News and Events > NewsLetters > Monthly Newsletter: July/August 2006

Today at the TTO

September Slated for Proposal Submissions for State of Colorado Bioscience Proof of Concept Grant Programs.
State officials are working to have the rules for the state program in place by September 1, 2006. Discussions have been occurring with various representatives of universities and the September date is written into the law. Soon after the rules are published, CU’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO) will prepare a request for proposal and inform bioscience investigators through various communication activities. It is expected that the proposal solicitations will be open from early September until October. Proposals by CU investigators will be submitted to TTO. In October the review and selection process will occur with award decisions in November. With the accounts established in the campus offices of sponsored programs, research could begin in January 2007.

Bioscience investigators who are interested in pursuing this funding program are encouraged to talk to their campus TTO staff. A precondition for funding is an invention disclosure submitted to the TTO. The program’s purpose is to conduct preclinical or other development type research on therapeutic, diagnostic or medical device inventions related to human health and agriculture. The scope of work will entail any of the following: conducting experiments, design and fabrication of prototypes, analysis of data and related activities with the purpose of accelerating, validating or otherwise advancing the invention for commercialization. The maximum budget will be $300,000 with a maximum duration of 18 months, although proposals with smaller budgets and lesser research duration will be also be encouraged. Emphasis should be placed on commercial pathways that have an opportunity to economically benefit Colorado. TTO staff will work with investigators on assessing the commercial potential of the invention and helping to specify meaningful preclinical research milestones.

For information on contacting your campus TTO see: http://www.cu.edu/techtransfer/contact/index.html.
To access an invention disclosure form see: http://www.cu.edu/techtransfer/campus/forms.html.

New Members Join TTO Business Advisory Board
The TTO Business Advisory Board includes representatives from the business community and from CU's faculty and administration. Every year about one-fourth of the membership turns over with new advisors. This year the new members are Joey Money, VP Corporate Development, RxKinetix; John Metzger, CEO, Metzger and Associates; George Deriso, serial software entrepreneur; Steve Volk, Chairman and CEO, Vmedia Research, Inc.; and David Jilk, CEO, e-Cortex, Inc.

CU Enters Into Exclusive License with SFC Fluidics
The University of Colorado announced that it has exclusively licensed its Non-Mechanical High Pressure Pump technology, developed in the laboratories of Dr. Richard Noble, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Dr. Carl Koval, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, to SFC Fluidics. SFC Fluidics, formed in 2002 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, will utilize this technology for precise, controlled delivery of fluids. Commercial applications include microfluidics, capillary liquid chromatography, and lab-on-a-chip devices. Additionally, the University and SFC Fluidics will work jointly to explore additional applications for this technology.

TTO Reports Year End Performance Metrics and Six-Year Trends
TTO achieved solid performance in FY 2005-06. Follow this link to a short PowerPoint presentation which summarizes this performance.

TTO Announces Fall Round of Proof of Concept Grant (POCg) Competition
NON-BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH ONLY
For the TTO fall 2006 Proof of Concept grant program, proposals will be separated into bioscience and non-bioscience fields. Bioscience proposals will be processed through the State of Colorado Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant program (see accompanying announcement). Non-bioscience proposals will be processed through the POCg application and selection process, as described below.

The Non-Bioscience POCg fall 2006 grant round is underway and applications may be submitted to the TTO through Friday, October 20, 2006. The Non-Bioscience POCg provides grants to enable the further development and validation of promising Non-Bioscience CU technologies that are, or will become, suitable for commercialization.Non-Bioscience POCg awards can be either $10,000 or $25,000, and the technologies are selected by a competitive application process. Applications for Non-Bioscience POCg awards are submitted to the TTO, which reviews the proposals, makes the final selections, and manages the awards.A completed and filed Invention Submission Form for the subject technology is a pre- or co-requisite for application.

For more information about the POCg, selection criteria, and application requirements, visit http://www.cu.edu/techtransfer/poc/pocg_overview.html or contact Ken Porter, Director of Licensing, at ken.porter@cu.edu or 303.735.1109.

Fall Proof of Concept Investment (POCi) Round is Underway - Application Deadline is October 6, 2006
The application deadline for the upcoming fall TTO Proof of Concept investment (POCi) round is October 6, 2006. The POCi program provides early stage "seed" investments to enable the further development and validation of promising CU technologies that are, or will become, the platform for a CU start-up company. POCi program investments are $100,000 each and are determined based on a competitive application process. POCi funds must be used primarily for applied research, prototype development and testing, and other technology-focused research and development activities directed toward establishing the commercial viability of the technology. Information about the POCi program, selection criteria, application requirements, and the application form is available at www.cu.edu/techtransfer/poc/poci_overview.html. For questions about the POCi program, contact Tom Smerdon, Director, New Business Development, at tom.smerdon@cu.edu or 303-735-0621.

