Knowledge | Innovation | Technology

Recap + Video: "Inside The Black Box"

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

In late January, TTO hosted an event for key stakeholders offering a look at the inner workings of tech transfer at CU. TTO’s leadership provided details about how CU inventions turn into royalties, new companies and jobs, and how various internal and external groups play a role in making this happen; the event also offered a deeper look at TTO performance metrics analyzing both new and mature cohorts of CU inventions as they progress through the patent and licensing stages.

We've made the slides from this event available in PDF format here (supplemental materials available here). TTO media partner w3w3.com also provided a video excerpt from the event featuring TTO head Dave Allen, and event photos available here (free registration required).

Event: Entrepreneurship Under the Microscope

2012-01-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hosted annually by TTO and the Leeds School of Business' Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, this luncheon celebrates innovation and commercialization on the CU campus and beyond. Meet and network with researchers, administration and business community members - tables are hosted by leading CU researchers and industry representatives from biotech, software, cleantech and other key research fields.

Speakers:

Gregor P. Henze, Professor of Architectural Engineering at CU-Boulder; co-founder of Clean Urban Energy, a CU licensee developing software for efficient energy management in large buildings
Stein Sture, Vice Chancellor for Research at CU-Boulder

The event will also include a poster session highlighting CU-Boulder technologies ready to take the next step toward commercialization, as well as opportunities for informal networking.

When: Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Where: Stadium Club at Folsom Field, Boulder
Registration: online. (There is no cost for CU faculty, staff and grad students - CU attendees ONLY may register here.)

Tech Spotlight: Improved Micro Cryogenic Cooler

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

A cryogenic cooler is an instrument used to cool devices to very low temperatures to attain low thermal noise, high system bandwidth, or achieve a super conducting state. Micro cryogenic coolers (MCCs) have drawn a lot of attention recently due to their small volume and fast thermal response. A research group at the University of Colorado and NIST has developed a novel MCC concept that provides unparalleled advantages to current MCCs and thermoelectric coolers in high-sensitivity devices, such as sensors. Their design minimizes volume, increases the heat-exchanging surface, and enhances thermal isolation.

To learn more, please view a short, non-confidential summary of this technology, or go directly to the key scientific publication. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

January 2012 Newsletter Now Available

2012-01-20T14:51:00.001-07:00

Top stories from TTO's January newsletter:

CU Announces Annual Technology Transfer Awards

MediciNova and CU Collaborate on Potential Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury

Omni Bio to Conduct New Human Clinical Trials
CU licensee Omni Bio Pharmaceutical, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced its intention to commence new human clinical trials to test the efficacy of Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) as a treatment in Type 1 diabetes and graft versus host disease (GVHD).

ARCA Receives Patent for Heart Drug
CU licensee ARCA biopharma received a new patent for its genetic targeting method to treat patients with its heart disease drug Gencaro. Now that it has the new patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Broomfield-based ARCA plans to raise new money to pay for a Phase 3 clinical trial to test the atrial fibrillation drug.

Clarimedix Secures Investment for Proof-of-Concept Study in Cerebral Vasospasm
Clarimedix, Inc., a CU licensee focused on the development of non-invasive therapeutics for the treatment of disorders associated with vascular dysfunction, announced that it has secured an investment from the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science and Technology (COSAT). The funds will be used for a human proof-of-concept study to determine the viability of Clarimedix's product for cerebral vasospasm.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Tech Spotlight: Intra-Cardiac Camera System for Improved Cardiac Visualization in Humans and Animals

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

A collaboration between University of Colorado researchers Mark Rentschler (mechanical engineering) and Max Mitchell (cardiothoracic surgery) has resulted in the development of a novel cardiac camera that allows clinicians to rely on a direct video representation when monitoring for cardiac anomalies or proper device implantation. The camera provides unsurpassed visibility (particularly in smaller hearts, as in pediatrics or animal surgery) with minimal tissue invasion, and can also be outfitted with a number of tools for manipulation of the cardiac tissue. In particular, it could be used to precisely guide catheter-based instruments for interventions such as device placement, suturing, etc. The camera can also serve as a verification tool to ensure proper placement, operation, and effectiveness of cardiac intervention devices.

To learn more, please view a short, non-confidential summary of this collaboration. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

CU Announces Annual Technology Transfer Awards

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Researchers working on eye disease, chronicpain and cleantech among those honored for technology commercialization.

DENVER (Jan.17, 2012) – The University of ColoradoTechnology Transfer Office (TTO) will host its annual awards ceremony tonight,honoring several faculty researchers, two companies founded on universityresearch, and several members of the local entrepreneurial community.

The TTO willpresent these awards during a banquet on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 5:30 p.m. at thehistoric Tivoli Turnhalle. The awards will follow a panel discussion offeringfaculty perspectives on the origins of university inventions.

In the lasttwo decades, inventions by CU researchers have led to the formation of 114 new companies.Of these, 85 have operations in Colorado, seven have “gone public,” becomingpublicly traded companies (either through an IPO or via a reverse merger), and17 have been acquired by public companies. In total, companies created based onCU technology have attracted over $5.6 billion in financing.

“TheUniversity of Colorado is a primary driver for the Colorado economy in manyways – one way that is often less visible than our thousands of graduates, newbuildings and faculty accolades is the commercialization of research,” saidDavid Allen, associate vice president for technology transfer at CU. “Thisevent recognizes excellence in the people and licensee companies that exemplifyCU’s success in transforming research into real-world impact.”

Theresearchers and companies recognized this year represent all CU campuses, and aredeveloping technologies ranging from novel treatments for chronic pain, eyedisease and metabolic syndrome to new materials with applications in cleanenergy, and techniques for more efficient biofuels and solar power. This year’saward winners include:

Jeffrey L. Olson,Inventor of the Year, CU Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. Olson, an associate professorof ophthalmology, specializes in the medical and surgical management of retinaldiseases like macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment.One of his inventions, a method forpreserving eyesight through the use of nanotechnology, is licensed to a CUstartup currently raising Series A financing.

Linda R. Watkins, Inventorof the Year, CU-Boulder. Watkins, a distinguished professor of psychology, hasdeveloped both novel drugs and new uses of known drugs targeting variousdisorders with unmet medical needs, including chronic and neuropathic pain,multiple sclerosis, ALS and addiction. Her inventions have led to numerousindustry collaborations and licenses, as well as the formation of a newcompany, Xalud Therapeutics.

Richard J. Johnson, NewInventor of the Year, CU Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. Johnson is chief ofthe division of renal diseases and hypertension; his research has focused onthe mechanisms of renal injury and progression, including in diabetes andhypertension. Recent work has also examined the role of uric acid and fructosein obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and hypertension.

WeiZhang, New Inventor of theYear, CU-Boulder.Zhang, an assistant professor of chemistry & biochemistry, is developing novelmaterials with potential applications in solar energy conversion, gasseparation and storage, chemical sensing and catalysis.

AnatoliyO. Pinchuk, New Inventor of theYear, CU-Colorado Springs. Pinchuk is an assistant professor of physics and energyscience; his research focuses on nano-materials for intracellular imaging andoptical bio-chemical sensors.

OPXBiotechnologies, Bioscience Companyof the Year.OPXBIO (Boulder, CO) is a venture-backed company making renewable bio-basedchemicals and fuels that are lower cost, higher return and more sustainablethan existing petroleum-based products.

Phobos Energy, Physical Sciences/Engineering/IT Company of the Year. Phobos Energy (MenloPark, CA; Lafayette, CO) is focused on increasing energy production, decreasingcosts, and opening up new applications for solar photovoltaic power production.

S. Gail Eckhardt,Business Advisor of the Year. Eckhardt is chief of the division of medicaloncology at the Anschutz Medical Campus. As an advisor to TTO on drug discoveryand development projects, she has been critically important in facilitatingindustry collaborations involving not just her lab, but labs of her CUcollaborators.

Michael R. Bristow,Serial University Start-up Entrepreneur Award. Bristow, a professorof medicine (division of cardiology) at the Anschutz Medical Campus, was afounder and former chief science and medical officer of Myogen, Inc. (acquiredby Gilead Sciences, Inc. in 2006). He is the President and CEO of ARCA biopharma (Broomfield, CO), a company he founded in2003 with the goal of developing genetically targeted therapies for heartfailure. In 2007 he co‐founded miRagen Therapeutics, (Boulder, CO), acompany dedicated to utilizing the biologic properties of microRNAs indeveloping therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

Additionally,two CU researchers were inducted into the Pinnacles of Inventorship, anall-stars group recognizing continuous commitment to best practices intechnology transfer: Kristi S. Anseth (DistinguishedProfessor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, CU-Boulder) and Charles A. Dinarello (Professor ofMedicine and Immunology, Anschutz Medical Campus).

MediciNova and CU Collaborate on Potential Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury

2012-01-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

San Diego, Calif., January 16, 2012 – MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Market (Trading Symbol: MNOV) and the Jasdaq Market of the Osaka Securities Exchange (Code Number: 4875), and the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder disclosed a license agreement for the use of ibudilast (MN-166/AV411) for the treatment of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI). Led by the research of Daniel Barth, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at CU-Boulder, ibudilast demonstrated significant efficacy in a model of post-TBI anxiety, one of the most common disorders caused by TBI.

Dr. Barth and colleague, Krista Rodgers, discovered that a short course of systemic ibudilast administered over a month after concussion injury reversed post-TBI anxiety in rats for a 3 month measurement period following treatment. “While we had initially observed impressive reduction of anxiety behavior when ibudilast was administered just prior to head injury, we were, frankly, surprised that a few days of treatment so long after injury could provide notable efficacy for up to three months thereafter. This finding suggests that post-traumatic anxiety in humans may have a strong physiological basis in neuro-inflammation and that the ongoing neuropathy may be treatable with drugs like ibudilast that attenuate and perhaps interrupt the brain’s inflammatory response,” commented Dr. Barth.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health concern, with approximately 1.7 million people in the United States alone sustaining a TBI each year. The long-term consequences of TBI include neuropsychiatric disorders, of which anxiety disorders are the most prevalent. Little is known about the neural mechanisms of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) including anxiety and effective pharmacotherapy options for individuals suffering such a disorder are limited. Dr. Barth and colleagues have hypothesized that unchecked activation of glial cells in the brain may contribute to some of the post-TBI disorders. Ibudilast is a selective inhibitor of macrophage-migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and certain phosphodiesterases with well-recognized activity as an attenuator of glial cell activation.

MediciNova is developing ibudilast (MN-166) for several neurological disorders. Recognizing both the unmet need and potential strategic fit with the University of Colorado, Yuichi Iwaki, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of MediciNova commented, “we are excited to participate in research aimed at better understanding the traumatic brain injury disease process and in further exploring the potential for MN-166 as a pharmacotherapy.”

About Ibudilast
Ibudilast has been used in asthma and post-stroke disorders in Japan for around 20 years. MediciNova has demonstrated utility of ibudilast in neurological disorders at higher doses with encouraging outcomes in company-sponsored clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuropathic pain. Collaborative trial planning with drug addiction investigators at organizations like Columbia/NYSPI and UCLA has led to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-supported clinical investigations with ibudilast for both opioid and methamphetamine addiction. An investigator-sponsored trial in chronic medication overuse headache (MOH) pain is also ongoing in Australia. Corporate priorities include implementation of Phase 2 proof-of-concept trials in Progressive MS and/or Neuropathic Pain.

About MediciNova
MediciNova, Inc. is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company founded upon acquiring and developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with unmet need with a commercial focus on the U.S. market. Through strategic alliances primarily with Japanese pharmaceutical companies, MediciNova holds rights to a diversified portfolio of clinical and preclinical product candidates, each of which MediciNova believes has a well-characterized and differentiated therapeutic profile, attractive commercial potential, and patent coverage of commercially adequate scope. MediciNova’s pipeline includes six clinical-stage compounds for the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, multiple sclerosis and other neurologic conditions, asthma, interstitial cystitis, solid tumor cancers, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, preterm labor and urinary incontinence and two preclinical-stage compounds for the treatment of thrombotic disorders. MediciNova’s current strategy is to focus on its two prioritized product candidates, MN-221, for the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, and Ibudilast (MN-166/AV411). Each drug candidate is involved in clinical trials under U.S. and Investigator INDs. MediciNova is engaged in strategic partnering discussions to support further development of the MN-221 and Ibudilast programs. Additionally, MediciNova will seek to monetize opportunistically its other pipeline candidates. For more information on MediciNova, Inc., please visit www.medicinova.com.

December 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-12-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Top stories from TTO's December newsletter:

Xeris Pharma to Develop CU Diabetes Management Drug
Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Austin, Texas) and CU recently completed an exclusive license agreement for a jointly-developed method of treating the low blood sugar that is a common side effect of the insulin therapy used to treat many types of diabetes. Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) can be treated by taking glucose orally, but when a hypoglycemic individual is confused or unconscious, oral glucose may not be an option. In these cases, glucagon (a hormone secreted by the pancreas, like insulin) can be given by injection to quickly raise blood glucose levels; however, glucagon is not stable when dissolved in water, so current injection methods require many extra steps for reconstitution with water before administration. The patent-pending drug reformulation technique developed by CU and Xeris (by a team of researchers led by John Carpenter, a professor at the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and John Kinzell, CEO of Xeris) provides formulations of glucagon that are shelf-stable and do not require refrigeration, making them faster and more convenient to administer.

Podcast: Colorado Technology Infrastructure and BioFrontiers Institute
W3W3 radio interviewed Jim Linfield, Managing Partner at Cooley LLP and the recipient of TTO's Colorado Technology Infrastructure Leadership Award in 2011. Speaking about CU's newly-launched BioFrontiers Institute (an interdisciplinary center designed to advance transformational biotechnologies), Linfield said: "I think that will solidify CU's position as one of the leading institutions for interdisciplinary research in the life sciences area, covering both therapeutics and diagnostics but also bio fuels, so I think it will be a remarkable institution." Listen to the podcast, or view an archive of all TTO podcasts.

Report Examines Value, Opportunities from Gap Funding of University Technology
Mind the Gap 2011: The University Gap Funding Report examines the role that university-driven gap funding programs play in advancing major innovations. The report begins with an updated version of the university, or early-stage, technology funding landscape. Next, the report looks in-depth at the functionality of 63 gap funding programs across 40 organizations (including CU's proof-of-concept grant program), creating a roadmap for tech transfer managers to develop gap funding programs and presenting benchmarks for policymakers to support these initiatives.

Gilead Strikes Deal with GlobeImmune on Hepatitis B Vaccine

Python Could Help Treat Heart Disease

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Xeris Pharma to Develop CU Diabetes Management Drug

2011-12-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Drug reformulation allows faster, more accurate administration of glucagon, helping diabetics to manage their blood sugar levels.

AURORA, Colo., December 12, 2011 – Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Austin, Texas) and the University of Colorado recently completed an exclusive license agreement for a jointly-developed method of treating the low blood sugar that is a common side effect of the insulin therapy used to treat many types of diabetes.

Insulin therapy is used in the treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to lower blood glucose levels, since diabetes sufferers do not produce enough of this hormone (or do not react to the insulin produced naturally in their bodies). Hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) is a dangerous complication of insulin therapy, and can cause vomiting, seizures, or even death. Hypoglycemia can be treated by taking glucose orally, but when a hypoglycemic individual is confused or unconscious, oral glucose may not be an option. In these cases, glucagon (a hormone secreted by the pancreas, like insulin) can be given by injection to quickly raise blood glucose levels; however, glucagon is not stable when dissolved in water, so current injection methods require many extra steps for reconstitution with water before administration.

The patent-pending drug reformulation technique developed by CU and Xeris (by a team of researchers led by John Carpenter, a professor at the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and John Kinzell, CEO of Xeris) provides paste and suspension formulations of glucagon that are shelf-stable and do not require refrigeration, making them faster and more convenient to administer. Like other commercially-available glucagon products, these stabilized formulations can be given using a disposable injection kit that can be carried by diabetics in case of emergency. Additionally, since these formulations significantly reduce the injection volume as compared to conventional glucagon injections, they allow for simple and rapid administration.

“We were excited to team with John and his lab on advancing this novel formulation technology platform for delivery of biologics,” said Dr. Kinzell, Xeris’ CEO. “Dr. Carpenter’s program is a nationally-recognized academic center of excellence in this space and the primary reason we sought John out as technical partner for our first NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. Besides providing small companies like Xeris with non-dilutive funding for early-stage drug development, it also provides early peer-reviewed validation of a technology. We were very pleased with the outcome of project, as was NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).”

“The University of Colorado is very pleased to continue its partnership with Xeris Pharmaceuticals,” added Paul Tabor of the CU Technology Transfer Office. “Our combined advances in formulation science have the potential to dramatically improve drug delivery, and we believe Xeris is ideally suited to advance the technology and provide much needed solutions for diabetics and other at-risk patients.”

