Jumping the curve

Biotech a bright spot in Colorado economy

Good innovators must be in denial, Guy Kawasaki says. Otherwise, "the bozos will grind you down." That’s what the former Apple software evangelist, venture capitalist and author of "Art of the Start" told a crowd of about 200 in November at BioWest 2008.

Driven by genius

Inventor of the Year: Beacon Biotechnology team for the BrightSPOT Reader

"There are three entities that contributed IP (Intellectual Property)," Beacon CEO Fred Mitchell says. "Combining the three pieces makes something completely different and very powerful."

Most Successful U.S. Startups 2008

Founded in 2005, this seven-person biopharmaceutical company develops drugs for the treatment of severe central nervous system diseases. In addition to VC funding, Sierra received about $230,000 in grants from the State of Colorado, the University of Colorado, and the Coleman Institute.

Kathy Kregel moving on from bioscience cluster

Kathy Kregel was just getting comfortable heading the Larimer County Bioscience Cluster, so she knew it was time to move on.

BioAMPs International Wins ‘Most Promising Company’ Award at Beijing’s China Bio® Investor Forum

BioAMPs International today announced that it won the highly regarded ‘Most Promising Company’ competition at the China Bio Investor Forum in Beijing, China after presenting its business plan and identifying the critical need for its potential solution for the global problem of drug-resistant bacteria.

Sharklet Technologies Wins ‘Early-Stage Shootout’ at Southeast Bio’s Investor Forum

Sharklet Technologies today announced that it won the highly regarded ‘Early-Stage Shootout’ competition at Southeast Bio’s 10th Annual Investor Forum in West Palm Beach, Fla. after presenting its business plan and identifying the critical need for its bacterial management solution for the healthcare environment. The SEBIO Forum is the Southeast’s premier life sciences venture capital conference.

Bolder BioTechnology Receives $1.9 million NIH Grant to Continue Development of Long-Acting Growth Hormone Product

Bolder BioTechnology, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a $1.9 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of The National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant will be used to perform additional preclinical toxicology and pharmacology studies of the company’s proprietary long-acting growth hormone product, which is being developed as a potential treatment for growth hormone deficiency, short stature in children and HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS). Receipt of the entire grant award is contingent upon the achievement of certain research milestones.

Recent Hires at Fairfield & Woods

Peter L. Edwards, Former Altira Partner, Joins Corporate Law Team At Fairfield and Woods, P.C.

Jaimee D. Reed, Joins Litigation Team At Fairfield and Woods, P.C.

ISEC Introduces Own Brand Of Laboratory Furniture & Fume Hoods

After over 40 years of supplying and installing laboratory furniture as a dealer, ISEC introduces their own brand of laboratory furniture and fume hoods to be available nationwide.

Biotech Executive John Collar Named Executive Director of the Colorado BioScience Association

Following an extensive national search, John Collar, Chief Operating Officer of Westminster-based Matrilinex, has been named Executive Director of the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA), effective December 8, 2008. A seasoned senior executive, Collar has a background of solid corporate experience with a proven track record for strategic planning, managing to metrics, and c-level operational responsibilities. He succeeds Denise Brown, Founding Executive Director of CBSA, who retired from the association in September after six years of dedicated service.

Accera Will Launch Axona, New Approach to Managing Alzheimer’s Disease, in 2009

Broomfield, - Accera, Inc., a biotechnology company delivering breakthrough therapies in central nervous system (CNS) diseases, will launch AxonaTM in the United States for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the first quarter of 2009. The commercial launch of Axona will be funded by the company’s recent Series C equity financing.

CaridianBCT Launches Mononuclear Cell Collection Protocol

New Protocol for the Spectra Optia Therapeutic Apheresis and Cell Therapy System

Aurora - CaridianBCT, a leading global provider of technology, products and services in therapeutic systems, automated blood collections, whole blood processes and pathogen reduction technologies, announced today that the Spectra Optia® system Mononuclear Cell (MNC) Collection protocol is now available for use in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.

CaridianBCT named 2008 Company of the Year by Colorado BioScience Association

Aurora - CaridianBCT, the largest medical device manufacturer headquartered in Colorado, has been named 2008 Company of the Year by the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA).

