Colorado BioScience Association Announces Winners of Its 2006 Awards Program, Honoring the Best of Colorado's Bioscience Industry
The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) has released winners of its 2006 Awards Program. Official presentation of the awards occurs Thursday evening, August 24, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the CBSA’s annual awards banquet. Held in conjunction with the 2006 BioWest conference at the Colorado Convention Center, registration information is available at the 2006 BioWest Conference website.
Denver, CO, August 18, 2006 --(PR.com)-- The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) has released winners of its 2006 Awards Program. The announcement is made by Denise Brown CBSA Executive Director, who says the CBSA awards program showcases and honors those individuals and companies making a significant difference to Colorado’s vibrant bioscience industry in 2006.
Official presentation of the awards occurs Thursday evening, August 24, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the CBSA’s annual awards banquet. Held in conjunction with the 2006 BioWest conference at the Colorado Convention Center, registration information is available at http://www.BioWestConference.com
Recipients of the 2006 awards are:
* Lifetime Achievement Award (one of two presented this year) -- Mr. Paul Ray. Ray’s unwavering commitment to the Colorado biosciences industry, his participation in the public policy arena to promote the industry, his personal dedication to numerous start-up companies and his entrepreneurial energy were main factors in his selection.
Ray served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute (CATI), the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology and was named by the Colorado Secretary of Technology to the position of Director of Life Sciences and Biotechnology.
Additionally, Ray founded the Colorado Biomedical Venture Center (CBVC); a technology incubator and was a director for the University of Colorado Technology Corporation. He currently serves on the statewide board as a director for CTEK and was a founding Board member of the Colorado BioScience Association.
Recently, he became the President and CEO of Surginetics, a Boulder-based electrosurgical company. He has been an investor in several companies and previously held board positions with early-stage companies like AccuNetx and Evolutionary Genomics.
* 2006 Company of the Year Award -- Myogen, Inc.
Myogen ( http://www.myogen.com ) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. The company has had an outstanding 2006 and is dedicated to the growth of the Colorado bioscience industry. The company was founded 10 years ago based on technology from the University of Colorado, became a public company in 2003 and has a current market capitalization of $1.4 billion.
In the past nine months, Myogen’s clinical development efforts were rewarded with positive results from both of its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of ambrisentan for the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). These results will form the foundation of a New Drug Application for ambrisentan that Myogen will submit to the Food and Drug Administration in the fourth quarter of 2006.
In March of this year, Myogen entered into a global collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the area of PAH. As part of the collaboration, Myogen obtained marketing and distribution rights for Flolan, a marketed drug for the treatment of advanced PAH. Myogen launched commercial operations, including a PAH focused sales force, in the second quarter of 2006.
* 2006 Rising Star Awards
o C5 Medical Werks
C5 Medical Werks ( http://www.c5medicalwerks.com ) is a leading provider of ceramic solutions for medical device industries and their relationship with CoorsTek brings almost a century of experience in ceramic ware to the company. Since their formation in early 2005 the company has grown substantially and are already a multi-million dollar business. The company forecasts a significant growth in revenue and plans to double the number of Colorado based full-time employees in the coming year. The executive team’s commitment to excellence has brought worldwide recognition and visibility both to their market and to Colorado’s bioscience community.
C5’s current product offerings include dental implant products such as ceramic blanks and abutments for both US and European customers and they are also providing spinal implants for clinical trials and engineering testing nationally and internationally.
C5 Medical Werks is a spin-off of CoorsTek and was founded by J. Brad Coors in 2005. In late 2005, the company located its manufacturing operation in Grand Junction, Colorado.
o Taligen Therapeutics
Taligen Therapeutics ( http://www.colobio.com/companies.html ) is a biotechnology company founded in March 2004 and located at the Fitzsimons Bioscience Park Center. The company develops and commercializes technology from the University of Colorado for the treatment of serious inflammatory disease. Helmed by Woody Emlem, Taligen received grant funding in excess of $1MM and closed a Series A round of financing that totaled $3.75 million in August 2005. The round was led by Sanderling Ventures, of San Mateo, California, and included High Country Ventures and Tango, both from Colorado.
Taligen was the recipient of the University’s inaugural Proof of Concept (POC) fund in the fall of 2004 and was the first recipient of an investment from the Colorado Venture Capital Authority in 2005.
