TTO logo 2011
TTO Monthly Newsletter

February 2011 - Vol 7, Issue 7 

What's Inside
Tech Spotlight
Today at the TTO
CU Technology in the News
People
The Student Connection
Upcoming Events
Innovation in the News
External Resources
Parting Quote
Links

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Spotlight On:

CU-Boulder Technology of the Month:

 

Method for Radical Polymerization of Unactivated Alkenes 

 

CU-Anschutz Medical Campus Technology of the Month:

 

Peptides for Modulating T-Cell Activity, for Treatment of Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease   

 

Recently at the TTO

Taligen Therapeutics Acquired by Alexion Pharma in $111M Buyout

Taligen Therapeutics, a licensee of the University of Colorado, was acquired recently by Cheshire, CT-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $111 million and contingent payments. Taligen, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, has been focused on the discovery and development of novel protein therapeutics. Taligen's portfolio includes monoclonal antibodies and recombinant fusion proteins that target key factors in the alternative pathway of the complement system, which Taligen's founders, including CU Professor V. Michael Holers, M.D., of the University of Colorado School of Medicine (Anschutz Medical Campus) have validated as an important amplification loop in the inflammation process. Former Taligen CEO Abbie Celniker, Ph.D., will head up Alexion's new Translational Medicine Group, which will accelerate development of Taligen's pre-clinical product candidates. Taligen was founded in March 2004 and was a recipient of CU's first round of proof-of-concept investments in 2005. In 2008 Taligen received the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office bioscience company of the year award. The company's most recent funding was a Series B funding round lead by Clarus Ventures, Alta Partners, Sanderling Ventures and Colorado-based High Country Venture.

 

Soligenix Executes Exclusive License with CU for Vaccine Thermostabilization Technology

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has entered into a definitive license agreement with the University of Colorado (CU) for novel technology for use in the development of subunit vaccines with long-term stability, including stability at elevated temperatures. Soligenix has been developing this stabilization technology under an option-to-license agreement from CU that was initiated to support the technology development efforts funded by a $9.4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The underlying technology has been developed by Drs. Amber Clausi, John Carpenter and Theodore Randolph at CU. (Read the full release from Soligenix.)

 

AmideBio Licenses CU Alzheimer's Disease Treatment

TTO and AmideBio, LLC have completed an agreement giving AmideBio exclusive rights to commercialize drug candidates for Alzheimer's disease discovered at CU's Boulder campus. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the U.S., and the fifth-leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older. An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have AD. Current treatments address the symptoms of AD, but do not target the underlying disease. A CU research group led by Michael Stowell, Ph.D. (an associate professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology) has recently discovered a novel molecular target that is disrupted and degraded very early in the disease; the team believes that strategies to prevent the disruption and degradation of this target could prove critical in effectively treating the disease at an early stage. Stowell's group is currently pursuing a new class of drugs that will prevent the disruption and degradation of this target and hopes to begin testing efficacy in the coming year. (Read the full press release.)

 

CBSA Releases Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Report

The Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program (BDEGP) was created in 2006 by the Colorado General Assembly to grow the bioscience industry in the state. The goal was to stimulate jobs and create new bioscience companies based on promising discoveries made at the state's major research institutions. This report (PDF) from the Colorado BioScience Association highlights grants and infrastructure funded by the program, and provides a return-on-investment fact sheet.

CU Technology and Licensee Companies in the News

OPXBIO Rapidly Achieves BioAcrylic Commercial Goals

CU licensee OPX Biotechnologies Inc. (OPXBIO), a renewable chemical and biofuel company, recently announced that it has achieved the commercial bioprocess performance and cost goals for its first product, BioAcrylic. In just 18 months of pilot-scale development, OPXBIO has demonstrated a manufacturing process for making performance-equivalent BioAcrylic that is lower cost and more sustainable than petroleum-based acrylic.

