Arizona Biosciences

2012 Invest Southwest Capital Conference

2012-05-16 09:38:31 -0700

2012 Invest Southwest Capital Conference

Invest Southwest Get Ready Seminar

2012-05-16 09:33:44 -0700

Invest Southwest Get Ready Seminar

Southern Arizona Healthcare Future

2012-05-09 11:59:18 -0700

Southern Arizona Healthcare Future

Biozona Weekly: TGen leads $4.5M brain-tumor study; Covance closes Chandler facility; Peoria incubator to debut

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-05-09

Top bioscience news, May 1-7: TGen shares in $4.5 million NIH brain-tumor grant ¶ Covance closes $150M lab in Chandler as cost-saving measure ¶ New Peoria bioscience incubator, BioInspire, to open soon

BIOSA Breakfast Event

2012-05-02 14:44:54 -0700

BIOSA Breakfast Event

Delivering on the Promise of Science for Patients

2012-05-01 16:57:29 -0700

Delivering on the Promise of Science for Patients

Beer and Bio – Northern Arizona

2012-05-01 16:34:16 -0700

Beer and Bio – Northern Arizona

Bringing Research to Life

2012-05-01 16:29:37 -0700

Bringing Research to Life

New Frontiers in Medical Science: Vaccine Myths and Marvels

2012-05-01 16:22:46 -0700

New Frontiers in Medical Science: Vaccine Myths and Marvels

10th Annual Sydney E. Salmon, MD, Award Lectures

2012-05-01 16:15:45 -0700

10th Annual Sydney E. Salmon, MD, Award Lectures

Biozona Weekly: New laws aid algae research; Biodesign wins $30M contract; Gilbert lands VA clinic

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-05-01

Top bioscience news, April 13-28: New laws position Arizona to be algae leader ¶ ASU Biodesign wins $30M DoD contract for health-monitoring chip ¶ Gilbert lands new VA clinic. (Plus 6 more stories.)

Translational Medicine in Arizona Conference

2012-04-27 12:26:13 -0700

Translational Medicine in Arizona Conference

Biozona Weekly: C-Path featured; new angel fund debuts; NE Phoenix bio campus approved

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-04-19

Top bioscience news, March 26-April 17: Dr. Carolyn Compton speaks on C-Path’s outlook ¶ ASU alumni form a new angel fund supporting early-stage high-tech companies ¶ Phoenix City Council approves a new bioscience campus in northeast Phoenix. (Plus 4 more stories.)

Biozona Weekly: Record STEM grant for CAC; new law to protect university research; PCH/Mayo liver partnership

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-04-09

Top bioscience news, March 14-April 6: Central Arizona College earns its largest-ever HIS-STEM grant from the U.S. Department of Education ¶ Gov. Jan Brewer signs a bill into law that facilitates industry-university partnerships ¶ Phoenix Children's Hospital and Mayo Clinic partner on new liver-transplant program. (Plus 9 more stories.)

Biozona Weekly: Arizona STEM Network launches; NantCare comes to Phoenix; Op-eds for UA COM expansion

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-02-29

Top bioscience news, February 17-28: With a second multi-million-dollar grant, SFAz is rolling out the Arizona STEM Network statewide ¶ NantCare, a newly acquired telehealth firm associated with Patrick Soon-Shiong, has moved to Phoenix ¶ Op-eds by a state legislator and a university president argue for continued funding for the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix (Plus 9 more stories.)

C-Path announces hiring of new president and CEO Carolyn Compton

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-02-17

Carolyn Compton, an internationally recognized cancer pathologist who previously led important units at the National Institutes of Health, has been hired as the new president and CEO of the Tucson-based Critical Path Institute. Dr. Compton replaces Raymond Woosley, a longtime fixture in Arizona's bioscience community, who founded C-Path in 2005 to help make development of health-care innovations safer, faster, and cheaper.

Biozona Weekly: Science standards critiqued; Chandler incubator expanding; Ulthera secures ACA support

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-02-16

Top bioscience news, February 9-16: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute's assessment of science standards nationwide finds little to praise in Arizona's standards. ¶ Chandler's Innovations tech incubator will expand its facility by more than 50% ¶ Medical-device maker Ulthera has received funding from the Arizona Commerce Authority and plans to expand its Mesa presence. (Plus 3 more stories.)

Biozona Weekly: Bio Roadmap update; canine cancer research; much more

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-02-07

Top bioscience news, January 24-February 7: Bioscience Roadmap update shows sharp increase in jobs ¶ TGen's canine research provides insights into human cancer ¶ Carolyn Compton assumes C-Path leadership (Plus 10 more stories.)

Regents name candidate for UA presidency

Matt Ellsworth — 2012-02-07

Members of the University of Arizona community will have the chance to meet the candidate for UA's presidency in less than a week. Ann Weaver Hart, currently president of Temple University, will visit UA's Tucson campus on February 13.

As Temple's president, Dr. Hart oversees a academic medical center, Temple University Health System, and during a six-year tenure has achieved several milestones for Temple:

She has significantly increased undergraduate and graduate applications while raising the academic qualifications of incoming students; produced an institutional record number of Fulbright scholars; improved the freshman retention rate and time to degree; grown research expenditures by nearly $30 million; fostered technology transfer and economic development efforts; and advanced Temple's ranking with the National Science Foundation seven spots. The Chronicle of Higher Education cites Temple's graduation rate as increasing at the second fastest rate among public research universities nationwide, a feat accomplished under Hart's leadership.

