Impact Report_2020

IMPACT REPORT

The mission of the HudsonAlpha Foundation is to develop relationships and financial resources to support the work of the nonprofit HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to developing and applying scientific advances to health, agriculture, learning and commercialization.

a letter from our president

What an incredibly challenging but inspiring year 2020 has been for us all. Science is more important than ever to the health and healing of our world. We are immensely grateful for the resources and support you, our donors, have provided us throughout this year. Recognizing the need for a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in early 2020 HudsonAlpha pivoted to help find a solution. Both the non-profit research Institute and more than 10 associate companies on the HudsonAlpha campus are working toward solutions to the COVID-19 outbreak with new technology and tools for testing, sequencing, treatment and environmental monitoring. Generosity from businesses, foundations and individuals like you have enabled HudsonAlpha to stay at the forefront of science. Through the stories and statistics in this 2020 Impact Report, we hope to give you a glimpse into how your support is helping people in our community and around the world. These stories also show the support you provide HudsonAlpha is making a real impact on people’s lives. Of course, Alzheimer disease, cancer and environmental challenges don’t stop for a pandemic, so HudsonAlpha’s other operations have continued to move forward in 2020. Despite the economic uncertainty in so many sectors, because of your support, we have been able to maintain our staffing levels this year. A large portion of our workforce spent the last nine months of 2020 working remotely, which created a safer environment for the mission-critical tasks happening in our labs. I have been so inspired by the resiliency of our country and our world. It gives me hope and continues to give me energy to strive toward HudsonAlpha’s vision of creating a healthier, more sustainable world. Thank you for all that you have done to support HudsonAlpha in the past year and thank you for your continued partnership.

Gratefully,

Richard M. Myers, PhD President and Science Director and M. A. Loya Chair in Genomics

Thank you for your generous sup- port of HudsonAlpha’s COVID-19 re- sponse. Because of your efforts, the Institute leveraged more than $800,000 to help find answers and potential treatments for COVID-19, funded critical equipment demands and provided relief to the Institute’s areas of greatest need.

While the world continues the fight against COVID-19, researchers and private industry have banded together in order to slow the spread of the virus and develop new tests and treatments. Now, more than ever, it is evident that collaboration is essential to overcome current challenges. No place is as uniquely qualified to help foster these collaborations than is HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the nonprofit re- search Institute and the companies residing onHudsonAlpha’s biotech campus increased laboratory testing capacity, launched point-of-care testing diagnostics, advanced early stage antibody treatments for immune response, provided researchers with critical reagents for COVID-19 projects and sought out new, innovative ideas and research to address the pandemic.

Research Highlights

In 2020, HudsonAlphamade important discoveries inneurological diseases, cancer, childhood genetics, agriculture, basic research and other areas, reflecting the Institute’s commitment to breakthroughs in these fields.

Neurological Diseases HudsonAlpha’s scientific team continues working on neurological diseases by identifying new genetic causes, early detection tools and novel therapies to improve how we diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent diseases like ALS, Alzheimer disease, dementia and Huntington disease. In early 2020, researchers frommultiple international organiza- tions gathered for a symposium to initiate a newmultination- al consortium to expand dementia research in Latin America called Research Dementia Latin America, or ReDLat. The number of people living with dementia worldwide is currently estimated at 50 million and will almost triple by 2050. It is predicted that the increase in cases will be in developing countries where only three percent of demen- tia research currently takes place. More research to develop effective treatments for dementia is needed, particularly

in understudied and diverse populations. Discoveries made through ReDLat will impact patients and families here in the United States and around the world. COVID-19 impacted many projects in 2020, but the ReDLat consortium was able to pivot and modify the project steps by utilizing previously acquired samples to continue making progress in understanding and treating dementia.

Your philanthropy to HudsonAlpha’s Memory and Mobility Program (M&M) made it possible for HudsonAlpha to

memory andmobility program

participate, providing our expertise and leadership in dementia research, sequencing and analysis for this project. It also enabled other projects to move forward focused on solutions for those facing neurodegenerative diseases.

TWO new faculty chair

positions named named cha i rs

To recruit and retain top talent, HudsonAlpha offers the ability to name faculty positions and student fellowships throughout the Institute. Supporting HudsonAlpha through a named position or fund helps strengthen research programs and enables faculty to pursue big ideas. When donors choose to support a naming opportunity, they are making an impactful investment in HudsonAlpha and the future of scientific research or education.

