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| Contact: | Michele McKinney CU System Office of Institutional Relations (303) 492-6206 |
University of Colorado Announces Third Annual Technology Transfer Awards
Awards honor scientific inventions with commercial and societal impact
DENVER — The University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office (TTO) is holding its third annual awards ceremony November 8 to celebrate CU inventors, licensee companies and advisors who have assisted the TTO. The awards were created to honor the best practice technology licensing arrangements that are advancing the university's objective of moving technology into the public sector.
The collaborations of intellectual property creators and companies are a direct result of the TTO's efforts to encourage researchers to disclose and patent their inventions and to partner with companies for commercialization. Winners were selected based on the significance of their invention's scientific and potential social impact. More than 150 academic, business and government people are expected to attend the awards ceremony.
Patton Boggs LLP, a highly respected law firm with specialized expertise in intellectual property law, technology business development and governmental relations, sponsored the awards ceremony.
"This is an uplifting event," said Jack O. Burns, vice president for academic affairs and research for the CU System. "CU is proud of our faculty's inventive accomplishments and the companies that are developing and commercializing many innovative products and services that were created at CU. These inventions represent a boost to Colorado's economic development and improved quality of life for all of us."
This year's winners are:
New Inventors of the Year
- Jean Hertzberg, an associate professor at CU-Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science whose research has applications in both combustion and bio-fluid dynamics
- Terrance Boult, a professor at CU-Colorado Springs' College of Engineering whose research projects include advanced visual security systems, design and evaluation of imaging sensors for facial recognition, evaluation of weather effects on facial recognition and algorithms for efficient use of wireless networks
- Jeffrey Stansbury, a professor at UC Denver and Health Sciences Center's School of Dentistry whose research has applications in drug delivery, medical devices, adhesives, construction and manufacturing materials
Business Advisors of the Year
- Chris Christoffersen of Morgenthaler Ventures, who has been an active supporter of bioscience technology transfer, including participating in small groups that review inventions and advise TTO on commercialization strategies
- Tim Connor of Sequel Ventures, who has facilitated group discussions between the TTO and venture community and has participated in technology commercialization discussions and introductions to continuing entrepreneurs
- Mark Lupa of Tango Group, who has participated in numerous small group technology assessments and has worked to help formulate commercialization strategies and business plans
Life Sciences Licensee Companies of the Year
- Archemix Corporation of Boston, a biopharmaceutical company developing aptamer therapeutics for treatment of acute and chronic diseases
- Replidyne, Inc., of Louisville, Colo., a company developing drugs responsive to the growing public health problem of bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics
Physical Sciences/Engineering/Information Technology Company of the Year
- Pearson Knowledge Technologies (formerly Knowledge Analysis Technologies) of Boulder, Colo., a company that developed the Intelligent Essay Assessor, which has become a leading technology in web-based learning tools and language analysis applications for publishers, the military, large testing organizations and educational organizations
University of Colorado at Boulder Inventors of the Year
- Steven George, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and chemical and biological engineering, and Alan Weimer, a professor of chemical and biological engineering, who have developed Atomic Layer Deposition, or ALD, a process that essentially controls the surface chemistry of ultra-fine particles while maintaining the bulk properties of the particles
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Inventor of the Year
- Karen Newell Rogers, an associate professor of biology whose research focuses on identifying certain metabolic interactions occurring at the cellular and molecular level that regulate cell growth, proliferation and death with applications in cancer therapy and treating autoimmune disease
University of Colorado Denver Inventor of the Year
- V. Michael Holers, a professor of rheumatology in the School of Medicine whose research focuses on the roles of complement receptors and membrane regulatory proteins in the immune response, with special emphases on B lymphocytes and autoimmune disorders that result in tissue damage that occurs in many inflammatory diseases involving organs such as the kidney
Pinnacles of Inventorship Inductee
- Robert E. Sievers, a professor at CU-Boulder's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry whose research and worldwide patents represent advances in the delivery of respirable powders for preventing or curing infections, the delivery of higher and longer-lived drug concentration, the avoidance of disease transmission that accompanies needle use, the optimization of drug storage and bioavailability
The Pinnacles of Inventorship award represents CU's highest award for lifetime achievement in invention and commercialization. Sievers joins 14 other current and former CU faculty who share this distinction.
The TTO facilitates relationships between the university and the private sector to build on inventions and research originated by academic researchers. The TTO identifies, secures, protects and licenses the university's intellectual property to innovative commercial enterprises, acting as a bridge between innovators in the university's laboratories and entrepreneurs and innovative companies. These partnerships play a significant role in driving Colorado's economic development. For more information about the TTO, please contact David Allen at (303) 735-1688 or david.allen@cu.edu, or visit www.cu.edu/techtransfer.
The University of Colorado is a three-campus system with campuses in Boulder and Colorado Springs, and the recently consolidated Denver and Health Sciences Center campuses located in Denver and at the former Fitzsimons Army Base in Aurora. For further information, please contact Michele McKinney in the CU System Office of Institutional Relations at (303) 492-6206.