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Montana BioScience Alliance Newsletter |  |
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Please welcome new members:
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Flagstaff, AZ
Charles Gray
Rick Olson
Kathleen Traylor, MD
John Johnson, MD
Thanks to everyone who attended our annual
conference! I heard a lot of positive comments about
the program, and there were some great connections
made.
Another exciting networking opportunity is coming up,
this one in Minneapolis. On September 13th, the
Montana State Bobcats are playing football against
the University of Minnesota at the Minneapolis
Metrodome.
A number of groups are planning trips in conjunction
with this event and we are offering Montana
BioScience Alliance members the opportunity of
scheduling meetings with local companies and/or
faculty and researchers at the University of Minnesota.
The Twin Cities region has long been a national
leader in healthcare and the life sciences and this
might prove to be a good opportunity to develop new
relationships.
As a starting point, here are two websites -
http://www.lifesciencealley.org (industry
group formerly known as Medical Alley) and
www.ahc.umn.edu (University of Minnesota Academic
Health Center).
Of course, if we receive a large response we could
also get a suite at the game and have a tailgate party
with the Montanans in attendance!
Please share this with folks you think might be
interested and let me know right away if you want to
take advantage of this opportunity and the types of
companies you would like to meet or research you are
interested in.
AdvR has recently submitted two proposals for laser developments with wide bioscience applicability. Each laser project involves close collaboration with Michael Kavanaugh, Ph.D. COBRE Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience Director & Professor, Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Montana. A Phase I SBIR proposal has been submitted to NIH to develop an easy to use multiple wavelength laser with a variety of dual color output options primary targeting TIRF applications initially. The dual-element waveguide for simultaneous second harmonic generation can be operated in a variety of programmable temporal formats [continuous wavelength,(cw), pulsed, sinusoidal, etc.]. A second Phase II SBIR proposal was submitted to the National Science Foundation to develop an electro-optically controlled tunable laser. A tunable laser for TIRF imaging applications in neuroscience with the ability to tune over >20 nm in the visible range at microsecond speeds will lead to an important advance in TIRF microscopy. It will allow excitation and imaging of multiple probes to obtain information about relative localization patterns of molecules in membranes such as channels, receptors, and transporters, as well as interacting molecules such as scaffolding proteins, kinases, and phosphatases. This laser will allow measurements of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) combined with TIRF in those instances where the probes interact within an appropriate distance range. Dr, Kavanaugh will evaluate the prototype lasers in his laboratory in Missoula while AdvR develops the lasers using their nonlinear optical materials expertise in their facilities in Bozeman. For further information contact: Shirley McNeil or Tony Roberts at AdvR, Inc. (406-522-0388) or Mike Kavanaugh at the University of Montana (406-243- 4398). The Hi-Line Sletten Cancer Center in Havre celebrated its grand opening on August 8 with a public open house. The $6.5 million facility is a partnership between Benefis Health System and Havre-based Northern Montana Hospital. Dr. Rich Bridges has been appointed Chair of the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Montana. He replaces Dr. Vernon Grund who is now the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences. New in the Governor's office of Economic Development and working with the Alliance are Chris Aageson and Shannon Hughes.
Montana State University recently released the following six mouse monoclonal antibodies available for non-exclusive licensing:
Anti-gp91phox (human neutrophil flavocytochrome
b
large subunit; aka beta subunit, Nox2, cytochrome
b559 or cytochrome b558)
mAb NL7 IgG1, used as hybridoma culture supernatant and purified protein; epitope mapped, cytoplasmic domain. mAb CL5 IgG1, used as hybridoma culture supernatant and purified protein; epitope mapped, extracellular domain.
Anti-p22phox (human neutrophil flavocytochrome b
small subunit; aka alpha subunit, cytochrome b559 or
cytochrome b558) mAb CS9 IgG1, used as hybridoma culture supernatant and purified protein; epitope mapped, cytoplasmic domain.. Anti-human neutrophil CAP-18 H7 IgG1, used as hybridoma supernatant and purified protein; epitope mapped, holoprotein. Companies interested in licensing this technology should respond by August 29, 2008 to Nick Zelver. You can reach Nick at 406-994-7706 or nzelver@montana.edu A $675,000 Partnership to Reform Inquiry Science in Montana (PRISM) grant was recently awarded to Dr. Ken Miller, a professor in the department of education theory and practice at the MSU Billings College of Education. Dr. Miller will work with 3rd through 6th grade teachers in 15 school districts in central and southern Montana to promote and encourage inquiry-based science learning. For more information on the PRISM grant, contact Miller at 657-2034 or via e-mail at kmiller@msubillngs.edu. Christopher Comer has been chosen to be the next dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Montana. Dr. Comer is currently Professor of biological sciences, neuroscience and bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research may lead to brain- operated prosthetic devices and biologically based robots. Dr. Comer will start his new duties at UM in January 2009. He will replace Gerald Fetz, who has served as UM's College of Arts and Sciences dean since July 2003. Montana State University recently started a one-year Montana Medical Laboratory Science Training Program. The program aims to address state and national shortages of qualified medical technicians. Participants must complete three or four years of prerequisites at Montana State University, MSU-Billings or UM, and must complete both classwork and intern positions before graduating.
