied in the marketplace. He is eminently qualified to advise Safe Foods Corporation on the development of its food safety technologies."

O’Brien sees a bright future for university-based applied research in Arkansas. "Our challenge as scientists is to move useful ideas from the lab into the marketplace for better human health and well being," he said. "The use of the fundamental chemistry of the Cecure™ product was discovered and developed by faculty researchers at UAMS, and Safe Foods Corporation is now a classic example of technology transfer. The company is now positioned to become a worldwide leader in this special niche of the food processing industry."

Safe Foods Corporation is a North Little Rock-based corporation which specializes in the development and commercialization of food safety products. It makes Cecure^TM available to producers, processors, and consumers of dairy, meat, poultry, eggs, fish, fruits, and vegetables.

Food processors from around the world have expressed interest in using Cecure™ to combat bacterial contamination in the food supply. The proprietary anti-bacterial formulation for food and food processing applications has shown a dramatic ability to eliminate bacteria such as Salmonella, E. Coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter. It is anticipated that the use of Cecure™ may prevent many of the 9,000 deaths and 76 million food-borne illnesses, which occur annually in the United States.

"We believe this product has the potential to help the industry achieve new levels of food safety," said Curtis Coleman, the company's President and CEO. Regarding regulatory approval, he continued, "FDA approval of Cecure^TM is expected in the fourth quarter of this year. I believe this process will move forward rather quickly because the active ingredient is already well known and has been widely and safely used by people in over-the-counter products for more than 50 years. It has been successfully demonstrated in commercial-scale trials that Cecure™ performed ‘as advertised’ and eliminated bacterial contamination either completely or far below the standards required by regulatory agencies."

In mid-June, Cambrex Corporation announced that its Zeeland Chemicals, Inc. subsidiary and Safe Foods Corporation concluded an agreement for the manufacture and supply of Cecure™. Zeeland Chemicals, located in Zeeland, MI, will exclusively manufacture Cecure™ for Safe Foods for use as an antimicrobial food processing aid and as a decontamination aid for food processing equipment, food preparation surfaces and packaging for all sales in North, Central and South America, and Europe, pending regulatory approval. Cambrex Corporation has 17 manufacturing plants located in the USA and Europe and will be able to support increased demand as the market for Cecure™ grows.

The company recently announced an agreement with Iowa Beef Producers (IBP), the world’s largest beef processor, to develop and optimize methods of applying Cecure^TM to beef and pork.