Rick Myers, PhD President and Science Director and M. A. Loya Chair in Genomics

Greg Barsh, MD, PhD Faculty Investigator and Faculty Chair and Smith Family Chair in Genomics

Cancer New strides in local cancer research collaboration

HudsonAlpha is kicking off a collaborative project with Clearview Cancer Institute to study the genes of cancer patients. The project will look at family influences in cancer to learn more about patterns and risk factors. Thank you to Clearview Cancer Institute and the Russel Hill Cancer Foundation for their support of this project.

Your gifts provide hope for new therapies and treatments

Information is Power achieves milestone

Ovarian cancer is both difficult to detect and challenging to treat. HudsonAlpha scientists are targeting chemotherapy cells to signal a response, investigating a treatment that targets a known pathway important in ovarian cancer development and testing new therapies to treat ovarian cancer. In mid-2020, Dr. Sara Cooper’s Lab required a new piece of equipment, a centrifuge to help break down tumor cells. A quick response from donors allowed the lab to purchase this new instrument to continue their work. Your support of HudsonAlpha’s cancer program is vital to helpHudsonAlpha continue to find answers that make a difference. Each day HudsonAlpha scientists strive to find new breakthroughs that will bring health, healing, and hope.

COVID-19 has stopped many things, but it hasn’t stopped cancer. The Information is Power initia- tive Genetics, that screens for the well-known BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, as well as several dozen other genes linked to breast, ovarian, colon, prostate, pancreatic, andothercancers. In2020, the initiative celebrated a milestone of 5,000 completed tests, giving women and men access to information about their genetic cancer risk to inform health decisions and future planning.

Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture Philanthropy funds research in agriculture to feed and fuel a growing world

This year brought the expansion of HudsonAlpha’s agriculture program and the establishment of the Center for Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture.

“The importance of this study is that it helps us understand more about cotton fiber development,” said Jane Grimwood, PhD, faculty investigator. “But perhaps more importantly, it reinforces the surprising concept that wild and domesticated cotton is remarkably similar, leading us to the conclusion that we will need to work on other approaches to generate diversity for cotton species.” Because of your generosity, HudsonAlpha’s Center for Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture continues to grow and thrive finding new opportunities across the supply chain from farmers and growers to manufacturers and retailers. Expertise that has benefitted researchers around the globe is now supporting projects focused on our local agricultural economy so that Alabama’s farming community can continue to succeed.

Since its beginning 13 years ago, HudsonAlpha has been a leader in de novo genome sequencing, the process of obtaining an entire genetic makeup of a species. Four years ago, the group expanded with the addition of a faculty member experienced in biofuels. Now with two new faculty investi- gators added to the team, the program is adding botany and crop improvement capabilities. Cotton is the most valuable crop in Alabama with more than 500,000 acres planted each year. To improve the cotton crop, HudsonAlpha was part of a recent project to sequence and assemble five different cotton genomes to identify differences among wild and domesticated cot- ton that could be used to bring back traits like disease or drought resistance. The newly assembled genomes will lead to advances in cotton sustainability.

N E W F A C E S

We are growing because of you!

Growing scientific expertise - Meet our newest faculty

Josh Clevenger, PhD, is a faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. His research focuses on using genomics for crop improvement for sustainable agriculture, especially crops in the southeast and Alabama. Clevenger earned his PhD in Plant Breeding, Genetics, & Genomics from the University of Georgia. He came to HudsonAlpha fromMars-Wrigley’s nut science team where he developed and deployed genetic improvement projects for key peanut supply origins. “Our hope is to bridge the gap between science and nature by more rapidly deploying beneficial traits into cultivated crops farmers can plant on their land. To do this, we will develop better computational tools to help identify selection markers for beneficial traits, and new, rapid breeding practices to introduce these markers into existing crop lines.”

Alex Harkess, PhD, holds a joint position as faculty investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and assistant professor in the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science at Auburn University. His research focuses on plant reproductive, evolutionary and comparative genomics. Harkess earned his PhD in plant biology from the University of Georgia. He

was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, conducting research focused on the evolution and function of small RNA pathways, the evolution of sex chromosomes in plants, and broad-scale comparative genomics. “We’re a basic biology lab and we study the ways across the tree of life that plants have evolved to reproduce differently. And once you do that, once you map out all of the ways a plant can differently reproduce sexually or asexually, then you can start to engineer those kinds of changes into crop plants.”

