DENVER, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Novel cancer drugs; innovative treatments for blood cancers and clotting; new ways to attack inflammatory and infectious diseases; ground-breaking compounds to treat osteoporosis and metastatic bone disease; pioneering devices for orthopedic surgery; commercializing biofuels from algae; and revolutionary wearable rehabilitation systems comprise the seven finalists in this year’s BioWest Venture Showcase competition. The announcement is made by Christine Shapard, Director Bioscience and Emerging Technologies for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).
“By focusing on new therapies targeting common diseases, creating systems and devices to fix problems and finding ways to reduce our dependence on oil, the finalists chosen for this year’s BioWest Venture Showcase are on the front lines of making the world a better place,” Shapard says. “The finalists will present at the BioWest Venture Showcase on August 23 at the Colorado Convention Center. The winner will receive the $10,000 Faegre & Benson Venture Showcase award at the Colorado Bioscience Association (CBSA) Annual Awards Dinner on August 24.”
Finalists include:
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).
Caveo Therapeutics is an early stage biotechnology company creating innovative therapies for cancers and hematologic conditions based on receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) technologies.
LigoCyte is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapeutic drugs and vaccines for preventing or treating human diseases within specialty markets.
MBC Pharma, Inc. was founded in late 1997 to commercialize pharmaceutical technology invented by the late Prof. Marat Karpeisky of the Englehardt Institute in Moscow, Russia and Professor H.B.F Dixon of Cambridge University, Cambridge, U.K.
MedShape Solutions develops pioneering medical devices for use in orthopedic surgery that leverage the unique medical benefits of shape memory polymers and alloys.
SunSource Industries (SSI) is a developer of massively scalable photo-bioreactors for the production of biodiesel and other valuable bio-commodities from algae.
TheraTogs, Inc. (TTI) develops unique rehabilitation systems and provides advanced training for the physical rehabilitation market.
To attend the Venture Showcase presentations and/or awards dinner go to www.BioWestConference.com to register. BioWest is a joint venture of OEDIT and CBSA.
About the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade
OEDIT works with companies starting, expanding, or relocating in Colorado. Visit www.AdvanceColorado.com.
About Colorado BioScience Association
CBSA is a not-for-profit corporation providing services and support for Colorado’s growing biosciences industry. Visit 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 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, 303.984.9801, maggie@absolutelypr.com
Colorado BioScience Association
CONTACT: Christine Shapard, Director of Bioscience and Emerging Industriesof Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade,+1-303-892-3840, Christine.shapard@state.co.us; or Maggie Chamberlin Holbenof APR, Absolutely Public Relations, +1-303-984-9801,maggie@absolutelypr.com, for Colorado BioScience Association
