Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD), a developer of technologies for the diagnosis of farm animal diseases, hosted an open house at its new offices and laboratories on February 7. The open house event included a celebration of jobs created, brief presentation and demonstration of AAD technology by company leaders, as well as a tour of the new facility and ice cream refreshments. The company has created 37 jobs over the past year, including 17 full-time and five part-time positions locally as well as 15 part-time positions on dairies since the company closed an $11.3 million Series B round of equity financing in March 2011. The company's new headquarters include more than 4,000 square feet of office and laboratory space. Dale Carroll, deputy secretary and chief operating office of the North Carolina Department of Commerce presented a North Carolina state flag to AAD leadership in recognition of the company's job growth. "We're pleased that we've been able to create new jobs and grow a first-rate team in North Carolina and are even more excited about the contributions that AAD's technology will make to the dairy economy as our product improves milk quality and production for dairy farmers," said Joy Parr Drach, president & CEO of AAD. AAD is an innovative R&D company dedicated to bringing highly accurate, rapid animal diagnostic tests to the farm. The company's first on-farm product will focus on improving milk production and quality by detecting mastitis. AAD is currently conducting on-farm trials on dairies to assess economic and animal health benefits of its technology ahead of planned commercialization in late 2012. The company commercialized its first product, the QuickSmear™ rapid differential slide for researchers, in 2009. Awards were presented to AAD's three founders at the open house event in recognition of their vision and dedication to the company since its creation in 2001. Rudy Rodriguez currently serves as AAD's chief scientific officer. Charlie Galanaugh was the company's first chairman of the board, and Victor Minton was a board member of the company. AAD was founded in 2001 and started with a USDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. It received funding from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center including a Collaborative Funding Grant for research at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. The company closed an $11.3 million Series B round of equity financing in March 2011. The financing was led by Intersouth Partners and included Novartis Venture Funds as well as private investors. Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) is an innovative company designed to enhance the profitability of livestock production and ensure a safe, abundant supply of animal protein by developing highly accurate, rapid diagnostics to detect and manage disease states, reproductive, nutritional and overall health status of production animals. The firm's first product is a rapid, on-farm diagnostic test for earlier, more accurate detection of mastitis in dairy cows. For more information about AAD, please visit www.aadiagnostics.com. 2.10.2012