Welcome new Life Science Tennessee member, Tennessee Scientific Inc.! We asked CEO Martin Koonce to tell us more about their focus, what kinds of partnerships and opportunities they’re looking for and what excites them most about the industry in Tennessee.
Tell us about Tennessee Scientific Inc.
Our mission is to use biotechnology to discover, develop, and deliver solutions for combating disease. Assuredly, our greatest achievement to date is the discovery and development of TriAntiMal which is our formula used to treat malaria and is now being registered in multiple nations after concluding its successful trials in Haiti and Nigeria. Bringing this to the world market is our current focus.
How do you define the “life sciences?”
Beyond the classic definition of the pursuit of the scientific understanding of life through the lenses of Biology, Chemistry, and other disciplines; we are seeking an understanding of our human capacity for natural process augmentation. In other words, how can we collaborate better with human design and function to heal by embracing and enhancing present processes versus introducing formulas to the body that fight against those very processes and tissues they seek to heal.
Why are you a member of Life Science Tennessee?
Our greatest desire is for collaboration with others within our industry of Biotechnology. We can learn so much from each other and make advancing strides within Life Science if there exists a forum for discussion of mutually beneficial discovery. As well, there will always be the need for accountability within scientific advances. Community provides both.
Where do you think there is the most energy and opportunity in Tennessee for life science innovations?
Well, one of the greatest aspects of scientific discovery and pursuit is that there is so much yet to know and discover. Tennessee, interestingly, has been a state of great invention and discovery within science almost as long as it has existed. What will be the next great bio-science innovation to emerge? We shall soon see. We do believe that we should pursue discovery and development of solutions for the present problems that humankind are facing and after 2020, COVID-19 as well as our collective susceptibility to infection seems to be on everyone’s priority list.
On a (slightly) lighter note, what is the first you did (or plan to do) post pandemic?
Burn my masks!