Xeris is in the process of optimizing its glucagon formulation technology and will select the best candidate formulation in the second quarter of 2012 to move into the clinical phase of its program.

About Xeris Pharmaceuticals:
XERIS develops patient-friendly injectables based on its XeriJect™ and XeriSol™ formulation and delivery platforms. The company’s products are ultra-low-volume, injectable bio-pharmaceuticals packaged in an auto-injector pen which patients and their caregivers can use at home or work. Bio-pharmaceuticals are the fastest growing category of therapeutics and are forecasted to be 6 of the top 10 drugs by 2014. The current paradigm of delivery requires nearly all of these drugs to be administered by injection or infusion, often in a clinical setting, decreasing compliance, increasing cost and providing a terrible patient experience. Xeris aspires to change this paradigm by developing ultra-low volume, ready-to-use bio-pharmaceuticals delivered through patient-friendly injectable devices, many of which would be self-administered in the comfort of the patient’s home. Products built on Xeris’ technologies would simplify administration and ease the pain of injections, improving the experience for hundreds of millions of patients. www.xerispharma.com

Tech Spotlight: 3D Control of Polymerization via Photofixation of Diels-Alder Networks

2011-12-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

Researchers at the University of Colorado led by Christopher Bowman have combined the facile formation of a Diels-Alder molecular scaffold with spatially and temporally selective photopolymerization. Their invention provides a method for “fixation” (photo-fixation, when light-activated) of otherwise reversible DA crosslinks in a polymer network.

These photofixed materials and the photolithographic strategy employed to make them have far reaching implications in the field of photopolymerization. Any application that can benefit from spatial and temporal control of polymerization reactions will be greatly enhanced by the simplicity of this fixation technology. Just a few of the many possible applications of this type of 3D polymerization control include 3D prototyping and printing, microfabrication, and flexographic printing.

To learn more, please view a short, non-confidential summary of this research work. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Podcast: Colorado Technology Infrastructure and BioFrontiers Institute

2011-11-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

W3W3 radio interviewed Jim Linfield, Managing Partner at Cooley LLP and the recipient of TTO’s Colorado Technology Infrastructure Leadership Award in 2011. Speaking about CU’s newly-launched BioFrontiers Institute (an interdisciplinary center designed to advance transformational biotechnologies), Linfield said: "I think that will solidify CU's position as one of the leading institutions for interdisciplinary research in the life sciences area, covering both therapeutics and diagnostics but also bio fuels, so I think it will be a remarkable institution."

Listen to the podcast, or view an archive of all TTO podcasts.

Tech Spotlight: Enhancement of Radiotherapy and Prevention of Tumor Repopulation, Metastasis, and Recurrence

2011-11-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the current standards of care for most cancers. While these treatment methods eradicate the tumor, they also initiate a process called “accelerated repopulation.” In this process, surviving tumor cells rapidly proliferate, repopulating the irradiated area at an accelerated pace. Further complicating cancer treatment, radiation and chemotherapy regimens incorporate necessary intervals in treatment, allowing for the recovery, survival, and repopulation of normal cellular tissue. Unfortunately, these breaks in treatment, paired with “accelerated repopulation,” allow for rapid growth of tumor cells. In fact, this issue of repopulation is a common cause of cancer treatment failure.

Dr. Chuan-Yuan Li, at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, has discovered a molecular signaling pathway integral in the process of “accelerated repopulation.” In a recent publication, Dr. Li has shown that apoptotic cells release growth signals that stimulate the proliferation of progenitor cells, and he has identified Caspase-3 as a key factor in this signaling event. With this scientific finding, Dr. Li has developed an approach to prevent tumor repopulation and metastasis, enhancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

To learn more, please view a short, non-confidential summary of Dr. Li's work, or go directly to the key scientific publication. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Highly Active Multidentate Catalysts for Alkyne Metathesis

2011-10-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the organic chemistry field in alkyne metathesis (an organic reaction involving the redistribution of alkyne chemical bonds). Alkyne metathesis has shown tremendous potential in natural product synthesis and refining technology. However, current limitations make it difficult for researchers to understand and utilize the full potential of this technology, with the most common problems being unwanted polymerization and nonproductive reactive pathways, both of which have made it difficult for researchers to study or tune the structure.

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Wei Zhang has developed a new highly active catalyst for the metathesis of alkynes. By designing a multidentate ligand to block one binding site of the triple bonded alkynes, a new highly active catalyst has been created. The multidentate ligand produces a more robust, longer lasting catalyst that offers a broader substrate scope, a faster reaction rate, and higher stability.

To learn more, please view a short, non-confidential summary of Dr. Zhang's work, or go directly to the key scientific publication. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

October 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-10-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's October newsletter:

TTO Begins Technology Commercialization Clinic Pilot Program

TTO Hosts Tech Alliance Breakfast November 1

TTO Commentary: Patent Trolls and Patent Reform

CU to Host Cleantech Business Plan Competition
Students working on renewable energy startup companies have a chance to compete for $100,000 in a competition put on by the University of Colorado at Boulder. CU-Boulder received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to put on a regional clean-technology business plan competition, which will be put on in conjunction with the New Venture Challenge, an annual cross-campus business-plan competition put on by the university every year. CU was one of six universities across the country chosen to receive a total of $2 million from the Department of Energy to put on the regional competitions.

MiRagen Lands $352M MicroRNA Development Pact with Servier
CU licensee miRagen Therapeutics has racked up its first big collaboration, inking a development pact with France's Servier for two of its top preclinical programs as well as a third, as yet unidentified, program. In exchange for commercialization rights outside the U.S. and Japan, miRagen gets $45M in an upfront payment, research support and near-term milestones, up to $352M in total milestones and double-digit royalties on approved products.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Event: ESPRIT Tech Alliance Breakfast

2011-10-18T10:43:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, November 1, TTO will host the ESPRIT Tech Alliance Breakfast (part of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce ESPRIT Entrepreneur celebration), which highlights CU-Boulder innovations at all points along the innovation spectrum: from lab to startup to successful company. Short presentations from five researchers and entrepreneurs will be followed by time to mingle with the presenters, as well as with other members of the CU-Boulder innovation community. Presenters:

SuviCa, Inc. is using its proprietary screening technology to discover and develop novel drugs utilized either as stand-alone therapies or to prevent tumor recurrence following treatment with a variety of approved anti-cancer therapies.

Mobile Assay Inc.’s patent-pending smartphone technology and applications provide an integrated system that can be used to detect and quantify dangerous pathogens found in produce, infectious agents in biological fluids, pollutants in aquifers, and drug-related metabolites in saliva. Its system has the capacity to securely transmit and store geo-tagged data for real-time analysis and tracking of more than 1000 potential targets.

Solid Power LLC is funded by a DARPA Phase 1 and 2 program to create rechargeable batteries with ultra-high energy density or power using nanostructured materials. The CU team behind Solid Power is developing solid-state batteries with new electrode nanocomposites that yield a step-function increase in battery capacity over state-of-the-art lithium ion technologies.

Double Helix is commercializing a three-dimensional super-resolution optical imaging technology developed at CU. The patent pending imaging technology has increased accuracy, with resolution in the nanometer regime, at a cost that is comparable to much lower resolution imaging technologies available on the market today.

Phobos Energy is changing the landscape of solar energy with the next generation of distributed power electronics. Phobos is developing parallel DC optimizers to provide the lowest system cost and the highest system power output.

Details, agenda and registration are available online; for more information contact Lindsay Lennox (303-735-5518).

TTO Begins Technology Commercialization Clinic Pilot Program

2011-10-17T15:38:00.000-06:00

The University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office is pleased to announce the start of its Technology Commercialization Clinic, a pilot program designed to enhance the technology commercialization process at CU.

The Clinic consists of 25 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from a diverse set of research labs at CU-Boulder and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, each paired with a volunteer patent attorney mentor and a technology licensing manager.Clinic participants will attend a monthly series of presentations and interactive discussions, along with an October 2011 networking event where they will learn about intellectual property protection, technology assessment, commercial opportunity and technology road mapping. Participants will assist in identifying technologies and inventions in their departments with commercial potential, and may also be involved in defining a proof of concept strategy for those technologies, to help move them closer to market readiness.

The goal of the Clinic is two-fold: on the one hand, the quality of invention disclosures and the overall impact of technologies is expected to increase as students and research associates are able to identify new inventions. On the other hand, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows will obtain a better educational experience by acquiring important skills in intellectual property and technology transfer, which has become essential in both academic and non-academic science careers.The Technology Commercialization Clinic will also make the relationship between TTO and the academic community more effective, by involving academic researchers earlier and more consistently. TTO expects that this more fluid relationship will lead to greater trust between researchers and TTO, while increasing awareness in CU's research departments for commercial opportunities.

TTO Commentary: Patent Trolls and Patent Reform

2011-10-17T14:28:00.000-06:00

The “patent troll” – a person or company that acquires and enforces patents in hopes of generating revenue from legal settlements, rather than from marketing the patented invention – has become far more than just an annoying and dimwitted wart-nosed creature lurking under a bridge and demanding a toll to cross. He has become a driver of patent law reformation, an impediment to economic growth, and a force to be reckoned with in a variety of industries. A new study released by Boston University highlights these facts. Further, the results of this study show a disparity between the way patent trolls affect two of the leading industries lobbying for patent law reforms, and lend credence to the small but growing call for a bifurcated patent system that would treat the computer/software industry separately from other industries, particularly the biotechnology industry.

The most appalling result reported in the study relates to the estimated economic costs of patent trolls. “Patent trolls … have cost publicly traded defendants $500 billion since 1990. And the problem has become most severe in recent years. In the last four years, the costs have averaged $83 billion per year.” These estimated costs are so large that they have driven the patent reform lobbying movement inf the IT sector for years. Trolls take advantage of the fact that it’s far easier to predict and enable a forward-thinking patent application in the IT sector than it is in biotech or pharmaceuticals – industries where the patent office has moved further and further towards requiring significant proof of concept data to get a patent issued, the kind of data that is expensive to generate and stands as an almost-absolute barrier to troll-like behavior.

That contention is borne out in the BU study by analysis of the lawsuits filed by trolls: “Software patents accounted for about 62% of the lawsuits. In contrast, only 2% of the lawsuits involved drug or chemical patents.” As a result, software and computer patent lobbyists focus on making it harder to receive patents and on supporting multiple opportunities to challenge patents early after issuance; these lobbyists are generally unconcerned with longevity or strength of patents, since most IT products have a very short shelf life, far shorter than the term of patent protection available to them.

In contrast to these positions, the biotech-pharma world is focused on recovery of strong patent term on the backside of a patent’s life, to protect products that have very long and expensive development paths – for instance, the average cost to develop a single drug (after factoring in all the failures that are part of the drug development process) is now over $1B, with an 8-12 year development path that often reduces drug's patent protection by patent by more than 50%. To thrive, the biotech and pharma sectors need a strong presumption of patent validity, longer patent life, difficult and limited patent challenge rules, and (ideally) a more relaxed stance from both the USPTO and the FDA, to allow more patents to issue and drugs to be approved more quickly so as to enjoy sufficient patent protection. These needs are not unique to the biotech and pharma sectors, but they are often best championed by these sectors, which (unlike most other industrial fields) lose significant patent life due to regulatory hurdles.

Patent trolls help drive this stark disparity: if trolls didn’t have such power, if they weren’t costing so much to innovators, it is entirely possible the software and computer industry would find itself more aligned with biotech and pharma on patent reform priorities. Unfortunately, given their different vulnerabilities to troll-like behavior, such a world is unlikely – neither industry is likely to be comfortable with a patent system that is beneficial to the other, and a system that tries to split the difference ends up woefully inadequate for both industries.

Meanwhile, the question of whether software should even be patented is not new, and continues to see action at the Supreme Court level. Rather than addressing whether software is patentable under the laws as written, it would be more beneficial to focus on whether software and other short-lived products that don’t require long term patent protection (and which can be easily prophesized by trolls) should be included in the same system used by industries that thrive with patents that protect their products for as long as possible.

A possible, though politically perilous solution, would be a bifurcation of the patent system, allowing software patents to exist in a different setting with rules that will deter or even eliminate the threat of trolls, and with regulations and policies that create a system that is exclusively designed for the acquisition and enforcement of software patents. There is no formal movement at this time to create such a monumental change to the U.S. patent laws, and in light of the long-overdue and finally successful patent reform achieved earlier this year, the timing may not be right to ask Congress to go back to the drawing board yet again. That said, it’s clear that trolls are a drag on the U.S. economy, and at a time when the economy continues to sputter and misfire, any opportunity to provide a kickstart should be considered. A good first step would be a study of the feasibility of splitting the patent system so that all of the industries relying on it can best take advantage of their patents.

David Poticha is a senior licensing manager in TTO's University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus office.

September 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-09-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's September newsletter:

SuviCa to Commercialize CU Cancer Treatment Discovery Tool

TTO Commentary: The America Invents Act

Technology Commercialization Clinic Pilot Program Now Recruiting

CU Scientists Secure Over $790M in Sponsored Research Funding in FY 2010-11

Now Available: Performance Overview and Companies Created
CU TTO has released an updated Companies Created timeline (PDF) providing info (financings, acquisitions and more) on companies created based on CU technology since 1994. TTO has also released its performance metrics for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. Please follow this link to a short presentation summarizing our performance, and look for our full annual report in October 2011.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

TTO Commentary: The America Invents Act

2011-09-19T14:57:00.000-06:00

After 6 years of debate, negotiation, arguments and compromises, both houses of the U.S. Congress have passed a bill to reform the United States’ patent laws, a reform that is generations in the making and which was signed into law by President Obama on Friday.

Called the America Invents Act (H.R. 1249), the bill reforms Chapter 35 of the United States Code (which governs the rights to patent) in a way that changes the patent laws more fundamentally than at any time in the last 50 years. The two driving forces for this bill’s passage were (a) reforming the U.S. patent laws to be more congruent with the laws of the rest of the world, and (b) improving a system that is seen as damaged (if not broken) in a way that will encourage more inventiveness and entrepreneurship to help stimulate the struggling American economy.

First Inventor to File
The America Invents Act makes a number of major changes to patent law, the most fundamental being the conversion from a first-to-invent to a first-inventor-to-file system (FITF), which brings the United States more closely in alignment with the rest of the world (most of which operates on a strict first-to-file (FTF) system). Prior to the passage of this bill, the U.S. had a system unique in the world where an inventor had the ability, through an expensive and time consuming process, to prove to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that he or she was the first person to make an invention, even if that inventor was not the first to publish on it or to file something with the USPTO. Under FITF (which is essentially a first-to-publish system), that process is replaced by a system that incentivizes inventors to get something on file with the patent office more quickly. The U.S. will retain a form of protection for inventors that isn’t offered elsewhere: a one year grace period whereby an inventor may publish and still file in the patent office within the 12-month window.

The new system will be phased in slowly over the first 18 months after the bill is signed into law, but applications filed before enactment will be treated under the old laws. This means the USPTO will be required to use two different standards for applications filed pre- and post-enactment for quite some time (which has occurred before, notably when the patent term was modified under NAFTA/GATT).

Prior User Rights
Another significant change is the clarification or modification of “prior user rights.” During the debate over the bill, some industry representatives were concerned that a FITF system could lead to a potential infringement liability for first inventors who might have reasons not to file a patent application but who have already commercialized their inventions. Section 5, “Defense to infringement based on prior commercial use,” was added to the final bill, expanding the prior user rights infringement defense for such inventors under 35 U.S.C. §273 (which currently applies only to prior uses of business method patents). Prior user rights will now apply to any technology, with commercial activity also including “premarketing regulatory review” for drugs and “nonprofit laboratory use” such as in a university or hospital. However, the revised Section 273 generally will not allow that defense to be used against patents owned by institutions of higher education, under the argument that universities are never “prior users,” and therefore it wouldn’t be reasonable or fair to allow this defense to be asserted against university-owned intellectual property.

Other Key Changes

Post-grant proceedings creating an EU-like opposition are instituted, and existing post-grant proceedings are expanded and clarified in an attempt to lower litigation costs to defend or attack patents. Section 6 of the bill will provide a new “first window” post-grant review procedure allowing challenges within nine months of an issued patent on any ground of patentability (a change that expands third party rights to challenge patents).

Pre-grant submission of prior art is enhanced. Section 8 of the bill creates a process whereby third parties may submit prior art for consideration and inclusion in the record of a patent application after it is published, provided this is done before an examiner has made a decision on patentability.

The bill adds a new procedure called “supplemental examination” for dealing with inequitable conduct.

Section 15 of the bill eliminates an alleged infringer's ability to claim that the patent owner failed to identify the ‘best mode’ for enablement. The USPTO may still reject a patent application for this reason, but this is anticipated to be a rarely-used criterion.