Beacon Biotechnology awarded top honors at the daVinci Institute’s 2008 Inventor Showcase

Aurora - Beacon Biotechnology participated in Denver's DaVinci Institute 2008 Inventor's Showcase and was awarded top honors, 2008 Inventor of the Year, for their BrightSPOT Platform. Imagine going to your local drug store, pricking your finger for a drop of blood, and receiving a full panel of test results before you finish shopping. You leave the store with the right medication for your illness. This new technology will change the way diagnostic testing and detection is performed and healthcare is delivered.

Accera, Inc. Completes $35 Million Series C Financing

Broomfield - Accera, Inc., a biotechnology company delivering breakthrough therapies in central nervous system diseases, announced it has recently closed a Series C financing round of $35 million (€ 27 million), led by Inventages Venture Capital SA. Proceeds of this financing will be used to begin sales and marketing of the company’s lead product, Axona™ (previously known as Ketasyn), which is scheduled to launch in the United States in the first quarter of 2009.

Array BioPharma records net loss

BOULDER - Biopharmaceutical company Array BioPharma (Nasdaq: ARRY) reported a net loss of $33.7 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, compared with a net loss of $19.1 million for the same quarter a year ago.

Replidyne dissolved in reverse merger

LOUISVILLE - A Minnesota-based medical-device company has acquired Replidyne Inc. in a reverse merger and will terminate Replidyne's operation in Louisville.

GlobeImmune sees positive tests results

LOUISVILLE - A GlobeImmune Inc. hepatitis-C-fighting drug helped reduce the amount of infected liver cells during a four-week phase 2 clinical trial, according to the company.

Gov. Ritter proposes lean budget for 2009-10

Gov. Bill Ritter today unveiled a lean budget for fiscal 2009-10, a proposal that will hold spending well below the state's growth limit, stimulate Colorado's economy and ensure that state government is able to continue providing essential public safety, health and education services.

N30 Pharma closes round of VC

BOULDER , CO - closed its second-ever round of financing that will allow the company to further expand its biopharmaceutical development.

Array BioPharma Inc. announced positive results in its phase 2 acute inflammatory dental pain study

BOULDER , CO - Array's drug, ARRY-797, is a small molecule p38 inhibitor that helps control pain after dental surgery.

MBC Pharma Inc. Awarded a SBIR Phase II Grant to Investigate Novel Compound for Multiple Myeloma

Aurora, CO - MBC Pharma Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company announced today, that it has been awarded an $758,000 phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).MBC will use this 2-year grant to further develop Company’s lead compound MBC-11 towards clinical testing as a treatment for Multiple myeloma.. “Prior to receiving this award MBC Pharma Inc. had successfully completed four separate Phase I SBIR/STTR grants; that work demonstrated efficacy of MBC-11 in animal models of multiple myeloma, breast cancer induced bone metastasis and prostate cancer induced bone disease and pain. ” said Dr. Alexander Karpeisky, CSO and the Principal Investigator on the SBIR grant. “We are grateful that the SBIR program offers continued support and recognizes the potential benefit that MBC technology can offer for many types of bone disease.”

New test detects staph infection within hours

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A company that harnesses bacteria-killing viruses said on Saturday it has devised a test that can detect dangerous staph infections within hours.

Bolder BioTechnology Relocates Laboratory Facility to Flatiron Park West Business Park

Boulder, Colo. Bolder BioTechnology, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has relocated its research operations and corporate headquarters to 2425 55th Street, Suite 210 in the Flatiron Park West Business Park located in Boulder. The company’s new facility includes approximately 8,600 square feet of laboratory and office space. Paul Keilt and Michael Deatly of Jones Lang LaSalle’s tenant representation group provided brokerage services and advised Bolder BioTechnology in the lease transaction.

Insmed Initiates Clinical Study for Follow-on Biologic Version of Neulasta(R)

Insmed Inc. a developer of follow-on biologics and biopharmaceuticals, today announced that it has received approval from the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to initiate a Phase I clinical study for the Company's second follow-on biologic (FOB) product candidate, INS-20. Insmed's INS-20 is a pegylated recombinant form of human G-CSF, and an FOB of the FDA-approved product Neulasta(R), which had U.S. sales of approximately $2.4 billion in 2007.

