News and Events > Newsletters > Monthly Newsletter: April 2006

Today at the TTO

HB06-1360
As reported in last month's newsletter two bills supportive of university biotechnology research are being considered by the Colorado Legislature this session. Of special interest to technology transfer is HB06 - 1360. The bill provides $2M for matching funds up to $150,000 per project to support the development of life science technologies that come from new discoveries within Colorado's research institutions.  This investment occurs before the technologies are licensed to a commercial company and the investment will result in a better valuation of the technology, a greater understanding of its value to health care, greater interest by investors in Colorado's private companies that develop the technology, and an earlier weeding out of technologies that should not compete for scarce development and investment funds.  This "proof of concept" investment will result in the acceleration of commercialization of bioscience technologies, including the creation of more viable Colorado biotechnology and medical device companies, which will lead directly to the creation of more jobs in Colorado. This bill passed the House and is being considered by the Senate Finance committee.

Illuminate, Investigate, Innovate - The College of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) at CU Colorado Springs embraces technology transfer.

The College of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) vision is to aspire to improve health, welfare, and prosperity through technical learning, research, professional practice, and invention.

In partnership with the community and alumni, the mission of the EAS to:
Illuminate: Inspiring a passion in students for life-long learning; and graduating engineers and scientists who are knowledgeable and competitive in the global marketplace throughout their careers;
Investigate: Conducting recognized and relevant research that has both local and global impact; and
Innovate: Engaging in leadership, service, economic and technology development that improves health, welfare, and prosperity through engineering.

To enact this mission the College will be monitoring progress on the following key technology transfer metrics:

• Number of annual invention disclosures by faculty,
• Number of annual patent applications involving faculty, and
• Revenue coming to UCCS campus from licensed technology derived from EAS faculty inventions

For more information on the metrics see: http://eas.uccs.edu/vision.php

Caveo Therapeutics Completes Option Agreement and Receives POC Investment
Intellectual property created in the laboratory of Dr. Doug Graham from the University of Colorado's Health Sciences Center has been optioned to Caveo Therapeutics. Caveo is an early stage biotechnology company focused on development of therapies targeting receptor tyrosine kinase pathways. Caveo Therapeutics recently signed an exclusive option to commercialize the technology and received a $100,000 investment from CU's Proof of Concept fund to optimize the lead compound, CVO-002, and initiate studies to support an Investigational New Drug application. The Company is currently raising additional funds to complete its seed round of financing.

The Company's initial products address hematologic conditions including blood cancers, blood clotting, and thrombophilia. CVO-002 has demonstrated initial efficacy in prevention of blood clots without bleeding complications in preclinical models. Related compounds are currently being tested in mouse models of leukemia and lymphoma. Additional information can be found on the company's website.

ImmuRx Completes Option Agreement on a New Therapeutic Platform
Dr. Ross Kedl, Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado at Denver's Health Sciences Center, Dr. Randy Noelle, Professor at the Dartmouth Medical School, Cory Ahonen, Research Scientist at the Dartmouth Medical School, and Dave DeLucia, CEO, have formed ImmuRx, LLC. The company recently signed an option to an exclusive license with CU with plans to develop and commercialize an immunotherapy adjuvant platform originally developed in Dr. Kedl's laboratory at the University of Colorado. ImmuRx is in the process of raising investment capital to initiate a phase one clinical trial.

Dr. Kedl's immunotherapy platform employs two agonists that, when used together, create a synergistic T-cell mediated immune response. By deploying the agonists in conjunction with specific antigens, the technology has the capacity to use the body's own immune system to attack a variety of solid tumors, liquid tumors, and infectious diseases. This synergy may provide the heightened level of immune response necessary to deliver upon the promise of cancer vaccines.

CU Technology and Licensee Companies in the News

Replidyne Registers to Go Public
Louisville biotechnology company Replidyne Inc. registered this week to offer as much as $100 million worth of stock in the company on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

CU Researchers Develop Test To Predict Lung Cancer
Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center are excited about a promising new test that can help detect and perhaps prevent the deadliest form of cancer. Doctors have found they can basically use spit to find out if someone is likely to get lung cancer.

Smaller CU Energy Initiative Kicks off
The University of Colorado's new CU Energy Initiative kicked off Tuesday with a show of the wildly diverse talents needed to nurture the widespread uptake of renewable energy.

Phiar Ready for Fast Growth in Electronic Components
Phiar Corp. is making waves literally (with its diodes and transistors) and figuratively (with its venture funding, partnerships and expansion plans). The company secured a $9 million round of capital with Menlo Partners of Menlo Park, Calif., in mid-2005 and a joint development deal with Motorola Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill.

Phiar seeks to go where no electron has gone before
Executives at Boulder-based Phiar Corp. say the company is on track to make this mantra come true for the electronics industry within the next year.

