How a Decision by a Major Company is Going to Have a Very Positive Impact on Missoula, Montana’s Economy

Jay Evans http://hs.umt.edu/dbs/people/researchLecturers.php?s=Evans4801 was surprised when he got the call. His employer of 15 years, GlaxoSmithKline, had decided to reorganize and close its R&D operations in Hamilton, Montana and open a new R&D Center on the East Coast. The 27 employees would be laid off or could apply for positions in the new GSK R&D Center. Most of the employees had worked together for 15-20 years. The experienced R&D Team from Hamilton had a difficult decision, relocate their families and leave the beautiful state of Montana or find another solution.

The love of living in Montana was powerful and the team launched an effort to stay here and continue the research they have pioneered over the last 35 years – "discover and develop novel vaccines, adjuvants and immunotherapeutics."

The end result of these efforts is that the team of senior researchers will stay in Montana and not only start a new company Inimmune Corporation http://www.inimmune.com but also develop The Center for Transitional Medicine at the University of Montana to assist other researchers who want to move their research into Clinical Trials and eventual commercialization.

The Center for Transitional Medicine at the University of Montana is under development so stay tuned for new announcements.

Both are going to have a major impact on Montana’s economy.

About Inimmune (http://www.inimmune.com)

Inimmune is a biotech company in Missoula, MT focused on the discovery and development of new immunomodulatory therapeutics for treatment of Allergic Diseases, Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, Topical Treatment of Skin Diseases and other diseases targeted through innate immune receptor activation or inhibition. Inimmune will also provide fee-based contract services to pharmaceutical industry partners in support of ongoing R&D and Manufacturing Operations. Inimmune is strongly affiliated with the University of Montana and will seek to commercialize technologies from a newly formed cross-functional Center for Translational Medicine at the University. The Inimmune management team includes 5 Ph.D. scientists from GSK Vaccines with over 70 years combined biotech and pharmaceutical industry experience along with highly experienced scientific and technical staff.

Their offices are located in the MonTEC center in Missoula.

About Jay

Dr. Evans is the President and CEO of Inimmune Corp., a biotech company in Missoula, MT focused on the discovery and development of new immunomodulatory therapeutics. Jay is also Research Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences and Director of the Center for Translational Medicine at the University of Montana. Prior to joining the University of Montana, Dr. Evans worked in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry for 15 years at GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines (formerly Corixa Corporation and Ribi ImmunoChem). While at GSK Vaccines, Dr. Evans worked on the discovery and development of novel vaccines, adjuvants and immunotherapeutics. Dr. Evans completed is Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital working HIV immunology, stem cell transplantation and vector-based gene therapy systems. Dr. Evans holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Oregon State University and a B.S. in Biology from Pacific Lutheran University.

Jay was raised in the Northwest where he developed an appreciation for science and a love of the outdoors. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Tennessee and Texas he moved to the Bitterroot Valley in Western Montana to raise his family and work in the biotechnology industry while enjoying the vast outdoor recreational opportunities Montana has to offer. In January of 2016, Jay and a team of talented scientists from GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines (Hamilton, MT) moved their research program to the University of Montana and started a new biotechnology company in Missoula (Inimmune Corp).

Jay is married to Cindy Evans and has three kids (Tyler, Kaylee and Cole). In his free time Jay and enjoys spending time with his family camping, fishing, hiking, hunting and enjoying the Montana outdoors.