As we look back on 2020, I am struck by the power of collaboration. So many across industries have come together to address the global pandemic unlike any time we’ve seen before. It is with deep gratitude that we acknowledge and celebrate our colleagues, frontline workers and healthcare professionals who each day care for patients and work toward solutions for the immediate crisis and its lasting impacts.
I am especially proud of our Alturas team and for the accomplishments and growth we met during a challenging year. With added obstacles we currently face of an arctic freeze, rolling blackouts and complete loss of power plaguing much of our nation, the team continues to adjust and work at an incredible pace to meet aggressive timelines that help bring new drugs to market. I am proud not only of our inventiveness, but also of the agility with which we are able to adapt and implement changes to virtually “meet” with our clients, auditors, and FDA regulators, while developing and adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols. All of this was accomplished with zero interruptions to business flow while we continued to deliver quality data on time.
As we settle into 2021, I am truly grateful to work alongside a dedicated group of professionals who are the Alturas team. We look forward to expanding our expertise with additional research in the fields of biomolecule and biomarker analysis. Automated immunoprecipitation techniques, oligonucleotide assays and protein binding measurements by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) are being optimized for incorporation into our routine workflows. Work in the prevention and treatment of novel viral diseases continues to be at the forefront of Alturas’ priorities. Another growth area unique to Alturas is the addition of innovative GC-MS/MS methods that cannot be performed by standard LC-MS/MS techniques. The 2200 square foot expansion of our sample receiving and storage facility will allow us to process samples more expediently, while improving failsafe cold storage. Additional scientists and support personnel will help us meet our forecasted growth for 2021 and beyond.
The future of our industry is encouraging. Gene therapy is a reality, and personalized medicine is integrated into development programs that target the root cause of disease. As the industry progresses towards custom treatments, Alturas possesses the knowledge and drive to develop along with it.
Most of all, we look forward to once again meeting with our friends and colleagues in person. Whether working in oncology, pain treatments, or the novel coronavirus, assisting our clients with the delivery of new drug therapies to patients remains our top priority.