CU Physicists' Infrared Analyzer Takes Laboratory out of Equation
University of Colorado physicists have developed a highly sensitive chemical analyzer that could be used in security screenings for explosive or biochemical devices or to test a patient's breath for disease.

TTO's Learning Laboratory: The Student Connection

Meet MBA Student Cecil Sunder
Cecil Sunder earned an undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering as well as a Certificate in Aeronautical Engineering prior to holding managerial positions in the Indian Air Force. At the TTO, Cecil has done technical and market research on the competition for technologies described in new invention disclosures. While evaluating a new semiconductor technology, Cecil had a dialogue with two people from the local semiconductor industry who were able to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the disclosure. Cecil has also had the opportunity to evaluate the market potential of a new architecture for wireless technologies. After reading the disclosure, he summarized the potential commercial applications, worked with TTO Licensing Staff to review competing technologies and patented prior art. Cecil also spoke with engineers at two major wireless companies about the process of adopting new technologies through the standards setting process. He is now working with the inventors and advisors from a local VC group on a strategy for approaching wireless standards organizations.

Launching a Technology-Based Startup: TTO's Summer Internship Program
The TTO is currently seeking MBA students and Front-Range business professionals and firms with an interest in volunteering their time and expertise to serve as business advisors to the summer 2006 program.

Spotlight On:

CU UCCS Technology of the Month:
1993.IR316C - A Method for Enhancing the Production of Hemoproteins

CU Boulder Technology of the Month:
CU1541B - Highly sensitive, massively parallel, broad-bandwidth, real-time spectroscopy

CU Company of the Month:
Securics, Inc., "The Science of Security", was established in 2004 in Colorado Springs to develop biometric and other technologies that improve security while preserving privacy. Building software/systems based on the rights to five pending patents to biometric technologies developed by Dr. Boult at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), Securics has entered the challenging arena of developing cutting edge biometric and imaging-related technologies to enhance our national and personal security. Securics' algorithms have been proven to enhance performance by improving the accuracy and reducing false matches of fingerprint, facial, and hand-geometry, all while ensuring individual privacy.

Unlike a credit card, you cannot cancel your fingerprint if it is ever "stolen", and with today's technology it is relatively simple to "spoof" a biometric system using stolen data. Securics' BiotopeT technology solves this fundamental problem, providing the first effective revocable biometric-based identification technology. A BiotopeT is a cryptographically secured mathematical transformation of the biometric, such that the resulting token can be used to verify identity but such that it can also be revoked, cancelled and the user reissued a new Biotope that cannot be linked with the previous ones. Also because they cannot be linked or shared between databases, Biotopes improve security and privacy. In its most private form, a Biotope can be used for identity-verification but cannot be use to search for individuals.

Last year Securics was awarded a $100,000 Proof of Concept Investment from the University's Technology Transfer Office to develop a novel projective invariant hand-geometry biometric technology, producing an easier to use and more accurate non-contact identification of an individual. In December 2005, Securics was awarded its first SBIR contract. Securics was selected by the US military to develop a long distance, outdoor, facial recognition system which will incorporate Securics technologies. Several additional SBIR/STTR efforts are in the contract negotiation stage, pending final approval. Securics currently has two subcontracts to UCCS, engaging undergraduate students in ongoing work, and has four pending proposals jointly with UCCS.

Securics is a spinout of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where Dr. Terrance Boult, CEO of Securics, is also the El Pomar Professor of Communication and Computation and the Director of the Vision and Security Technology Laboratory at UCCS. Securics is a member of the Colorado Springs Technology Incubator, which has assisted in assembling a high level advisory board that has contributed to Securics management team. Securics currently has five employees, and in anticipation of addition government research, Securics is currently looking for additional engineers.

Upcoming Events

Summer Program Orientation
May 22-23, 2006 - The Technology Transfer Office will be holding an orientation session for Summer MBA students and others interested in learning more about university technology transfer. This two-day session will be held at the TTO office in Boulder. The orientation will include a general session about the role of the technology transfer office in the university, the resources of the TTO, and how university culture and tradition affects tech transfer. Additionally, there will be specific sessions on CU IP policy, technology licensing, IP protection, patentability analysis, market research, and the process of going from an invention disclosure all the way to a license. Attention will also be directed to the issue of start-up companies created from University IP. Members of the business community are welcome to come for the whole orientation, or for topics of interest to them. Look for a more detailed schedule of events in the May newsletter. If you have any questions, contact Sheri Aajul at 303 492 5647 or sheri.aajul@cu.edu.

Call for Presenters
The Rockies Venture Club is soliciting presenters for its 18th Annual Colorado Capital Conference, scheduled for Thursday, June 8, 2006 at the Denver Marriott City Center.