Section 10 gives the USPTO the authority to engage in its own fee setting, and Section 11 creates a priority examination protocol at a premium price. The priority exams will be expedited and (it is hoped) lead to a patent decision or allowance 2-3 times faster than the current system.

The bill also creates a new “micro-entity” category of reduced fees for applicants for individuals and small businesses that don’t file a high volume of applications, or have earnings or profits lower than some predetermined threshold.

Fee diversion, a controversial process whereby excess fees obtained by the USPTO are diverted by Congress instead of retained by the USPTO, was partially changed by creating an oversight committee in Congress that can determine how these fees can be used.

David Poticha is a senior licensing manager in TTO's University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus office.

SuviCa to Commercialize CU Cancer Treatment Discovery Platform

2011-09-19T14:31:00.000-06:00

Drug discovery tool allows faster identification of drugs that increase efficacy of cancer treatments.

BOULDER, Colo., September 19, 2011 – SuviCa Inc. (Boulder, Colo.) and the University of Colorado recently completed an exclusive license agreement for a CU drug screening technology to identify novel therapies for cancer.

The patented drug discovery tool (developed by Tin Tin Su, a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at CU-Boulder) uses a genetically modified fruit fly (Drosophila) model to screen for compounds effective against various types of cancer, either alone or in combination with existing therapies. This screening technique promises to identify new clinical candidates using a methodology that is both time efficient and cost-effective, and because it uses a whole-animal screening model, it can more easily eliminate drug candidates with undesired toxicity.

“SuviCa looks forward to advancing Dr. Su’s technology, in order to find better ways to treat cancer patients and to build a world-class business in the Front Range region,” said Judy Hemberger, SuviCa’s chairman and CEO.

“We are excited about the commercial possibilities for the drug screening technology developed by Dr. Su, which has already been used at CU to identify promising therapeutic candidates,” added Tom Smerdon, Director of Licensing and New Business Development at the CU Technology Transfer Office.

SuviCa recently received funding from Colorado's Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program, an initiative launched in 2007 by the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade to provide early-stage matching “seed” grants to enable the development and commercial validation of promising technologies that are licensed from Colorado research institutions. SuviCa has also received a grant from the Internal Revenue Service through the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program aimed at small businesses. Current and future efforts will focus on identifying and optimizing additional lead compounds to enter into formal clinical testing.

About Suvica
SuviCa, Inc., an early-stage cancer drug discovery and development company, was co-founded by Tin Tin Su, Ph.D., who now serves as its CSO. Judith Hemberger, Ph.D., formerly co-founder and COO of Boulder-based Pharmion, joins the senior management team as Chairman and CEO. Working in close collaboration with scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, SuviCa is advancing a promising discovery pipeline, based on several small molecules initially identified utilizing its proprietary screening technology and targeted to a distinct cellular process. SuviCa's vision is to discover and develop novel drugs utilized either as stand-alone therapies or to prevent tumor recurrence following treatment with a variety of approved anti-cancer therapies. www.suvica.com

Technology Commercialization Clinic Pilot Program Now Recruiting

2011-09-16T14:11:00.000-06:00

The CU Technology Commercialization Clinic is an initiative to provide training on intellectual property and research commercialization to CU graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. The goal of this program is to proactively open a new avenue of communication with the Technology Transfer Office, which should enhance the flow of inventions from research labs to the marketplace.

TTO is recruiting graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to help identify inventions that have potential for commercialization. The CU Technology Commercialization Clinic will train participants in intellectual property identification and protection, while also providing an opportunity for hands-on experience with the technology commercialization process. Participants are welcome from both bioscience and physical science fields. To learn more about the Technology Commercialization Clinic, which will run on a pilot basis in the 2011-12 academic year, please visit the TTO website.

Companies Created at CU: 2011 Update Now Available!

2011-09-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

CU TTO has released an updated Companies Created poster, providing info (financings, acquisitions and more) on companies created based on CU technology since 1994. Click on the image for a high-res PDF:

CU TTO Reports Performance Metrics for FY2010-11

2011-09-14T15:50:00.000-06:00

TTO has released its performance metrics for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. Please follow this link to a short presentation summarizing our performance, and look for our full annual report in October 2011.

Tech Spotlight: Efficient, Low-cost Microchannel Heat Exchanger

2011-09-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Heat exchangers transfer heat from one fluid to another (both liquids and gases are considered fluids). These devices are found in buildings, power plants, industrial processes, and renewable energy systems.

A University of Colorado research team has developed a new heat exchanger design and accompanying manufacturing technique for creating low-cost microchannel heat exchangers from plastics or metals. Optimization results for this device indicate that the new heat exchanger will not only be much more efficient, but will also be manufactured at a much lower cost. This novel microchannel counter-current or cross flow design can be used as a replacement for all kinds of heat exchangers including tubular, plate, spiral, plate-fin, tube-fin, heat pipe, perforated plate, and heat wheel. The near term applications would be non-gas (liquid or phase change) heat transfer because these would have the greatest cost advantage.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

TTO Announces New Business Advisory Board Members

2011-09-07T13:53:00.000-06:00

BOULDER, Colo., Sep. 7, 2011 – The University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office (TTO), which facilitates the movement of CU technologies from the research lab to the marketplace, announced today that it has added several new members to its Business Advisory Board. The Business Advisory Board plays an important part in assessing TTO performance, advising on new TTO initiatives, providing access to the technology business community and advocating for resources needed to build a world-class technology transfer operation at CU.

New Board members include:

Shannon Golden-Shubert, Partner and co-founder at Life + Tech Law.
Doug Henston, renewable energy entrepreneur.
Paul Nelson, Managing Director at Clean Range Ventures.
Rex R. O'Neal, Partner at Faegre & Benson LLP; co-chair of the firm’s emerging companies practice and new energy, clean technology and climate initiative.
Misha Plam, founder of BiOptix and AmideBio; serial entrepreneur.
Holli Riebel, President and CEO of the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA).
John Ryan, Partner (medical technology) at Onset Ventures.
Chris Shapard, Executive Director of the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA).
Laura Simon, Director of UC Denver’s Office of BioPharma Alliances.
Fintan R. Steele, Associate Director at CU-Boulder’s Colorado Initiative in Molecular Biotechnology (CIMB).
Trent Yang, Director of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at the CU-Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI).

These new members join 15 other representatives from CU’s administration and business community (view full Business Advisory Board membership here).

“A solid understanding of industry and university priorities, and connections into Colorado’s strong business and entrepreneurial community, are crucial to TTO’s long-term success,” said David Allen, CU’s Associate VP for Technology Transfer. “We are delighted to have such an accomplished Business Advisory Board to help guide TTO’s current strategy, and to help us keep pace with the rapid changes in the technology development sphere.”

Tech Spotlight: Novel Approach to Treating Pancreatic Cancer

2011-09-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

In collaboration with medicinal chemists at the University of Nottingham led by C.J. Moody, David Ross and colleagues at the University of Colorado have developed a novel series of indolequinones that potently induce apoptosis and growth inhibition in a number of different tumor cell systems including pancreatic, renal cell, colon and melanoma. The original series of compounds were developed as potent suicide inhibitors of the antioxidant enzyme NQO1. However, subsequent studies demonstrate that inhibition of NQO1 could be dissociated from antitumor activity and that the compounds induce potent inhibition of the thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase system in tumor cells, leading to inhibition of tumor cell growth, induction of apoptosis and inhibited angiogenesis.

CU has developed a significant intellectual property around this set of compounds, which is available for partnering. To read a non-confidential summary of this opportunity, including links to relevant patent and scientific documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: 3D Control of Polymerization via Photofixation of Diels-Alder Networks

2011-08-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

Researchers at the University of Colorado led by Christopher Bowman have further exploited the reversibility of the Diels-Alder (DA) reaction reaction by combining the facile formation of a DA molecular scaffold with spatially and temporally selective photo-polymerization. Their invention provides a method for “fixation” (photo-fixation, when light-activated) of otherwise reversible DA crosslinks in a polymer network. The use of photopolymerization on an existing DA macromolecular scaffold reduces deleterious transport effects of conventional photopolymerization in liquid monomer, while maintaining the advantages of high conversion and rapid reaction kinetics.

These photofixed materials and the photolithographic strategy employed to make them have far reaching implications in the field of photopolymerization. Any application that can benefit from spatial and temporal control of polymerization reactions will be greatly enhanced by the simplicity of this fixation technology. Just a few of the many possible applications of this type of 3D polymerization control include 3D prototyping and printing, microfabrication, and flexographic printing.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Peptides for Modulating T-Cell Activity, for Treatment of Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease

2011-08-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

A major concern in autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes (T1D), multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. is safely treating the destructive inflammation. During these diseases, persistent debilitating inflammation leads to tissue destruction and eventual loss of function. In T1D, for example, cells of the immune system (including T cells) migrate to the pancreas and attack the insulin producing beta islet cells. Inflammation is established in the islets, leading to loss of insulin production.

A University of Colorado research group lead by David Wagner has developed a novel method for modulating autoimmune inflammation by directly impacting the primary cells responsible for the destructive inflammation. This product is a small peptide that has been shown to prevent type I diabetes in the animal disease model; and to reverse hyperglycemia in new-onset mice. Extensive study based on size and composition of the peptide has indicated lead candidates for drug development; Dr. Wagner's work also enables monitoring of treat efficacy.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent and scientific documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Magnetic Field-Responsive, Thermoreversible Polymers for Industrial and Medical Applications

2011-08-16T15:54:00.000-06:00

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Brian Adzima and Christopher Bowman has discovered materials and methods that can allow in situ heating of thermo-reversible polymer networks via a self-limiting heating technique, using magnetic field-responsive particles. This method minimizes the irreversible reactions that occur at high temperatures. The material properties may be unchanged even after multiple cycles of fracture and repair, achieving its native properties after each and every fracture/repair cycle. The healing mechanisms of the invention can be faster than those obtained for thermoplastic materials, since the oligomeric liquids resulting from depolymerization can allow significantly enhanced diffusion.

Applications include use in coatings where scratches can be closed through the heating process; industrial adhesion; use as an embolic agent for vascular occlusion; and targeted drug delivery.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including relevant patent and scientific documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

July + August 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-08-05T14:50:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's July + August newsletter:

Perspective: Major Funding Milestones for CU Licensees and Companies
In the last few weeks, several CU licensees and partner companies achieved significant financing milestones, including VC funding rounds, acquisitions and grants. This trend fits with a statewide increase in investment in the second quarter of 2011; and while one swallow doesn't make a summer, we're hopeful that this trend will continue through 2011, enabling our partner companies to bring CU technologies closer to the market. (See the full list of recent financings in the newsletter.)

TTO Announces August 15 Deadline for BDEG Project Summaries
Under the State of Colorado's Bioscience Discovery and Evaluation Grant (BDEG) Program, CU researchers are eligible for awards of $50,000 to $200,000 for commercial proof-of-concept (POC) work; eligible fields include therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, platform technologies, and biofuels. Interested researchers must submit a short Project Summary to TTO by August 15, 2011, as well as an Invention Disclosure if one is not already in place. The deadline for the application itself is September 9, 2011. Applications and more information are available online.

Heidelberg Instruments to Develop CU Nanotech Platform
Heidelberg Instruments GmbH (Heidelberg, Germany) and the University of Colorado recently completed an exclusive option agreement for a CU technique that shrinks the circuitry of nano-devices, enabling the creation of smaller computer chips and other nanodevices. (Read full press release.)

TTO Welcomes New Director, BioPharma Alliances at CU
TTO is pleased to welcome Dr. Laura Simon, Director of the new Office of BioPharma Alliances for CU Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus. Laura will serve as a liaison between faculty researchers and biotechnology, pharmaceutical and device companies. The Office of BioPharma Alliances is a campus-supported resource for research programs interested in strategic (big picture, multi-year, large dollar) relationships with biomedical enterprises, and is part of CU Denver's Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. (Read the full profile.)

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Tech Spotlight: Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals (FLCs) with True Gray Scale for Improved Information Displays

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

Liquid crystals (LCs) are organic materials possessing the fluidity of liquids and the long range molecular orientation found in crystals. Ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) involve spontaneous electric polarization of a material that is very rapidly orientable by applying an external electric field. FLCs combined with silicone chips providing the necessary electric fields have various applications in micro-displays for camera viewfinders and hand held pico-projectors.

A University of Colorado research group led by David Walba and Noel Clark has developed an approach for generating FLC electro-optics with gray-scale resolution without the need for a DC balance. This new approach involves “electrostatic V-shaped switching” where there is no electric field inside the liquid crystal layer of the device. V-shaped switching eliminates the need for DC balance, allowing the achievable brightness of the image to be ~2x as bright as current approaches. It creates true gray scale modulation instead of a perceived gray scale, reduces power dissipation for increased battery life, and provides “phase only” modulation potentially useful for holographic imaging.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Improved Treatment of Brain Tumors using MicroRNA

2011-07-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

A research team at the University of Colorado led by Rajeev Vibhakar has discovered that a specific microRNA has growth-suppressive activity in medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood. While medulloblastoma outcomes have improved, there is significant therapy-related morbidity: while chemotherapy can significantly reduce risk of recurrence, which is typically fatal, most chemotherapeutic agents kill both tumor and normal cells, resulting in various side effects.

Dr. Vibhakar’s work provide methods for treating cancer by inhibiting Bmi-1 by using miRNA128. Bmi-1 is believed to be necessary for cell regeneration of hematopoietic stem cells as well as peripheral and central nervous system neural stem cells. Bmi-1 is also thought to inhibit ageing in neurons, as well as also playing a role in several other types of cancer, such as bladder, skin, prostate, breast, ovarian, colorectal as well as hematological malignancies. Accordingly, Dr. Vibhakar’s work demonstrates the utility for treating these cancers by inhibiting Bmi-1 using miRNA128. This approach has the potential to be more efficacious than conventional chemotherapy, and to produce fewer side effects.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant scientific publications, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Heidelberg Instruments to Develop CU Nanotech Platform

2011-06-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

Circuitry-shrinking technique enables tinier computer chips, solar cells and other nanoscale devices.

BOULDER, Colo., June 23, 2011 – Heidelberg Instruments GmbH (Heidelberg, Germany) and the University of Colorado recently completed an exclusive option agreement for a CU technique that shrinks the circuitry of nano-devices, enabling the creation of smaller computer chips and other nanodevices. The method was developed by CU-Boulder researchers Robert McLeod (associate professor of electrical, computer, and energy engineering), Tim Scott (visiting research assistant professor of mechanical engineering and chemical and biological engineering) and Christopher Bowman (professor of chemical and biological engineering).

To create nano-scale circuitry, the patent pending nanolithography method uses tightly focused beams of blue light to record lines and dots thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair onto a substrate such as silicon. This initial step occurs in all types of nanoengineering, but the new system developed by McLeod's team uses a second beam of ultraviolet light to "erase" the edges of the pattern, resulting in much smaller structures. In turn, this enables the manufacture of smaller computer chips, solar cells and other nanoscale devices.

“University of Colorado is one of the leading R&D centers making major inroads in nano scale technology development,” said Alexander Forozan, Head of Global Business Development at Heidelberg Instruments. “We are thrilled to work with CU’s outstanding staff and look forward to a continuing and long-standing relationship.

“We are excited to have Heidelberg as a partner for this technology,” added Ted Weverka, a licensing manager at the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office. “Heidelberg’s technical know-how and market savvy ensure a strong future for this invention.”

In 2010, McLeod received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his work in this area, one of the nation's most prestigious honors directed toward young faculty.

About Heidelberg Instruments GmbH
With an installation base in over 30 countries, Heidelberg Instruments is a world leader in production of high precision maskless lithography systems. These systems are used for direct writing and photomask production by some of the most prestigious universities and industry leaders in the areas of MEMS, BioMEMS, Nano Technology, ASICS, TFT, Plasma Displays, Micro Optics, and many other related applications. www.himt.de

Tech Spotlight: Improved Organic Semiconductors and Organic Photovoltaics

2011-06-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

A group of researchers at the University of Colorado led by David Walba and Noel Clark have uncovered the highly complex structure of a new Liquid Crystal phase called the B4 phase, which has potential for use as an organic semiconductor. This invention improves upon existing organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials used to convert solar energy into electricity with inexpensive organic materials. Many different B4 OPV molecules can be designed, and can be used as organic semiconductors.

