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CU Technology and Licensee Companies in the News
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Boulder's AmideBio Closes $575,000 Preferred Equity Financing
CU licensee AmideBio, which is focused on the production and commercialization of technically-challenging peptides for the R&D, clinical and therapeutic marketplaces, announced that it has closed a $575,000 preferred equity financing round. The company will use this capital to continue optimization of multiple peptide products utilizing AmideBio's innovative chemical and recombinant hybrid manufacturing technology.
CU Method Projected to Meet DOE Cost Targets for Solar Thermal Hydrogen Fuel
A report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy has concluded that a novel CU-method of producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight (developed by rrofessor Alan Weimer's research team) is the only approach among eight competing technologies that is projected to meet future cost targets set by the federal agency.
eCortex Awarded $1,500,000 Subcontract By HRL Laboratories
CU licensee eCortex, Inc., exclusive commercial licensee of the EmergentTM neural network simulation system, was awarded a $1.5M, 3.5-year subcontract to develop and support Emergent for HRL Laboratories in its ICArUS (Integrated Cognitive-Neuroscience Architectures for Understanding Sensemaking) program. HRL has also awarded a separate $1.5M in sponsored research funding to the CU-Boulder lab of Randall C. O'Reilly, inventor of the Emergent system.
Epilepsy Therapy Project Invests in ICVrx's Drug Delivery Technology for Refractory Epilepsy
Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP), a non-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate new therapies for people living with epilepsy and seizures, and CU licensee ICVrx, a company focused on novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, announced that ETP has made an investment in ICVrx to support the development of ICVrx's targeted epilepsy drug technology for patients whose seizures are not controlled by current therapies.
ARCA Biopharma Raises $5M for Drug's Clinical Trial
CU licensee ARCA Biopharma has raised $5Mn over the past month to help pay for a clinical trial for its personalized cardiology drug. The company has issued new equity and reached a licensing deal, raising money that will be put toward a phase 3 clinical trial testing its drug, bucindolol hydrochloride, for use treating atrial fibrillation.
Samsung, RealD to License New 3D Technology
Samsung and 3D company RealD are teaming up to license a new, full-resolution 3D technology to consumer electronics makers. Discussed at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, the new technology promises better and brighter image quality. (RealD acquired CU licensee ColorLink, which helped develop the optical filter technology underlying RealD's theater displays, in 2007.)
Nuron Biotech Selects the Merck BioManufacturing Network
Nuron Biotech has selected the Merck BioManufacturing Network in the U.K. to manufacture large scale GMP clinical supplies of NU100 and undertake process validation leading to long-term commercial operations. NU100 is a proprietary recombinant human interferon beta compound being developed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Nuron Biotech plans to take NU100 into Phase III clinical trials in 2011. The manufacturing process uses a novel large scale pressure refold technology developed by CU licensee BaroFold, Inc. and exclusively licensed to Nuron Biotech, Inc. for beta interferons.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Expanding Markets Point to Bigger Profits
Alexion is deploying its cash flow to expand its pipeline. In Q1, it acquired two developmental biotech companies: Taligen Therapeutics and Orphatec Pharmaceuticals. Taligen (a CU licensee) is a pre-clinical company seeking to treat ophthalmic diseases including age-related macular degeneration, which affects about 30% of those 75 or older, according to NIH.
CU-Boulder Leading Study of Wind Turbine Wakes
While wind turbines primarily are a source of renewable energy, they also produce wakes of invisible ripples that can affect the atmosphere and influence wind turbines downstream -- an issue being researched in a newly launched study led by the University of Colorado Boulder's Julie Lundquist, assistant professor in the atmospheric and oceanic sciences department. Scientists and wind energy developers will use results of the study to better understand power production and increase the productivity of wind farms.
CU Study: Iloprost Improves Lung Damage in Nonsmokers
Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center have shown that six months of oral iloprost, a prostaglandin analogue, significantly reversed endobronchial dysplasia (a precursor to the development of smoking-related lung cancer) in former smokers. Lead researcher Paul Bunn is the executive director of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the James Dudley endowed professor of lung cancer research at the CU Cancer Center.
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| People | |
TTO Welcomes Molly Markley, Life Sciences Licensing Associate
Molly is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law, where she focused on intellectual property law, including patents, copyright, and strategies for protecting and licensing IP. As a member of the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, Molly worked with local entrepreneurs, helping them structure and operate their businesses. Throughout her time in law school, Molly interned at TTO's Anschutz Medical Campus location, where she engaged in license agreement drafting and patentability analyses of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. Prior to attending law school, Molly received an M.S. in Biomedical Science from Colorado State University and a B.S. in Human Development from Cornell University.
