By SHAWN PIATEK
TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT BUSINESS WRITER

Windber, PA , January 17, 2006– Most of the unpacking is finished for Jay McClatchey and Andy Holland. But the owners of start-up Applied Computational Technologies still are finishing the final decorative touches at their new offices at Windber Research Institute. The Somerset County entrepreneurs moved into their quarters just before the new year. The company also will continue to lease space at its former offices in Somerset .

The company now has a working prototype of its flagship product – ProACTive, a software application. It is used in the radiation-treatment planning process, and the company claims it meets the same level of accuracy as the current industry standard, but at many times the speed. While the move to the technology hub could in itself be viewed as progress, another piece of good news – fresh capital – came at about the same time.

At Christmastime, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse informed Applied Computational Technologies it would invest $100,000 into the venture from its Technology Development Fund. “We have worked with them for quite a while – over a year, actually,” said McClatchey, ACT's chief executive officer. “They had provided us with some support prior to the investment, including market research.”

Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse is a venture capital company that performs research and invests state money into start-up companies in western Pennsylvania . It focuses on companies in the fields of bio-informatics, diagnostics, medical devices, medical robotics, nano-biotechnology, therapeutics, and tools and services.

Jim Jordan, an executive in residence with Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, said he has spent more than 150 hours working with Holland and McClatchey. The desire to succeed and dedication to a cause by McClatchey and Holland eventually clinched the decision to invest in ACT. “They sacrificed to a point where – I won't say they were eating bologna sandwiches and Ramen noodles – but were at a point where their families were cutting back on activities,” Jordan said. “Plus they have both had cancer in their families, which drives their desire to succeed. There are applications outside of medicine for this technology ... that are much easier to break into. But they stuck to what they feel is important – fighting cancer – and that gives you goose bumps.”

During the next several months, ACT plans to put ProACTive through rigorous testing. By year end, the company hopes to introduce the product to industry with hopes of it becoming a revenue-generating product within two years. In addition, McClatchey said ACT is involved in seeking more venture capital. The hope is to procure enough money that ACT can begin hiring staff – two to six employees – by year end. “Andy really wants to hire some people,” McClatchey said. “When you have one guy doing all of the tech work and one guy doing all of the business-related work, it gets pretty tough. “And if the funding is in place, perhaps we can increase our staff up to 10 in 2007.”