Organic semiconductors have several advantages over inorganic semiconductors, many of which are based on the ease of the processing required and low cost. Organic materials can also be used for flexible lightweight solar cells, allowing for their use in applications where inorganic materials are unsuitable. Rare elements present in inorganics such as indium are not needed for organic materials, dramatically lowering material costs.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent docs and scientific publications, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

June 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-06-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's June newsletter:

Commentary: Stanford University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.
On June 6, 2011, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Stanford University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. (PDF) ruling that the Bayh-Dole Act does not alter an inventor’s ownership rights in his invention and federally funded contractors must obtain a legally-sufficient assignment from their employee inventors. Many universities, including the University of Colorado, supported Stanford’s argument that the Bayh-Dole Act operated to automatically vest title to federally-funded inventions in federal contractors. Stanford argued that the automatic vesting would preserve the federal investment and prevent any inadvertent loss of title which could occur when federally-funded inventors collaborate with private parties. The Supreme Court rejected Stanford’s argument finding no such explicit language in the Act to create the automatic vesting.

Video: Cleantech at CU
Dave Allen (CU Associate VP for Technology Transfer) and Trent Yang (Entrepreneurship & Business Development Director, CU-Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute) talk about the process involved with developing new technology from university research.

CU's Cleantech 'Research Rock Stars'
"They are the men and women who make game-changing discoveries in their labs AND are engaged in seeing those discoveries translated into products to be used for the greater good." CU-Boulder's Bob Erickson, Gregor Henze and Al Weimer were recently recognized as "Research Rock Stars" by the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA), and featured in ColoradoBiz magazine (along with researchers from the Colorado School of Mines and Colorado State University. Tigon EnerTec (founded last year based on work by a CU-Boulder team) was also featured as Tech Startup of the month.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

TTO Commentary: Stanford University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.

2011-06-17T12:32:00.000-06:00

On June 6, 2011, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Stanford University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. (PDF) ruling that the Bayh-Dole Act does not alter an inventor’s ownership rights in his invention and federally funded contractors must obtain a legally-sufficient assignment from their employee inventors. Many universities, including the University of Colorado, supported Stanford’s argument that the Bayh-Dole Act operated to automatically vest title to federally-funded inventions in federal contractors. Stanford argued that the automatic vesting would preserve the federal investment and prevent any inadvertent loss of title which could occur when federally-funded inventors collaborate with private parties. The Supreme Court rejected Stanford’s argument finding no such explicit language in the Act to create the automatic vesting.

It would be a disservice to federal contractors to say they have only relied on the Bayh-Dole Act to accomplish an assignment of inventions. Federal contractors and universities have long-standing policies and practices to obtain such assignments from their employees, documents which are necessary to file patent applications with the Patent and Trademark Office. The University of Colorado has such policies and practices in place and is able to obtain effective assignments from its inventors.

Rather, the Court’s decision in this case turned on the language of the assignment of future rights in the competing assignment documents at issue. The Court found Stanford’s “agree to assign” contract term deficient compared to the company’s “hereby do assign.” The dissenting opinion essentially called for litigants to bring a case which would allow a closer examination of the equitable rights in future inventions created by these phrases.

For more information about CU's intellectual property policies, visit the TTO website, or contact TTO.

Catherine Shea is Associate Counsel for Technology Transfer in TTO's system office.

Video: Cleantech at CU

2011-06-16T12:02:00.000-06:00

Dave Allen (CU Associate VP for Technology Transfer) and Trent Yang (Entrepreneurship & Business Development Director, CU-Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute) talk about the process involved with developing new technology from university research.

Can't view the video? Go to ColoradoBiz TV to watch.

Tech Spotlight: Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Failure Using Myosin Heavy Chains

2011-06-14T10:00:00.000-06:00

The velocity of cardiac muscle contraction is controlled by the amount of ATPase activity in the myosin molecules in the heart. The major determinant of ATPase activity, and therefore muscle contraction, is the relative amounts of two myosin isomers. The dominant isomer α-Myosin Heavy Chain (α-MHC), has about four times more activity than the recessive isomer β-Myosin Heavy Chain (β-MHC). When the amount of the α-MHC isomer decreases and β-MHC isomer becomes the dominant myosin isomer, this reduces the contractile function of the muscle cells, leading to myocardial failure.

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Michael Bristow has developed a method of diagnosing myocardial failure by testing a sample of myocardial tissue f for relative amounts of these two isomers. Dr. Bristow’s group has also developed a treatment method in which a patient is administered a transgene that expresses α-MHC and that causes an increase in the quantity of the α-MHC isomer in the myocardial tissue of the heart. By increasing the level of α-MHC it becomes the dominant isomer again, which keeps the contractual function high in the muscle cells and prevents myocardial failure.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patents and scientific publications, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Stress Relaxation in Crosslinked Polymers

2011-05-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

Internal stress buildup during polymerization of a crosslinked network is a typical result of polymerization shrinkage. This stress may decrease the ultimate mechanical properties of the polymer and/or limit its applications. For example, in optical materials internal stress may introduce unwanted birefringence, and in dental materials result in unwanted shrinkage.

A University of Colorado research group led by Christopher Bowman and Timothy Scott have developed a solution to this problem in which internal stress is relieved through reversible cleavage of the polymer backbone, accomplished by incorporating “reversible chain cleavage” groups into the polymer backbone. This solution is applicable to a variety of polymeric materials, including polymeric coatings, fiber reinforced materials and optical materials, and eliminates shrinkage stress in dental materials and reinforced composites.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Low Energy, Low Temp Flash Sintering of Ceramics

2011-05-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

Dense ceramic bodies are traditionally produced by sintering green powder compacts at high temperatures, in a process that is energy intensive. For example, zirconia requires several hours at 1400°C. Over the last years, new techniques that use electromagnetic and electrical fields in tandem with time and temperature have been shown to decrease the time and temperature for sintering. Although these methods (collectively known as field-assisted sintering techniques, FAST) produce sintering in shorter times and at reduced temperatures, their potential for widespread commercialization is debated, mainly due to the high cost and complexity of the equipment and unsolved technical issues.

Researchers at the University of Colorado have found that oxides of industrial interest, such as stabilized zirconia, can be sintered in a matter of seconds, at a furnace temperature of 800°C. Such short processing time and low furnace temperatures are unprecedented and can lead to huge energy savings in the production of technical and traditional ceramics. This Flash-Sintering can find wide applications not only in the sintering of monolithic products, but also in the sintering of ceramic coatings on various substrates.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant publications and patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site

May 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-05-19T09:46:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's May newsletter:

Physical Activity Innovations to Develop CU Wireless Fitness Monitoring Device
The University of Colorado and Physical Activity Innovations Inc. (PAI) have executed an exclusive license agreement allowing the company to commercialize a fitness feedback technology developed at the University. The technology is a small, Bluetooth-enabled sensor that allows users to wirelessly track time spent in daily physical activities, calories burned, and progress toward user fitness and weight-loss goals. The technology was developed by Raymond Browning and James Hill of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, with researchers at Clarkson University and the University of Lausanne. (Read the full press release.)

Two Innovation Bills Approved by Colorado Legislature
In early May two bills supporting technology innovation and commercialization passed the Colorado legislature, and now await signature by Governor Hickenlooper. First, HB 1283: Extending the Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program (PDF) extends through 2018 the BDEG program enacted in 2008 to accelerate commercialization of bioscience inventions from Colorado research institutions. SB47: Innovation Reinvestment Act (PDF) uses a net increase in state corporation income tax withholdings within the bioscience and cleantech sectors to provide additional funding for the BDEG program and to fund a similar program focused on cleantech, and will go into effect in 2014. (See also: Bioscience restored to clean-tech funding bill.)

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Physical Activity Innovations to Develop CU Wireless Fitness Monitoring Device

2011-05-18T12:53:00.000-06:00

AURORA, Colo., May 18, 2011 – The University of Colorado and Physical Activity Innovations Inc. (PAI) have executed an exclusive license agreement allowing the company to commercialize a fitness feedback technology developed at the University. The technology is a small, Bluetooth-enabled sensor that allows users to wirelessly track time spent in daily physical activities, calories burned, and progress toward user fitness and weight-loss goals.

The technology was developed by Raymond Browning and James Hill of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Edward Sazonov of Clarkson University (lead inventor of the licensed technology) and Yves Schutz of the University of Lausanne. The Fit Companion device is a small, unobtrusive device that may be mounted in any shoe; the device wirelessly transmits data to a cell phone where the user receives easy-to-understand information about their physical activity throughout the entire day. This feature creates a feedback system incorporating calories burned, body weight and physical activity, which can alert the wearer when time spent in sedentary activity exceeds a predetermined threshold, or when a daily physical activity goal has been met.

"When it comes to burning calories, a moderately active person can burn as many calories as a person who sits all day but then has a very vigorous workout," says Dr. Browning, who serves as research co-lead at PAI. "Our goal is to provide people with feedback that motivates them to stay at least moderately active every day.” PAI received the Bluetooth Innovator of the Year award in the Bluetooth Innovation World Cup 2009.

"PAI is attacking the obesity epidemic head-on with innovative tools such as the Fit Companion,” added Paul Tabor of the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office. “If the company can meet its goal of producing an accurate and comfortable device at a low cost, it will transform the monitoring of physical activity and have an immense impact on human health."

About Physical Activity Innovations
Physical Activity Innovations Inc. is developing unique, footwear-based systems that motivate users to increase their daily physical activity. Technology in the footwear-based systems is based on research from Clarkson University, Colorado State University, and the University of Colorado. The company is funded by Phase I SBIR grants issued by the National Institutes of Health,1R43DK083229-01A1, and the National Science Foundation, IIP-1013575. The company has been a member of the Rocky Mountain Innosphere, the Northern Colorado Technology Incubator, since 2009. The company is based in Fort Collins, Colo. More information can be found at www.physicalactivityinnovations.com.

Podcast: Drs. Malik Kahook and Naresh Mandava, Anschutz Medical Campus Inventors of the Year

2011-05-02T17:01:00.000-06:00

W3W3 radio spoke with Malik Kahook, an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, and Naresh Mandava, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, about their work developing novel treatments for eye diseases:

I think collaboration is key. I think being passionate about what you're researching is key. Malik and I are fortunate in what we do is taking care of patients every day, we know where the holes are in terms of traditional modalities of treatment we have for diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration and really we are very passionate about what we do. You have to be driven, have a goal in mind and don't be afraid to fail.

Listen to the podcast or view an archive of all TTO podcasts.

Four CU Companies Receive Tech Commercialization Grants from State of Colorado

2011-05-02T14:45:00.000-06:00

DENVER, Colo., May 2, 2011 – Four companies formed around technologies developed at the University of Colorado were recently selected to receive funding from Colorado's Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program. The company grant program (BDEG-Co), launched in 2007 by the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, provides early-stage matching “seed” grants to enable the development and commercial validation of promising technologies that are licensed from Colorado research institutions by Colorado based start-up companies.

CU-based companies receiving funding in this round:

2CTech Corp. – the company’s proprietary SeeQ technology, based on research by CU School of Medicine researchers Jeffrey Olson and Naresh Mandava, uses intraocularly-delivered photoactive nanoparticles (particles which convert light to electrical energy, similar to a conventional solar cell but on a sub-cellular scale) to advance the treatment of ocular diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, which lead to diminished sight and eventually blindness.

BioAMPS International - focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary antimicrobial peptide therapeutics for the treatment of systemic infectious diseases due to drug-resistant bacteria. The company’s proprietary technology platform, based on work by CU School of Medicine researcher Robert S. Hodges, utilizes novel designs of D-conformation peptides (a type of peptide with increased half-life inside the body) to create unique drug candidates.

Mosaic Biosciences - advancing a fundamentally new class of synthetic materials to support native tissue regeneration. With its proprietary platform technology based on the work of CU-Boulder researchers Christopher Bowman and Kristi Anseth, Mosaic expects to significantly impact the field of tissue regeneration, including applications in wound healing, bone regeneration, cartilage repair, stem cell therapy, and dermal fillers.

Suvica – a drug discovery company that uses a novel screening technology developed by CU-Boulder professor Tin Tin Su, which employs mutant Drosophila (fruit flies) to identify and develop compounds that enhance the efficacy of standard cancer treatments and have the potential for use in combination therapy against cancer.

“We are delighted that these CU licensee companies have received these matching grants,” said David N. Allen, CU’s Associate VP for Technology Transfer. “They represent technologies coming from CU’s Boulder and Anschutz Medical Campuses, and highlight opportunities for improving human health through drug and medical device products."

Tech Spotlight: LPL Modulation to Treat Obesity, Alzheimer’s and Other LPL-Mediated Disorders

2011-04-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a multifunctional enzyme produced by many tissues including adipose tissue and muscle, and is also present throughout the nervous system. A selective knockout of the LPL gene in the brain leads to development of severe obesity in mammals. This effect is mediated by the hippocampus. Since the hippocampus is involved in memory function, it is believed that LPL also plays a role in other diseases such as memory related diseases, for example, Alzheimer’s disease, age related senility, as well as other memory related diseases.

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Dr. Robert Eckel has developed a technique for modulating the activity of Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the brain, opening the door for new therapies to treat obesity and related memory disorders, and new methods of regulating body weight.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant publications and patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

April 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-04-18T12:55:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's April newsletter:

Four CU Companies Receive Tech Commercialization Grants from State of Colorado
Four companies formed around technologies developed at the University of Colorado were recently selected to receive funding from Colorado's Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program. The company grant program (BDEG-Co), launched in 2007 by the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, provides early-stage matching “seed” grants to enable the development and commercial validation of promising technologies that are licensed from Colorado research institutions by Colorado based start-up companies.

CU-based companies receiving funding in this round:2CTech Corp., BioAMPS International,Mosaic Biosciences and Suvica.

OPXBIO, Dow Chemical Team to Develop Bioacrylic
CU licensee OPX Biotechnologies Inc. has partnered with Dow Chemical Co. in an effort that could result in the industrial-scale production and eventual commercialization of acrylic products made from corn and cane sugar. OPX signed a joint development agreement with Dow to prove the technical and economic viability of an industrial-scale process to produce acrylic acid from a fermentable sugar feedstock and have the resulting product have equal performance qualities to that of petroleum-based acrylic acid.

BioSIPs: A Conversation with Julee Herdt and Kellen Schauermann
Making a major leap from research and development to green building material and commercialization of a product, CU professor Julee Herdt and former CU grad student Kellen Schauermann are innovators in developing cleaner, stronger, healthier ways to construct buildings. Herdt and Schauermann currently have the first BioSIP prototype building construction underway with a team of CU grads and students, and have founded BioSIPs Inc., a green building material design and architecture firm.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Tech Spotlight: Biomarkers Predicting Response to Schizophrenia Treatment

2011-04-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

Unlike diabetes and hypothyroidism, neuro-psychological diseases currently do not benefit from approved, simple blood tests that assist in proper dosing of medications. For diseases like schizophrenia, doses of antipsychotics are determined (inadequately) by subjective means like questioning and observing a patient, and by trial and error. Each error in medication dose subjects the patient to a likely relapse; relapse is significant and may cost the patient life, family support, job and home.

A research team led by Judith Gault of the University of Colorado has discovered that DISC1 isoform levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are an effective treatment response marker for patients on a variety of antipsychotics. This discovery has led to the development of methods for predicting effective treatment of schizophrenia by monitoring a patient’s fluid sample (e.g., blood) to measure the patient’s genetic (transcriptional) response to medications. The biomarker of treatment-response can be used as an indicator of treatment success or ineffectiveness, and lead to the ability to further optimize the dose of medication in patients with schizophrenia to prevent relapse.

Updated reference: Elevated DISC1 transcript levels in PBMCs during acute psychosis in patients with schizophrenia. Translational Biomedicine, Vol. 2 No. 1:4 (2011).

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant publications and patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Improved Drug Delivery Using Electrostatic Co-extrusion Techniques

2011-04-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

A research group led by Thomas Anchordoquy has developed an electrostatic co-extrusion manufacturing process for production of liposomes. The process utilizes electrostatic spraying (Electro-Hydrodynamic breakup) to form an aqueous droplet while another miscible fluid containing the encapsulating material (“shell”) is simultaneously extruded around the aqueous droplet. In this manner, encapsulated vesicles are produced individually with 100% encapsulation efficiency.

Liposome encapsulation, used primarily to manufacture new drugs and drug delivery systems, represents the most immediate and potentially significant application for this technology. Encapsulation is also used in a variety of well-known applications such as scratch-and-sniff perfumes, carbonless copy paper, laundry detergent, and packaged baking mixes. This method is also ideally suited for these applications as it may be used to encapsulate any water-soluble substance within a variety of materials.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant publications and patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

March 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-03-18T15:50:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's March newsletter:

Clean Urban Energy to Develop CU Energy Efficiency Technology
Clean Urban Energy (CUE), a Chicago, IL-based company developing building efficiency software, has completed a licensing agreement with TTO granting the company the exclusive right to commercialize a software tool developed at CU's Boulder campus through a collaborative research program put in place by the University and CUE. The software, jointly created by CU-Boulder architectural engineering professor Gregor Henze and CUE, is part of a software as a service (SaaS) platform that optimizes a building's HVAC operations as a function of electricity prices, hourly temperatures, humidity, solar radiation and carbon emissions.