Finalists Selected For The BioWest 2008 Venture Showcase Competition

New therapeutic small molecule drug; devices made of unique materials; a highly-sensitive biosensor; advanced DNA immunotherapies; high-protein, low-cost fish food; and, new materials for use in perio-plastic surgical procedures comprise the six finalists in this year’s BioWest Venture Showcase competition. The finalists were selected from a group of 22and will be presenting at the BioWest Venture Showcase on November 13 at the Grand Hyatt-Denver, 1750 Welton. The winner will receive the $10,000 Dorsey & Whitney Venture Showcase award at the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) Annual Awards Dinner, the evening of November 13.

The 2008 BioWest Conference and Expo Annnounces National Speaker Lineup, New Job Fair and Popular Venture Showcase Competition

General registration is now open for the Rocky Mountain Region’s Premier Bioscience Conference and Expo, BioWest 2008. More than 700 participants are expected at this year’s event, November 13-14, at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Noted author of The Art of the Start & business innovation expert Guy Kawasaki leads a prominent lineup of national presenters for BioWest 2008.

CaridianBCT Receives CE Mark for Mirasol® Pathogen Reduction Technology System

LAKEWOOD, Colo. CaridianBCT, a leading global provider of technology, products and services in automated blood collections, therapeutic systems, whole blood processes and pathogen reduction technologies, announced today that it received CE Mark approval for expanding the product treatment range of the Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technology (PRT) system for Platelets and adding the capability of storing treated apheresis-collected platelets in Platelet Additive Solution (PAS). The Mirasol PRT system is a proprietary technology that uses riboflavin and UV light to reduce the levels of infectious pathogens and inactivate white cells from collected blood, improving the safety of transfused blood products.

C5 Medical Werks Launches Ceramic Injection Molding (CIM) at ISO13485 Facilty

(DENVER, COLORADO) – C5 Medical Werks, a subsidiary of the largest manufacturer of technical ceramics in North America, announced today the ability to produce ceramic injection molded (CIM) components from its state-of-the-art facility in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Advanced MicroLabs and Colorado State University Receive Second Round of Funding for Technology Commercialization

(FORT COLLINS, COLORADO) – Advanced MicroLabs and a Colorado State University chemistry professor have been awarded a $750,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand their work with their “lab-on-a-chip” technology to better detect cardiovascular disease.

Warsaw Blood Center selects CaridianBCT for Mirasol® Pathogen Reduction Technology

(LAKEWOOD, Colorado) – CaridianBCT, a leading global provider of technology, products and services in automated blood collections, therapeutic systems, whole blood processes and pathogen reduction technologies, announced today that one of the largest blood centers in Poland, Warsaw Blood Center, has entered into a multi-year agreement to purchase the Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technology (PRT) system for platelets.

CaridianBCT and American Red Cross Sign Strategic Agreement on Automated Blood Collection Technology

(LAKEWOOD, Colorado) – CaridianBCT, a leading global provider of technology, products and services in automated blood collections, therapeutic systems, whole blood processes and pathogen reduction technologies, announced today it has signed a multi-year agreement with the American Red Cross to continue the use of its automated blood collection technology in American Red Cross Blood centers throughout the United States.

CaridianBCT Initiates Clinical Trial for Whole Blood Process with Mirasol® Pathogen Reduction Technology

Clinical Study is the next phase in the development of a transportable pathogen reduction and blood safety system for treating whole blood

(LAKEWOOD, Colorado) – CaridianBCT, a leading global provider of technology, products and services in automated blood collections, therapeutic systems, whole blood processes and pathogen reduction technologies, announced today that it has initiated a clinical trial for treating whole blood with Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technology (PRT) after receiving clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Defense. The Mirasol PRT system is a proprietary technology that uses riboflavin and UV light to reduce the levels of infectious pathogens and inactivate white cells from collected blood, improving the safety of transfused blood.

Matthew B. Wiener, CEO Of Pharmatech, Inc., Is Awarded The Cancer Leadership Award From The Colorado Cancer Coalition

(Denver, Colorado) – Matthew B. Wiener, PharmD, Chief Executive Officer of Pharmatech, Inc., was recently awarded the Outstanding Cancer Leadership Award from the Colorado Cancer Coalition. The award is being presented to Dr. Wiener for his development of the Just-In-Time (JIT) enrollment methodology for cancer clinical trials. Dr. Wiener will accept his award on the evening of October 6th, at the St. Mary’s Cancer Center, which will take place during the Colorado Cancer Summit, October 6th and 7th, in Grand Junction, Colorado.