Taligen Therapeutics Announces Successful Achievement of Series A Milestone
Taligen Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has successfully attained the development milestone required to trigger the funding of the second tranche of its Series A Preferred Stock financing. The financing, totaling $3.75 million, initially closed in August 2005 and was led by Sanderling Ventures of San Mateo, California, with the participation of Tango and High Country Venture of Boulder, Colorado, and University of Colorado through University License Equity Holdings, Inc.

Myogen Extends Novartis Agreement
Drug developer Myogen Inc. said Tuesday it extended a research collaboration with Swiss drug maker Novartis AG for work on drugs aimed at treating heart muscle disease. The two-year extension on the agreement which began in 2003 means Novartis will fund research in exchange for licensing rights for the compounds developed. The deal now runs through October 2008.

A Tale of Two Drugs Hints at Promise for Genetic Testing
A decade or so ago, when the revolution in genetics was getting under way, the air was heady with promises. Gene tests, scientists predicted, would become an integral part of drug prescribing. No longer would patients find out too late that a drug did not work for them. No longer would they have to wait to see if they had side effects to one drug before switching to another. Tests of their genes would make all of this clear. But with the exception of a few tests for genes on certain cancer cells, the genetics revolution has not yet happened. There are many reasons. But the stories of two drugs - one for heart failure, the other for breast cancer - illuminate some of the difficulties as well as the immense promise that is still to come. Now maybe, just maybe, the promised revolution is imminent.

Gene Marker Heartens Cardiologists
University of Colorado and University of Maryland researchers have identified a genetic marker that can help determine - before treatment - whether a key heart-failure drug will help an individual patient.

Archemix Signs Aptamer Deal with Elan for Up to $350M
In one of its largest deals to date, Archemix Corp. partnered with Irish firm Elan Corp. plc to develop up to three aptamer-based drugs against autoimmune inflammatory disease and could earn more than $350 million in potential milestones. The companies will work together over the course of three years, with Archemix providing its aptamer technology and Dublin-based Elan contributing its development and regulatory expertise in the autoimmune space.

BIC Launches, Grows High-Tech, Natural Products Companies
On its first anniversary, the Boulder Innovation Center is celebrating having launched three companies, created 13 jobs and brought in $400,000 of investment capital.

Cooking Up New Business: Bioscience Companies Hatching at New Fitzsimons Incubator
Forty-five young bioscience companies in Colorado are seeking help from a new program designed to help them find financing. And that's fine with program director David Drake, who says he's all about the money.

CU Touts Community Ties
David Allen spent Tuesday detailing Boulder's entrepreneur-rich community and the area's strengths in storage, biotech and natural products. Allen, the associate vice president for technology transfer at the University of Colorado, and others from CU and the Boulder Innovation Center mapped out CU's community-based approach to technology transfer to an audience of other Big 12 schools.

CU TTO Metrics of Success and Challenges
In the past five years, we have seen some amazing results flow through from theUniversity of Colorado Tech Transfer Office (CUTTO). David Allen shared the successes and challenges with his third-year check-up with Larry Nelson at w3w3.com. David pointed out that the high success rate included many factors including great researchers, setting a high bar and working with both the tech community and the business community. In addition close relationships with organizations like FBBi (Fitzsimmons BioBusiness Incubator) as well as a great advisory board with top-notch legal advice makes a big difference. This has led to 34 new company start-ups in the past four years.

Second Part of w3w3 Interview with David Allen
David Allen, Associate Vice President for Technology Transfer (CUTTO), University of Colorado System suggests we should all ask ourselves the question, "How is our business changing?" David Allen shared the successes and challenges with his third-year check-up with Larry Nelson about CUTTO. David points out that there always are challenges and opportunities. HB 1360, now a signed act by Governor Bill Owens has been more than a breath of fresh air for the Colorado community. The CUTTO team efforts have led to 34 new company start-ups in the past four years.

Laser Snaps Molecules: CU and NIST Publish Landmark Chemistry Research
Boulder researchers using ultrafast lasers have come a step closer to achieving one of the great goals of chemistry. Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane, both fellows of the joint University of Colorado-National Institute of Standards and Technology institute on the CU campus, were able to "watch" single molecules stretch and twist with the prodding of a laser pulse just a few millionth-billionths of a second long. The research, published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could be an important step toward understanding the specifics of how chemical bonds are made and broken.