Phobos Energy Licenses CU Solar Photovoltaic Technology
Phobos Energy (Lafayette, CO) recently executed an exclusive license agreement with CU for photovoltaic (PV) technology developed by Robert Erickson, co-director of CU-Boulder's Colorado Power Electronics Center. Erickson's research has led to a technique for increasing the power generated by solar PV arrays when its panels are mismatched, and also provides simpler interconnection and wiring. As a result, the energy generated by the array is increased, the costs of system design and installation are reduced, and it becomes feasible to install PV arrays in new locations such as on gabled or non-planar roofs.

Dozens of CU Graduate Programs Earn National Ranking

Boulder Biotechs Progressing Toward Goals

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Phobos Energy Licenses CU Solar Photovoltaic Technology

2011-03-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

BOULDER, Colo., March 10, 2011 – Phobos Energy (Lafayette, CO) recently executed an exclusive license agreement with CU for photovoltaic (PV) technology developed by Robert Erickson, co-director of CU-Boulder’s Colorado Power Electronics Center. Erickson’s research has led to a technique for increasing the power generated by solar PV arrays when its panels are mismatched, and also provides simpler interconnection and wiring. As a result, the energy generated by the array is increased, the costs of system design and installation are reduced, and it becomes feasible to install PV arrays in new locations such as on gabled or non-planar roofs. Phobos Energy was founded by Erickson (CTO, currently on entrepreneurial leave from CU) and Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur Pete Del Vecchio (CEO); the company has received development funding from a large industrial partner and is seeking additional funding to expand operations.

Clean Urban Energy to Develop U of Colo. Energy Efficiency Technology

2011-02-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Company will use CU-developed software tool to optimize energy control systems and electric grid integration in large commercial buildings.

BOULDER, Colo., February 24, 2011 – Clean Urban Energy (CUE), a Chicago, IL-based company developing building efficiency software, has completed an exclusive licensing agreement with the University of Colorado (CU), granting the company the exclusive right to commercialize a software tool developed at CU’s Boulder campus through a collaborative research program put in place by the University and CUE.

The software, jointly created by CU-Boulder architectural engineering professor Gregor Henze and CUE, is part of a software as a service (SaaS) platform that monitors the performance and electric demand of a building’s heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system in relation to its thermal mass (the mass in and of the building, such as concrete, furniture, and books). Once the software has “learned” how energy is stored and released by the building’s thermal mass, it implements strategies that optimize the building’s HVAC operations as a function of electricity prices, hourly temperatures, humidity, solar radiation and carbon emissions. Ultimately, CUE uses the thermal mass of these buildings as large-scale thermal energy storage for urban smart grids. This storage capacity introduces demand flexibility into electric grids, positively impacting reliability of the grids themselves.

“Through this collaboration with Dr. Henze and the University, we have created, and will sustain industry and research leadership in clean energy,” said Vince Cushing, Chief Technology Officer at CUE.

“We are very fortunate to have this partnership with Clean Urban Energy,” added Kate Tallman, Director of Technology Transfer for CU-Boulder. “CUE provides Dr. Henze’s technology with access to a real world test bed in Chicago and a ready path to market.”

CUE demonstrated its technology in fifty large commercial buildings in the Chicago area in 2009, and in 2010, the company used this software to optimize two office buildings in the Chicago Loop totaling 1.94M square feet. CUE plans for full launch of its SaaS platform for the 2011 cooling season. CUE recently closed with Elan Management on a seed financing round that will propel the company to market.

About Clean Urban Energy:
CUE delivers comprehensive energy-efficiency solutions that optimize the performance of building owners and managers, utilities, grid operators and energy service providers. By integrating building operations with energy markets, CUE’s proprietary software leverages a building’s thermal mass, environmental data, carbon emissions and electric market prices to reduce HVAC energy use and expense (up to 30 percent), to improve electric generation efficiency and environmental performance, and to introduce demand elasticity into grid markets. www.cleanurbanenergy.com

February 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-02-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

Top stories from TTO's February newsletter:

Taligen Therapeutics Acquired by Alexion Pharma in $111M Buyout
Taligen Therapeutics, a licensee of the University of Colorado, was acquired recently by Cheshire, CT-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $111 million and contingent payments. Taligen, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, has been focused on the discovery and development of novel protein therapeutics. Taligen was founded in March 2004 and was a recipient of CU's first round of proof-of-concept investments in 2005.The company's most recent funding was a Series B funding round lead by Clarus Ventures, Alta Partners, Sanderling Ventures and Colorado-based High Country Venture.

Soligenix Executes Exclusive License with CU for Vaccine Thermostabilization Technology
Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has entered into a definitive license agreement with CU for novel technology for use in the development of subunit vaccines with long-term stability, including stability at elevated temperatures. Soligenix has been developing this stabilization technology under an option-to-license agreement from CU that was initiated to support the technology development efforts funded by a $9.4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

AmideBio Licenses CU Alzheimer's Disease Treatment
TTO and AmideBio, LLC have completed an agreement giving AmideBio exclusive rights to commercialize drug candidates for Alzheimer's disease discovered at CU's Boulder campus. A CU research group has recently discovered a novel molecular target that is disrupted and degraded very early in the disease; the team believes that strategies to prevent the disruption and degradation of this target could prove critical in effectively treating the disease at an early stage.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Event: Entrepreneurship Under the Microscope

2011-02-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hosted annually by TTO and the Leeds School of Business' Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, this luncheon recognizes and celebrates innovation and commercialization on the CU campus and beyond. Meet and network with researchers, administration and business community members, and hear from today's movers and change-makers in a ten-minute "TED-talk" format about big ideas in today's most interesting and exciting sectors:

Larry Gold, CU-Boulder professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology; founder, SomaLogic
Amy Cosper, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur.com
Charles R. (Chas) Eggert, President & CEO of OPX Biotechnologies, a venture-backed CU-Boulder spinoff company making renewable bio-based chemicals and fuels.

The event will also include a poster session highlighting CU-Boulder technologies ready to take the next step toward commercialization.

When: Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Where: Stadium Club at Folsom Field, Boulder
Registration: online. (There is no cost for CU faculty, staff and grad students - CU attendees ONLY may register here.)

Click the image at right for a printable flyer.

AmideBio Licenses CU Alzheimer's Disease Treatment

2011-02-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

BOULDER, Colo., February 17, 2011 – The University of Colorado and AmideBio, LLC have completed an agreement giving AmideBio exclusive rights to commercialize drug candidates for Alzheimer’s disease discovered at CU’s Boulder campus.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the U.S., and the fifth-leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older. An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have AD.¹ The disease typically begins with gradual memory loss; people with advanced AD are often unable to perform basic activities such as dressing and eating without assistance. In the final stages, patients are unable to communicate or recognize family members, and require constant care. The disease is ultimately fatal, often by causing pneumonia.

Current treatments address the symptoms of AD, but do not target the underlying disease. A CU research group led by Michael Stowell, Ph.D. (an associate professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology) has recently discovered a novel molecular target that is disrupted and degraded very early in the disease; the team believes that strategies to prevent the disruption and degradation of this target could prove critical in effectively treating the disease at an early stage. Stowell’s group is currently pursuing a new class of drugs that will prevent the disruption and degradation of this target and hopes to begin testing efficacy in the coming year.

“We are happy to execute this second licensing agreement with CU,”’ said Dr. Misha Plam, AmideBio's President and CEO. “The novel approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease discovered by Dr. Stowell’s group has great potential, and we are proud to become part of the community working to understand this disease and searching for its cure.”

AmideBio has also licensed a method developed by Stowell for manufacturing recombinant proteins and peptides (molecules which are similar to proteins but smaller); AmideBio and CU have an ongoing research collaboration in this area. “We are excited about the prospects for AmideBio,” said Tom Smerdon, Director of Licensing and New Business Development at CU’s Technology Transfer Office. “The company combines a top scientific mind and an accomplished entrepreneur, two important ingredients for success.”

1. 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimer’s Association, 2010.

About AmideBio:
AmideBio based in Boulder, CO is a biotechnology company focused on providing recombinant peptide research and clinical products for a diverse array of disease research and disease targets. AmideBio maintains a proprietary platform vector technology that addresses the challenges of historically difficult to manufacture peptides by providing products that are reliable (BioPure™), economical and incorporate environmentally sustainable practices. For more information, please visit www.amidebio.com.

Podcast: Dr. Lauren Constantini, Business Advisor of the Year

2011-02-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

W3W3 radio spoke with TTO 2010 Business Advisor of the Year Lauren Constantini about her work with bioscience technologies developed at CU.

TTO has done a spectacular job of helping identify the technologies within the university that are important. Helping those technologies mature is not just taking something from the bench and telling those investigators what may help move them through, but also connecting those investigators with people in the VC world or even the pharmaceutical world, or key opinion leaders.

Listen to the podcast, or view an archive of all TTO podcasts.

Tech Spotlight: Peptides for Modulating T-Cell Activity, for Treatment of Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease

2011-02-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

A major concern for modern medicine is how to control aseptic, chronic inflammation (ACI) such as that which occurs during autoimmune diseases. ACI leads to tissue degeneration and eventual loss of function of major organs; it is not limited to a single disease, but is instrumental in numerous autoimmune diseases.

A University of Colorado research group led by Dr. David Wagner has developed a novel method for modulating inflammation, and in particular, inflammation that arises as a result of an autoimmune disease (type 1 diabetes in particular). This group has discovered that a unique subset of T-cells, which express CD40 protein and thus are referred to as Th40 cells, is instrumental in autoimmune inflammation. Moreover, involvement of Th40 cells in the autoimmune process is dependent on the interaction between cell-surface bound CD40 protein on the T cell and CD154 protein.Dr. Wagner has developed small peptides that interact with the CD40 protein at the site where the CD154 protein would normally bind, thus blocking their interaction. In mouse models of type 1 diabetes these peptides significantly delay disease onset and in 80% of test cases reverse new onset disease.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant publications and patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Taligen Therapeutics Acquired by Alexion Pharma in $111M Buyout

2011-02-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

DENVER, Colo. – February 4, 2011 – Taligen Therapeutics, a licensee of the University of Colorado, was acquired recently by Cheshire, CT-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $111 million and contingent payments. Taligen, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, has been focused on the discovery and development of novel protein therapeutics.

Taligen’s portfolio includes monoclonal antibodies and recombinant fusion proteins that target key factors in the alternative pathway of the complement system, which Taligen's founders, including CU Professor V. Michael Holers, M.D., of the University of Colorado School of Medicine (Anschutz Medical Campus) have validated as an important amplification loop in the inflammation process. Former Taligen CEO Abbie Celniker, Ph.D., will head up Alexion’s new Translational Medicine Group, which will accelerate development of Taligen’s pre-clinical product candidates.

Taligen was founded in March 2004 and was a recipient of CU’s first round of proof-of-concept investments in 2005. In 2008 Taligen received the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office bioscience company of the year award. The company’s most recent funding was a Series B funding round lead by Clarus Ventures, Alta Partners, Sanderling Ventures and Colorado-based High Country Venture.

Read the press release from Alexion Pharma.

Soligenix Executes Exclusive License with CU for Vaccine Thermostabilization Technology

2011-01-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive license agreement with the University of Colorado (CU) for novel technology for use in the development of subunit vaccines with long-term stability, including stability at elevated temperatures. Soligenix has been developing this stabilization technology under an option-to-license agreement from CU that was initiated to support the technology development efforts funded by a $9.4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The underlying technology has been developed by Drs. Amber Clausi, John Carpenter and Theodore Randolph at CU.

Read the full release from Soligenix.

Tech Spotlight: Method for Radical Polymerization of Unactivated Alkenes

2011-01-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Dr. Josef Michl has discovered that certain salts of the lithium cation are soluble in non-polar solvents. These solutions catalyze the otherwise impossible radical polymerization of simple alkenes, such that it proceeds at ambient temperatures and pressure. The catalyst in this process is easily recovered at the end of the reaction and can be reused without detectable loss of activity.

Polyalkenes are used for several applications including making blown film, rash guards, or under-garments for wetsuits. The new method of catalysis developed in the Michl lab promises to reduce the cost and complexity of polyalkene synthesis for these and many other applications.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

January 2011 Newsletter Now Available

2011-01-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Top stories from TTO's January newsletter:

CU Announces Annual Technology Transfer Awards
TTO hosted its annual awards ceremony on January 18, honoring six faculty researchers, two companies founded on university research, and several members of the local entrepreneurial community. The awards followed a panel discussion focused on the state of Colorado's venture capital community, moderated by Rex O'Neal, executive partner at Faegre & Benson LLP; panelists will include Jim Linfield of Cooley LLP (PDF of presentation), Richard Duke of the Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development, and David Allen of TTO. Faculty and companies recognized this year represent three of CU's four campuses, and are developing technologies ranging from biofuels and hybrid aircraft engines to novel treatments for cancer, heart disease and eye disease.

OPXBIO Recognized for "Renewable Chemical Product of the Year"

Zostavax Cuts Risk of Shingles by Half, Researchers Find

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

CU Announces Annual Technology Transfer Awards

2011-01-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Researchers working on biofuels, cancer treatments and addiction support among those honored for technology commercialization.

DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 18, 2011) – The University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office will host its annual awards ceremony tonight, honoring six faculty researchers, two companies founded on university research, and several members of the local entrepreneurial community.

The CU Technology Transfer Office will recognize this year’s honorees during a special banquet on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the historic Tivoli Turnhalle. The awards will follow a panel discussion focused on the state of Colorado’s venture capital community.

Over the past two decades, CU researchers have developed technologies that have led to the creation of 103 new companies. Of these, 79 have operations in Colorado, seven have “gone public,” becoming publicly traded companies (either through an IPO or via a reverse merger), and 12 have been acquired by public companies. Companies created based on CU technology have attracted a total of over $4 billion in financing.

“CU plays a big part in the economy of Colorado and the lives of Colorado’s citizens, and technology transfer – the process of conveying university research inventions to companies – is one dimension of that impact,” said David Allen, associate vice president for technology transfer at CU. “Most of the companies that license CU technology operate in Colorado. This event recognizes excellence in the people and licensee companies that are part of the CU technology transfer environment.”

Faculty and companies recognized this year represent all CU campuses, and are developing technologies ranging from biofuels and hybrid aircraft engines to novel treatments for cancer, heart disease and eye disease. This year’s award winners include:

Ryan T. Gill, Inventor of the Year, Boulder. Gill, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, is developing new tools and applications for directed evolution of genomes. In particular, his work focuses on metabolic engineering for sustainable bio-diesel and bio-gasoline production. Technology from the Gill lab has formed the basis of OPX Biotechnologies, a venture-backed Boulder company making renewable bio-based chemicals and fuels that are lower cost, higher return and more sustainable than existing petroleum-based products.

Malik Y. Kahook and Naresh Mandava; Inventors of the Year, Anschutz Medical Campus. Kahook, an associate professor of ophthalmology, and Mandava, chair of ophthalmology, work on novel treatment for eye diseases including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment.

Jean N. Koster, New Inventor of the Year, Boulder. A professor of aerospace engineering, Koster has done work expanding the concepts of hybrid vehicles to airplanes; his team’s research is the foundation of a new company, Tigon EnerTec.

Dan Theodorescu; New Inventor of the Year, Anschutz Medical Campus. Theodorescu, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, has demonstrated efficacy of a new class of drugs in the treatment or bladder, prostate and lung cancer and successfully formed a collaboration team to pursue new compounds to take into clinical trials.

Rory A. Lewis; New Inventor of the Year, Colorado Springs. An assistant professor of computer sciences, Lewis developed a social medial platform for addiction recovery that is now optioned to Syberenety, Inc., a Colorado Springs startup company which won a Phase I SBIR award to develop the technology.

miRagen Therapeutics; Bioscience Company of the Year. miRagen Therapeutics (based in Boulder, Colo.) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients’ lives by developing innovative microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease. miRagen has raised $12M in capital from several top-tier venture firms.

Sundrop Fuels; Physical Sciences/Engineering/IT Company of the Year. Sundrop Fuels (based in Louisville, Colo.) is a solar gasification-based renewable energy company developing a technology to turn any type of plant material into ultra-clean, affordable liquid transportation fuel for use in today’s automobiles, diesel engines and aircraft. In September 2009, Sundrop began operations at an 80 kW (thermal) solar research facility in Broomfield; the company plans to build a full-scale commercial plant capable of producing 100 million gallons of fuel a year by 2015.

Lauren C. Constantini; Business Advisor of the Year. Constantini has over 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and is a recognized leader in the area of central nervous system (CNS); she is a frequent participant in review and strategy sessions used to move forward development of CU technologies and start-up companies.

