Josh Carpenter, CEO of Southern Research, presents the Catalyst program in the Alabama State House in Montgomery on Oct. 8, 2024. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector)
State officials in Montgomery Tuesday announced a new program aimed at providing free genetic testing and medical insights and linking patients to clinical trials across Alabama.
The program, known as Catalyst — unrelated to Gov. Kay Ivey’s Catalyst economic strategic plan — hopes to improve health care outcomes in rural Alabama by offering access to advanced genetic screenings and evaluations for certain chronic diseases, as well as promoting biomedical research in Alabama.
Josh Carpenter, CEO of Southern Research, a research organization leading the program, said people in Alabama’s five largest counties have the most access to clinical research and new medical developments. He said he wants to make new medical technologies accessible to all Alabamians, particularly those in rural and underserved areas. Depending on the screening results, patients could be matched with a clinical trial aimed at treating the chronic disease.