 

Measles Vaccine: Inhaled, Not Injected

A dry powder measles vaccine that is inhaled rather than injected could help protect children in developing countries where giving conventional vaccination safely is often difficult. The new vaccine (currently being developed by CU licensee AKTIV-DRY) was studied in rhesus macaques for a Jan. 31 report published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

SFC Fluidics Gets More NSF Funding for ePump System

CU licensee SFC Fluidics has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support continued refinement and commercialization of the company's ePump technology, an innovative, pulse-free pumping system that enables researchers and instrumentation manufacturers to move very small volumes of fluid (nanoliters to microliters) with a high degree of precision and accuracy.

 

MedShape Solutions Recognized by SBA for Exceptional Innovation in Medical Device Research

CU licensee MedShape Solutions, the industry leader in innovative shape memory orthopedic devices, today announced that it has received a Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for its innovative shape memory medical devices. These prestigious awards, named for Roland Tibbetts, (acknowledged as the father of the Small Business Innovation Research - SBIR - Program), are presented to small businesses and individuals who represent excellence in achieving the mission and goals of the SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, and that have advanced technological innovation and economic growth.

 

UC Denver Gene Test Shows Which Bladder Cancer Patients may have Cancer Spread

Cancer scientists have designed the first molecular test to predict which bladder cancer patients may have cancer involvement in their lymph nodes at the time of surgery-which could help doctors determine which patients are good candidates for pre-surgical, or neo-adjuvant, chemotherapy.

 

CU: Personalizing Medicine

A federal grant totaling $2.2M shows how the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Anschutz Medical Campus are using technology to advance the cutting-edge field of personalized medicine -- tailoring treatments to the individual based on their genetic make-up. The grant also highlights the commitment of the school's Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) to bring scientific discoveries to the bedside and to train the next generation of researchers.

People

Podcast: Dr. Lauren Constantini, Business Advisor of the Year

W3W3 radio spoke with TTO 2010 Business Advisor of the Year Lauren Constantini about her work with bioscience technologies developed at CU. "TTO has done a spectacular job of helping identify the technologies within the university that are important. Helping those technologies mature is not just taking something from the bench and telling those investigators what may help move them through, but also connecting those investigators with people in the VC world or even the pharmaceutical world, or key opinion leaders." Listen to the podcast, or view an archive of all TTO podcasts. 

 

AmideBio's Misha Plam Receives SBA Award for Exceptional Innovation

CU licensee AmideBio, LLC has announced that its co-founder and CEO, Dr. Misha Plam, has received the Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for his distinguished record of entrepreneurship and innovation and for his contributions in promoting the SBA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in the U.S. and abroad, especially in Russia and China.

 

Hickenlooper Taps Oracle Executive Kristin Russell for CIO Job

Gov. John Hickenlooper in early February named Oracle executive Kristin Russell to the newly created position of "secretary of technology" and also said she'll be his chief information officer. "Kristin Russell understands what technology companies need and how they fit into our state's economic recovery," Hickenlooper said. Russell holds a degree in international affairs from the University of Colorado and is a graduate of CU's Colorado Executive Development in Residence program. She also serves on the board of CSIA -- Colorado's Technology Association -- and has served on the boards for the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and the CU-Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) Leadership Council.

 

Scott & White Healthcare Receives $1.5M to Fund Clinical Trials of Viral Genetics' Metabolic Disruption Treatments for Drug Resistant Cancers 

Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, Texas has received an anonymous gift of $1.5M that will go toward cancer cell research led by M. Karen Newell Rogers, Ph.D, director of the Center for Cell Death and Differentiation at Scott & White and Texas A&M Health Science Center, and lead scientist at CU licensee Viral Genetics. (See also: Viral Genetics' Researcher Set to Share Award.)

 

5 Questions for Mike Rosenberg, VP at OPX Biotechnologies 

OPX Biotechnologies, founded by Micheal Lynch and Ryan Gill of Boulder in 2007, makes bio-based acrylics, which are used in a variety of consumer products today, including diapers and paint. The bio-based acrylics allow for a transition from current petrolatum-based products to more sustainable and renewable products.

 

Young UCCC Researcher Wins National Lung Cancer Partnership Grant for Screening Work 

Celine Mascaux, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, was just named a winner of the prestigious National Lung Cancer Partnership Young Investigator Grant for the development of a simple, non-invasive test that would diagnose lung cancer in its very earliest stages or even while it's still pre-cancerous.