The Company employs innovative technologies to manipulate complement proteins of the immune system to inhibit inflammation and to target inhibitors of inflammation to specific sites of tissue injury. Based on medical need, the competitive landscape and pre-clinical data, Taligen's initial focus is on the major unmet medical need of severe refractory asthma.
This past month, Taligen announced that it had successfully attained the development milestone required to trigger the funding of the second tranche of its Series A Preferred financing.
* Volunteer of the Year Award -- Dr. Richard Duke. Dr. Duke, a founding scientist and Director of GlobeImmune ( http://www.globeimmune.com ) and current President and CEO of start-up Apoplogic, is also th echair of the CBSA Public Policy and Government Relations Committee. In this capacity, Dr. Duke worked to pass HB 1360 which will bring $2 million in state funds to match proof of concept funds at Colorado’s research institutions. He testified several times on behalf of CBSA legislative efforts and is primary spokesperson for CBSA’s public policy efforts. His time and dedication were instrumental in creating strategies and partnerships that resulted in the passage of CBSA’s 2006 public policy agenda. Dr. Duke is a great ambassador for the Colorado bioscience community.
* 2006 Partner of the Year Award -- Maggie Chamberlin Holben. Holben, founder of Absolutely Public Relations ( http://www.absolutelypr.com ), has worked tirelessly to promote the Colorado bioscience industry message to local and national media. Holben works her public relations magic to promote coverage of Colorado events and industry news. Moreover, she chairs the CBSA Communications Committee, serves on the CBSA Board of Directors, and helps to organize incoming press delegations. She coordinates the industry’s media initiatives with CBSA partners, such as the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. As a media consultant, Holben represents several of Colorado’s leading bioscience companies. Due to Holben’s professionalism and effort, Colorado’s bioscience industry isn’t such a secret anymore.
* Lifetime Achievement Award (one of two presented this year) -- Governor Bill Owens. Governor Owens ( http://www.colorado.gov/governor/biography.html ), his staff and offices have recognized that the bioscience industry will be a significant economic driver in Colorado’s future and that a knowledge and education-based industry dedicated to solving some of the world’s healthcare problems is valuable to the continued vigor of the State of Colorado.
Steps taken by the Governor’s Economic Development Office to support the growth of the bioscience industry in Colorado include appointing a high-level bioscience director, co-hosting BioWest, providing office space for the CBSA at no charge in the Advance Colorado Center and working to pass the CBSA’s legislative priorities. We appreciate Governor Owens’ commitment to this dynamic industry.
* In addition to the CBSA awards, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade will present the Excellence Award for Advancement of the Bioscience Industry to: Kyle Lefkoff, General Partner, Boulder Ventures ( http://www.boulderventures.com ).
Lefkoff has been investing in Colorado’s bioscience companies for the past 20 years and continues to help grow the companies in the state. Lefkoff has invested in and sits on the boards of companies like NeXagen, Genomica, Array Biopharma, Dharmacon, Ribozyme, Arca, Hauser and Bio Star. He also advises many more companies than he invests in and a number of bioscience executives have received invaluable assistance from him. Lefkoff is knowledgeable about the national bioscience investment environment and informs out-of-state venture firms about opportunities in Colorado. Lefkoff’s involvement and promotion of the bioscience industry in Colorado shows that just one person can help advance an industry and advance Colorado as well.
“A distinguished panel of CBSA Board members and past awardees chooses the recipients from an impressive and long list of nominees for each award,” says Brown. “This is the fourth year for the annual awards program.”
About Colorado BioScience Association
Colorado BioScience Association is a not-for-profit corporation providing services and support for Colorado’s growing biosciences industry. Colorado is carrying out an aggressive plan to grow the state’s bioscience industry into one of the country’s premier bioscience clusters. CBSA currently enjoys the support of more than 300 member organizations representing both bioscience companies and companies providing key services to the bioscience industry and research institutions in Colorado. The association’s main office is located in the Advance Colorado Center, 1625 Broadway, Suite 950, in Denver, plus satellite offices are maintained in the Fitzsimons Bioscience Park and at the Fort Collins Technology Incubator.
