Roanoke’s reputation as a great place for biotech was in for a watershed moment when Rob Gourdie brought his trademark curiosity and passion to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in June 2012.
A cell biologist, Gourdie focuses on how cells in the body communicate with each other and applies that knowledge to treat disease.
Along the way, he has been awarded multiple research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his fundamental research program at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and has started three biotechnology companies, including two that are blossoming in the Roanoke area, to advance the discoveries made in his lab to applications and commercialization…