Mikhail “Misha” Plam; Serial University Startup Entrepreneur Award. Plam has built a distinguished career on successfully bringing university innovations to market. He has founded three companies based on inventions from the University of Colorado: AmideBio, BiOptix Inc. and Sievers Instruments (acquired by GE).

James C. T. Linfield; Colorado Technology Infrastructure Leadership Award. Linfield is a partner in the Cooley LLP Business department and Partner-in-Charge of their Colorado office; he serves on the advisory boards of numerous CU entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives, and is among the leaders promoting new initiatives and collaboration strategies in Colorado.

Tech Spotlight: Improved Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) for Higher Energy Conversion Efficiency

2011-01-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

A University of Colorado research group led by Richard Noble has developed a novel approach to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) that increases solar-to-electrical energy conversion. Typically, DSSCs contain two planar conducting electrodes separated by a mesoporous material such as titanium dioxide, which produce a high surface area to enhance light absorption of the dyes. In the improved model, the mesoporous material separating the two planar conducting electrodes is nearly doubled in thickness by adding a second porous layer, resulting in over double the energy conversion efficiency of a typical DSSC. Bilayer thickness optimization may result in even higher energy conversion. By using an intermediate, layered mesoporous electron collection material, the total electron transporting distance is shorter and thus results in a higher total current level.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Detection of Cellular Recognition Events with Fluorescent Polymer Based Amplification

2011-01-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Immunofluorescent staining is a fundamental cell biology technique for visualizing cellular structures and proteins as well as understanding cellular functions and disease pathology. Immunofluoresence can be used for surface biorecognition (e.g. microarrays) as well as direct cell staining. Historically, fluorescent signaling at biorecognition sites has been achieved through direct labeling with a conjugated primary or secondary antibody, but direct labeling may be insufficient for detecting low abundance antigens.

A University of Colorado research group led by Christopher Bowman have developed a novel method of fluorescent signal amplification ideally suited to low abundance antigen detection in cells or on microarrays. The Fluorescent Polymer Based Amplification (FPBA) method uses polymerization initiators to immobilize fluorescent particles in a polymer film anchored to the biorecognition site. The reaction can be tuned to achieve custom polymer thicknesses to visualize a variety of sub-cellular features. This novel method is capable of the same specificity as traditional direct labeling methods, while achieving much greater signal intensity. Furthermore, the FPBA method is capable of much more sensitive detection of low abundance antigens than direct fluor-labels.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Improved Treatment of Inflammatory Lung Injuries by Inhibition of Urokinase

2011-01-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Acute lung injury (ALI), Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and asthma have been linked to the molecular signaling molecule urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), a serine protease that catalyzes the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin. Levels of uPA are increased in acute inflammatory diseases, such as sepsis or ALI, and are associated with an increased rate of mortality. A research team led by Dr. Edward Abraham has identified the kringle domain (KD) of uPA as the proinflammatory domain being responsible for the potentiation of lipopoly-saccharide (endotoxin) induced neutrophil activation, which is the initial phase of acute inflammatory responses, including ALI. Dr. Abraham's data demonstrate that blocking the KD of uPA protects organs in models of ALI/ARDS; he has also found that blocking the KD decreases organ injury and improves survival in sepsis. With current genetic evidence suggesting the involvement of the uPA pathway in asthma, blockade of the uPA KD is also likely to prove useful in asthma treatment. Currently the inventor is working with a cloned mouse uPA kringle domain and has produced antibodies to the uPA KD, which reduce the severity of acute lung injury and therefore have significant potential therapeutic properties.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent and scientific documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Advanced Lyotropic Liquid Crystal (LLC) Nanofiltration Membranes

2010-12-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

University of Colorado research groups led by Douglas Gin and Richard Noble have developed a novel filtration membrane based on the polymerization of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) that contains ordered, densely packed, size-tunable pores of uniform size. These new LLC membranes have pore sizes on the order of 0.5-2 nm. The resulting size-selectivity of these membranes enables high, predictable rejection of dissolved ions (salts, in particular) from water as well as a number of organic molecular solutes.

These research groups have refined, simplified, and reduced the cost of LLC monomer synthesis, and have also demonstrated that LLC membranes can be modified by inorganic atomic layer deposition (ALD) to reduce pore size and, optionally, alter the chemical selectivity of the membrane.For instance, an LLC membrane modified in this way can be used to separate smaller gas particles like (O₂ from N₂) and (H₂ from CH₂) with a potential use in coal fired plants to feed pure O₂ into the furnace, making the process more efficient and yielding a pure outgas stream of CO₂ which would enable easier sequestration.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Targeted Delivery of Doxazolidine - Novel Cancer Therapy Prodrugs

2010-12-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Doxazolidine (Doxaz) is a formaldehyde conjugate of the anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin (Dox) developed by Dr. Tad Koch of the University of Colorado. Doxaz is functionally distinct from Dox and induces cancer cell death in sensitive and multidrug resistant cells by crosslinking DNA. Due to its increased toxicity and instability, Doxaz is an ideal candidate for prodrug delivery. Dr. Koch has designed a series of prodrugs for the targeted delivery of Doxaz to cancers. Pentyl PABC Doxaz (PPD) is one such prodrug and is activated to Doxaz by the cytosolic and microsomal protein carboxylesterase 2 (CES2) expressed by liver, non-small cell lung, colon, pancreatic, renal, and thyroid cancer cells.

Preclinical work with PPD has supported an improved safety and efficacy profile: PPD-induced inhibition of tumor growth followed dose escalation and exceeded inhibition of tumor growth by doxorubicin near its maximum tolerated dose. Heart sections treated with PPD showed significantly less evidence of cardiotoxicity than heart sections treated with doxorubicin. Unlike Dox, PPD is potentially orally bioavailable. Dr. Koch is currently workong on next-generation leads based on PPD.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

December 2010 Newsletter Now Available

2010-12-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Top stories from TTO's December newsletter:

New Combo Lung Cancer Therapy Improves Survival Over Single-Line Treatment
A combination therapy for treating cancer discovered at the University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC) showed improved survival rates in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to results presented from a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial run by Syndax Pharmaceuticals. The phase 2 results show that the combination of entinostat (Syndax's SNDX-275) and erlotinib was more effective in treating NSCLC in patients with elevated levels of the molecular cancer marker E-cadherin than using erlotinib alone. UCCC researchers were the first to identify elevated E-cadherin as a targetable cancer marker, the first to develop the biomarker tumor testing process for elevated E-cadherin and the first to test the combined therapy. Syndax holds rights to the CU intellectual property related to this type of combination therapy which includes the use of E-cadherin to predict responsiveness to the therapy.

Arch Biopartners Exclusively Licenses CU Peptide Surface Technology
Arch Biopartners Inc. announced in early December that it has obtained an exclusive license for a patent pending in the area of peptides and solid surfaces owned by the University of Colorado and emanating from the Program in Structural Biology and Biophysics headed by Dr. Robert Hodges.

Viral Genetics Launches Subsidiary to Develop Metabolic Disruption Technology for Biofuels
CU licensee Viral Genetics, Inc., a California-based biotechnology company researching new treatments and methods of detection for diseases including cancer, HIV/AIDS and others, has launched a subsidiary called VG Energy, Inc. which will explore biofuel and agricultural applications for one of the technologies in its licensed portfolio: Metabolic Disruption Technology (MDT).

Baxter Nabs Archemix' Lead Synthetic Hemophilia Candidate and Assets for About $30M
Baxter International is paying aptamer therapeutics firm (and CU licensee) Archemix somewhere in the region of $30M to acquire all the latter's hemophilia-related assets plus an exclusive license to its lead hemophilia candidate, ARC19499. Under terms of the deal Archemix could receive another $285M in milestone payments. ARC19499 is currently undergoing Phase I evaluation in the U.K.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

New Combo Lung Cancer Therapy Improves Survival Over Single-Line Treatment

2010-12-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

University of Colorado-developed treatment effective in Phase 2 Trials in a biomarker-selected group of patients

AURORA, Colo. (Dec. 13, 2010) – A combination therapy for treating cancer discovered at the University of Colorado Cancer Center showed improved survival rates in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to results presented today from a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial run by Syndax Pharmaceuticals.

The phase 2 results show that the combination of entinostat (Syndax’s SNDX-275) and erlotinib was more effective in treating NSCLC in patients with elevated levels of the molecular cancer marker E-cadherin than using erlotinib alone. University of Colorado Cancer Center researchers, who are faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, were the first to identify elevated E-cadherin as a targetable cancer marker, the first to develop the biomarker tumor testing process for elevated E-cadherin and the first to test the combined therapy.

About 40 percent of NSCLC patients have elevated E-cadherin levels, making this a significant advance towards highly personalized treatment for lung cancer patients. Entinostat controls expression of genes that can cause resistance to conventional cancer therapies like erlotinib.

“The outcome of patients with advanced lung cancer has been disappointing historically but the identification of new molecular features and new therapies directed at these molecular features has markedly improved outcome for some patients,” said Paul Bunn, MD, professor of medical oncology at the CU medical school and principal investigator of the University of Colorado Cancer Center’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Lung Cancer, funded by the National Cancer Institute.

“Unfortunately, some of the molecular changes are quite rare,” said Bunn. “A more common molecular change is the high expression of epithelial markers such as E-cadherin. HDAC inhibitors such as entinostat can increase the expression of epithelial markers and can delay the development of resistance to EGFR inhibitors such as erlotinib. In this study, the combination of erlotinib and the HDAC inhibitor entinostat lead to a small but not statistically significant improvement in survival in unselected patients but a large and statistically significant improvement in survival in patients with high expression of E-cadherin ( 9.4 months vs.5.4 months). While extremely promising, these results will need to be confirmed in a larger randomized phase III trial.”

"Using a biomarker to select patients based on the tumor biology can improve patient outcomes versus treating an unselected patient population," said University of Colorado Cancer Center researcher Fred Hirsch, MD, PhD, professor of medical oncology at the CU medical school.

Data from the phase 2 trial, led by Robert Jotte, MD, PhD, of Denver’s Rocky Mountain Cancer Center, was presented at the ASTRO 2010 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, co-sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and The University of Chicago.

“The data presented suggest that NSCLC patients with elevated E-cadherin levels can do better when treated with entinostat and erlotinib,” said Joanna Horobin, MD, president and chief executive officer of Syndax, the company that holds worldwide rights to entinostat.

Syndax holds rights to the CU intellectual property related to this type of combination therapy which includes the use of E-cadherin to predict responsiveness to the therapy.

“Syndax has been a model commercial partner for the University, and we are both encouraged and excited by the Phase 2 results,” said David Poticha, senior licensing manager at the CU Technology Transfer Office.

About non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Non-small cell lung cancer, a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the lungs, is the most common type of lung cancer. The three main types of non-small cell lung cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Each year, there are more than 200,000 cases of newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC. About 60 percent of patients present with advanced NSCLC, meaning it has spread beyond the lung, when they are seen by a doctor. The five-year survival rate is less than 10 percent for patients with advanced NSCLC.

About the University of Colorado Cancer Center
The University of Colorado Cancer Center is the Rocky Mountain region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. NCI has given only 40 cancer centers this designation, deeming membership as “the best of the best.” Headquartered on the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, UCCC is a consortium of three state universities (Colorado State University, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Colorado Denver) and five institutions (The Children’s Hospital, Denver Health, Denver VA Medical Center, National Jewish Health and University of Colorado Hospital). Together, our 440+ members are working to ease the cancer burden through cancer care, research, education and prevention and control. Learn more at www.uccc.info.

About the University of Colorado School of Medicine
Faculty at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine work to advance science and improve care. These faculty members include physicians, educators and scientists at University of Colorado Hospital, The Children’s Hospital, Denver Health, National Jewish Health, and the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Degrees offered by the University of Colorado School of Medicine include doctor of medicine, doctor of physical therapy, and masters of physician assistant studies. The School is located on the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus, one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. For additional news and information, please visit the UC Denver newsroom online.

About Syndax Pharmaceuticals
Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a Waltham, MA-based, oncology-focused pharmaceutical company. Syndax is building a portfolio of new oncology products to extend and improve the lives of patients by developing and commercializing novel cancer therapies in optimized, mechanistically driven combination regimens. Formed in 2005, the company's intellectual property is based on work from scientific founder Ronald Evans, Ph.D., recipient of the 2004 Albert Lasker Prize for Basic Medical Research, a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Syndax has worldwide rights to develop and commercialize entinostat and is backed by top-tier Venture Capital firms: Domain Associates, MPM Capital, Avalon, Pappas and Forward Ventures. For more information please visit www.syndax.com.

CU Shingles Vaccine and Reading Software Featured in AUTM Better World 2010

2010-12-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Better World Report: The Positive Impact of Academic Innovations on Quality of Life (produced by the Association of University Technology Managers) celebrates real-world examples of technologies that directly impact the health, well-being and overall quality of life of people around the world. Two CU technologies made the cut:

Zostavax is the trade name for a virus vaccine for the prevention of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection. VZV causes herpes zoster (shingles in adults, chickenpox as a child) and post-herpetic neuralgia. The Zostavax clinical program was built upon U.S. Patent 5,997,880, held jointly by the University of Colorado and Merck. Later pharmaco-economic analysis of the vaccine shows a health care financial benefit comparable to that offered by cervical screening for cancer or cholesterol screening (report, page 63).

My Virtual Tutor™ is interactive software developed by CU licensee Mentor InterActive, Inc. and based on the Foundations to Literacy reading program developed at CU-Boulder's Center for Computational Language & EducAtion Research (CLEAR). The first products in the My Virtual Tutor™: Reading line debuted in September 2009 at leading retailers throughout the US and Canada (report, page 95).

Read the full report (PDF) for these and other short vignettes of tech transfer success stories.

Arch Biopartners Exclusively Licenses CU Peptide Surface Technology

2010-12-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

AURORA, Colo. – December 7, 2010 – Arch Biopartners Inc. (“Arch” or the “Company”) announced today that it has obtained an exclusive license for a patent pending in the area of peptides and solid surfaces owned by the University of Colorado (“CU”) and emanating from the Program in Structural Biology and Biophysics, headed by Dr. Robert Hodges.

The Company has agreed to pay $36,000 USD as consideration for the license. Additionally, the Company has agreed to issue 150,000 common shares to CU in the event the Company identifies a product covered by the patent that is ready to be advanced into formal clinical or commercial development. Future royalty payments by the Company to CU relating to the licensed patent will depend on future sales. The Company’s patent attorney is now responsible for completing the prosecution of the patent filing with the US Patent and Trademarks Office.

See also: Arch Biopartners Acquires Option to License Anti-Cancer Compounds from CU.

About Arch Biopartners
Arch Biopartners is a portfolio based biotechnology company established to develop new products and technology for sale to pharmaceutical and industrial companies. For more information on the Company, please consult the other public documents including all press releases, management information circular, financial statements and management discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The company’s website address is www.archbiopartners.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
All statements, other than statements of historical fact, in this news release are forward looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions change.

Tech Spotlight: Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Preparation of Noble Metal Catalysts

2010-12-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Organic pollutants in wastewater streams and volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere have been increasing over the recent decades. Currently, semiconductor photocatalysts such as Titanium Oxide (TiO2), are used to minimize the effects of environmental pollution by detoxifying harmful organic materials. These photocatalysts provide many benefits in use, as they are low cost, non-toxic, and have the ability to degrade a broad range of pollutants. However, TiO2 is not used in environmental treatment because its low treatment efficiency prevents it from being used on a large scale.

At the University of Colorado, a research team led by Dr. Alan Weimer has developed a method of using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) to create noble metal nanoparticles on high surface area materials. The noble metal nanoparticles are of uniform size, and are evenly disbursed on the high surface area particle, as well as within in the pores of high surface area particles. This is a technical breakthrough considering that current methods have proven unsuccessful in reaching the inner pores of the mesoporous gel and have shown poor dispersion and distribution. This method introduces improved applications for noble metal catalysts that can be used in environmental remediation, water treatment, catalytic reforming for fuel production, fuel cells, batteries, and similar applications.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Podcast: Tech Transfer and Renewable Energy

2010-12-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

W3W3 radio spoke with Trent Yang, Direct of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at CU-Boulder's Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), and MaryBeth Vellequette, TTO Licensing Associate, about RASEI and its joint proof-of-concept programs with TTO.

The purpose of the institute is to bring together all of the cleantech and renewable energy research that is occurring on campus and marry it with the collaborative efforts going on at NREL and really make a world-class research institute here in Colorado in Boulder.

Listen to the podcast, or view an archive of all TTO podcasts.

