University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office

State Legislature Considers Bill to Enhance Biofuels Research and Support Colorado Bioscience Companies
House Bill 1060, “Concerning the Advancement of Bioscience Discoveries at Colorado Research Institutions, and Making an Appropriation Thereof” was recently introduced in the Colorado Legislature; the bill was sponsored by Representative Reisberg in House and Senator Shafer in the Senate, and is being promoted by the Colorado Bioscience Association. HB 1060 builds on the HB 1360 legislation put in place in 2006.  It provides $500,000 for proof-of-concept university research related to advancing biofuels intellectual property (IP).  Like 1360, which applied to therapeutics, diagnostics and devices, the biofuels research funding requires an equal financial match by the recipient university. 

HB 1060 also provides $2M in State funds to be awarded to bioscience (including biofuels) companies that license or option university bioscience IP as a match to receiving a Phase 1 Federal agency small business innovative research program (SBIR) or small business technology transfer program (STTR) research award. The State funding for these bioscience companies would not exceed $100,000.  However, given most Phase 1 SBIR and STTR awards are approximately $100,000, the State funding would be half the Federal funding or approximately $50,000.  These State SBIR/STTR funds would be used primarily for business development purposes.  The State SBIR/STTR match funds would flow through university technology transfer offices to university licensee start-up companies.  The university would not be required to provide a match to the State SBIR/STTR portion. 

Over the last two years CU TTO has licensed or optioned CU IP to 12 Colorado based start-up companies and six to eight are anticipated this fiscal year.  This State program would provide critical funds for these start-up companies, which would enhance their chances of success in commercializing university bioscience IP. The source of these funds is gaming revenue. 

The Legislature is also considering Senate Bill 081, “Concerning State Matching Funds for Competitive Federally Sponsored Research Projects at Colorado Public Research Universities, and, in Connection Therewith, Creating the Higher Education Competitive Research Authority and the Innovative Higher Education Research Fund.” This bill would provide matching funds to research projects receiving federal research dollars; these would be appropriated from general funds.

MedShape Solutions, Inc. Executes Exclusive License Agreement with CU
TTO recently concluded an exclusive license agreement with MedShape Solutions, Inc. for CU technology related to shape memory polymers for orthopedic applications.   MedShape, a CU start-up company, is developing next-generation medical devices for use in orthopedic fixation and other applications.  These devices utilize the unique properties of “shape memory” materials (polymers and alloys that are capable of controlled shape change or strain recovery in response to external stimuli) to provide superior surgical alternatives to current technologies.  One such device, based on CU inventions, is the ShapeLoc™ fixation device for ACL reconstruction.   MedShape was a spring 2006 recipient of a $100,000 Proof of Concept investment under TTO’s POCi program. 

CU-Boulder Influenza Chip Technology Licensed By Quidel Corp. Of San Diego
The University of Colorado on Dec. 19 announced it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Quidel Corporation to market Flu Chip and MChip diagnostic technologies developed by CU-Boulder researchers in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The Flu Chip and MChip can be used to determine the genetic makeup of specific influenza strains from patient samples within hours. Current methods take about four days. Identifying flu strains is critical for tracking emerging strains and helping world health officials combat coming epidemics and pandemics, including bird flu. In addition, the technology will help facilitate the development of preventive vaccines. (See Daily Camera article here.)

UCDHSC Sponsored Research Dollars Hit a Record $374M for FY 2006
The University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center received a record $374 million in sponsored research grants during fiscal year 2006 – roughly a three percent increase over 2005 – indicating that the university’s researchers are thriving in a highly competitive national quest for public and private research dollars. As in the past, NIH grants accounted for a majority of all sponsored research awards for medical researchers during fiscal year 2006, amounting to 56 percent of all grants received. Another 11 percent came from other federal funding resources, and 6 percent came from private medical and scientific associations and foundations. The balance was contributed by hospitals and universities, industry, state and local governments and international funding.

State Economic Development Office Gives Go-ahead for POC Grants
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) has approved 27 grants totaling $1.9 million to accelerate the development of new bioscience products and services. The Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program was created last year by the state Legislature in HB 1360. The goal of the program is to help research institutions commercialize bioscience discoveries. The funding is designed to complete the additional testing and market analysis needed to convert research into products. To read the TTO press release covering CU award winners, click here.

