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CU Technology and Licensee Companies in the News
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MiRagen Lands $352M MicroRNA Development Pact with Servier
CU licensee miRagen Therapeutics has racked up its first big collaboration, inking a development pact with France's Servier for two of its top preclinical programs as well as a third, as yet unidentified, program. In exchange for commercialization rights outside the U.S. and Japan, miRagen gets $45M in an upfront payment, research support and near-term milestones, up to $352M in total milestones and double-digit royalties on approved products. (See also: Study: MiRagen Drug Improves Survival.)
New Technology Sheds Light on Blood
The basic technology that diagnostic labs use to analyze blood hasn't changed much in more than 30 years. For most tests, technicians add chemical reagents to a blood sample and cull data from the ensuing chemical reaction. CU licensee Claro Scientific is touting its new technology to test blood by using beams of light rather than chemicals.
Biofrontiers Institute to Mix Disciplines to Improve Care
A new institute approved by the University of Colorado Board of Regents will combine the work of physicians from different disciplines to create new therapies. The Biofrontiers Institute will draw input from CU faculty and researchers on all campuses, and will draw on work from chemists, computational biologists, physicists, computer scientists, engineers and a host of translational medicine researchers, according to university officials. The Biofrontiers Institute will be located in the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building on the CU-Boulder campus, and is scheduled to open in early 2012. The Biofrontiers Institute is an expansion of the Colorado Initiative in Molecular Biotechnology founded at CU-Boulder in 2003.
Researchers Close In On Lethal Breast Cancer Gene
A gene called Six1 plays a vital role in human development, directing an embryo's cells to divide and migrate to form organs and limbs. Once it has done its job, it is supposed to lie largely dormant. However, this powerful gene doesn't always stay slumbering. Reawakened in adult tissue, it becomes a killer. Six1 is present in 90 percent of all metastasized breast cancers, and is linked to the most lethal forms of ovarian, prostate, colon and brain cancers as well as the pediatric tumor rhabdomyosarcoma. For 15 years, Heide Ford, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been on the trail of Six1.
Magnetic Attraction: NIST/CU Microchip Demonstrates Concept of 'MRAM for Biomolecules'
Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and CU-Boulder have developed a low-power microchip that uses a combination of microfluidics and magnetic switches to trap and transport magnetic beads. The novel transport chip may have applications in biotechnology and medical diagnostics.
CU Wins Bid for National Solar Observatory HQ
The University of Colorado Boulder has been selected to host the headquarters for the National Solar Observatory, the nation's leading scientific research program in ground-based solar astronomy. The new CU-Boulder headquarters will be the primary science, instrument development and data analysis site for the new solar telescope.
Eight college teams, including three from Colorado, are vying for $35,000 in cash prizes and a title of best sports/outdoor business plan. The 2011 Sports/Outdoors Business Plan Competition is the brain child of Tom Duening, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. The competition attracted college teams from California, Utah, Missouri, Michigan and North Carolina, as well three Colorado teams; the winner will be announced at a banquet October 22 in Colorado Springs.
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TTO's Learning Laboratory: The Student Connection
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Sarah Austin, Marketing and Communications Assistant
Sarah started with TTO in early September, and works primarily on creating marketing materials for CU technologies, and researching and contacting potential licensees. She is also involved in drafting press releases announcing significant technology licensing events at CU, as well as assisting with other TTO communications initiatives. Sarah is currently pursuing a degree in English literature with a certificate in Technology, Arts, and Media. Her expected graduation date is December 2012.
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| People | |
Six University of Colorado Faculty Members Receive Distinguished Professor Designation
Six University of Colorado faculty members have been recognized as Distinguished Professors, the highest faculty honor at the university. Science faculty receiving this recognition were: Stephen I. Goodman, professor of pediatrics in the School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus; Peter M. Henson, professor of pharmacology, immunology and pathology in the School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus; E. Chester Ridgway, professor of endocrinology at the School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus; and Richard Traystman, vice chancellor for research, CU Denver, and professor in the School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus.
CU-Boulder Physics Professor Awarded Packard Fellowship
Cindy Regal, a University of Colorado Boulder assistant professor of physics and associate fellow of JILA, has been awarded a prestigious David and Lucile Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation established the fellowship "to allow the nation's most promising professors to pursue science and engineering research early in their careers with few funding restrictions and limited paperwork requirements."
CU Cancer Investigators' Mission Bolstered by Three New Grants
James DeGregori, an investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says cancer cells "have fallback pathways." "You may hit them hard in one spot," he says, "but they often find ways to eke by." With the help of three new grants, DeGregori hopes to add ammunition to the fight against cancer.
A University of Colorado Boulder physics faculty member was among 13 U.S. Department of Energy researchers named by President Obama as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Alysia Marino was honored for her accomplishments in the study of neutrino properties and the development of diagnostic tools that may be used to help design future neutrino beam facilities, as well as for her outstanding mentoring of graduate students. The PECASE award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers who are early in their independent research careers.
