As part of the continued growth of CJB Applied Technologies, the company recently completed its state-of-the-art technology center. Located in the Miller Business Park in Lowndes County, the 10,000-square-foot center includes office, lab, and pilot plant areas, as well as a spacious greenhouse.
To support CJB’s contract development customers, the facility provides enhanced capabilities for formulation development and optimization, test method development, analytical testing, product performance testing, and commercial scale-up.
In 2015, CJB Industries established CJB Applied Technologies (CAT) to support the agriculture and specialty chemical markets with independent contract development services. CAT now serves these markets with chemical as well as biological product and process development services.
The new facility has fostered the need to hire additional personnel, including Jim Loar, chief commercial officer; Amanda Lupo, project specialist; and Dr. Nigel Chimbetete, scientist and head of the company’s new Bioconversions Lab.
In March, Salvus™, another part of the CJB family of companies, announced the commercialization of a novel interferometric platform that provides highly accurate detection of contaminants or pathogens in many industries.
Applicable in human and animal health, agriculture, water quality management, food processing, and the chemical and transportation industries, Salvus handheld contaminant detection technology requires training to operate and its hallmarks are exceptional speed, accuracy, and specificity.
The platform is proven to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with sensitivity and specificity comparable to molecular tests, as well as dozens of other potentially dangerous pathogens and chemical contaminants.
CJB: Salvus detection system
A lightweight, handheld analyzer with a disposable cartridge—both patent pending—the Salvus detection system is adaptable to many point-of-care and on-site uses ranging from airports and health care facilities to farm fields, and tanks and animal enclosures.
“We are excited to make Salvus detection technology available for a variety of industries,” says Clinton Beeland, president and CEO of Salvus and CJB. “We named the company Salvus, which is the Latin word for safe because it is our goal that, through this innovative technology, we can support and enhance the safety of people, animals, and the environment.”
The underlying technology leading to the Salvus detection device came from sponsored research conducted initially at the Georgia Tech Research Institute while exploring ways to improve pathogen and chemical detection throughout the food and agriculture industries. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic stimulated further research into diagnostics to address specific virus detection needs in human health during the crisis and beyond.
New Space: CJB Applied Technologies new location in the Miller Business Park in Lowndes County
According to Loar, the Salvus technology was fostered, promoted, and managed by CJB Applied Technologies until Salvus LLC became a separate company. “Salvus has its own facility in Valdosta,” he says. “CJB expects to continue to add services, technologies and businesses under the CJB umbrella, while maintaining its core focus to support its global agricultural and specialty chemical customer base.”