DENVER, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals (Aurora) won the second annual Faegre & Benson Venture Showcase Award at BioWest 2006. The announcement is made by Chris Shapard, bioscience director at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), who says the $10,000 Venture Showcase Award was again provided by the Faegre & Benson law firm and announced at the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) Awards banquet held Thursday evening at the Colorado Convention Center.
ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals is a startup phase biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic products that target apoptotic cell death pathways found in tumor cells and proliferating immune cells (lymphocytes). The company was formed in 2006 to capitalize on the intellectual property of its scientific founders, University of Colorado tenured faculty Drs. Richard Duke and Donald Bellgrau. Putting it most simply, ApopLogic induces cancer cells and autoimmune lymphocytes to commit suicide.
ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals competed against six other Rocky Mountain regional companies for this honor. Additional participants included Caveo Therapeutics (Aurora); LigoCyte (Bozeman, Montana); MBC Pharma, Inc. (Boulder); MedShape Solutions (Castle Rock); Solix Biofuels (Boulder); and TheraTogs, Inc. (Telluride). A brief explanation of each company’s technology and business plan can be found at http://www.biowestconference.com/venture_showcase.html.
According to Denise Brown, CBSA Executive Director, representatives of each competing company had 10 minutes to present their technologies and business plans to a panel of bioscience venture capitalists on Wednesday afternoon. The venture capitalist panelists included: Kyle Lefkoff, Boulder Ventures, who served as moderator; Heidi Huntsman, UV Partners; Paul Grand, RCT Ventures; and Giovanni Ferrara, Burrill and Company.
Additional awards presented at the CBSA Annual Awards dinner included: Governor Bill Owens and Paul Ray, Lifetime Achievement; Myogen, Inc, Company of the Year; C5 Medical Werks and Taligen Therapeutics, Rising Stars; Dr. Richard Duke, Volunteer of the Year; Maggie Chamberlin Holben, Partner of the Year; and Kyle Lefkoff, OEDIT Award of Excellence.
About the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade
OEDIT works with companies starting, expanding, or relocating in Colorado. OEDIT offers a wide range of services to assist new and existing business of every size. Visit http://www.AdvanceColorado.com
About Colorado BioScience Association
CBSA is a not-for-profit corporation providing services and support for Colorado’s growing biosciences industry. With more than 300 members, CBSA actively works to promote the growth of the industry. Visit http://www.cobioscience.com
About Faegre & Benson LLP
Faegre & Benson LLP is a full-service law firm with offices in Denver, Boulder, Minneapolis, Des Moines, London, Frankfurt and Shanghai, with more than 100 attorneys in Colorado and more than 475 worldwide. Visit http://www.faegre.com
Contacts:
Christine Shapard, Director of Bioscience and Emerging Industries, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, 303.892.3840, Christine.shapard@state.co.us
Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, Absolutely Public Relations http://www.absolutelypr.com -- 303.984.9801, maggie@absolutelypr.com
Source: Colorado BioScience Association