You can learn more about Colorado’s robust biosciences industry by linking to the 2005 issue of Bioscience Colorado Magazine at http://www.cobioscience.com/2006biosciencemagazine.pdf
###
Contacts:
Denise Brown, Executive Director, Colorado BioScience Association http://www.cobioscience.com -- 303.592.4073, E-mail: dbrown@cobioscience.com
Christine Shapard, Director of Bioscience and Emerging Industries, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade http://www.AdvanceColorado.com -- 303.892.3840, Christine.shapard@state.co.us
Official presentation of the awards occurs Thursday evening, August 24, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the CBSA’s annual awards banquet. Held in conjunction with the 2006 BioWest conference at the Colorado Convention Center, registration information is available at http://www.BioWestConference.com
Recipients of the 2006 awards are:
* Lifetime Achievement Award (one of two presented this year) -- Mr. Paul Ray. Ray’s unwavering commitment to the Colorado biosciences industry, his participation in the public policy arena to promote the industry, his personal dedication to numerous start-up companies and his entrepreneurial energy were main factors in his selection.
Ray served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute (CATI), the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology and was named by the Colorado Secretary of Technology to the position of Director of Life Sciences and Biotechnology.
Additionally, Ray founded the Colorado Biomedical Venture Center (CBVC); a technology incubator and was a director for the University of Colorado Technology Corporation. He currently serves on the statewide board as a director for CTEK and was a founding Board member of the Colorado BioScience Association.
Recently, he became the President and CEO of Surginetics, a Boulder-based electrosurgical company. He has been an investor in several companies and previously held board positions with early-stage companies like AccuNetx and Evolutionary Genomics.
* 2006 Company of the Year Award -- Myogen, Inc.
Myogen ( http://www.myogen.com ) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. The company has had an outstanding 2006 and is dedicated to the growth of the Colorado bioscience industry. The company was founded 10 years ago based on technology from the University of Colorado, became a public company in 2003 and has a current market capitalization of $1.4 billion.
In the past nine months, Myogen’s clinical development efforts were rewarded with positive results from both of its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of ambrisentan for the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). These results will form the foundation of a New Drug Application for ambrisentan that Myogen will submit to the Food and Drug Administration in the fourth quarter of 2006.
In March of this year, Myogen entered into a global collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the area of PAH. As part of the collaboration, Myogen obtained marketing and distribution rights for Flolan, a marketed drug for the treatment of advanced PAH. Myogen launched commercial operations, including a PAH focused sales force, in the second quarter of 2006.
* 2006 Rising Star Awards
o C5 Medical Werks
C5 Medical Werks ( http://www.c5medicalwerks.com ) is a leading provider of ceramic solutions for medical device industries and their relationship with CoorsTek brings almost a century of experience in ceramic ware to the company. Since their formation in early 2005 the company has grown substantially and are already a multi-million dollar business. The company forecasts a significant growth in revenue and plans to double the number of Colorado based full-time employees in the coming year. The executive team’s commitment to excellence has brought worldwide recognition and visibility both to their market and to Colorado’s bioscience community.
C5’s current product offerings include dental implant products such as ceramic blanks and abutments for both US and European customers and they are also providing spinal implants for clinical trials and engineering testing nationally and internationally.
C5 Medical Werks is a spin-off of CoorsTek and was founded by J. Brad Coors in 2005. In late 2005, the company located its manufacturing operation in Grand Junction, Colorado.
o Taligen Therapeutics
Taligen Therapeutics ( http://www.colobio.com/companies.html ) is a biotechnology company founded in March 2004 and located at the Fitzsimons Bioscience Park Center. The company develops and commercializes technology from the University of Colorado for the treatment of serious inflammatory disease. Helmed by Woody Emlem, Taligen received grant funding in excess of $1MM and closed a Series A round of financing that totaled $3.75 million in August 2005. The round was led by Sanderling Ventures, of San Mateo, California, and included High Country Ventures and Tango, both from Colorado.
Taligen was the recipient of the University’s inaugural Proof of Concept (POC) fund in the fall of 2004 and was the first recipient of an investment from the Colorado Venture Capital Authority in 2005.
The Company employs innovative technologies to manipulate complement proteins of the immune system to inhibit inflammation and to target inhibitors of inflammation to specific sites of tissue injury. Based on medical need, the competitive landscape and pre-clinical data, Taligen's initial focus is on the major unmet medical need of severe refractory asthma.
This past month, Taligen announced that it had successfully attained the development milestone required to trigger the funding of the second tranche of its Series A Preferred financing.
