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Montana BioScience Alliance Newsletter |  |
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Here's to a successful 2008!
Please welcome new members:
Suresh Daniel
John Gerdes
Greg Gillespie
Christophe Lambert
Paul Martino
Craig Moore
David Poulsen
Anne Marie Quinn
Brenda Spangler
Chuck Thompson Members - be sure to check out the product and service discounts available through BIO Business Solutions. Your company can benefit from the savings, and the Montana BioScience Alliance benefits when its members use the program! For additional information about this program, and the discounts available, please visit http://www.biobusinessolutions.com/mt.asp.
GlaxoSmithKline's Hamilton, MT manufacturing plant expansion had its grand opening on October 18, 2007. The $137 million, 130,000-square-foot facility produces the MPL adjuvant as part of the research and production of a vaccine for human papillomavirus called Cervarix. More than 130 new positions have been filled at the facility so far this year. The new facility is comprised of several different modules that were manufactured in Sweden, shipped to Dallas, Texas, then hauled to Hamilton for assembly.
The McLaughlin Research Institute has been awarded a $2 million grant from the State of Montana. The funding, which requires a match, will be used to expand the Institute's facility, hire new researchers, expand its genetic research, and provide additional educational opportunities to high school and college students and teachers. The funding was appropriated by the 2007 Montana Legislature and awarded through an application process. Governor Schweitzer presented the Institute with a check earlier this month. The City of Great Falls has already pledged an $84,000 grant, as part of the required matching funds. Earlier this year, Computer Compliance merged with the ProPharma Group. The merger will provide expanded, streamlined access to a broad array of validation services. The 3rd Annual Ideas Montana Medicine Conference in Billings on November 1-2, 2007 featured Dr. Irving Weissman, a Stanford University Stem cell researcher who grew up in Montana. Weissman studies how adult and embryonic stem cells can be used to understand and treat human diseases. He is director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. The Great Falls native was a member of the scientific team that in the 1980s was first to isolate blood- forming cells in humans. Weissman sees potential in stem cell research to develop therapies or cures for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. "We are at a stage right now that's a very exciting line of research" he said. "What we are doing is pushing the frontiers of science." The conference was opened with remarks by Governor Brian Schweitzer and featured Senator Max Baucus by videoconference from Washington. The conference, organized by the Northwest Research and Education Institute, St. Vincent Healthcare, the Montana BioScience Alliance, Montana State University-Billings, and the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, included a panel on Communities Paving the Way in Biotechnology with:
St. Patrick Hospital's International Heart Institute is participating in a clinical trial of the MitraClip, a barbed, wishbone-shaped device that reduces the severity of mitral regurgitation. The MitraClip attaches to both leaflets of the mitral valve in a nonsurgical procedure. The IHI is one of 39 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada participating in the study, which compares the safety and effectiveness of the clip to surgical options for moderate to severe MR. The study is in phase two of the FDA approval process; if there are no major problems approval is expected in approximately three years. During the procedure, a guide catheter is inserted into the femoral vein by the groin. Following the vein to the heart, a puncture is made to cross over to the arterial side in the left atrium above the mitral valve. Controlled by doctors from the outside, the MitraClip is then positioned and clamped on the valve's leaflets, significantly reducing regurgitation. Because the procedure is minimally invasive, recovery time is quick. Preliminary results from the study show that a majority of patients are seeing significant reductions in their MR severity after getting the clip. (from The Missoulian)
The University of Montana's Steve Running, ecologist and forestry professor, shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Dr. Running was a lead author of the 2007 United Nations' IPCC report, which presents strong evidence that humanity is artificially warming our world. Running has worked for UM since 1979. He directs the College of Forestry and Conservation's Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group, which has crafted software for NASA environmental satellites such as Terra and Aqua. He also travels extensively to speak with groups across the nation about climate change. The UN report is available online at http://www.ipcc.ch, and Dr. Running suggests people read his "Five Stages of Climate Grief" essay at http://www.ntsg.umt.edu/files/5StagesClimate Grief.htm. Montana State University was recently featured in a BusinessWeek article about 10 schools with innovative technology transfer programs. The article, "Small Schools' Big Tech Dreams," is based on a National Science Foundation report highlighting university programs that are developing new technologies through academic research, licensing the inventions and helping launch businesses that use them. The report was funded by the National Science Foundation and prepared by Innovations Associates. Schools were selected from a list of institutions that fall below the top 50 when ranked by innovation and design budgets, and met several other criteria, such as a high ranking in some area of tech transfer such as patents filed, licenses executed, or startups launched.