Podcast: Drs. Malik Kahook and Naresh Mandava, Anschutz Medical Campus Inventors of the Year
W3W3 radio spoke with Malik Kahook, an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, and Naresh Mandava, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, about their work developing novel treatments for eye diseases. "I think collaboration is key. I think being passionate about what you're researching is key. Malik and I are fortunate in what we do is taking care of patients every day, we know where the holes are in terms of traditional modalities of treatment we have for diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration and really we are very passionate about what we do. You have to be driven, have a goal in mind and don't be afraid to fail." Listen to the podcast or view an archive of all TTO podcasts..
Lucy Sanders Appointed to U.S. Commerce Department Innovation Advisory Board
Lucy Sanders, CEO and co-founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (headquartered at CU-Boulder), has been appointed to the new Innovation Advisory Board that will guide a study of U.S. economic competitiveness and innovation to help inform national policies at the heart of U.S. job creation and global competitiveness. Sanders also serves as Executive-in-Residence for CU-Boulder's ATLAS Institute.
Grant Funds Novel Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment
A University of Colorado Cancer Center research team has received a prestigious grant to help find a way to stop a gene that causes a particularly virulent form of breast cancer. The team, led by Heide Ford and Rui Zhao, is attempting to find a way to inhibit Six1, a gene whose expression is normally restricted primarily to embryonic tissue but causes breast cancer tumors when re-activated outside the womb. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the American Association for Cancer Research recently awarded Ford one of only two Grants for Translational Breast Cancer Research to help fund this work. (See more info on the Ford/Zhao technology portfolio (PDF).)
School of Medicine Researcher Wins Gates Foundation Grant to Study Preeclampsia
University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher Mahua Choudhury, hoping to find the cause of preeclampsia in pregnant women, won a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Thursday which funds innovative global health and development projects. Choudhury hopes to develop an epigenic tool to predict pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia.
Two CU-Boulder Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Two CU-Boulder faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, a top honor recognizing scientists and engineers for distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. James Hynes, a professor in CU-Boulder's chemistry and biochemistry department, and Jun Ye, an adjoint professor in CU-Boulder's physics department, are the only Colorado scientists elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2011. Ye also is a fellow of JILA, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and a fellow at NIST.
CU, MIT Top Universities for Department of Energy Early Career Research Awards
Three CU-Boulder professors will receive five-year, $750,000 grants as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Early Career Research Program, created in 2010 to bolster the nation's scientific workforce with top young researchers. The three CU-Boulder winners (Alireza Doostan, aerospace engineering; Minhyea Lee, physics; Alexis Templeton, geological sciences) were among 65 winners nationwide selected by the DOE in 2011. They join four other CU-Boulder faculty selected in 2010, making CU-Boulder and MIT tops in the country with seven faculty each in the DOE Early Career Research Program.
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TTO's Learning Laboratory: The Student Connection
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Boulder MBA Interns
Jacob Todd is a first-year MBA candidate at CU-Boulder's Leeds School of Business with a concentration in finance. He joined TTO's Boulder team in May 2011, and is assisting the licensing group by performing market and patent research fo novel chemicals and materials developed at CU. Before beginning his MBA, Jacob worked in the biotechnology industry; as an employee of Gilead Sciences, he designed and performed high-throughput screens to discover drugs to treat heart disease and viral infection. Jacob graduated with a B.A. in Biochemistry from Reed College and a M.S. in Biochemistry from CU-Boulder.
Jeff Schreier is an MBA student at the Leeds School of Business with concentrations in marketing and finance. He joined TTO in May 2011. Jeff works to assess the business case and marketability of a variety of technologies developed at CU. His interests are in finding creative ways to turn research into practical applications faster, particularly within the biosciences. Jeff has prior experience in the medical device industry and in research topics varying from electromyography to stroke outcome prediction. Jeff has a B.S. from Boston University in Biomedical Engineering.
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| Upcoming Events | |
3rd Annual Rocky Mountain New Energy Markets Summit
May 25, Ritz-Carlton, Denver
An afternoon of panel discussions and presentations on energy in the marketplace. Discussions include a global market overview, interplay of natural gas with new energy, new economics with new energy, emerging businesses with financial models in the solar marketplace.
Women in Tech - A Day of Professional Growth
June 3, Botanic Gardens, Denver
Join your women-in-technology peers for the first annual CSIA WIT Conference. This day conference will be filled with content-learning sessions, breakfast and lunch, networking, and fun!
Cleantech Colorado: Emerging Cleantech Companies and Trends
June 7, Deloitte, Denver
Join the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA), Deloitte and Cleantech Group to learn more about the investment trends and cleantech companies shaping the future of the cleantech industry, and the Rocky Mountain region. Cleantech Group's Research Director Josh Gould will be presenting the investment trends, insights and opportunities for growth.
