Colorado BioScience Association Ignites the Future at Fifteenth Annual Awards Dinner

November 9, 2018 |

3 min read

miRagen Named Company of the Year, Inscripta Honored as Rising Star

Nov. 9, 2018 05:27 UTC

miRagen Named Company of the Year, Inscripta Honored as Rising Star

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Colorado’s life science sector gathered on November 8 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver to honor the bioscience companies, leaders, researchers and volunteers focused on medical innovations and life-enhancing treatments at the annual Colorado BioScience Association Awards Dinner.

Jennifer Jones Paton, President and CEO of Colorado BioScience Association, says:

“We’re thrilled to highlight the leading companies, executives, pioneers, teachers and volunteers in our sector. They’re working on the next wave of innovative technologies and treatments. Our Annual Awards Dinner highlights the spirit, drive and collaboration of Colorado’s vibrant bioscience sector.”

Company of the Year: miRagen is harnessing the power of microRNA science to develop therapies that normalize biological pathways and counterbalance disease. Finalists for the honor included: ArcherDX and Biodesix.

Rising Star of the Year: Inscripta is a gene editing technology company dedicated to creating the tools needed to revolutionize how we feed, fuel, and heal humanity. Also nominated for the honor were: Double Helix and Impressio.

Lifetime Achievement Award: CBSA honored pioneering leaders Ran Bellows and Bob Collins. Bellows and Collins founded COBE Laboratories in 1964 and made significant contributions to establish the life science sector in our state. Today, COBE Laboratories is Lakewood-based Terumo BCT. The company employs nearly 7,000 associates throughout with world.

Additional honorees included:

Colorado Bioscience Institute Leadership Award: Stanley Lapidus, a longtime leader and innovator in the diagnostics field, was honored for his volunteer work as a mentor for the Colorado BioScience Institute’s Executive Leadership Program and the University of Colorado Anschutz SPARK program as a dedicated mentor.

Educator of the Year: Shanna Atzmiller of Bear Creek High School in Jefferson County Public Schools brings science lessons to life for her middle school students, drawing from her experiences in the Colorado Bioscience Institute’s Research Experience for Teachers program.

Chairman’s Award: Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) supports the bioscience industry with five Advanced Industry grants, providing a critical source of capital for early and mid-stage life science companies

Business Partner of the Year: Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation works with CBSA on economic development and efforts to create a strong business climate in order to cultivate a thriving life science cluster.

Both OEDIT and Metro Denver EDC partnered with CBSA on a successful, six-month marketing initiative called Breakthrough Profiles, designed to provide national exposure for Colorado life science companies.

During the evening, CBSA and Boettcher Foundation recognized the 2018 Class of Boettcher Investigators in the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program. The prestigious award funds promising, early-career scientific researchers, allowing them to advance their independent research and compete for major federal and private awards in the future. Each Boettcher Investigator will receive a $235,000 grant to support up to three years of biomedical research.

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