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CU Announces Annual Technology Transfer Awards
TTO hosted its 10th annual awards ceremony this week, honoring several faculty researchers, two companies founded on university research, and several members of the local entrepreneurial community. "The University of Colorado is a primary driver for the Colorado economy in many ways - one way that is often less visible than our thousands of graduates, new buildings and faculty accolades is the commercialization of research," said David Allen, associate vice president for technology transfer at CU. "This event recognizes excellence in the people and licensee companies that exemplify CU's success in transforming research into real-world impact." This year's award winners include:
Jeffrey L. Olson, Inventor of the Year, CU Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. Olson, an associate professor of ophthalmology, specializes in the medical and surgical management of retinal diseases like macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment. One of his inventions, a method for preserving eyesight through the use of nanotechnology, is licensed to a CU startup currently raising Series A financing.
Linda R. Watkins, Inventor of the Year, CU-Boulder. Watkins, a distinguished professor of psychology, has developed both novel drugs and new uses of known drugs targeting various disorders with unmet medical needs, including chronic and neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, ALS and addiction. Her inventions have led to numerous industry collaborations and licenses, as well as the formation of a new company, Xalud Therapeutics.
Richard J. Johnson, New Inventor of the Year, CU Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. Johnson is chief of the division of renal diseases and hypertension; his research has focused on the mechanisms of renal injury and progression, including in diabetes and hypertension. Recent work has also examined the role of uric acid and fructose in obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and hypertension.
Wei Zhang, New Inventor of the Year, CU-Boulder. Zhang, an assistant professor of chemistry & biochemistry, is developing novel materials with potential applications in solar energy conversion, gas separation and storage, chemical sensing and catalysis.
Anatoliy O. Pinchuk, New Inventor of the Year, CU-Colorado Springs. Pinchuk is an assistant professor of physics and energy science; his research focuses on nano-materials for intracellular imaging and optical bio-chemical sensors.
OPX Biotechnologies, Bioscience Company of the Year. OPXBIO (Boulder, CO) is a venture-backed company making renewable bio-based chemicals and fuels that are lower cost, higher return and more sustainable than existing petroleum-based products.
Phobos Energy, Physical Sciences/Engineering/IT Company of the Year. Phobos Energy (Menlo Park, CA; Lafayette, CO) is focused on increasing energy production, decreasing costs, and opening up new applications for solar photovoltaic power production.
S. Gail Eckhardt, Business Advisor of the Year. Eckhardt is chief of the division of medical oncology at the Anschutz Medical Campus. As an advisor to TTO on drug discovery and development projects, she has been critically important in facilitating industry collaborations involving not just her lab, but labs of her CU collaborators.
Michael R. Bristow, Serial University Start-up Entrepreneur Award. Bristow, a professor of medicine (division of cardiology) at the Anschutz Medical Campus, was a founder and former chief science and medical officer of Myogen, Inc. (acquired by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in 2006). He is the President and CEO of ARCA biopharma (Broomfield, CO), a company he founded in 2003 with the goal of developing genetically targeted therapies for heart failure. In 2007 he co-founded miRagen Therapeutics, (Boulder, CO), a company dedicated to utilizing the biologic properties of microRNAs in developing therapies for cardiovascular diseases.
Additionally, two CU researchers were inducted into the Pinnacles of Inventorship, an all-stars group recognizing continuous commitment to best practices in technology transfer: Kristi S. Anseth (Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, CU-Boulder) and Charles A. Dinarello (Professor of Medicine and Immunology, Anschutz Medical Campus).
MediciNova and CU Collaborate on Potential Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury
MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Market (Trading Symbol: MNOV) and the Jasdaq Market of the Osaka Securities Exchange (Code Number: 4875), and the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder disclosed a license agreement for the use of ibudilast (MN-166/AV411) for the treatment of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI). Led by the research of Daniel Barth, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at CU-Boulder, ibudilast demonstrated significant efficacy in a model of post-TBI anxiety, one of the most common disorders caused by TBI. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health concern, with approximately 1.7 million people in the United States alone sustaining a TBI each year. The long-term consequences of TBI include neuropsychiatric disorders, of which anxiety disorders are the most prevalent. (Read the full release.)
State of Colorado Announces January 31 Deadline for Early-Stage Company Grants
The Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade is now accepting applications for its Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant (BDEG) Early Stage Company Grants, which are intended to spur economic development and help new companies born out of Colorado research institutions succeed in developing new technologies, business structures, and products. Eligibility, guidelines and applications are available online.
Call for Posters: CU-Boulder Save the Date: Entrepreneurship Under the Microscope
On March 14, TTO (with the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship) will host this annual event recognizing and celebrating innovation and commercialization around the CU-Boulder campus and beyond. The event will include a poster session presenting CU-Boulder technologies that are ready to take the next step toward commercialization - please email us if your lab would like to participate in the poster session.
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