University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office

TTO Announces Staff Promotions
The TTO is pleased to announce several promotions among its staff: Rick Silva has become Director of Technology Transfer for UCDHSC; Tom Smerdon, Director of Licensing and New Business Development; Kate Tallman, Director of Technology Transfer for the Boulder and Colorado Springs campuses, and Kathe Zaslow, Director of Intellectual Property Operations.

UCDHSC Names New Vice Chancellor for Research
Richard Traystman has been named UCDHSC vice chancellor for research, beginning Oct. 1. Traystman is associate vice president for research planning and development, as well as professor and associate dean for basic science research, at the medical school of the Oregon Health and Science University. The Board of Regents approved a three-year contract for Traystman on June 28, and UCDHSC Chancellor M. Roy Wilson announced the appointment on July 2.

Wilkerson Named New VP and University Counsel for CU
University of Colorado President Hank Brown, in consultation with the university’s Board of Regents, appointed Daniel J. Wilkerson as vice president and university counsel. The appointment will be finalized by the Board of Regents at its August meeting.

Bard Bioentrepreneurship Program Selects Academic Director
University of Colorado professor and inventor Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA has been appointed as the Academic Director of the Bard Center Bioentrepreneurship Program. Dr. Meyers will teach a Fundamentals of Bioscience Technology Transfer course beginning in August at UCDHSC, and will introduce other short programs from the Bard Center in 2008.  

UCDHSC Cancer Researcher Wins Prestigious Damon Runyon Grant
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named five new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators in May 2007, including UCDHSC’s Douglas K. Graham, MD, PhD. The recipients of this prestigious, three-year award are outstanding early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research; each will receive $450,000 to support the development of his or her cancer research program.

CU-Boulder Associate Engineering Dean Named New Director Of ATLAS Institute
John Bennett, the University of Colorado at Boulder's associate dean of engineering for education, has been named the new director for the campus Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society, or ATL&S.

UCCS Taps Dean for Research and Innovation Position
Jeremy Haefner, dean, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs will serve as associate vice chancellor for research and innovation and dean of the graduate school, university officials announced July 12.

Former Myogen CEO Signs On at Aspreva
Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced on July 11 the appointment of Dr. J. William Freytag, 55, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Most recently Dr. Freytag served as President, CEO and Chairman of Myogen, Inc., a publicly-traded CU-based biopharmaceutical company which was acquired by Gilead Sciences in 2006.

TTO Patent Administrator Accepts Position at ChemRisk
TTO Patent Administrator Kimberly Merryman has accepted a position at Boulder-based ChemRisk. At TTO, Kim was responsible for managing TTO’s extensive patent portfolio. ChemRisk specializes in environmental and life sciences consulting; we wish Kim the best in her new position there.

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

HSC Bard Fellow Projects
Five recently selected Bard Bioentrepreneurship Fellows began their projects in July after kicking off their training at the CBSA BioBootcamp 2007. The Fellows have been assigned to potential CU startup technologies; for each technology or compound, they will analyze similar drugs/technologies currently on the market and in development, map out the competitive landscape, and do other research to develop an executive summary for fundraising or licensing efforts.

• Darius Walker, a Ph.D. candidate in the UCDHSC Molecular Biology Program, will work on HSP-90 inhibitors for cancer and other hypertrophic disorders.

• Susan C. Trapp, Ph.D., of the UCDHSC Center for Computational Biology, will work on a laser tissue fusion/welding device.

• Magdalena Popesco, Ph.D., a post-doc research fellow at UCDHSC, will research B-cell  modulators for autoimmune modulation, HIV, and cancer.

• Sibyl Munson, Ph.D., previously a post-doc at Stanford, now an independent consultant, will work on Bradykinin peptides and mimeotopes for the treatment of lung cancer.

• Freddie Peyerl, Ph.D., currently in the UCDHSC MBA program, will research Prelaminin peptide for myocardial and muscular regeneration.