 

Do you know of a recent award, new position or transition of interest to the CU tech community? Please send information to [email protected].

TTO's Learning Laboratory: The Student Connection

Renewable Energy Research Interns

Christopher Wolf and Fletcher Richman recently joined TTO and CU-Boulder's Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) to help expand CU's portfolio of licensable technologies related to renewable energy (wind, solar, biofuels, efficiency and storage). Fletcher and Wolf will work with CU researchers in these areas to investigate and summarize technology partnering opportunities, both from a technical perspective and with respect to emerging market opportunities.

 

Wolf is a first-year MBA student at CU-Boulder's Leeds School of Business, focusing on sustainability and social entrepreneurship; he is also completing CU-Boulder's graduate energy certificate program. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Prior to business school, Wolf worked as a process engineer and research scientist in the consumer products industry, and more recently spent over two years teaching English as a second language in South America. He hopes to build on his technological and international background to help commercialize global energy solutions.

 

Richman is a first-year undergrad in CU-Boulder's Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering department. He is developing a focus in Renewable Energy Systems. A Colorado native, Richman was valedictorian at Basalt High School. He plans to complete CU-Boulder's undergraduate energy certificate program and is currently participating in CU's President's Leadership Class program.


Upcoming Events

RETool: Session II - Understanding Smart Grids

February 18, CU-Boulder

An intensive, four-day certificate program offered by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at CU-Boulder that provides an in-depth look at renewable energy technologies and policies. Participants may take all four courses to earn a RETool Renewable Energy Certificate, or may take courses individually.

 

CBSA Science Seminar: Cardiovascular Research 

February 23, Scientific Education and Research Institute, Thornton

Learn about the exciting cardiovascular research being conducted in the state and what companies are working on in the field. Hosted by the Colorado BioScience Association. Peter Buttrick, MD (Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver Division Head, Cardiology and S. Gilbert Blount Endowed Chair) will present his research, along with company discussions from ValveXchange, ARCA bioPharma, miRagen Therapeutics and ST Cardio.

 

Boulder/Denver New Technology Meetup Group 

March 1, CU- Boulder
This ongoing event provides a forum for technologists and entrepreneurs to showcase the new (especially web-based) technology developing in Boulder/Denver tech community. Five companies have five minutes each to demonstrate their new technology, followed by five minutes for Q&A from the audience.

 

Entrepreneurship Under the Microscope 

March 9, CU-Boulder

Hosted annually by TTO and the Leeds School of Business' Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, this luncheon recognizes and celebrates innovation and commercialization around the CU campus and beyond. Meet and network with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and business community members, and learn about CU faculty entrepreneurship successes. Speakers will include Larry Gold, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology; Amy Cosper, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur.com; and OPX Biotechnologies, a venture-backed CU-Boulder spinoff company making renewable bio-based chemicals and fuels. CU faculty and staff register here; all others may purchase tickets for $30 here.

 

Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels Professional Short Course 

March 9-10, Golden

The biannual C2B2 Professional Short Course provides experienced scientists, engineers, and other industry members with exposure to the fundamental challenges, developing technologies and on-going field innovations. Experience a personal workshop setting, and learn from expert instructors from CU, CSU, Mines and NREL. Course participants gain knowledge in each of C2B2's six (6) research thrust areas. Tours of C2B2 facilities at Mines and NREL will be provided to provide all participants with in situ learning opportunities to enhance workshop discussions. Register online.

 

New Venture Challenge Championships
March 10, CU-Boulder
The third annual CU New Venture Challenge Championships are a showcase event for entrepreneurship on campus. With over $30,000 in prizes, the business teams that will present their final plans at the Championships represent some of the most innovative ideas and motivated individuals in town.

 

CSIA Presents: C-Level @ A Mile High 

March 10, Invesco Field, Denver

A total of more than 50 CIOs, VPs of IT, and other top technology C-Levels will be accessible to meet and network with you! And, if you want to secure one-on-one time with a "Celebrity," you can bid on guaranteed future time. This event is designed to stimulate the relationships and business between Colorado companies.