This past academic year, thanks to your support, Educational Outreach reached an astonishing 1.96 million students, teachers, members of the public, and healthcare professionals. Your generous donations provided educational tools to teachers and students to train the next generation of STEM leaders. Childhood GENETiC disorders Hope in a name - Violet’s story In the beginning, Violet could only say a few words like momma, dadda and bubba. Around eight months of age, she started to show signs of regr ssion in her development. Her pare ts began asking questions of her doctor and going to therapy sessions. Violet remained a quiet little mystery. After two and a half years of searching, along withmultiplemedical appointments, Violet was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome through HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology’s childhood genomics program. Viol t’s family still faces challenges every day. While her diagnosis has led to support group connections and visits with top Rett Syndrome specialists to find the best treatment path for Violet, they still have a journey ahead.

THANKS TO YOU...

Helping children and their families nd answers

enrolled families

1424

sequenced genomes of children

But Violet’s hope for a better future is stronger thanks to the diagnosis and answers she received fromHudsonAlpha.

submitted genes to GeneMatcher

seeking answers through worldwide connections

Numbers reect totals since the beginning of the program. 18 collaborative publications (since 2016)

Impact through education

Educating through COVID-19 To help make sense of the science related to the coronavirus COVID-19 and to address much of the misinformation associated with the pandemic, Dr. Neil Lamb developed a new series of videos, called Shareable Science: Beyond the Blog, that have become a trusted source of accurate and timely information about COVID-19 for more than 100,000 individuals in our community and beyond. In April, the Educational Outreach team launched Learning Together Apart 2020, an online portal to help parents and teachers educate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resource includes digital copies of activities, videos, and educational support materials with new content being added. Beacon: Biology at a Distance is another tool that was designed to help teachers adjust to the new educational landscape brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Beacon helps educators find life science content from a distance and offers technology integration and best practices for virtual delivery of lessons. This past academic year, thanks to your support, Educational Outreach reached an astonishing 1.96 million students, teachers, members of the public, and healthcare professionals. Your generous donations provided educational tools to teachers and students to train the next generation of STEM leaders.

Dr. Neil Lamb appointed to lead Governor Ivey’s STEM council Science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of Alabama’s economy. As companies continue to relocate or expand in Alabama, the state must develop an adept workforce that is prepared to adequately meet growing labor demands. The Governor’s Advisory Council on STEM was established to advise state leadership on ways to improve STEM-related educa- tion, career awareness and workforce development opportunities across the state. Dr. Neil Lamb, vice president for Educational Outreach at HudsonAlpha, will be chairman of the new council. “Our great state is home to several quality STEM-focused education and workforce initiatives. However, we lack a common system to weave these initiatives together into a network that reaches all learners across the state and expands the workforce pipeline,” Dr. Neil Lamb said. “Establishing a statewide Council was a key recommendation from the Governor’s Advisory Council on Excellence on STEM, and I am thrilled to see that recommendation become reality through the Alabama STEM Council.”

When the world changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HudsonAlpha’s Educational Outreach team pivoted to provide instructional support, digital learning tools, and on-demand lessons for both teachers and parents struggling to continue STEM learning in a virtual environment. YOUR GIFTMADE IT POSSIBLE.

Genomic health Collaborative pilot projects kickoff

“Physicians know that establishing a diagnosis is essential to choosing or developing a treatment,” said Bick. “Our purpose is to bring genomics into the practice of medicine so physicians have more effective tools to identify and understand the underlying causes of disorders.”

The HudsonAlpha Health Alliance, under the direc- tion of Dr. Devin Absher, faculty investigator and di- rector of genomic health, has begun work with East Alabama Medical Center, Auburn University and the Muscogee Creek Nation. EAMC and Auburn University are offering pharmaco- genetic testing to their employees as a wellness benefit. The Muscogee Creek Nation project will provide pharmacogenomics, heritable genetic disease screening and educational programs to thousands of their citizens. Smith Family Clinic celebrates five years When the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine opened in 2015 on the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology campus, it was the one of the first clinics in the world to use genomic sequencing technology to findanswers for rareundiagnosedandmisdiagnoseddiseases. Ledbymedical directorDavidBick,MD, the clinic seesmore than300patients eachyear andcontinues to findanswers for patients with rare undiagnosed and misdiagnosed diseases. Patients are seen by the clinic staff who evaluate symptoms, orpatient phenotype, anddeterminewhetherwhole genome sequencing is anappropriate test.The>Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24

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