Ann Arbor's Oxford Biomedical adds 2 positions, readies for commercialization

Rochester Hills-based Oxford Biomedical Research is one of just 75 companies across the nation invited to participate in the Small Business Innovation Research Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP). The program is designed to assist life science companies in bringing their technologies to market.

Oxford has received 42 SBIR grants, but the company is now looking to depend less on government funding and more on sales of its products -- hence the training.  Founded in 1984, the company is the third life science firm -- one of which has since been sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb-- started by Oakland University professor Denis Callewaert.

Currently on leave from OU in order to move his commercial interests forward, Callewaert already has 32 foreign distributors and 1,000 academic and pharmaceutical clients for Oxford's products, which aid researchers in early stage drug discovery. "We're not seeking to discover the next diagnostic tool, we are trying to sell a product line that will help other people identify markers," says Callewaert. "We're selling shovels to the miners."

Although Callewaert has been around the life science block -- he is a founding member of MichBio, the state's life sciences industry organization -- he sees room for improvement. "We need to take advantage of other people more successful and ID Tier 1 partners," he says. "We need to find opportunities we haven't thought of in the past."

Oakland currently employs 15, and Callewaert is interviewing for two additional positions. "We are already growing," he says, "in a very systematic fashion."

Callewaert has strong feelings about biotech in Michigan, and isn't sure that all efforts to grow the sector in Michigan have been perfectly executed to this point. "I really want biotech in Michigan to succeed," he says. "I've pushed from within the system, now I'm basically growing my own. That's how I feel I can best contribute."

Source: Denis Callewaert
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh