Denali BioTechnologies Completes Phase One of New Plant

PharmaManufacturing.com
07/03/2006

Denali BioTechnologies on July 3 announced the completion of phase one of its 6,100-square-foot nutraceutical manufacturing facility in Kenai, Alaska. The company will celebrate with a reception and ribbon cutting featuring U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens on Thursday, July 6.

Construction on the $2.4 million first phase began in February and included the installation of new equipment such as the centerpiece Refractance Window Dryer (RWD), only the 27th placement worldwide. The RWD process uses proprietary heat transfer technology to gently, efficiently and cost-effectively remove moisture from delicate ingredients to preserve the product color, flavor, aroma, nutrients and texture. A programmable logic controller and human-machine interface units control all production machinery and support equipment. The company plans to continue upgrades over the next 12 months that include product encapsulation equipment and a quality assurance system.

"We're excited about completion of our first construction phase," said Dr. Maureen McKenzie, Denali chief executive officer and research scientist. "We have the opportunity to position the state of Alaska at the vanguard of healing and wellness and launch a new growth industry that will bring economic opportunities to Alaskans of diverse age, skill, education and geographic location."

"Our company will create well paying, long-term jobs," says Scott Haines, president, chief technical officer and automation engineer. "We envision creating dozens of jobs including production operators as well as administrative, management and scientific/technical positions."

Denali BioTechnologies also promotes economic opportunities related to gathering, ranching and processing for residents of villages in rural Alaska and is developing relationships with sister communities in Canada, as well as the Russian Far East. All source materials are gathered with permission from landholders, Native corporations and private entities. Denali works closely with the Alaska Berry Growers, a non-profit corporation formed to provide quality wild Alaska berries and other medicinal plant materials for its nutraceutical product line.

The plant will follow Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) guidelines. "Denali BioTechnologies is dedicated to prospecting natural products for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical discovery in the Arctic," says Haines. "We're the only company in the world dedicated to development of advanced nutraceuticals and research on potential lead compounds for diabetes, cardiovascular, cancer and anti-infective therapeutic applications that originate in the pristine, but extreme, environments of Alaska and neighboring boreal regions."

For more information about Denali BioTechnologies, visit www.Denali-BioTechnologies.com.