Cardinal Biologicals expands life sciences research in Missouri
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Cardinal Biologicals is expanding and bringing more life sciences research into Missouri.
A medical grade biologics producer called Cardinal Biologicals, headquartered in Cape Girardeau, has announced that they will be expanding throughout the state.
Anthony Dunning is the Director of Operations at Cardinal Biologicals. He explains that the company was founded in 1988 in Tyler, Texas and has been headquartered in Cape Girardeau, Missouri since 2019 with the help of Paul Pfeiffer, President and CEO of Cardinal Biologicals. Now through a 2.74-million-dollar investment the company is expanding headquarters in Missouri to Joplin and Springfield and adding a new water-based lab consumables production line to the Cape Girardeau location. Bringing several new jobs to each site.
“If there’s human biological samples you need help with, we can connect the dots between the donor and those researchers” says Dunning.
Cardinal Biologicals is more than 30 years old and specializes in the life science market. They gain access to things like fluids, organs, and bio-specimens from medical facilities and connect them to researchers, education facilities, crime labs and more.
The water-based lab addition will allow for the sterilizing and processing of specimen at the Cape Girardeau location.
The groundbreaking research being done at Cardinal Biologicals is being called ‘revolutionary. The company is set to attend the 2025 MEDICA Fair in November. MEDICA 2025 will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, led by DED’s International Trade and Investment Office. MEDICA is the world’s largest medical-technology fair and showcases innovation in healthcare and life-science.
The event is expected to feature more than 5,300 exhibitors from 70 countries and attract 83,000 visitors, offering companies access to international buyers, distributors, and decision-makers.
“Our researchers, we’re advancing medicine. We’re taking again, trash and turn it into treasure or connecting the donors to our researchers to make further developments during drug testing and, IVD kits, you name it, you have to be able to connect those dots” says Dunning.
Dunning shares details on their birth tissue program, that essentially turns after–birth placentas into skin grafts.
“Mom is approached at the hospital and simply asked what they’d like to do with their placenta after they give birth. The placenta is considered an organ, so it’s very, very similar to organ and tissue donation through your OPO’s and we are federally regulated, follow all the standards for these types of collections and is considered, in most cases a transplantable item because they use these to create skin patches for a variety of different, applications like skin grafts for burn victims.”
Dr. Kathleen Holland is the Chief Science Officer and Medical Director of Cardinal Biologicals.
She shares another innovative research project they are working on called HAMA.
“That stands for Human Anti Mouse Antibodies” says Holland. “Anyone who handles livestock or works in a laboratory with mice and rats and rodents of any kind, really, or anybody who does a lot of cleaning of old buildings and things, or they’re exposed to mice feces, and you end up breathing them in without knowledge, but you end up with antibodies to malice in your blood. That blood is very valuable in the scientific research community, because it acts as a blocking antibody, for many medical devices.”
Holland shares that the research being done at Cardinal Biologicals is providing lifesaving bio-medical advancements.
“Cardinal Biologicals brings up so much of that new technology to Cape Girardeau and even if it’s planting the seed for the expansion of that area of industry in Cape Girardeau, then it’s really well worth all of the investment” says Holland.
The company received the support of Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, and Semo Redi has played a big part in helping with expansion of Cardinal Biologicals. Lucas Presson is the Director of business growth and innovation at Semo Redi and he says a big part of what Semo Redi aims to do is help grow businesses in Southeast Missouri and help bring businesses to the area.
“Great Cape Girardeau headquartered business, that continues to expand and really do its innovative things here” says Presson.
Cardinal Biologicals Inc. – Supplying Medical Researchers since 1988 IRB APPROVED