Boulder/Denver New Technology Meetup Group
June 7, 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.
CBSA Strategic Financing and Investor Relations Symposium
June 9, Brown Palace, Denver
This symposium presented by the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) will feature panels on Innovation in Biotech, Investor Relations, The Future of the Venture Capitalist and Financing Alternatives to Venture Capital.
CBSA BioScience Bogey Tournament
June 13, Fox Hollow Golf Course, Lakewood
The 8th annual BioScience Bogey offers a great day of golf with prime networking opportunities. Hosted by the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA).
Future Leaders of Research Event (Call for Sponsors)
June 15, CU-Boulder
The inaugural CU-Boulder Future Leaders of Research Event brings together academia, industry, and government to offer a unique window into ground-breaking research at The University of Colorado and associated Federal institutions. Currently seeking posters and sponsors at all levels - click here for sponsorship info or here for info about submitting a research abstract.
10th Annual Bard Center for Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition
June 16, Hilton Garden Inn, Denver
The first Bard Center Business Plan Competition was held in 2002 and the event has been growing ever since. Over the past decade the contest has spawned hundreds of business plans, and winners and non-winners alike have implemented their plans and started successful enterprises.
To have your event featured here, please send an email to TTOnews@cu.edu.
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| Innovation in the News | |
2011 Cleantech Open Call for Applications
The Cleantech Open is a nationwide business competition aimed at finding, fostering and funding the big ideas that address today's most urgent energy, environmental, and economic challenges. Since its inception in 2006, nearly 400 promising teams have availed themselves of the Cleantech Open's one-of-a-kind hands-on workforce development, nurturing, and funding programs. The application deadline is May 24, 2011. For more information about eligibility and entering, please go to the Cleantech Open website or contact Brad Wright, Rocky Mountain Recruitment Chair.
Colorado 8th in VC Dollars and Deals by State in 2010
SSTI has prepared a table of state venture capital deals and dollars invested from 1995 to 2010. View the dollars by state table and the deals by state table. Colorado ranked 8th for VC dollars and 7th for number of deals in 2010.
University Patents and Our Forgotten Entrepreneurs
Today, universities do a brisk business licensing patents to small, technology-based businesses. Each year, roughly half of the patent licenses that universities sign are to small technology-based firms managed by regional entrepreneurs. These small firms employ fewer than 500 employees, offer their regions high quality technology jobs, and transform early-stage university research into innovative products or services.
Feds Ramp Up New Efforts to Spawn Rare Disease R&D
The National Institutes of Health this fall will open a center to speed genetic discoveries into usable therapies, doing some of the riskiest early-stage research in hopes companies then will step in.
Roundup: University, Community, State, National and International Initiatives
137 University Presidents Pledge to Expand Economic Development Efforts
A group of university presidents (including two University of Colorado chancellors) have signed a letter by the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship addressed to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. The letter highlights some of the ways universities are becoming involved in economic development and indicates a commitment to expand these efforts.
Russia: From 'Reset' to Tech Transfer
A major foreign policy goal of the Obama administration has been to "reset" U.S.-Russian relations, building ties between the two nations at all levels. Several Russian university presidents in April said that the closer relationship was helping them build much closer ties to American higher education, with a focus on expanding research collaboration and embracing something close to an American style of technology transfer - a relatively new development for Russia.
Duke University Forms $20M Fund to Back Biomedical Firms
Duke University has teamed up with the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to set up a $20M endowment to fund a program that focuses on establishing biomedical startups. The Fitzpatrick Foundation also offered additional funding for the endowment.
University City Science Center Receives $1M from EDA
Philadelphia's University City Science Center has been awarded a $1M grant by the U.S. EDA for its QED Proof-of-Concept Funding Program. The QED Program is a multi-institutional proof-of-concept program for life science technologies
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| External Resources | |
VCs, Big Pharma Join Forces to Tackle Market Challenges
Venture firms have generally had poor returns over the past decade. And Big Pharma has been rapidly trying to reinvent the way it brings new medicines to market. Both camps are under pressure to engineer major turnarounds, and now venture groups and large life sciences companies are putting their heads together to improve their fortunes.
Patent Office Freezes Hiring, Expansion on Budget Limits
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said it's putting off plans to open its first satellite office and will delay a program to speed inventors' applications after Congress limited the money the agency can spend. The program cuts include postponement of the first of a three-track program in which inventors pay extra fees to get a faster review of their applications, a scaling back of the agency's plan to improve its information technology system and a delay in opening an office in Detroit.
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| Parting Quote | You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
Richard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller, American engineer, designer and inventor
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