SOLAR 2006 Program
July 8 - 13, 2006, Denver, CO - Renewable Energy - Key to Climate Recovery
Come to SOLAR 2006 to learn, network, do business, network, greet old friends and make new ones, network, find a new job, network and re-charge your batteries!  The National Solar Energy Conference is attended by leading researchers, scientists, engineers, architects, designers, policymakers, contractors, installers, government leaders, strategic thinkers, teachers, utility representatives and other renewable energy decision-makers from around the United States and the world.

The AUTM Western Regional Meeting
July 16-18, Boulder, CO at St. Julien Hotel - The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), which is the professional association for TTOs, is holding its summer regional meeting in Boulder this year.

CU Resources

The Center for Computational Biology
The Human Genome Project has created intense need for new methods of computation to obtain useful information from newly emerging data banks and resources. In response to this need the Center for Computational Biology (CCB) was formed as a multi-campus organization aimed at catalyzing interdisciplinary research and developing educational programs in computational biology throughout the CU system. CCBintegrates research and education, and has successfully engaged associates in collaboration across disciplines and campuses. The Center also has partners in industry and national laboratories. Visit it at http://ccb.cudenver.edu/

Research activities focus on bringing bioscientists, computer scientists, and mathematicians together in symposia, workshops, and other events. Part of this mission is to help get sponsored research from a variety of sources whose emphasis is on the use and advancement of computational biology. The CCB provides a service to its associates by identifying resources for tasks and helping people to obtain what they need to achieve their research goals. In some cases this involves identifying opportunities for sharing resources. A key resource is intellectual capital vested in Center associates.

Education includes leading the development of new courses and programs for CU students. While coordinating degree programs at all levels, the CCB offers its own Certificate in Computational Biology aimed at re-training a Colorado workforce that will be able to contribute to the economic growth resulting from new biotechnology companies. This includes a broad base of educational activities that forms partnerships with companies and laboratories, such as internships. All programs led by CCB initiative have sought to integrate our education mission with our research mission. Students are introduced to research as part of their education.

Innovation in the News

Expanding Biotech Companies Use Clusters to Grow Their Operations
For an industry sector that is still in its infancy, many regions throughout North America give early-stage life sciences companies the financial and infrastructure support they need to grow and expand.

Education and Investment, Not TABOR, Fueled Colorado's Economic Growth in 1990's
According to the authors, research shows that Colorado's prosperity has deep historical and regional roots. It was fueled by extensive public and private investment, high levels of educational attainment, and Colorado's Rocky Mountain location. "Those factors ­ not TABOR ­ gave Colorado its strong economy in the 1990s," the authors state. This impact analysis is available at http://www.cbpp.org/3-23-06sfp.pdf.

Aurora Mayor Sees Proposal as Brain Food
Mayor Ed Tauer wants to use some of the money the city unexpectedly had left over last year to create a venture capital fund to help startup biotech and other knowledge-based companies.

A Shot in the Arm
Turning an idea into a drug that could save thousands of lives takes years and hundreds of millions of dollars. But with Colorado far behind other states in bioscience funding, the state legislature is debating three bills designed to funnel $15.5 million to the bioscience industry.

HB 06-1074, Waste Tires Fee Recycling Grants, Passed the Senate
The bill is available at State Legislature web site.

Scientists Become Trading Card Heroes

External Resources

Growing the Nation's Bioscience Sector: State Bioscience Initiatives in 2006 is available at: http://www.bio.org/local/battelle2006/

Commercializing Cohen-Boyer 1980-1997
This paper by Maryann Feldman, Alessandra Colaianni and Kang Liu examines the history of the licensing and subsequent commercialization of the Cohen-Boyer Patents. These licenses are considered among the most successful examples of university technology transfer in terms of generating revenue and creating a range of new products. Stanford was negotiating new ground with their licensing program and they consulted widely in the design and implementation of their program. The paper begins by providing the context for Stanford's approach to licensing and then examines the implementation of the licensing practices and procedures. The final section of the paper examines the commercial products that companies developed using the technology and the resulting licensing revenues.

Community of Science
Community of Science (COS) is the leading global resource for hard-to-find information critical to scientific research and other projects across all disciplines.

Community Research & Development Information Service(CORDIS)
CORDIS is an information space devoted to European research and development (R&D) and innovation activities.

ResearchResearchLite (formerly ScienceWise.com)

Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects(CRISP)
CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects) is a searchable database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions.

Oasis Database
Oasis contains information on all research funded by the BBSRC at BBSRC-sponsored Institutes, Universities and Higher Education Institutes and other research institutions.

Parting Quotes

"Inventions rarely exist in isolation. No matter how clever the idea or great the implementation, an invention typically lives or dies depending on how well it can be integrated into a large social and technological context." -- Evan Schwartz, Juice: The creative fuel that drives world-class inventors (Harvard Business School Press, 2004)