TTO Announces New Contract Licensing Associate
Kerith Kanaber joined the Technology Transfer Office as a contract licensing associate in our UCDHSC office on January 10. Her contract will run for two months.  In this role, she supplements TTO’s full-time licensing associates in evaluating CU intellectual property. In May, Kerith completed her law degree at the Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, NE, and was admitted to the Colorado bar. During her time at Creighton, Kerith was a member of the law review and completed an internship with the Intellectual Property Office at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Prior to her law education, Kerith attended the University of Denver, receiving both a BS in Molecular Biology and an MBA; she also received a full scholarship as a competitive swimmer at DU. Kerith sought out a job in technology transfer as a way to put all three of her degrees to work.

TTO Seeking Marketing Intern
The TTO is looking for a current CU student to fill its Marketing Intern position. Working out of TTO’s Boulder office, the marketing intern will assist the Marketing Associate in conducting market research, drafting documents, and researching companies. Organizational and computer skills are vital; experience with Illustrator, Visio, Publisher a plus. This 10-15 hour/week paid position is available starting spring semester 2007 with possibility of continuing long-term. Applicants must be current CU students. To apply, email your resume and cover letter to Lindsay.Polak@cu.edu by January 19, 2007.

Spring Proof of Concept Investment (POCi) Round – Application Deadline April 6, 2007
The application deadline for the upcoming TTO Proof of Concept investment (POCi) round is April 6, 2007.  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 are available here.  For questions about the POCi program, contact Tom Smerdon, Director, New Business Development, at tom.smerdon@cu.edu or 303-735-0621.

CU Technology and Licensee Companies in the News

BaroFold Licenses Protein Technology to Pfizer
BaroFold Inc., a spin-off from the University of Colorado, announced on January 9 that it granted Pfizer Inc. a license to use its technology for restructuring proteins used in drug development. Financial terms weren't disclosed. Pfizer joins the ranks of Genentech and about two dozen other companies that have purchased licenses from BaroFold. The biotech firm's technology lets companies produce difficult proteins on a large scale, allowing research in protein and small molecule therapeutics.

Archemix Announces Collaboration with Pfizer to Discover Aptamer Therapeutics
Archemix Corp., a Cambridge biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery of aptamer-based therapeutics, said on January 9 that it has signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc. to collaborate on potential products. Under the agreement, Archemix will use proprietary technology based on CU research to discover and generate product candidates for three disease targets identified by Pfizer while Pfizer will be responsible for commercializing the resulting product candidates.

Gilead Submits PAH Drug Ambrisentan to FDA
Gilead Sciences, Inc. in December 2006 submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing approval of ambrisentan (5 mg and 10 mg) for the once-daily treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The application is supported by data from two Phase III clinical studies (ARIES-1 and ARIES-2) and three Phase II studies in patients with PAH. Gilead acquired the U.S. rights to ambrisentan when it completed its acquisition of CU spin-off Myogen, Inc. on November 17, 2006.

Motorola, Phiar Progress on Project
Motorola, the Fortune 100 company specializing in wireless and broadband communications, has validated a key component of work built by CU-Boulder spin-off Phiar Corp., the two said December 19. For the past year, the companies have been working on high-performance electronic circuits that can be incorporated into tiny antennas. The technology would speed communications, automotive collision avoidance and navigation, homeland security weapons detection and medical imaging, the two said. (See Phiar press release here.)

2007 Big Year for Biotech: Drugs, Medical Devices Could Put Colorado Firms on Map
Biotechnology and medical device companies either shine like supernovas or flame out, in either case consuming piles of cash. Given the industry's ups and downs, smaller companies often don't gain notice until they go public or win FDA approval. Colorado is home to a handful of lesser-noticed firms working on promising technology or quietly selling widely used products. For at least four of them, 2007 promises to be a breakout year.

CU-Related Companies Announce Funding
In December, several companies founded around CU technology announced that they have received funding:

­Boulder-based AlphaSniffer, a 3-year-old company developing monitoring technologies for biological warfare and gene-analysis tools for medical care, received a series B round of funding from a group of private investors worth $875,000. R.C. "Merc" Mercure, one of the new investors, was elected to AlphaSniffer's board. Previously, the private company raised $1.5 million during a first round of private funding and $320,000 from Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.

­AlphaSniffer Changes Technology Course, Raises Money (BCBR article)

­Broomfield-based ALD NanoSolutions, Inc., a private nanotechnology company based on research from the University of Colorado, received a $149,919 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The award is effective January 1, 2007, and the funds will be used to develop carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for use in composite materials.  (See ALD press release here.)