The effective team approach to assisting companies under Friesenhahn's programs roughly doubled the typical award rates for this 12-state region and resulted in more than 165 awards worth more than $74 million. In Montana alone, his team's efforts resulted in more than 80 awards with a total value of around $30 million. This was achieved over six years, starting in 2001. The Crop Science Society of America recognized Michael Giroux of Montana State University as its Young Crop Scientist of 2007. Dr. Giroux is an associate professor and geneticist in MSU's Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology Department. His program focuses mainly on using genetics to improve cereal quality. The award is designed to recognize a scientist who has made an outstanding contribution in any area of crop science by the age of 40. Giroux was specifically cited for his teaching abilities, effectiveness in extension and service activities, the significance and originality of basic and applied research and his effectiveness in administrative areas. MSU has announced the following technologies as available for licensing: ·A compound that shows significant protection against influenza, through quickly activating a key natural defense system of the lung, known as inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue or iBALT, which provides broad-range protection against infection. The compound alone triggers iBALT formation, but it could also be used to augment the effectiveness of vaccines and therapies. It has potential as a treatment against unknown or previously untreatable microbial threats or bioterrorism agents. The compound is derived from natural substances and can be easily produced by fermentation. · A device that mimics the natural, wave-like movements of the muscles in the human digestive track. The device could be used in pumps, as an alternative to conveyor belts for moving objects, or in medical applications such as automated massage or stimulation of limbs with poor circulation. The device -- called a linear peristaltic actuator -- relies on magnets to move super-fine iron particles suspended in oil and impregnated into a sponge-like material to create the wave-like motion. · A solid oxide fuel cell design that improves performance with more robust, easier to manufacture cells. The design allows more cells to be placed in a stack, thus optimizing power output while minimizing size and weight. The design can be fabricated with common techniques, decreasing costs while allowing for higher manufacturing tolerances. · A class of compounds that may hold promise in treating inflammatory lung diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. The compounds inhibit neutrophil elastase, a microbe- killing product of white blood cells. Too much neutrophil elastase can damage lung tissue. The inhibiting compounds offer a unique avenue of treatment than most research into this area. · A digital signal processor that improves the sensitivity of FTIR spectrometers. Spectrometers are devices that measure the wavelengths of light inside and out of the visible spectrum. Spectrometers are used in many research areas, such as communications, lasers, and remote sensing. MSU's digital signal processor dramatically increases the detail and wavelength range of the spectrum examined. The device also eliminates mechanical parts used in controlling spectrometer scanning mirrors and can be easily adapted to existing spectrometers. · A technique that can hold a single layer of cells in any pattern on the surface of a material by using antibodies. Compared to other methods, the MSU technique allows more cells to be packed more densely together. Cells held on the surface can still reproduce, express their genes and bioluminese. The technique can be used to produce biosensors for food safety, bioterrorism attacks, or other diagnostic uses. Interested companies and entrepreneurs can license the new technologies by contacting Nick Zelver with the MSU Technology Transfer Office at (406) 994- 7868, http://tto.montana.edu or by e-mail at nzelver@montana.edu.
The Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology is accepting proposals for funding projects with marketable products or processes. Proposals are due March 3, 2008. The RFP may also be found on the web at http://businessresources.mt.gov /Includes/RCT/2009_Guidelines.pdf. The next application deadline is expected around March 2009. If you have any questions about the RFP, please call Dave Desch, Executive Director, at (406) 841-2760.
Many thanks to those who attended the roundtable on October 18, hosted by the University of Montana's Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience. Robert Bargatze, President of the Alliance, welcomed the participants. Dr. Rich Bridges gave an interesting overview of projects at the Neuroscience Institute that are linked to IP development, private sector collaborations, and spin off companies.
Presentations were made by:
The presentations highlighted the research at the labs, and a discussion of how the projects have been developing: patents, collaborations with existing companies, forming new companies and funding the projects. Each of the projects are at a different state of development as well as having different development strategies. Taken all together, they illustrate a number of different ways university center research has the potential to impact economic development. Following the roundtable, folks traveled to Hamilton to the grand opening of the new GSK facility. Anne Marie Quinn attended the BIO Mid-America VentureForum in Milwaukee on September 24-26. The program featured a variety of workshops, presentations and plenary speakers. She reports a lot of interest in Montana companies. Jana Shannon and Clare Koppel represented the Montana Bioscience Alliance at the recent Council of State Bioscience Associations' annual retreat in November. The group, a network of state-based bioscience organizations, meets annually to discuss best practices, state and federal legislation, and to network. Montana was one of 30 states represented at the meeting. Much of the retreat focused on best practices for promoting the life science industry, from legislation to organizational issues to workforce development to regional collaboration. Jana and Clare came back with lots of new information and new ideas, some of which will be implemented in the coming months.
January 10, 2008 · Bozeman
January 30- Feb 1, 2008 · Great Falls
February · Bozeman
March 18-19, 2008 · Seattle
April 15-16, 2008 · Washington DC
June 17-20, 2008 · San Diego, California
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