UCCS, CU-Boulder Team for Electric Vehicle Development Studies
Faculty from the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Colorado Colorado Springs will team to teach courses in the design and implementation of electric vehicle drivetrains to new and retraining engineers. The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded a five-year, $954,000 grant to UCCS for the development of courses to prepare engineers for careers in developing new technologies for vehicles that use electric drivetrains. The courses will be available through distance-learning technologies such as online courses and, possibly, CISCO Telepresence, in addition to traditional in-person classrooms, making them available to people nationwide.
Do you know of a recent award, new position or transition of interest to the CU tech community? Please send information to TTOnews@cu.edu.
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| Upcoming Events | |
Energy Innovation Speaker Series: Dr. Daniel Yergin
October 19, CU-Boulder
The University of Colorado Law School, the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), and the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship present Dr. Daniel Yergin, the author of The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World. He received the Pulitzer Prize for The Prize: the Epic Quest for Oil Money and Power, and is Chairman and Founder of HIS Cambridge Energy Research Associates and CNBC's Global Energy Expert.
Making Your Medical Device Concept a Reality
October 19, MIND Studios, Colorado Springs
Medical product design and development is a multibillion dollar industry. Each year, countless medical devices and products are introduced with the goal of improving patient care. What makes these products successful? How does one navigate through design, development and testing? At this seminar, experts from MIND Studios at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) will provide a forum for medical professionals to learn how to take their own medical product ideas from concept to reality.
CPIA Annual Meeting: 14th Annual Focus on University Research
October 25, CU-Boulder
The Colorado Photonics Industry Association (CPIA) annual meeting is your opportunity to learn about current photonics and optics research conducted at ALL Colorado research universities. Professors from each institution will briefly outline their academic program, highlight exemplary research areas, and discuss industry collaboration. Meet talented graduate students who compete for cash prizes with posters presenting a specific research topic. This is your chance to interact with photonics companies and the researchers and students who will help fuel the next generation of photonics products.
CU-Boulder New Venture Challenge: Kickoff Night
October 25, CU-Boulder
Interested in startups? Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? CU-Boulder's New Venture Challenge is gearing up for another exciting year! Join us for our kickoff night: http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/. Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else's idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community.
ESPRIT Entrepreneur - Tech Alliance Breakfast
November 1, Discovery Center, Boulder
As part of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce ESPRIT Entrepreneur series, TTO will host this event highlighting CU-Boulder innovations at all points along the innovation spectrum: from lab to startup to successful company. Short presentations from five researchers and entrepreneurs will be followed by time to mingle with the presenters, as well as with other members of the CU-Boulder innovation community - details, agenda and registration available online.
Boulder/Denver New Technology Meetup Group
November 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.
RETool: Developing Business & Careers in the New Energy Economy
Focused on a clean-energy future? Get ahead of the curve and take RETool: a 4-day executive education certificate program hosted by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) at the University of Colorado at Boulder. RETool provides a deep-dive short course for individuals seeking to "retool" their skills to enter the clean energy field, as well as for businesses seeking new opportunities in cleantech. Remaining 2011 fall sessions (8:30am-5:30pm):
Friday, November 4: Renewable Transportation Energy (Denver Tech Center)
Friday, December 2: The Promise of Energy Efficiency (Downtown Denver)
CU-Boulder New Venture Challenge: Pitch Night
November 8, CU-Boulder
CU-Boulder's New Venture Challenge will host its Pitch Night to connect faculty, staff and students who are interested in participating in the NVC. Have an idea but need help developing it? Pitch your idea! Don't have an idea but want to join a team? Connect with one of the pitchers! Sign up for Pitch Night: http://nvcpitchnight.eventbrite.com/.
CO-LABS Governor's Award for High-Impact Research
November 15, Xcel Building, Denver
Please save the date for the 2011 CO-LABS Governor's Award for High-Impact Research reception and awards ceremony to celebrate the achievement of Colorado's outstanding federal labs and scientist. This year, four research scientists and their teams will be recognized for the significant impact of their work. For registration and information, please contact Kim Zeschin, 303-620-8063.
To have your event featured here, please send an email to TTOnews@cu.edu.
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CU Resources
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CU-Boulder New Venture Challenge
Interested in startups? Want to connect to top entrepreneurs in the area? The NVC is a cross-campus business plan competition that gives students, faculty and staff an excellent opportunity to:
- Learn about how to develop business ideas into viable plans;
- Develop meaningful connections with Boulder business leaders and mentors;
- Meet other business-minded CU students across campus (including students from Leeds, Computer Science, Engineering, Law, and Music); and
- Win prize money and other in-kind benefits (last year's 1st place team won $7,000)
Whether you have a business idea that you want to put into practice, want to contribute your skills to help develop someone else's idea, or just want an opportunity for business mentorship and networking, the NVC is a great way to get involved in the CU and greater Boulder business community. Join us for our Kickoff on Tuesday, October 25: http://nvckickoff.eventbrite.com/.