­AlphaSniffer, ALD NanoSolutions Announce Deals (Daily Camera article)

­Boulder-based eCortex has been awarded a Phase I SBIR contract ($70K, with $30K option) by the U.S. Navy on the topic "Automated EO/IR Detection Techniques For Floating Objects", starting in December and running through June 2007. eCortex was formed to commercialize neural network machine vision technology originally developed in Dr. Randall O'Reilly's laboratory in the University of Colorado's Psychology Department.

­MedShape Solutions, based in Atlanta, GA, has been awarded a $100,000 SBIR Phase I grant from the NSF. MedShape will use the grant to support ongoing development of the ShapeLoc shape memory polymer technology for ACL reconstruction. Ongoing progress in the development of ShapeLoc will open the door for a Phase II SBIR grant award of up to $500,000.

Laser Collaboration Just One Of Many Emerging Partnerships Among Universities In Colorado
Presidents at Colorado's major research universities - Larry Edward Penley at Colorado State University, Hank Brown at the University of Colorado and Bill Scoggins at Colorado School of Mines - are working collaboratively in ways that benefit Colorado. That cooperation also extends to scientific discovery; for example, some of the most groundbreaking laser research in the nation is occurring as a result of collaboration among research universities in the state, particularly among the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines. Together, they account for more than $1 billion in annual research expenditures in Colorado.

People

Paul Ray, Award-winning Bioscience Entrepreneur, Dies at 60
The Colorado technology community was saddened to learn that Paul Ray passed away on January 4th.  David Allen commented that “Paul was a strident supporter of biotechnology and biomedical device enterprises, a serial entrepreneur and one hell of a good guy.  His presence would light up the room, and his contributions were always insightful and frequently witty.  He will be sadly missed.” 

For more information, see the links provided below.

­Rocky Mountain News Obituary
­w3w3.com Tribute Page

UCCS Professor/Inventor Receives IEEE Award
A more than 22-year veteran of the faculty at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs was recently recognized for contributions to the field of computer engineering. Carlos Araujo, professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, received the 2006 Daniel E. Noble Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Dec. 12 at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco. The award recognizes Araujo’s work in the area of ferroelectric random access memory, a critical infrastructure for the development of cell phones and other computer-related technologies.

CU Inventor Receives $2.7 Million to Study Treatment for Mustard Gas Exposure
Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCDHSC, has been awarded a $2.7M grant from the NIH to conduct research that may lead to a treatment for those exposed mustard gas, a harmful, potentially deadly toxin that is considered a military threat. Agarwal’s research will focus on the toxicity of sulfur mustard to exposed skin cells and skin tissues and then test the efficacy of silibinin as a protective agent. Silibinin is a common dietary supplement derived from milk thistle and used in the treatment and prevention of liver toxicity.

CU Professor and Inventor Honored With Endowed Chair Appointment
University of Colorado Professor Leslie Leinwand has been named a recipient of one of two Marsico Endowed Chairs of Excellence for her teaching and research activities associated with her studies of genetic heart defects. A professor in CU-Boulder's molecular, cellular and developmental biology department and professor in the cardiology division at the CU Health Sciences Center, Leinwand will assume her endowed chair this month. The Marsico Endowed Chairs of Excellence were established in 2002 to support CU faculty members whose intellectual achievements have received high national and international recognition.

CU Inventors Help Science Become Art
In the fall of 2006, UCDHSC’s J. John Cohen and Helen Macfarlane, a medical illustrator, sent out a call for entries to the University of Colorado community; scientists were asked to submit images they had made as part of their everyday work that could be considered art, and artists whose images illustrated or offered insights into scientific principles were also asked to take part. Of the hundreds of pieces submitted, 66 were selected to be featured in an online gallery at Art in Science | Science in Art; 30 were then selected to be printed in large format and hung in a traveling show which opens Jan. 18 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Entries from CU inventors Raul Torres, Carlyne Cool, Daniel Chan, Victor Spitzer, Kenneth Shroyer, and Jean Hertzberg were among the 66 featured pieces.

Do you know of a recent award, new position or transition of interest to the CU tech community? Please send information to TTOnews@cu.edu.