At the recent New Frontiers Conference, Senator Baucus announced a $1.6 million grant to fund the Ravalli County Entrepreneur Center. The Center is expected to create 253 bioscience industry jobs, and will serve as a small business incubator for bioscience companies in Western Montana. It will "help entrepreneurs find funding through state and federal grants, provide life science mentors and coaches, create networking opportunities, provide professional meeting space and more," and is expected to spur more than $11 million in private investment over the next ten years. For further information, please contact Julie Foster at julie@rceda.org.
At the conference, participants heard presentations regarding possible sources of funding from SBIR and the Montana Board of Research, Commercialization and Technology, Brian Taylor from the LARTA Institute conducted a workshop on Business Planning; How to Map Your Route and tell your story. Rob Bargatze gave a fascinating presentation on LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals during lunch and Marty Elder's informative talk on Building Strategic Alliances included Christophe Lambert from Golden Helix and Rick Gillis from Bozeman. We'd like to thank Dr. Vernon Grund and his staff for their fine hospitality. And we'd also like to thank all who participated for making this a very successful conference. The new 2008 Montana BioScience Alliance directories were unveiled at the conference and were well received. If you would like a copy, please email or call Sharon Peterson: sharonpeterson@bresnan.net or 406-896-5876. Rob Bargatze and Sharon Peterson attended the BIO International Convention in San Diego on June 17-21 on behalf of the Montana BioScience Alliance and were joined by Andy Ferrin of Golden Helix. Thanks to the Governor's office of Economic Development for providing the booth. Speakers at the conference included Governors Duvall Patrick, Jeb Bush, Sonny Purdue and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Colin Powell was the most impressive keynote speaker. Over 26,000 people attended the conference from all over the United States and many foreign countries. From discovering new therapies for previously untreated diseases, to finding cleaner, more efficient ways to fuel our lives and creating more sustainable agriculture, the BIO International convention featured numerous sessions and programs covering the ways in which biotechnology helps to heal, fuel, and feed the world. During the convention Rob and Sharon participated in a meeting of the Council of State Bioscience Associations, which has grown considerably since we joined the group. They also attended a reception honoring the 25th anniversary of the Orphan Drug Act of 1983. For more information, visit the website at www.BIO.org. BIO and Battelle released the long awaited Technology, Talent and Capital: State Bioscience Initiatives 2008 study. The study can be found at http://bio.org/local/battelle2008. Although the Montana BioScience Alliance booth was one of the smaller booths at the exhibition, the location was good and there was a lot of interest in the state, our universities and companies. We raffled off a fly rod and a one day guided fishing trip which brought a lot of interest. The winner of the drawing was Alan Musso, Targacept, Winston-Salem, NC. The Montana BioScience Alliance participated in the 2008 New Frontiers Conference on June 2nd 2008. Rob Bargatze, Board Chair moderated a panel on Bioscience including: Mark Young, Ph.D., Professor of Plan Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Dave Poulsen, Ph.D Research Associate, Professor, Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Montana, Guy Cook, President, CEO and CSO, Bacterin International, Patrick Beatty, MD Ph.D., Montana Cancer Institute Foundation, and Marshall Bloom, Associate Director of Intramural Research, Rocky Mountain Laboratories. After lunch, a panel on the Bioscience Industry outlook was moderated by Donald Beeman, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board, LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals. Fascinating presentations were given by Christopher Austin, M.D. Director, NIH Chemical Genomics Center; and Senior Advisor to the Director for Translational Research, Office of the Director, National Human Genome Research Institute, www.genome.gov; Brian D. Spear, PhD., Research Director, Genomic and Proteomic, Technologies, Abbot Laboratories; and Robert Zivin, Ph.D., Corporate Director, Technology Transfer & Academic Relations, Johnson & Johnson. The conference included a trade show and standing room only presentations. Congratulations to Senator Baucus and his staff for a very successful event. The Montana BioScience Alliance is appreciative of the opportunity to participate.
September 13, 2008 · Minneapolis, MN
October (TBD) · Helena
October 1- 2 · Cincinnati, OH
October 16-17, 2008 · Bend, OR
November 13-14, 2008 · Denver, CO
December (TBD) · Florida 2009
February 10, 2009 · Helena
March 17-18, 2009 · Seattle, WA
Invest Northwest 2009
May 18-20, 2009 · Atlanta, GA
There is now a classifieds section on the Montana Bio website, in the resources section! Please send information to Sharon at sharonpeterson@bresnan.net .
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