Starshade a Distant Twinkle in Professor's Eye
Webster Cash's planet-finding starshade was an idea as far-out as space elevators and antimatter harvesters just eight months ago. Now, the University of Colorado astronomy professor's proposal is so realistic that NASA is considering a $400 million mission that could launch early in the coming decade. His space umbrella, which graces the cover of today's journal Nature, would block light from distant stars that overwhelm far-fainter planets.

Summer Intern in the UCDHSC Office
Carin Twining is a summer intern in the UCDHSC Tech Transfer Office. Carin is a law student at the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder, entering her second year, and her summer projects include performing prior art searches for answering patentability and freedom to operate questions. She has been reviewing new invention disclosures and has also participated in meetings with inventors to assess and analyze their technologies. Outside of work Carin is a long time volunteer for Colorado AIDS Project, and she is president of the Technology Law Student Association and member of the GLBT Student Association. Prior to law school, Carin worked in a neuroscience laboratory doing scientific research, producing many publications in leading peer-reviewed journals. Carin received her B.A. in Psychology and Political Science at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Summer Marketing Intern in the UCB Office
Whitney Browne is a summer intern in the Tech Transfer Office. She attends the Leeds School of Business entering her third year, working towards a degree in marketing and an International Business Certificate. During her internship Whitney's duties include coordinating events and assisting with publications. When not in the office Whitney is the fundraising/marketing chair for BizChicks, a student group devoted to promoting the success of women in business. She has also been a volunteer for Amnesty International and the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center.

Spotlight On:

CU Boulder Technology of the Month:
CU1638B- Mechanism for Enhanced TCP Splice

CU HSC Technology of the Month:
CU1593H- Prevention of Salivary Gland Hypofunction by Suppression of Apoptosis

CU Company of the Month:
KMLabs is a leading manufacturer of ultra short-pulse lasers for the research market. KMLabs is a spin-off of the optics research of Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn at JILA, where their research group is a leader in developing new laser technology to generate very intense light pulses between 10-14 femtoseconds. They have developed the most powerful ultra fast lasers to date in an international market. With their dedication to cutting-edge research and a steadily growing product line, KMLabs Inc. experienced a 75% increase in revenues in its 2005-6 fiscal year, after 80% growth in 2004-5. Their research using these lasers has also been recognized through a MacArthur fellowship in 2000 and Professor Murnane's election to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 (one of only 5 woman physicists in the US so honored).

Upcoming Events

Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program FY 06-07 Schedule
The Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program brings to campus individuals from legal, technical, regulatory and business backgrounds to discuss issues facing the telecommunications community. It creates an environment for analyzing the continually changing dynamics in the telecommunications industry and prepares students for leadership in this important area. Download the new Conference Schedule.

BIOWEST 2006

August 23-24, Denver, CO at the Colorado Convention Center-The only conference and trade show dedicated to the Bioscience Industry in the Rocky Mountain Region. BioWest 2006 is the place where the biotech and medical device ecosystems in the Rocky Mountain West collide. Everything happens here. Join us at BioWest 2006 to discover the companies, brand new technologies, services, venture capital opportunities and players in the bioscience industry.

CU faculty will be entitled to a special conference rate of $75 if 20 or more sign up. To attend at the discounted rate call or email Bev Gandy at 303-724-1039 (Beverly.Gandy@cu.edu) before AUGUST 18th.

Several CU inventors will present posters in the Expo Hall on Thursday evening, and three start up companies based on CU technology are featured in the Venture Showcase: Caveo Therapeutics, MedShape Solutions, and ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals.

SBIR SWIFT Tour
September 14th Holiday Inn DIA
Please join SBIR Colorado and Agency Program Managers for the Colorado portion of the SWIFT Tour. The SWIFT tour was designed to give attendees the chance to learn about each agency's SBIR/STTR Program, as well as, allow for one-on-one sessions with the Program Managers.

Colorado Tech Week to Celebrate and Showcase Statewide Innovation
September 18th - 22nd, Various Locations
Colorado Tech Week, a week-long series of conferences, programs and events that will take place September 18-22, 2006. The venue brings together business, academic and government communities in demonstrating and celebrating Colorado's technology economy over five days at a variety of sites around the state.