Tech Spotlight: MicroRNAs to Diagnose and Treat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

2010-11-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Jennifer Richer has developed a miRNA screen for identifying triple-negative breast cancers. The team has identified 5 miRNAs that are mysregulated in triple-negative breast cancer that can be used to determine if a sample is triple-negative. By screening for miRNA levels that are related to estrogen and growth factor signaling molecules and comparing them to miRNA expression levels of luminal breast cancer cells the inventors are able to classify a cancer as triple-negative or ER positive. Their screening also provides the possibility of treating the identified cancers with the screened miRNAs. From the screening results, miRNA treatment to correct the mysregulated miRNAs can be tailored to each patient.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Heterogenous Catalyst for Improved Selectivity in Industrial Processes

2010-11-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Heterogeneous catalysts are widely used in industrial processes because of their stability and ease of separation from the reactant phase compared to their homogenous counterparts. A continual challenge in the advancement of heterogeneous catalysts is in the improvement of selectivity, which can significantly reduce costs of product purification and waste. Historically, homogenous catalysts offer high selectivity utilizing specific interactions, while heterogeneous catalysts employing these principles are lacking. A University of Colorado research group led by Will Medlin has discovered a method for improving selectivity in heterogeneous catalysts using a palladium catalyst with a thiol coating. This breakthrough has particular applications in reactions of many biomass-derived molecules.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

November 2010 Newsletter Now Available

2010-11-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Top stories from TTO's November newsletter:

miRagen Therapeutics Signs Research and Licensing Agreements with CU for microRNA Profiling of Human Heart Failure Study
miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients' lives by developing innovative microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease, and the University of Colorado (CU) announced in late October that they have entered into sponsored research and licensing agreements to collaborate on miRNA therapeutics discovery and development. The sponsored research agreement will support the analysis of miRNA and gene expression changes from a study conducted at the University of Colorado Cardiovascular Institute at the UC Denver School of Medicine, "Beta Blocker Effects on Remodeling and Gene Expression (BORG)," while the licensing agreement will enable the company to commercialize intellectual property associated with discoveries made during the research project.

CU Licensees Receive Therapeutic Discovery Project Grants
Several CU licensees recently received grants through the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Program, a program established by last year’s healthcare reform bill. The program is intended to benefit small companies developing technologies that are expected to significantly lower the cost and increase the quality of medical care. Colorado-based CU licensees who received grants: ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals, $108,345; ARCA biopharma, $488,958; BioAMPS International, $83,913; EndoShape, $400,872; GlobeImmune, $733,438; Hiberna Corp., $97,142; ICVrx, $244,479; Inviragen; $488,958; miRagen Therapeutics, $244,479; ProFoldRx (BaroFold), $244,479; Quest Product Development, $244,479; SomaLogic, $1,171,054; and ValveXchange, $244,479. Figures reflect grants for both 2009 and 2010; some (but not all) projects involve CU technologies. (See also: Area Bioscience Firms Cash In on Federal Grants.)

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Tech Spotlight: MicroRNAs Targeting Six1 as Potential Anti-Cancer Therapies

2010-11-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

A research team from the University of Colorado led by Heide Ford has developed a miRNA screen and treatment for cancers that express an embryonic development gene - Six1 - not normally expressed in adulthood. They have shown that their miRNAs down-regulate Six1, which is present in 50% of primary breast tumors and over 90% of metastatic breast lesions, as well as Wilms' Tumor, ovarian tumors, hepatocellular carcinomas and rhabdomyosarcormas. In breast, ovarian and hepatocellular carcinomas expression of the target gene correlates with worsened survival. Six1 is not expressed in adult cells, making this a truly cancer-specific therapy.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant patent and scientific documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Job Opportunity: Life Sciences Licensing Associate

2010-11-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

The CU Technology Transfer Office is seeking a Licensing Associate for its Boulder office, with a background in Chemistry (including Biochemistry), Biology or a related discipline. The Licensing Associate manages a portfolio of intellectual property, which involves identifying, soliciting, and evaluating invention disclosures for patent and market potential, prioritizing investments in the portfolio, and negotiating and administering option and license agreements. Please review the full requirements - to apply, visit www.jobsatcu.com (posting #811942).

Tech Spotlight: Ultrasensitive Biochemical Sensing Device for Development of Drugs and Diagnostics

2010-11-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

A University of Colorado research group led by Anatoliy Pinchuk has developed an advanced optical biochemical sensor based on coherent collective electronic excitations in noble metal nanoparticles, known as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). This technology provides increased sensitivity compared to current sensors, and can be used for real-time monitoring of biochemical reactions, such as antigen-antibody, DNA–DNA and substrate-enzyme interactions.

Because it provides more sensitive monitoring techniques to explore bio-chemical reactions in real time, this technology can ultimately be used for development of new drugs and diagnostics. Specifically, further applications of advanced SPR optical bio-sensors are important for target identification, assay development, ligand fishing, lead selection, and early ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion).

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Advanced Peptide Synthesis - Method for Peptide Macrocyclization

2010-11-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

Therapeutic peptides have become an important part of the pharmaceutical landscape, due in large part to their ability to selectively bind to both intra-and extra-cellular targets. Typically, these protein fragments exhibit higher binding affinity and thus greater potency than similar small molecule therapies. However, peptides often lack the clinical efficacy of the native proteins from which they are derived. Cyclization stabilizes the peptide molecule by constraining its conformation, thus increasing potency and decreasing proteolysis (increasing in vivo half-life). However, cyclic peptide synthesis is slow process, sometimes requiring days to complete the process.

Researchers at the University of Colorado led by Dr. Kristi Anseth have developed a highly specific method for synthesizing cyclic, multivalent peptides using sequential thiol-mediated reactions. This method is quite fast compared to existing multivalent peptide synthesis technologies. Furthermore, the multimerized cyclic peptides exhibit enhanced bioactivity. Rapid, high-yield synthesis of complex cyclic multivalent peptides will be essential to vaccine development and drug delivery.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant publications, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

miRagen Therapeutics Signs Research and Licensing Agreements with CU for microRNA Profiling of Human Heart Failure Study

2010-10-26T11:11:00.000-06:00

Data to expand miRagen’s research and development, intellectual property in the field of microRNA-based therapeutics

BOULDER, Colo. - October 26, 2010 – miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients’ lives by developing innovative microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease, and the University of Colorado (CU) announced today that they have entered into sponsored research and licensing agreements to collaborate on miRNA therapeutics discovery and development. The sponsored research agreement will support the analysis of miRNA and gene expression changes from a study conducted at the University of Colorado Cardiovascular Institute at the UC Denver School of Medicine, “Beta Blocker Effects on Remodeling and Gene Expression (BORG),” while the licensing agreement will enable the company to commercialize intellectual property associated with discoveries made during the research project. Further analysis of the completed study, funded by miRagen, will provide the Company with data on miRNA changes in human heart failure patients followed over two years with associated disease outcomes. Financial details of the agreements were not disclosed.

The BORG study was led by Michael R. Bristow, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Cardiovascular Institute at CU, and a co-founder of miRagen, and Brian Lowes, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine. CU investigators in laboratories led by David Port, Ph.D., and Carmen Sucharov, Ph.D., will also be contributing to the study. The study, which is the next-generation version of a landmark serial myocardial gene expression study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 (Lowes et al NEJM 346:1357-1365), was conducted in 63 chronic heart failure/non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy patients followed for an 18 month period, with measurements of chamber remodeling and messenger RNA as well as miRNA expression at baseline, three months and 12 months.

“We are extremely pleased to work closely with Dr. Bristow and the University of Colorado and to gain access to these unique data in human patients with heart failure,” said William S. Marshall, Ph.D., President and CEO of miRagen Therapeutics, Inc. “This provides us with the ability to analyze miRNA levels, as well as gene expression changes, in a given patient at specific points in time in their disease progression. We believe this will provide a very powerful tool in stratifying our miRNA targets and support our mission of developing groundbreaking miRNA-based therapeutics to treat patients with cardiovascular and muscle disease.”

"The BORG study performed at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center contains novel information on miRNAs and their relationships to myocardial remodeling and messenger RNA (mRNA) behavior, which will be very useful to miRagen in target selection for their therapeutic miRNA approaches,” said Dr. Bristow. “In drug development, animal models are of course very valuable, but for target validation as well as novel target discovery, human data are vitally important."

“The University is very pleased with closing this deal,” said David Poticha of the CU Technology Transfer Office. “The team that has been assembled by miRagen has a strong history of successfully developing Colorado-based biotechnology companies, and we firmly believe miRagen is the right and best partner to help commercialize the microRNA technologies developed by Drs. Port, Sucharov and Bristow.”

About microRNAs
MicroRNAs have emerged as an important class of small RNAs encoded in the genome. They act to control the expression of sets of genes and entire pathways and are thus thought of as master regulators of gene expression. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs are associated with many disease processes. Because they are single molecular entities that dictate the expression of fundamental regulatory pathways, microRNAs represent potential drug targets for controlling many biologic and disease processes.

About miRagen Therapeutics
miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., was founded in 2007 to develop innovative microRNA-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and muscle disease. Only recently discovered, microRNAs are short, single-stranded RNA molecules encoded in the genome that regulate gene expression and play a vital role in influencing cardiovascular and muscle disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally and represents an enormous burden on global healthcare systems. Principally funded through venture capital investments, miRagen combines world recognized leadership in cardiovascular medicine with unprecedented in-house expertise in microRNA biology and chemistry. For more information, please visit www.miragentherapeutics.com.

Tech Spotlight: Rapid 3D Prototyping and Customized Hollow Models for Use in Medical Interventions and Training

2010-10-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

A research team led by John Carroll and James Chen of the University of Colorado with computer graphics input from Adam Hansgen has developed a process to transform routinely obtained cardiac tomographic angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and 3-D transesophageal ultrasound (TEE) images into a prototyping-ready format, so that high-quality hollow models can be produced using 3D printing technology. These cardiovascular structural models are patient- and disease-specific, accurate, and clinically useful, and will become increasingly cost-effective as 3D desktop printers become commonplace. Cardiologists can use this technology for testing, procedure training and intervention preparation. With the use of this technology, physicians can be trained more effectively before inserting new devices into patients, and cost of development will be reduced, with better patient outcomes leading to lower healthcare costs. This technology can be adapted to a diverse array of products and services that are all enabled by the ability to produce these 3D models, including implantable devices that are genuinely customized to patients’ unique anatomy.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to relevant publications, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: High Transmittance Stressed Liquid Crystals in the Visible Spectrum

2010-10-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

Liquid crystals (LCs) and polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are a relatively new class of materials that hold promise for many applications ranging from switchable windows to projection displays and are the focus of extensive research in the display industry. A joint University of Colorado-Kent State University research group has discovered a High Transmittance Stressed Liquid Crystal (HTSLC) in the visible spectra. The HTSLC embodies the benefits of stressed liquid crystal cells but are capable of near 100% transparency in the visible spectra. Advantages of the proposed invention over traditional PDLCs and liquid crystal cells include an easy and efficient fabrication process which makes large scale production possible, high transmittance in both the visible and infrared range, and an ultra-fast response time for both thin and thick cells. Applications include infrared beam steering, adaptive optics, compact telescopes, camera lenses, etc.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

October 2010 Newsletter Now Available

2010-10-18T14:18:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's October newsletter:

Arch Biopartners Acquires Option to License Anti-Cancer Compounds from CU
Arch Biopartners Inc. announced that it has formed a new American subsidiary, Colorado Cancer Therapeutics ("CCT") with leading University of Colorado biochemists Dr. Lajos Gera and Dr. Robert Hodges. Additionally, CCT has acquired an option to enter into an exclusive license to commercialize specific pre-clinical, anti-cancer compounds invented at the University of Colorado and Emory University by Drs. Lajos Gera, Robert Hodges, Paul Bunn, John Stewart, Dan Chan, and Leland Chung and Daqing Wu.

Colorado BioScience Association Recognizes TTO as 2010 Partner of the Year
The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) honored the outstanding bioscience companies and individuals in the state during its 2010 Annual Awards Dinner held in conjunction with the BioWest Conference. CU TTO, along with the Colorado State University Technology Transfer Office, received the 2010 Partner of the Year Award.

Omni Bio Announces First Infusion in Phase I/II Clinical Trial of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin in Recently Diagnosed Diabetic Patients
CU licensee Omni Bio Pharmaceutical, Inc. announced in October that the first patient has been infused in its FDA-cleared Phase I/II human clinical trial of Alpha-1 antitrypsin ("AAT") in recently diagnosed Type 1 diabetics at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

Event: Celebrate Scientific Entrepreneurship

2010-10-05T16:06:00.000-06:00

UC Denver Symposium on Advancing Entrepreneurship & Technology Development

When: Friday, October 15, 2010; 7:30am - 1pm
Where: Anschutz Medical Campus (Aurora, CO)

This program will showcase and highlight the impact of the university's research enterprise on society, clinical practice, the economy and the environment, emphasizing the applied, translational and commercial aspects.

The retreat will assemble a distinguished group of translational scientists and clinicians, faculty entrepreneurs and members of the business community to discuss and celebrate entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Denver. The retreat will serve as a way to take time out and share some of the success stories and impacts of UCD research with legislators, the business community, and other key stakeholders, and bring some much-deserved attention to faculty entrepreneurs who have seen their research put to use to make a difference.

Visit the TTO website for full details, confirmed speakers and RSVP information, or view the draft program (PDF).

Podcast: Tech Transfer Challenges and Choices

2010-10-05T12:00:00.000-06:00

W3W3 radio spoke with David Allen, CU's Vice President for Technology Transfer, about TTO's performance in fiscal year 2009-2010:

It's been brutal, very tough for early stage technology companies. But I see the sun shining through the darker clouds of the innovation economy recession.

Listen to the podcast, or view an archive of all TTO podcasts. A short presentation giving highlights of FY2009-10 is available in PDF format here.

Tech Spotlight: Inhibitors of Mitotic Kinase Mps1 for Cancer Therapy

2010-09-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

With a global market for oncology drugs topping $68 billion in 2008, there is a strong demand for identification and validation of new druggable targets. Mitosis is a unique window of opportunity for anti-cancer therapy. Aberrant mitosis in tumor cells often arrests cell proliferation and causes cell death. TTK/Mps1, a dual specificity protein kinase, has emerged as a master regulator of mitosis. In agreement with its proposed function in highly proliferative cells, elevated levels of TTK/Mps1 are found in a variety of human cancer cell lines and primary tumor tissues. The fact that TTK/Mps1 is preferentially associated with hyper-proliferative cancer cells, and that its kinase activity appears to be mitotic-specific, suggests that TTK/Mps1 may be an attractive target for cancer therapeutics.

Xuedong Liu of the University of Colorado recently solved the crystal structure of the TTK/Mps1 kinase domain and elucidated some of the major regulatory mechanisms governing this protein’s function in mitosis. Using an approach that combines compound library screening, structural analysis, and rational drug design, Professor Liu has developed small molecule inhibitors of TTK/Mps1. Sponsored research opportunities are available.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Arch Biopartners Acquires Option to License Anti-Cancer Compounds from CU

2010-09-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

TORONTO, Canada - September 21, 2010 - Arch Biopartners Inc. (“Arch” or the “Company”) announced that it has formed a new American subsidiary, Colorado Cancer Therapeutics (“CCT”) with leading University of Colorado biochemists Dr. Lajos Gera and Dr. Robert Hodges. Additionally, CCT has acquired an option to enter into an exclusive license to commercialize specific pre-clinical, anti-cancer compounds invented at the University of Colorado and Emory University by Drs. Lajos Gera, Robert Hodges, Paul Bunn, John Stewart, Dan Chan, and Leland Chung and Daqing Wu.

As consideration for the option, Arch will pay approximately $12,000 USD to CU, and will pay for patent costs incurred during the period of the option. As pre–conditions to exercising the option, Arch will perform further pre-clinical validation studies and assess the commercial viability of the technology. Arch will have up to January 1, 2012 to complete this assessment and exercise the option.

Arch has recently engaged the chemistry services of Dr. Hodges and Dr. Gera as ongoing support for its three existing research platforms.

About CCT
Colorado Cancer Therapeutics was formed to acquire and develop anti-cancer compounds. CCT joins Arch Inflammation, Arch Biophysics and Arch Cancer Therapeutics as the fourth platform in Arch Biopartners’ portfolio. Currently, Arch owns two thirds of the equity of CCT, with the remainder owned by Dr. Gera and Dr. Hodges.

About Arch Biopartners
Arch Biopartners is a portfolio based biotechnology company established to develop new products and technology for sale to pharmaceutical and industrial companies. For more information on the Company, please consult the other public documents including all press releases, management information circular, financial statements and management discussion and analysis filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . The company’s website address is www.archbiopartners.com .

Forward-Looking Statements
All statements, other than statements of historical fact, in this news release are forward looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions change.

The CNSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of this release.

September 2010 Newsletter Now Available

2010-09-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Top stories from TTO's September newsletter:

ICVrx Licenses CU Drug Reformulation and Delivery Technology for Brain Disease Treatment
TTO and Aurora, CO-based ICVrx recently completed a license agreement allowing the company to commercialize CU technology for improved treatment of epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Many of the most effective oral medicines for neurological diseases are toxic to the body; although these medicines are non-toxic to the brain, getting the drug into the central nervous system without causing dangerous side effects in the body is a challenge. The licensed technology is a drug reformulation technique that allows these drugs to be administered directly into the fluid around the brain via an implantable pump. This technique enables significantly lower dosages (reducing side effects and toxicity), and can also help overcome patient compliance problems.

Tigon EnerTec to Commercialize CU Hybrid Aircraft Propulsion Technology
TTO recently completed an option agreement with Tigon EnerTec Inc. for CU technology enabling efficient management of hybrid engines in aircraft. A team led by Dr. Jean Koster in the Aerospace Engineering department at the University of Colorado at Boulder have developed a method for switching between an internal combustion engine (powered by conventional fuel or biofuels) and an electric motor (powered by batteries, photovoltaic cells, fuel cells or other alternative power sources). The ability to transition seamlessly between these two motors maximizes overall efficiency and minimizes fuel consumption, while still meeting the high power needs of takeoff and climbing.

GSK Shingles Vaccine Enters Phase III Trials
In August of 2010 GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals announced the commencement of Phase III clinical trials of a herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine that was invented by Dr. Abbas Vafai, formerly of the University of Colorado Denver. The vaccine is based on a proprietary recombinant zoster protein covered by U.S. patents 6,180,369 and 5,824,319, developed in part at the University of Colorado and the University of Illinois. The phase III clinical trial will involve vaccination, at 189 sites worldwide, of over 30,000 individuals 70 years and older and measure the incidence of herpes zoster infections and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) cases as primary endpoints. The trial is estimated to be concluded in the summer of 2014. This program represents the second herpes zoster vaccine developed at the University of Colorado to advance to Phase III; the previous program led to the registration of Zostavax® (Merck, Whitehouse Station, NJ) in 2006.

CU TTO Reports Performance Metrics for FY2009-10
TTO has released its performance metrics for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. Please follow this link to a short presentation summarizing our performance, and look for our full annual report in October 2010.

Read the full newsletter, or sign up to receive a monthly email update.

ICVrx Licenses CU Drug Reformulation and Delivery Technology for Brain Disease Treatment

2010-09-17T10:15:00.000-06:00

AURORA, Colo. – September 17, 2010 – The University of Colorado and Aurora, CO-based ICVrx recently completed a license agreement allowing the company to commercialize CU technology for improved treatment of epilepsy and other neurological disorders.

Many of the most effective oral medicines for neurological diseases are toxic to the body; although these medicines are non-toxic to the brain, getting the drug into the central nervous system without causing dangerous side effects in the body is a challenge. What’s more, many patients with neurological disorders do not adhere to the prescribed dosing regimen; this is especially relevant in patients with mental illnesses like schizophrenia.

The licensed technology is a drug reformulation technique that allows these drugs to be administered directly into the fluid around the brain via an implantable pump. This technique enables significantly lower dosages (reducing side effects and toxicity), and can also help overcome patient compliance problems. The technology was developed by Daniel J. Abrams and Karen Stevens (both of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry), and Thomas Anchordoquy (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences).

ICVrx was founded in 2009 to commercialize this technology; the company is currently focusing on treatment of “refractory epilepsy” – epilepsy that has proven difficult or impossible to control using standard drug treatments. For this group of patients (600,000 in the U.S.) driving and other essential daily activities may be impossible due to uncontrolled or poorly controlled seizures. “Although these patients may appear to their neighbors to be normal, they have a very poor quality of life and high need,” said Abrams, who is also ICVrx’s CEO. “Currently there are only two treatment options – brain surgery to remove part of the brain, or an implanted device called a Vagus Nerve Stimulator, which has risks, is irreversible, and has limited effectiveness. Only 10 percent of patients pursue either.” The company has completed preclinical work on three potential drug therapies in preparation for clinical trials, which it hopes to begin in Q1 2011.

“The ICVrx technology would address an important and unmet therapeutic need for the target patient populations, and we wish the company every success in bringing this to market,” adds Tom Smerdon, Director of Licensing and New Business Development at the CU Technology Transfer Office.

About ICVrx
ICVrx is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company reformulating three established drugs for direct delivery to brain cerebrospinal fluid by implanted pump to treat Refractory Epilepsy (RE). RE represents a large group of patients — 600,000 in the United States — with poor quality of life and very few effective treatment options. The group is larger than all sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, and brain cancers combined.

In the last four years, ICVrx has completed the necessary ground work to start clinical trials. It has secured intellectual property from the University of Colorado, completed pre-clinical work, vetted three drugs for clinical development, and established pump, catheter and pharmaceutical suppliers. In addition, the company has built its management team and assembled and engaged world-class advisers, business and scientific, consisting of thought leaders in finance, clinical development, compartmental drug targeting, neurology, neurosurgery, and epilepsy. www.icvrx.com.

CU TTO Reports Performance Metrics for FY2009-10

2010-09-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

TTO has released its performance metrics for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. Please follow this link to a short presentation summarizing our performance, and look for our full annual report in October 2010.

Tigon EnerTec to Commercialize CU Hybrid Aircraft Propulsion Technology

2010-09-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

Startup company receives proof-of-concept funding from the U. of Colo to develop more efficient aircraft engine

BOULDER, Colo. – September 14, 2010 – The University of Colorado recently completed an option agreement with Tigon EnerTec Inc. for CU technology enabling efficient management of hybrid engines in aircraft.

Conventional airplanes employ an internal combustion engine that is sized for the high power requirements of takeoff and climbing. However, most of a typical flight is conducted at lower-power cruising speeds, during which time the larger engine is burning fuel inefficiently. Electric motors, on the other hand, are able to operate at high levels of efficiency over a broader range of power output, but energy storage problems preclude the use of all-electric power systems in airplanes.

A team of led by Dr. Jean Koster in the Aerospace Engineering department at the University of Colorado at Boulder have developed a method for switching between an internal combustion engine (powered by conventional fuel or biofuels) and an electric motor (powered by batteries, photovoltaic cells, fuel cells or other alternative power sources). The ability to transition seamlessly between these two motors maximizes overall efficiency and minimizes fuel consumption, while still meeting the high power needs of takeoff and climbing. The research group has also made a number of adjustments to the system, nicknamed HELIOS, to reduce the weight, complexity and cost of their hybrid engine.

“Being able to selective choose from torque sources, or combine them for maximum power, without the use of a clutch, opens up a range of propulsion options that can be optimized around whatever the mission need might be,” says Tigon CEO Les Makepeace. Tigon is currently working with aerospace and defense customers to investigate unmanned air vehicle applications; the company is also investigating general aviation, marine, and ground transportation applications. “This is an exciting time for the company,” adds Makepeace.

The HELIOS project is a recent graduate of the CU-Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) Market Assessment Program. “Tigon represents CU and RASEI’s strong focus on developing market relevant technologies that have immediate and broad real world applications,” says Trent Yang, Director of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at RASEI. “Our incubation program identified the original market opportunity and we look forward to working with and supporting Tigon as it successfully transitions our lab technology into the real world.” RASEI recently funded a $40,250 proof-of-concept investment which will allow Tigon to further develop the technology.

About Tigon EnerTec
Tigon EnerTec is a propulsion system(s) integrator that designs modular, energy efficient, and eco-friendly propulsion systems to increase safety, performance, and reliability of operation. Tigon has focused on the product's "variable optimization", or the ability of the platform to adapt to a variety of applications of Concepts of Operations. Tigon has designed and developed a proprietary gearing system for a hybrid propulsion system, where input may come from a combination of select combustion and/or electric motors, with the mechanical output to a single shaft. To learn more, visit tigonenertec.com.

Tech Spotlight: Companion Diagnostic Marker for Sensitivity to Aurora Kinase A Inhibitors (AAIs)

2010-09-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Aurora kinases are a family of highly homologous serine-threonine protein kinases that play a critical role in regulating numerous processes in mitosis. Significant scientific and clinical research indicates that Aurora genes are amplified and over-expressed in human cancers and expression of Aurora genes and proteins have been correlated with cancer progression, poor clinical outcome, and up-regulation of chromosomal instability, which provide clear support for a central role of the Aurora kinases in cancer progression. Aurora kinase has been tied to colorectal, urinary, ovarian, hepatocellular, pancreatic, and squamous cell carcinomas. Additional copies of the AURKA gene confers higher level of sensitivity to the drugs designed to block the molecular pathways impacted by this gene.

Dr. Marileila Varella Garcia of the University of Colorado has developed a reagent that detects AURKA gene copy number in single cells of clinical specimens and established cell lines. Dr. Garcia has evidence using lung cancer cell lines, NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer), and colorectal cancer cell line (CLC) specimens showing the value of AURKA gene copy number as a marker for AAI sensitivity. Amplification of the AURKA gene is associated with improved response to anti-AAI cancer treatment. Dr. Garicia’s technology allows for the identification of tumors with higher copy number or expression of AURKA and selection of patients predicted to benefit from therapeutic administration of AAI inhibitors.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to key documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Apparatus to Mechanically Load Soft Matter, and Applications in Tissue Engineering

2010-09-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

A University of Colorado research group led by Stephanie Bryant has developed a novel way to compress one or more soft matter samples under static or dynamic compression with high potential accuracies. This new technology dramatically improves the poor conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy, overcoming one of the key disadvantages associated with conventional soft matter loading instruments used in laboratory research facilities.

This advanced soft matter loading technology enables researchers to study the changes in the biochemistry and physiology of cultured cells under conditions of mechanical strain as compared to cells grown conventionally under quiescent conditions. In addition, such apparatuses allow researchers to culture cells in 3D matrices or tissue explants in simulated physiological conditions, thereby providing cells and/or tissues that are suitable for surgical implants. Thus, this technology may be of great use in accelerating research and development of more advanced engineered biomaterials.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to key documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Improved Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) with Ergothioneine

2010-08-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

Injury to the alveolar capillary membrane, a thin tissue barrier between the alveolar sacs of the lungs and pulmonary capillaries, can have serious consequences resulting in syndromes such as Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is the more severe of the two, often resulting in multiple organ failure and fatality. The only medicinal treatments available for the treatment of ARDS at this time are anti-infectives, used for treating the pathogen infection, and agents which relieve pain or discomfort. Current treatments of ARDS typically involve mechanical ventilation performed in an intensive care unit, but this treatment can result in complications leading to significant morbidity in ALI and ARDS patient populations.

A University of Colorado research group led by John Repine has developed an improved method for treating subjects with alveolar capillary membrane injury (ACMI) by administering Ergothioneine, a naturally-occurring antioxidant found in bacteria, plants and animals. This compound can be administered prior to an incident resulting in ACMI, reducing the risk of such injury, or it can be administered after the subject has developed symptoms (such as shortness of breath or rapid breathing) of ACMI, reducing the severity and consequences of future syndromes. This treatment meets the needs of current problems by providing a safe, effective means of helping to either prevent or treat patients with alveolar capillary membrane injuries.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to key documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Inter-chip and Intra-chip Nanophotonic Communication Technology for Core-based Integrated Circuits

2010-08-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

Current technology surrounding on-chip electrical packet-switched networks causes long latency as the core count for the system increases. Thus, on many-core systems and designs, this type of electrical interconnect will cause latency-critical messages such as synchronization protocols and coherence messages to become the performance scaling bottleneck.

A research group at the University of Colorado has developed a communications solution utilizing silicon photonics and electrical technologies for inter-chip and intra-chip communication for core-based integrated circuits. This technology, called Spectrum, is a hybrid nanophotonic-electric network that addresses the current challenges of latency and throughput scalability. Experimental results show that a conservative implementation of Spectrum can significantly improve on-chip cache transaction performance compared to an aggressive electric-only on-chip interconnects, and has the potential to scale to future technology.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to key documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: MHC-II-related Protein Mediates Apoptotic Cell Death

2010-08-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

Dr. John Cambier of the University of Colorado has identified and cloned a novel plasma membrane tetraspanner (MPYS, or MPHS in human), and determined that it is essential for induction of the MHC II mediated apoptotic death response. Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)-encoded molecules are key components of immunity; these genes, also known as immune response or IR genes, and their protein products are responsible for all graft rejection and are used or targeted by a wide variety of infectious organisms.

Dr. Cambier has further shown that MPYS mediates its effect in part through activation of p44/p42 MAPK. Reduction of this protein’s expression by using short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) dramatically reduces anti-MHC II mAb-induced death of lymphoma cells. Thus, MPYS may function in cell death responses by activating signaling pathways that impinge on survival signaling. CU has filed for patent protection for this protein and antibodies against this protein, as well as its use as a therapeutic target in lymphoma and mastocytoma (and perhaps other tumors), and for inflammation and immunosuppression.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to key documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Discovering Novel Combination Therapeutics Against Cancer

2010-08-03T09:00:00.000-06:00

Dr. Tin Tin Su of the University of Colorado and colleagues have developed a novel drug screen to discover and develop novel combination therapeutics for treatment of cancer. This novel three-dimensional technology platform recreates the microenvironment of the cancerous tissue, allowing for the ability to identify small molecules that are synergistic in activity and that preferentially target mutant tissues harboring an oncogenic mutation. The screen has been used to identify several lead candidates for combination therapy; the resulting intellectual property includes both new use of characterized compounds and also novel compositions-of-matter.

This technology uses wildtype and mutant Drosophila, in which the Drosophila mutants carry a mutation in, for example, a checkpoint gene. The wildtype and mutant fruit fly larvae are first exposed to low doses of radiation to induce genotoxic stress, then exposed to libraries of chemical compounds. For survival after genotoxic stress, mutants have an increased need for cell growth than do wildtype. Compounds that arrest development of mutated Drosophila without affecting the viability of wildtype are chosen for further analysis as anti-cancer agents.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to key documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Drug Design Tool: Structure of Viral Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) RNA

2010-07-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

Dr. Jeffrey Kieft and colleagues at the University of Colorado have determined the complete three-dimensional crystal structure of the internal ribosome entry RNA site (IRES) from a member of the Dicistroviridae family. With the first complete three-dimensional structure of an IRES RNA solved, this is the first of its kind and allows for further investigations into the mechanism by which the IRES operates, at a level of detail not before possible. IRES RNA sequences are critical for infection of many pathogenic viruses including hepatitis C and A, polio virus, foot-and-mouth-disease virus, encaphalomyocarditis virus and HIV (among others).

Applications for Dr. Kieft’s discovery include design of novel antiviral compounds, structure-based drug design, and agricultural insect pest control (e.g., taura syndrome disease in shrimp).

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, including links to key documents, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Tech Spotlight: Flexible, Inexpensive Manufacture of Net-Shaped Materials for Orthopedic and Dental Applications

2010-07-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Calcium phosphate ceramics, including Tricalcium Phosphates (TCP) are a preferred material for bone reconstruction in orthopedics and dental restorative and reconstructive surgery. This phosphate occurs in two forms, alpha and beta. Beta facilitates bone remodeling through the dissolution of calcium and phosphate ions, while alpha provides structural stability. Both function as a scaffold upon which bone cells can grow. TCP has been used in numerous applications to match the chemical and structure of natural bone and is capable of being resorbed.

Collaborators at the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado have developed a combustion synthesis method to produce porous TCP net-shaped materials comprised of alpha or beta TCP mixtures. (“Net-shaped” and “near-net-shaped” materials are those which require relatively little or no post-manufacturing processing such as grinding, polishing, cuffing, deburring, etc.) This improved technique does not require the preparation of intermediate forms or the use of chemical steps to produce the final net-shaped material — rather, this technique provides net-shaped compositions in essentially one step and in a significantly shortened time frame compared to current state-of-the-art. This technique has the added advantage of requiring little to no post-manufacturing processing, an expensive process requiring costly machinery.

To read a non-confidential summary of this technology, please click the image above. For more CU technologies available for licensing, please visit our Tech Explorer site.

Podcast: GlobeImmune, Bioscience Company of the Year

2010-07-19T13:41:00.000-06:00

W3W3 radio spoke with Dr. Timothy Rodell, President and Chief Executive Officer of GlobeImmune, Inc. GlobeImmune was recognized by TTO as Bioscience Company of the Year for 2009.

This is a prime example of how academic research can ultimately lead to potentially important commercial products that can change the way that medicine is practiced. The grease that makes this happen, the way that this happens in the best sense, is that university scientists can be guided by a technology transfer office.

Go to the archive of all TTO podcasts to hear the full interview.