Spotlight On:

CU-Boulder Technology of the Month:
CU1519B – BioNet: A developer-centric middleware architecture for heterogeneous devices and protocols

UCDHSC Technology of the Month:
CU1450H – Non-toxic Peptide-based Biofilm Inhibitor

CU Company of the Month:
KMLabs Inc. is a leading manufacturer of ultra short-pulse lasers for the research market.  Their twenty-person team includes several of the world’s most-renowned experts in laser technology.  KMLabs is a spin-off of the optics research group of Profs. Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn at JILA, which is a world leader in the technology and scientific applications of lasers that can generate light pulses <10-14 seconds (0.00000000000001 sec) in duration.

 In 2002, KMLabs introduced the first high-power lasers incorporating CU-licensed cryogenic cooling technology. This technology made possible an order-of-magnitude increase in the power capabilities of this laser technology, putting KMLabs in a leading position in the international market for advanced laser technologies. KMLabs also maintains an active research program, developing new products and technologies, including their new Wyvern™ laser, which uses CU-licensed “Downchirped pulse amplification” technology to produce light pulses with an unprecedented combination of high pulse repetition frequency and high average power.

KMLabs has taken no outside capital for growth and has been consistently profitable since its inception in 1994, quadrupling in size in the past three years. The company’s research 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) and selection as a Fellow in the Association of Women in Science in 2007.

Upcoming Events

TTO Seminar: Patenting Early-Stage Therapeutics
July 18, Research Complex 1, Health Sciences Center, Aurora
The TTO presents this free lunch-hour seminar, which will cover the patent process for research in drug target identification and discovery. CU faculty entrepreneurs Doug Graham and Mike Bristow will talk about their experiences with the commercialization process, and attorney Laura Zeman of Snell & Wilmer will discuss unique patent considerations around these technologies. Free and open to CU faculty from all campuses. Lunch will be provided; please RSVP by email.

BioBoulder: Selling, Manufacturing and Developing Drugs Internationally
July 19, Rembrandt Yard, Boulder
Find out from local executives of successful international companies about challenges, opportunities and excitement of international business. Register online.

BioBreakfast: Healthcare 2015
July 25, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver
This presentation by Jim Adams of IBM Global Business Services identifies the drivers that make healthcare fundamentally different from the past, describes the 3 "prescriptions" for a win-win transformation, and describes implications and makes recommendations for key stakeholders, including pharma/biotech. Register online.

TiE-Rockies MentorFest  
July 26, PPA Event Center, Denver 
MentorFest 2007, hosted by TiE-Rockies, is an opportunity for anyone who is working on a business concept to get their plan in front of a highly experienced group of serial entrepreneurs for review and assistance. Register online.

2007 Southwest Renewable Energy Conference
July 31-Aug 2, University of Colorado, Boulder
With both policy and technical tracks, the Southwest Renewable Energy Conference will present a wide range of information to encourage thoughtful evaluation and discussion regarding the development of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy on tribal, federal, state and private lands.

Creating the Permanent Energy Revolution
August 1, CU School of Law, Boulder
As a world renowned expert on climate change and advanced energy technologies, Dr. Martin Hoffert will offer an overview of the global climate situation, place it in the context of energy demand and security, and offer insights on the extent to which the global community is able to meet this challenge, both with existing and prospective energy technologies. Sponsored by the Energy and Environmental Security Initiative at the CU School of Law. For more information contact Mariah Zebrowski via email or at (720) 304-8209.

CBSA/CSIA 4th Annual Wine Tasting
August 9, Governor’s  Mansion, Denver
More information available soon. Register online.

BioBreakfast and Medical Device Symposium
August 22, Timbers Hotel, Denver
Immediately after the CBSA BioBreakfast, the CU TTO will continue the medical device focus with a symposium.  The symposium will highlight medical device technologies from CU and other Colorado universities, as well as the capacity of universities and local companies to commercialize medical device technologies. Industry panelists will discuss current trends and resources in device development.