Energy Initiative Research Symposium
October 3rd, Boulder, CO at the University Memorial Center on Boulder Campus
The main activity for the Symposium will be a poster session in which individual faculty and scientists, together with members of their research groups, can display their ongoing and proposed research projects related to R&SE and, more importantly, find out what other types of research interests and expertise exist at NREL and on the CU Campuses. For more information, see the Energy Initiative website.

CU Resources

BARD CENTER for ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Key Player in Developing New Entrepreneurs and Helping Launch New Businesses
The Bard Center for Entrepreneurship is part of the Business School at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. It was established in 1996 through the generous endowment gift of Richard and Pamela Bard, long time supporters of CU. It was their desire to create an entrepreneurial focus within the CU-Denver Business School for both new business start-ups and large companies. The mission of the Bard Center is based on two key objectives; to teach entrepreneurship and to help create new businesses that will ultimately add value to Colorado's economy. Located in the heart of downtown Denver on the 16th St. mall, the Bard Center offers 14 graduate level courses in a wide range of entrepreneurial areas. Courses are taught by faculty from the UCDHSC Business School along with a few adjunct faculty from the business community. Approximately 400 students, MBA candidates along with people from the business community and students from other academic disciplines, are enrolled at the Bard Center each year. The Bard Center also houses seven incubator companies; new start-ups that are run by former students. These companies become very engaged in the entrepreneurship program and also benefit from the mentoring, counsel, and networking they receive from the Bard Center's Advisory Council of leading entrepreneurs and business people. The Bard Center also manages a venture fund which provides direct investment in companies launched from the entrepreneurship program. The fund operates much like the TTO's Proof of Concept fund. The merger of CU-Denver and Health Sciences Center offers exciting future opportunities for the Bard Center in bioscience and health. Partnerships with TTO, FBBi, CTEK, and other organizations are an important focus for the Bard Center and the growth of its entrepreneurship program.

For more information about the Bard Center, call 303-620-4050 or visit its website.

Innovation in the News

Nektar Therapeutics Settles Lawsuit
Biotechnology drug maker Nektar Therapeutics said Friday that it and the founder of a company acquired five years ago settled a patent infringement lawsuit for $25 million brought by the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Big 12 Hope Sports Lure VC
Schools in the Big 12 Conference want to attract more venture investment to their states, with football as the bait. The schools plan to hold a conference for venture capitalists in early December - held in conjunction with the Big 12 championship football game in Kansas City - to showcase technology developed at the various schools.

Request to Re-Examine WARF Stem Cell Patents Escalates War of Words
The legal challenge to stem cell patents held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has escalated the war of words between two states -Wisconsin and California - with both questioning the other's financial motivations.

Nonprofit Plans to Start Fund for New Tech Firms
A Denver nonprofit wants to create a new-style venture capital fund to plug a funding gap faced by upstart technology companies needing money. CTEK is targeting small Colorado companies that want to raise $500,000 to $3 million.

Angel Investors Giving Blessings to More Companies from Colorado
After years of inactivity, angel investors are once flexing their wings in Colorado.

Senate Committee Approves Legislation to Restore Eligibility for Small Biotech Companies
Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), issued the following statement praising members of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee for supporting legislation that would restore Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant eligibility to small biotech companies that are majority backed by private investment.

Women Scientists Lag Far Behind Men in Patents, Study Says
Women scientists apply for patents at a fraction of the rate of men, potentially costing the US billions of dollars' worth of commercial development of their inventions, according to a study spanning three decades. Women, hindered by a lack of contact with industry decision-makers, are about 40 percent as likely as their male peers to apply for patents, said the study, published today by the journal Science.

External Resources

Gold in the Ivory Tower: Equity Rewards of Outlicensing
An analysis of life-science initial public offerings from three time periods reveals that the equity share received by universities and their academic researchers has changed over time.

Technology Trends for 2020
A new study from the RAND Corporation takes on a tough job -- assessing where new technologies will be in 2020. The study examines sixteen key technology applications (e.g. green manufacturing, rural wireless development, and genetically modified crops) and their impacts in 29 countries. The study predicts that rapid technological change will continue unabated over the next fifteen years

Six Trends That Are Changing the World 
RAND Corporation isn't the only one looking at technology trends; WIRED magazine examines "Six Trends that are Changing the World" in its July 2006 issue. The six big trends are: peer production, unlimited video, personalization, green technology, open standards, and technology mergers and acquisitions. The last item on this list-technology mergers and acquisitions-may be of particular interest.

Parting Quotes

"Never innovate to compete, innovate to change the rules of the game."
- David O. Adeife