* Volunteer of the Year Award -- Dr. Richard Duke. Dr. Duke, a founding scientist and Director of GlobeImmune ( http://www.globeimmune.com ) and current President and CEO of start-up Apoplogic, is also th echair of the CBSA Public Policy and Government Relations Committee. In this capacity, Dr. Duke worked to pass HB 1360 which will bring $2 million in state funds to match proof of concept funds at Colorado’s research institutions. He testified several times on behalf of CBSA legislative efforts and is primary spokesperson for CBSA’s public policy efforts. His time and dedication were instrumental in creating strategies and partnerships that resulted in the passage of CBSA’s 2006 public policy agenda. Dr. Duke is a great ambassador for the Colorado bioscience community.
* 2006 Partner of the Year Award -- Maggie Chamberlin Holben. Holben, founder of Absolutely Public Relations ( http://www.absolutelypr.com ), has worked tirelessly to promote the Colorado bioscience industry message to local and national media. Holben works her public relations magic to promote coverage of Colorado events and industry news. Moreover, she chairs the CBSA Communications Committee, serves on the CBSA Board of Directors, and helps to organize incoming press delegations. She coordinates the industry’s media initiatives with CBSA partners, such as the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. As a media consultant, Holben represents several of Colorado’s leading bioscience companies. Due to Holben’s professionalism and effort, Colorado’s bioscience industry isn’t such a secret anymore.
* Lifetime Achievement Award (one of two presented this year) -- Governor Bill Owens. Governor Owens ( http://www.colorado.gov/governor/biography.html ), his staff and offices have recognized that the bioscience industry will be a significant economic driver in Colorado’s future and that a knowledge and education-based industry dedicated to solving some of the world’s healthcare problems is valuable to the continued vigor of the State of Colorado.
Steps taken by the Governor’s Economic Development Office to support the growth of the bioscience industry in Colorado include appointing a high-level bioscience director, co-hosting BioWest, providing office space for the CBSA at no charge in the Advance Colorado Center and working to pass the CBSA’s legislative priorities. We appreciate Governor Owens’ commitment to this dynamic industry.
* In addition to the CBSA awards, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade will present the Excellence Award for Advancement of the Bioscience Industry to: Kyle Lefkoff, General Partner, Boulder Ventures ( http://www.boulderventures.com ).
Lefkoff has been investing in Colorado’s bioscience companies for the past 20 years and continues to help grow the companies in the state. Lefkoff has invested in and sits on the boards of companies like NeXagen, Genomica, Array Biopharma, Dharmacon, Ribozyme, Arca, Hauser and Bio Star. He also advises many more companies than he invests in and a number of bioscience executives have received invaluable assistance from him. Lefkoff is knowledgeable about the national bioscience investment environment and informs out-of-state venture firms about opportunities in Colorado. Lefkoff’s involvement and promotion of the bioscience industry in Colorado shows that just one person can help advance an industry and advance Colorado as well.
“A distinguished panel of CBSA Board members and past awardees chooses the recipients from an impressive and long list of nominees for each award,” says Brown. “This is the fourth year for the annual awards program.”
About Colorado BioScience Association
Colorado BioScience Association is a not-for-profit corporation providing services and support for Colorado’s growing biosciences industry. Colorado is carrying out an aggressive plan to grow the state’s bioscience industry into one of the country’s premier bioscience clusters. CBSA currently enjoys the support of more than 300 member organizations representing both bioscience companies and companies providing key services to the bioscience industry and research institutions in Colorado. The association’s main office is located in the Advance Colorado Center, 1625 Broadway, Suite 950, in Denver, plus satellite offices are maintained in the Fitzsimons Bioscience Park and at the Fort Collins Technology Incubator.
You can learn more about Colorado’s robust biosciences industry by linking to the 2005 issue of Bioscience Colorado Magazine at http://www.cobioscience.com/2006biosciencemagazine.pdf
###
Contacts:
Denise Brown, Executive Director, Colorado BioScience Association http://www.cobioscience.com -- 303.592.4073, E-mail: dbrown@cobioscience.com
Christine Shapard, Director of Bioscience and Emerging Industries, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade http://www.AdvanceColorado.com -- 303.892.3840, Christine.shapard@state.co.us
Contact
Colorado BioScience Association
Maggie Holben
303-984-9801
http://www.cobioscience.com
Maggie Holben
303-984-9801
http://www.cobioscience.com
Contact
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