TTO's Learning Laboratory: The Student Connection

Upcoming Events

Deming Center Graduate Business Plan Competition
January 23, 2007, 5:00 pm, Wittemyer Courtroom, CU School of Law, Boulder
MBA student teams will present cutting-edge business plans to a select panel of judges who evaluate the viability of the business venture. Join us and watch the students answer tough questions and share their hard-won ideas. The winners will receive cash prizes and recognition from the Leeds School of Business. There will be a reception at 5:00 pm, and the competition begins at 6:00 pm. For more information or to RSVP, contact Vesper Tanaka at Vesper.Tanaka@colorado.edu or 303-735-5415.

Technology Transfer Fifth Annual Awards
January 24, 2007, 5:30 pm, Tivoli Brewery, Denver
The fifth annual TTO awards dinner will be held on January 24, 2007 at the historic Tivoli Turnhalle at CU’s downtown Denver campus. This event, sponsored by Faegre & Benson LLP, celebrates people and companies that are illustrative of the outstanding year experienced by technology transfer at CU. Speakers will include Dr. Michael Bristow and Dr. J. William Freytag, both of Myogen.

The Digital Broadband Migration: The Next Wave of Innovation
February 11 – 12, 2007, CU School of Law, Boulder
Although still in a formative stage of change, the future of telecommunications will be radically different than what the drafters of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 envisioned. This Conference will examine the emerging world of telecommunications, taking special care to evaluate the rhetoric and realities of convergence; network management, security, and interoperability; digital rights management; and the role of entrepreneurship and established firms in promoting innovation. Co-sponsored by the Association of Denver Telecommunications Professionals, the Federal Communications Bar Association, and the University of Colorado Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program. Info and registration online.

2007 Sustainable Opportunities Summit
February 28 – March 2, 2007, Sheraton Four Points Southeast, Denver
Innovators in large and small companies have discovered that the global movement in sustainability opens up ways to make money and boost shareholder value.  New products, new services, and new ways of doing business all represent opportunities for savvy companies.  Join industry leaders at the second annual Sustainable Opportunities Summit. Corporate leaders will learn from innovators about their business strategies to improve practices, capture new markets, and communicate their activities in sustainability. Entrepreneurs will hear from experts in a range of fields, from green building to clean technology to natural foods, about new business opportunities, and meet potential collaborators. Investors will learn about industry trends, cutting-edge technologies, and new business models. This event is part of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation.

Transforming Energy and Markets: TEAM Reception
March 1, 2007, 5:30 pm, location TBA
During the annual Sustainable Opportunities Summit (see above), mingle, network, and enjoy refreshments with members of the cleantech community – corporations, entrepreneurs, and investment community leaders.  Learn more about cutting-edge energy research at CU and potential energy-related business opportunities. The reception is hosted by TEAM, the CU Energy Initiative’s outreach arm.  Facilitated by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, TEAM works with the TTO, researchers at CU and NREL, and the private sector to identify opportunities for early engagement between researchers and businesses interested in energy research.  For more information on attending this event, contact Alison Peters at alison.peters@colorado.edu or 303-666-7627.

Cleantech Innovation Challenge
March 1 – 2, 2007, Sheraton Four Points Southeast, Denver
The Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce the Cleantech Innovation Challenge. The inaugural event held in 2006, the Sustainable Venturing Business Plan Competition, has been renamed the Cleantech Innovation Challenge. This international event is designed to be the premier student competition showcasing emerging opportunities in the cleantech sector.  A minimum of $25,000 in prize money will be awarded to the winning teams. The top-ranked team with a clean energy technology business plan will be invited to present its business plan at the 20th annual National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Industry Growth Forum in Fall 2007.  The NREL forum is widely recognized as the premier investor venue for the clean energy industry. Eligibility, registration and info available online.

Rocky Mountain SBIR Conference
May 9-10, 2007, Renaissance Hotel, Denver
The Rocky Mountain SBIR Conference provides 2 full days of SBIR/STTR courses & information. Learn critical IP and marketing strategies, meet one-on-one with program managers, network with large corporate sponsors, and collaborate with industry clusters and neighboring state technologists. Get the latest details by emailing info@sbircolorado.org.

To have your event featured here, please send an email to TTOnews@cu.edu.

CU Resources

Boulder Innovation Center
The Boulder Innovation Center (BIC) was created to bring the power of Boulder's entrepreneurial community to bear on the challenge of launching and growing successful businesses.  With unparalleled access to Boulder's rich pool of serial entrepreneurs and experienced service providers, the BIC brings previously untapped sources of knowledge, experience and networking capability to the business-building process.  The BIC offers local entrepreneurs and business owners a support system that dramatically improves their odds of success, while at the same time establishing a 'community of entrepreneurs' to promote business creation and economic growth.

