I’m both an University of Missouri faculty member and a privately-held biotech pharmaceutical companyPresident/Chief Scientific Officer (and company founder). Our company research bridges the gap between pure basic science and therapeutic drug development. As such, we do not specialize in a specific technique or anatomical structure, but are rather problem oriented in our research objectives.Our company business plan is to pursue veterinary drug development and commercialization as a "bridge" over the "Valley of Death" (i.e., the lengthy FDA approval process) in human therapeutic drug development. Our main drug candidate is an agent to suppress cachexia, the lean body mass wasting disorder associated with many chronic diseases such as cancer, renal failure, and chronic infections. Cachexia is the direct cause for up to 40% of cancer deaths in the U.S., and is probably a significant factor in many more deaths. The severity of cachexia is a significant factor in the response to cancer therapy. A second drug family (possibly several agents), coming along very quickly, are antimicrobial peptides to replace antibiotics in both production animals and humans. These peptides are based on innate immune system peptides of mammals. The goal in this project is to have antimicrobials with multiple antibacterial mechanisms of action. Thus, while an individual bacterium might be able to "escape" one mechanism, it will be susceptible to the others. Our company is funded by non-dilutive funding from the National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture, and Angel Investors, and private investment groups.