The A-Team at Soft Cell Biological Research

The A-Team

at Soft Cell Biological Research

By Dr. Gregory Prince

The Law of Unintended Consequences works relentlessly and unpredictably. In the case of Soft Cell Biological Research (SCBR), it has resulted in a smoothly functioning biotech company whose unintended profile sends a strong and positive signal to young women contemplating careers in the biomedical sciences.

I see SCBR as a unique research lab that puts an emphasis on teaching opportunities, which is atypical for a majority of research institutions. –Kennedy Roché, Soft Cell scientist. SCBR was founded in 2014 by J. Brent Hunt of St. George, Utah, whose struggles with continually failing knee and shoulder replacements drove him to return to Dixie State University, where he had been a pre-med student three decades earlier, and to initiate a conversation with legendary DSU professor Andrew Barnum. Dr. Barnum, who had taught Brent microbiology, consented to work with Brent to try to determine the cause of his medical issues and allowed him the use of laboratory space in the biology building. Desperate to determine the cause of his unremitting pain and inflammation, Brent began to read J. Brent Hunt, Founder (R), Dr. Gregory A. deeply into the medical literature Prince, CEO (L) and learned of “dark bacteria” that first had been described in 1935. These are bacteria of many species that can, under some conditions, shed their cell walls and live invisibly in the blood. Thousands of subsequent papers described these microorganisms, but because they eluded laboratory culture, no one knew if they had any role in human health. Through years of trial and error at the laboratory bench, Brent developed protocols that began to culture them and suggest that they may be important actors in many chronic diseases. SCBR created a subsidiary company, Soft Cell Labs (SCL), to do commercial testing of blood in the hope of developing treatment options for patients suffering complex and intractable chronic diseases, for which Brent directed the buildout of a 13,000-square-foot commercial laboratory in St. George. Shortly before the buildout was completed, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and SCL pivoted to become a regional COVID-19 testing center. Only three weeks after testing began, Brent died tragically and unexpectedly, leaving leadership of both companies to Dr. Gregory Prince, with whom Brent had worked since shortly after SCBR was founded. Dr. Prince assumed the CEO duties without compensation to preserve company resources.

Molecular biology suite, Atwood Innovation Plaza As the demand for COVID-19 testing skyrocketed, all personnel were pulled into SCL, and SCBR was effectively mothballed. Then, in the spring of 2021, as the first wave of vaccinations brought caseloads down, SCBR began to reemerge and resume its original mission: to do basic research on dark bacteria that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. In the process of reopening the research laboratory, which resides on the DSU campus, there was a re-sorting of the companies’ rosters along with new hires. When the rosters were finalized, it occurred to Dr. Prince that SCBR had an unusual profile. “We never had an intention of it happening, but one day, I realized that all of our salaried employees are women.” Indeed, here are the STEM women who make SCBR function successfully:

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Gift Ifijeh, Staff Scientist. A native of Nigeria, Gift graduated from DSU with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Kennedy Roché, Staff

Scientist. A native of Cedar City, Utah,

Kennedy graduated from DSU with a Bachelor of Science degree and served a summer fellowship at Stanford University.

Debra DeLoach, Director of Research. A native of Louisiana and Missouri, Debra obtained a PhD from the University of Bath, UK.

Madeline Mertz, Staff Scientist. A native of St. George, Utah, Madeline obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University.

Lisa Justesen, Chief Operating Officer. A native of St. George, Utah, Lisa graduated from DSU with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Sherra Carter, Director of Human Resources. A native of Luna, New Mexico, Sherra graduated from Eastern Arizona College. In addition to these employees, SCBR trains a steady stream of biology interns from DSU, with the large majority of them being women. “I see SCBR as a unique research lab that puts an emphasis on teaching opportunities, which is atypical for a majority of research institutions,” said Kennedy Roché, Soft Cell scientist. “Here at SCBR, all levels of academic achievement are represented, valued, and respected. The beginning of SCBR relied heavily on university students as a foundation for research fulfillment, and that is something we continue to nurture.” Dr. Debra DeLoach, Director of Research, whose career has transcended the gradual change in representation of women in science, noted, “Over the last three decades, the number of women receiving degrees in STEM has increased, but when you look at the proportion that go on to leadership positions, the numbers remain low. In the university setting, over 75 percent of full professorships are fulfilled by men. This trend persists in pharmaceutical and medical fields as well, where less than 17 percent of senior management positions are held by women. “As heartened as I am that we are encouraging more young women to enter STEM fields, I also find it troubling that there is still a glass ceiling when it comes to career advancement. I believe our company challenges that schema,” continued Dr. DeLoach. “We have many brilliant female scientists that are not only talented but are excellent role-models for the next generation of young women, and I am hopeful that our company is exemplary for shifting the leadership paradigm.”

Dr. Gregory A. Prince is CEO of Soft Cell Biological Research, a St. George, Utah, biotech company focused on chronic diseases linked to “dark bacteria.” He spent four decades in virus research, co-founding Virion Systems, Inc., serving as its CEO, and pioneering the standard of care for preventing RSV pneumonia in high-risk infants, Synagis®. He received doctoral degrees from UCLA (DDS, 1973; PhD, Pathology, 1975) and spent fifteen years at the National Institutes of Health prior to going into the biotech business. He has published over 150 scientific papers.