The BIC works closely with the TTO to launch new businesses based on CU technologies. The BIC helps TTO identify technologies with commercial potential and serves as a "bridge" between CU faculty and research staff and Boulder's business community. The BIC offers assistance to University inventors interested in starting a company, and recruits serial entrepreneurs, giving them an early perspective on CU technologies. The BIC also involves students from the University Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law School's Entrepreneurial Law Clinic whenever feasible to help with the launch of a CU-related company.

For more information, visit www.boulderinnovationcenter.com or contact Doug Collier at 303-444-2111.

Innovation in the News

TechStars Set to Rise Over Boulder
Banks rejected David Cohen and David Brown 13 years ago when they started Pinpoint Technologies Inc. in Deland, Fla. So, they and a third partner cobbled together money from family and credit cards to launch their technology business. "We didn't have any money. We had a great idea," Brown said recently, recalling the start of what would become Zoll Data Systems. These days, Cohen and Brown invest in other people's startups. They're starting a program to help novice entrepreneurs sidestep some routine obstacles, find funding and launch their technology businesses with guidance from veterans who have been there.

Supreme Court: Challenging Patents OK
The Supreme Court made it easier this month to challenge patents, bolstering arguments by some in business that they are too readily granted and can stymie new drugs and other innovations. In an 8-1 decision on January 9, the court said that biotech firm MedImmune Inc. may pursue a court case in a patent dispute over its childhood respiratory drug Synagis. MedImmune, based in Gaithersburg, MD, went to court to challenge a patent agreement with Genentech Inc. Genentech argued that the case should be dismissed because MedImmune had agreed to make royalty payments, although under protest.

U-Wash Research Foundation Files Patent Suit Against Cellphone Makers over Bluetooth
Research conducted by a University of Washington undergraduate more than a decade ago has become the subject of a lawsuit filed against some of the largest cellphone manufacturers in the world. The suit claims that consumer electronics giant Matsushita and its Panasonic unit, as well as Samsung and Nokia, are infringing on four patents sold under the "Bluetooth" name. Washington Research Foundation (WRF), which assists Washington universities with commercializing technology, filed the suit Dec. 21 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Teeny-Weeny Rules for Itty-Bitty Atom Clusters
It’s hard enough to regulate something when you know what it is, what it does, how it works and who is actually making it. Nabil Al-Hadithy had none of those advantages when he began to consider what –  if anything – Berkeley, Calif., wanted to do about regulating nanotechnology. When the city council adopted his regulation last month, Berkeley became the first government body in the United States –  and possibly anywhere, according to some analysts – to explicitly regulate businesses that make or use nanoparticles.

State Governments Commit Funds to Technology
State governments around the country are racing to fund technology innovation and commercialization. Key focus area include biotech and cleantech. See state stories below:

California Governor Seeks Funds for Fuel Alternatives, Biotech, Nano
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to propose nearly $95 million in state funding for research on clean energy, biotechnology and nanotechnology. Of that, $70 million would be used for alternative and clean energy research, nearly $20 million would fund information technology, biomedical and nanotechnology research, and $5 million would be used to compete for a supercomputer system that could find better drugs through computational chemistry.

New Jersey Pumps Millions Into Stem Cell Drive
New Jersey took a leap forward in its self-declared race with other states for the lead in stem cell research December 20 as Governor Jon Corzine signed a bill providing $270 million in state aid to build five research centers, start a cord blood collection program and fund cancer research. On December 18 Corzine announced the state plans to give out $10 million in stem cell research grants next year, including $7 million that will go to federally restricted embryonic stem cell research.

Ohio Governor Announces Third Frontier Awards for Innovation and Commercialization
Governor Bob Taft on December 15 announced almost $168 million in Third Frontier awards for nine Ohio projects which received approval by the Third Frontier Commission. "These projects have far reaching implications to improve the quality of life here in our state and they will reposition the Ohio economy for future growth and job creation," said Governor Taft. To date, Third Frontier investments have leveraged $945 million in private and federal investment in Ohio, attracted or created more than 200 companies and retained or created more than 2,600 jobs.

External Resources

“I just invent, then wait until man comes around to needing what I've invented.”
                                                                          -R. Buckminster Fuller