BellBrook Labs
BellBrook has been developing enabling HTS assays to accelerate enzyme-targeted drug discovery since 2006. Our Transcreener® and AptaFluor® HTS enzyme assays, the only HTS platforms for direct detection of nucleotides, enable simple, reliable inhibitor screening and profiling for thousands of different enzymes, including validated targets like kinases, as well as emerging targets like ATPases, GTPases, methyltransferases, cGAS, helicases, and glycosyltransferases. To keep pace with the increasing diversity of enzymes being targeted due to advances in genetic and computational methods, we recently introduced Enzolution™ HTS Enzyme Assays, complete solutions including validated recombinant enzymes, substrates, and optimized protocols, and powered by our reliable Transcreener detection reagents. In the past two years, we have built out a portfolio of Enzolution assays for enzymes involved in DNA damage repair and innate immune responses, including DNA and RNA helicases, oligoadenylate synthetases (e.g., cGAS), exonucleases, ectonucleotidases, and poly-ADP-ribosylation enzymes.
We have been providing products and services to the drug discovery community for over 20 years because we are passionate about the potential for modulating enzyme function to alleviate disease, and we welcome the technical challenges of developing robust HTS-compatible assays (in this regard, we may even be a bit nerdy). We know that having a convenient, robust and reliable biochemical assay can be the difference between winning or losing the race to a first-in-class drug molecule. And we are proud that our products and services have been used by hundreds of pharmaceutical, biotech and academic customers around the world to develop more effective drugs for treating cancer, metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, and other debilitating diseases.
BellBrook Labs’ office is located at 1232 Fourier Drive on Madison’s West side, in the beautiful state of Wisconsin, USA.
Management Team
Robert Lowery
Robert Lowery, PhD (CSO and Founder), who founded BellBrook in 2002, provides the overall scientific vision for the company, oversees R&D, and spearheads collaborative and grant-funded programs for new technology development. Bob received his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at UW-Madison in 1988. Prior to starting BellBrook, he served for ten years as Vice President of R&D at PanVera Corporation, and previously as Director of Manufacturing at Promega Corporation, both in Madison, Wisconsin. At PanVera, Bob was one of two individuals who led the development and commercialization of the first fluorescence-based HTS assays for nuclear receptors and protein kinases. Though Bob was born and raised in California’s Bay Area, he took to the pastoral beauty and seasonal changes of Wisconsin quickly and, following grad school, raised his own family in a rural setting outside of Madison. Outside of work, Bob loves outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, paddling, and pickleball; making great food and eating it with friends and family; and music, whether listening to talented musicians or playing and singing with anyone who is willing.
Traci Pretsch
Traci Pretsch (CFO) joined BellBrook in 2007 to institute accounting systems and ensure compliancy with NIH and SEC regulations as the company financed its growth. She has overall responsibility for all financial tracking and planning for the company and is the face of customer service, usually responding directly to sales inquiries and quote requests. Traci also manages BellBrook’s human resources functions along with various operational and administrative aspects including insurance, IT and facilities management. Traci graduated from Upper Iowa University in 1997 with a degree in Accounting. She was born and raised in Wisconsin and loves being close to family and friends. In her free time, Traci enjoys watching Wisconsin sports, playing a round of golf, and reading a good book.
Justin Brink
Justin Brink (President) has been working to discover, develop, and commercialize life science products for nearly 20 years. At BellBrook, Justin uses the latest market research and cutting-edge science to build new tools for discovering therapeutics for drug discovery researchers worldwide. He helps lead the manufacturing of robust, quality, and consistent assay kits while using digital marketing tools to connect our customer base to our latest products and services to help provide the right solutions to enable scientific discovery. Justin has a BS in Biology from Bemidji State University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Justin enjoys the outdoors, coaching, playing and watching sports, and spending time with family and friends. He has seen hundreds of rock concerts and enjoys discussing shows with the BellBrook crew.
