Those Little Piggies Brought Indiana's Cook Biotech to Market and Created Need for Plant Expansion

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Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Cook Biotech Incorporated (West Lafayette, Indiana), a company of the privately-held Cook Group (Bloomington, Indiana), has completed the construction of a $7 million expansion project within the Purdue Research Park. Located on a site behind Cook's existing facility, the new 55,000 square foot building accommodates both biomaterial manufacturing and research and development.

Considered a pioneer in the emerging field of tissue engineering, Cook is one of a small number of companies to have successfully made it to the marketplace with their products. The company has received over ten approvals from the Food and Drug Administration for medical products derived from pig intestines, with a variety of uses, including wound care, burn management, hernia repair, urological surgery, and general surgery.

Cook manufactures its biomaterial products using its proprietary Small Intestinal Submucosa (SIS) technology, which was originally discovered by Purdue University researchers. SIS is a natural biomaterial, removed from a specific portion of a pig's small intestine and then processed into strong, sterile, pliable sheets that provide a healthy environment for cell attachment and growth. SIS helps guide the natural growth of new tissue (skin) and works as a "scaffolding" for surrounding cells that facilitate the repair of damaged tissues.

Construction of the new facility began in 2003, which will allow Cook to eventually expand its current workforce of 80 to 200. The building provides laboratory, product development, and office space, as well as a cleanroom production floor.

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