 

RETool: Session III - Renewable Transportation Energy 

March 18, CU-Boulder

An intensive, four-day certificate program offered by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at CU-Boulder that provides an in-depth look at renewable energy technologies and policies. Participants may take all four courses to earn a RETool Renewable Energy Certificate, or may take courses individually.

 

Save the Date: BioBoulder 

March 29, Laudisio, Boulder

The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) and Snell & Wilmer would like to invite you to join us at the first BioBoulder event of 2011! Your colleagues in the biotechnology, medical device, bio-fuels and university community will be there - make sure you're there, too.

 

To have your event featured here, please send an email to [email protected].
Innovation in the News

Boulder, Colo.: Start-Up City

Boulder, Colo., is positioning itself as a prime destination for entrepreneurs, thanks in part to startup accelerator Techstars. Part of CNBC's "Opportunity USA" road trip across America featuring areas of the country that are making money. (See also: CU-Boulder Chancellor DiStefano appears on CNBC's 'Squawk Box' Program.)

 

The Role of Public-Sector Research in the Discovery of Drugs and Vaccines
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that public-sector research institutions have contributed to the discovery of 9.3-21.2% of all drugs involved in new-drug applications approved during the period from 1990 through 2007. This study also suggests that PSRIs tend to discover drugs that have a disproportionately important clinical effect. (Further commentary at Nature.com.)

 

University Professors Don't Have to be Entrepreneurs

To bridge the disconnect between people involved with managing university inventions and technologies, we need to delve into why stakeholders offer such widely varying suggestions for improving the process.

 

Roundup: University, Community, State, National and International Initiatives

  

NIH Chief Proposes Drug Development Center 

 NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins has proposed the establishment of the National Center for   

 Advancing Translational Sciences to help discover and develop new drugs that could draw  

 investments from the pharmaceutical industry. The planned drug research center may pull in  

 more than $1B in funding from Congress and comes as major drugmakers continue to cut  

 spending on research and development.


External Resources

'Sputnik Moment'? A Report Card for U.S. Cities

With President Barack Obama urging America to respond to a new "Sputnik moment" by investing in innovation to create jobs, New Scientist decided to see which US cities are already pulling their weight in high-tech invention - and which ones need to play catch-up. (See also: Global Race for Innovative Technology is Heating Up, Denver Post).

 

The Cost of Obtaining a Patent in the U.S.

It might be useful to start with a discussion of those types of things that will influence the anticipated cost of preparing and filing a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

 

New Study Shows the Rate of Drug Approvals Lower than Previously Reported

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Industry Analysis and BioMedTracker announced results of a study (PDF) that shows the overall success rate for drugs moving through clinical trials to FDA approval from late 2003 to the end of 2010 is near one in 10. Previous reports, taken from earlier years, showed the rate of drug approvals is one in five to one in six.

 

The New Normal for Biotech Startups

The structural changes roiling the pharmaceutical sector are driving innovation of biotech business models. With shrinking operating margins, patent expirations, a paucity of new product launches, significant reimbursement pressure, and an unpredictable regulatory environment, Big Pharma's high risk bets on early stage biotechs of the past decade look cavalier through the lens of the current market environment.

 

A Return to Normalcy: MoneyTree Tracks Venture Funding Gains in 2010

Venture funding during the fourth quarter of 2010 amounted to $5B in 765 deals nationwide, according to the MoneyTree Report from the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and PricewaterhouseCoopers, based on data from Thomson Reuters. That represents a 6.8% drop in dollars invested and an 11% decline in deal count compared with the same quarter of 2009. However, the numbers mark a 2% increase in dollars in comparison with the third quarter of 2010. Venture investors said in a conference call with reporters that they're sensing a return to normalcy amid a broader economic recovery and as the capital markets relax from the clampdown that began in 2007.

Parting Quote

 

"The silly question is the first intimation of some totally new development."

Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher


University of Colorado's Office of Technology Transfer Mission Statement

The mission of the CU Technology Transfer Office is to aggressively pursue, protect, package, and license to business the intellectual property generated from the research enterprise, and to serve faculty, staff, and students seeking to create such intellectual property.

(303) 735-3711
[email protected]
http://www.cu.edu/techtransfer