The David H. Murdock Research Institute at the North Carolina Research Campus

Goal: To design and implement a non-invasive, multi-modal animal imaging facility within the institute.

Result:

1. •Developed a strategy proposal that addressed the role of imaging in metabolic syndrome, the use of imaging to monitor the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of any pharmaceutical lead or candidate molecule, and the phased implementation of the facility and its associated capital and operating budget.
   

2. •Worked with executive team to guide architects, engineers, and builders in the design and start-up of a non-invasive, multi-modal animal imaging facility.
   

3. •Contacted well-regarded academic and industrial imaging facilities across the US to collate best practices associated with the design and operation of such a facility.
   

4. •Interviewed imaging experts, well-informed imaging customers, and experts in animal husbandry, radiochemistry, and radiation safety to produce an optimized laboratory design.
   

5. •Performed a market assessment of the CRO imaging market to identify new imaging opportunities and their value.
   

A World Leading CRO

Goal: To perform due diligence during an acquisition of various assets and the potential of these assets to generate revenue.

Result:

1. •Elucidate purpose and value of newly acquired capabilities to Pharmaceutical R&D.
   

2. •Clarified and prioritized business development opportunities for these assets.
   

3. •Identified strategic areas for growth of service model in several preclinical scientific fields.
   

4. •Provided market research to underpin recommendations.
   

5. •Made recommendations on additional equipment purchases and service laboratory design.
   

A Software Contractor to the US Military

Goal: To analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) for a company entering the digital microscopy market and to evaluate the company’s development plan.

Result:

1. •Found the company’s strengths to be its versatile product’s ability to perform real-time zoom and pan, plus multi-level security and access. They also have powerful image analysis algorithms and an excellent image registration approach.
   

2. •Found the company’s weaknesses to be lack of brand recognition, an approach that creates prohibitively large files and the fact that they are late to market.
   

3. •Discovered the following opportunities: Faster technology is possible; there is room for growth in this market; there are several business models to choose from and they have the opportunity to influence standards and acceptance criteria.
   

4. •Discovered the following threats: Their clients are conservative and have constrained budgets, there is declining reimbursement in this market, there are significant regulatory hurdles, and their competitors are strong and established equipment and platform companies with significant brand loyalty.

Clients