BioEntrepreneurs Club
September 6, Holland and Hart, Denver
David Allen presents an annual update of technology transfer at CU.  Special emphasis is given to biotech technology transfer.

BioScience Bogie: CBSA 2007 Annual Golf Tournament
September 17, Omni Interlocken, Broomfield
Put down the test tube, step away from your monitor, turn off your cell phone. It's time to tee it up at the BioScience Bogie, the 2007 CBSA Golf Tournament in association with Colorado Science + Technology Park at Fitzsimons. More info and registration online.

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

Innovation in the News

Research Not Slowed By Intellectual Property Protections, AAAS Surveys Find
Some experts have feared that a rise in intellectual property protections could stifle discovery because the protections would bar too many scientists from using IP research tools. But in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, tools from software to genetically modified organisms "remain relatively accessible to the broad scientific community," according to four groundbreaking international surveys completed by AAAS's Science and Intellectual Property in the Public Interest (SIPPI) project.

Colorado Among Emerging Nanotech Hotspots
In June, the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies released their NanoMetro Mashup, an interactive map that illustrates the location of nanotechnology-related companies, universities, research laboratories, and organizations throughout the U.S. Denver is among the 12 “Nano Metros” with over 15 nanotech institutions. For more information on the Colorado nanotech sector, go to www.coloradonanotechnology.org.

Bio Industry Association Asks Congress to Amend SBIR Regulations
Eligibility requirements for the US Small Business Innovation Research grant program prevent more than half of all small US private biotech companies that are members of the Biotechnology Industry Organization from competing for grants, according to BIO.

Patent Battle Over Academic Invention Features Win and Loss
A biotechnology company in Cambridge, Mass., with rights to a groundbreaking patent developed by three academic institutions won a key patent victory in one legal venue July 9, but also suffered a recent defeat involving the same patent in a different legal venue.

U.S. Senate Takes on Biologics
A bill that would pave the way for generic versions of biologics to hit the U.S. market cleared the Senate health committee on June 27. The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2007 (PDF), a compromise version of an earlier bill, would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to approve generic versions of biologic pharmaceuticals, which are produced from living cells rather than through the chemical synthesis used for conventional drugs. More on this: EU Experts Recommend Biosimilar Anemia Drugs.

Noted Researchers Oppose UW Stem Cell Patents
Four internationally recognized stem cell researchers are supporting a challenge to the embryonic stem cell patents held by the University of Wisconsin, arguing that the process used by Wisconsin researcher James Thomson create human embryonic stem cell lines was obvious to anyone skilled in stem cell research.

Roundup: University, Community, State, National and International Initiatives

• North Carolina to Start Statewide Micro Angel Fund
  In June the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) announced a new plan to for six statewide angel funds that will make capital available to entrepreneurs and begin building a stronger early-stage investment industry.

• U. of Kansas Plans a Beating Heart of Bioscience
  University of Kansas Medical Center leaders are launching an $800M initiative aimed at plugging a gap in the region’s bioscience economy.

External Resources

The BIC Turns 2
The Boulder Innovation Center is just beginning its third year as a resource for Boulder's entrepreneurial community.
Seems like a good time to look back and see how things have gone since the Boulder Economic Council and the city of Boulder first funded the BIC back in 2005.

NIH Announces New Resource for Technology Commercialization
On July 11 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new web-based resource called NIH Pipeline to Partnerships (P2P), aimed at furthering the development of NIH's licensed technologies and technologies funded through the NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The site contains pipeline of technologies available for partnering, and is searchable by category of technology and stage of development.

Can Geography Explain the US-EU Innovation Gap?
The recent working paper The Geographical Processes behind Innovation: A Europe-United States Comparative Analysis (PDF) explores whether the "innovation gap" between the U.S. and the European Union (E.U.) can be explained by the differences in their economic geographies. The authors believe because of the ease of mobility in the U.S., the mechanism of the agglomeration of research is different than in Europe, where institutional and cultural barriers throughout the E.U. prevent the maximization of benefits from "external economies and localized interactions.”

Parting Quotes