Building Biotechnology: Fundamentals of Life Science Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship
The Bard Center for Entrepreneurship at the CU Denver Business School is offering a Certificate Program in Bioinnovation and Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the Graduate School of the CU School of Medicine. This program is designed for those interesting in getting drugs, devices, diagnostics, healthcare IT products and scalable services platforms to marketing, as well as for those who would like to develop knowledge, skills and abilities in bioentrepreneurship to improve their employability in a non-academic science career. The program, which begins in spring 2012, consists of three one-credit courses; more information is available online (PDF).
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| Innovation in the News | |
Creating Real Clean Technology Jobs in Colorado
After the failure of solar-panel maker Solyndra, it's easy for pundits to generalize about the fate and reality of the clean technology industry in the United States. However, here in Colorado, it's real and it's here. (Guest commentary by Christine Shapard, executive director of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association.)
Bennet, Klobuchar, Burr Introduce Legislation to Boost Medical Device Innovation
Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, along with Senate colleagues Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Richard Burr (R-NC), recently introduced legislation that would reduce regulatory burdens that unnecessarily delay beneficial new medical products from reaching patients. The Medical Device Regulatory Improvement Act "would help streamline the FDA's regulation of medical devices to continue to spur innovation and help get new, lifesaving products to the market quicker without compromising consumer safety."
White House Seeks Input on Bioeconomy Plan
The Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) is soliciting advice on how to best stimulate job creation through investments in biological research and development. In a new Request for Information (RFI), OSTP asks for input on national challenges related to biotechnology research, education, entrepreneurship and partnerships. Submissions, which are due by December 6, 2011, will help shape the administration's bioeconomy strategy.
Roundup: University, Community, State, National and International Initiatives
A partnership to spur innovation and research in clean technology across New England has pulled down $1.25M federal funds to go along with $1.65M raised through partners such as state agencies. The New England Clean Energy Foundation, led by the New England Clean Energy Council, is launching the i6 Green New England Partnership, which plans to leverage MIT's Deshpande Center and other entrepreneurial programs to create a multi-state proof of concept center model under which promising lab research projects are connected with support organizations that can help the projects move toward commercialization.
University of Michigan to Invest in Its Own Startup Companies
The University of Michigan plans to invest up to $25M from its endowment in its own startup companies. U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said that startups would be eligible to receive up to $500,000 apiece from the university after they've secured venture capital from a separate private source. (See also: How University of Michigan Executives Resolved their Clash over Startup Investments.)
University of Minnesota Heads for 'Patent Cliff'
The HIV drug Ziagen was a prime example of what commercializing research can mean for a university. The University of has made more than $350M off the drug, invented on campus in the 1980s, but as the patents expire, those royalties are dwindling toward zero. And that means fewer investments into research.
Chancellor Wants to Turn USCF Into a Health Sciences Innovator
As the chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann says she wants to transform the university into "the world's pre-eminent health sciences innovator" that can quickly translate research into treatments, provide patients with "unparalleled" care and retain first-rate faculty and staff.
Life Sciences Targeted by $232M North Carolina Treasury Fund
The $232M North Carolina Innovation Fund is getting ready to deploy cash in a new "accelerator" that will target life science companies. The accelerator would promote tech transfer from universities, research institutions and companies.
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VCs Take Their Case For FDA Reform To Capitol Hill
Venture capitalists are beginning to steer their investment dollars away from fledgling pharmaceutical and medical device companies, a phenomenon that will drive jobs and promising treatments overseas, according to a new survey of life sciences investors. The chief reason, according to most of the 156 venture firms surveyed, is dysfunction at the Food and Drug Administration, an agency investors say is so unpredictable and risk-averse that young companies are now inclined to merely give up on trying to get on the market in the U.S. (See also: Sofinnova Bucks a Bleak Trend with $440M Biotech Fund.)
Angel Investing Stabilizes, Returns to Seed & Startup Stages
Following turbulent times in 2008 and 2009, the angel investor market has shown signs of stabilization, according to a new study by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. While the total number of active investors during the first two quarters of 2011 remains virtually unchanged from the same period last year, other numbers are showing a slight increase. Total investments hit $8.9B (up 4.7% from the same period last year) and the total number of ventures receiving funding was 26,300 (up 4.4%).
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| Parting Quote | |
"While [Colorado] cannot match the scale of Massachusetts, we can match it in scope. We have the intellect, innovators and infrastructure. It is now our challenge to translate our innovation into impact. By bringing entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators together, we, too, can create the right blend for relevance and impact."
Lily Marks (Executive Vice Chancellor, Anschutz Medical Campus) in ColoradoBIZ Magazine.
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