Previously, Dr. Hart served as president of the University of New Hampshire, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Claremont Graduate University, and dean of the Graduate School and special assistant to the president at the University of Utah, where she earned her doctorate in educational administration.

Read more at the source: "ABOR Names Ann Weaver Hart as UA Presidential Candidate"

Support grows for medical-device community

Matt Ellsworth — 2012-02-07

[From Robert Green]

Arizona’s medical device industry is a lynchpin of the bioscience community. Medical device employment constitutes 32% of Arizona’s non-hospital bioscience employment. (drugs and pharmaceuticals are only 8%). With first-class research institutions and an industry spanning from one-person shops to industry giants, Arizona has it all.

To support this critically important sector of Arizona’s economy the City of Peoria, BioAccel and The Plaza Group are building an incubator in Peoria dedicated to medical device development with working capital available to qualifying companies. More than just a facility, this collaboration was created to connect the medical device community.

Robert has also initiated a new network for the medical-device community, the Arizona Medical Device Alliance LinkedIn Group.

Future plans include networking and educational events, all designed to strengthen Arizona’s medical device community.

Bio event kicks off SciTech Festival

Matt Ellsworth — 2012-01-31

The official kick-off of the Arizona SciTech Festival will take place at the Arizona Science Center on Saturday, February 4.

The day-long celebration will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a full slate of activities focusing on innovations in bioscience, including bioscience activities, presentations, and a showcase of innovations from Arizona's leading companies.

The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is free and open to the public. The Arizona Science Center is located in downtown Phoenix at 600 E. Washington St.

Arizona Bioscience Sector Sustains Strong Job Growth

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-01-31

Neither the recession nor the subsequent economic doldrums have impeded growth of Arizona’s bioscience sector, a new report shows. During the post-recessionary period of 2009-10, bioscience jobs increased by 7.4 percent, compared to a 1.8 percent drop for the state’s overall private sector, according to an analysis of Arizona biosciences, commissioned by the Flinn Foundation.

Biozona Weekly: CHW becomes Dignity Health; UA's incubator opens new facility; Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center is 10

Arizona Biosciences — 2012-01-24

Top bioscience news, January 18-23: Catholic Healthcare West, parent of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, changes its name and governing structure ¶ UA's Arizona Center for Innovation opens expanded facilities ¶ Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare turns 10 (Plus 5 more stories.)

Nature speaks with Keim about H5N1 studies

Matt Ellsworth — 2012-01-03

In Nature, Heidi Ledford speaks with pathogen-genomics expert Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University and TGen North about the controversial recommendation by the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity--Keim chairs the panel--that Nature and Science censor papers on how to make the H5N1 avian flu virus more transmissible:

“We’re being accused of being the bad guys,” says Keim, based at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. “But most of what we’ve done is to push back against harsher regulations.” Since its inception, Keim says that the NSABB has only been asked to review six papers, including two in 2005 that described the reconstruction of the 1918 influenza virus that is thought to have killed more than 20 million people. In that case, the board recommended that the papers simply be amended to spell out the public-health benefits of the research.

[...]

In the course of its deliberations over the H5N1 papers, the NSABB became aware of additional work on H5N1 transmissibility that was nearing publication. Keim says the board is now considering whether to recommend a voluntary moratorium on the publication of such work until the community can discuss further precautions to prevent misuse. He expects the board to vote on this in the next few weeks, and adds: “It is time for us to have a broad and global discussion.”

Read more: "Call to censor flu studies draws fire"

BioAccel launches network to attract bio funding

Matt Ellsworth — 2011-12-19

From the Phoenix Business Journal:

BioAccel, a Phoenix nonprofit that helps startups commercialize their products, has created a network to attract more funds to Arizona’s biosciences community.

While a few local biotech companies have garnered venture capital from out-of-state sources this year, the lack of capital coming from within Arizona continues to plague the industry.

Enter the Philanthro-Capitalist Network, a group that aims to bring together the business community and high-net-worth individuals looking to invest in biotechnology-related companies.

BioAccel CEO MaryAnn Guerra said her goal is to build a life-science ecosystem in Arizona that can connect scientists with angel funds, manufacturers and others who can help take their ideas to the next level.

“We have a lot of high-net-worth individuals who could participate in a fund or invest,” she said. “We have great technology coming out of universities and research institutes and medical centers.”

What’s still missing is what Guerra calls deal flow.

BioAccel's latest effort to instigate growth in the biosciences in Arizona follows on the heels of its creation with the Peoria City Council and the Plaza Companies of the Peoria Incucelerator.

CSS Institute for Advanced Health signs data-center partner

Matt Ellsworth — 2011-11-12

The Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, which announced earlier this year that it would establish headquarters in Phoenix, has, with NantWorks LLC and National LambdaRail, selected IO, "the leading provider of next-generation modular data center technology and services," to support the giant data center that the CSS Institute is establishing in Phoenix.

"Now, for the first time, we are able to bring together a high-performance communications network, dedicated storage capacity and high-performance computing," said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman of the CSS Institute, NantWorks and the NLR. "This is the infrastructure that we have so far lacked for healthcare, and which is vital to translate genomic data into actionable clinical decision making. It is the beginning of 21st century medicine."

"In addition to generating massive volumes of information requiring high-performance IT, the regulatory environment of the healthcare ecosystem also requires a highly protected and reliable infrastructure," said Anthony J. D'Ambrosi, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. "IO's high-density and ultra-secure infrastructure enables healthcare IT to accomplish their goals both today and into the future."

Oct. 3 deadline for Siemens Competition

Travel Dispatches — 2011-09-14

October 3 is the submission deadline for the Siemens Competition, arguably the most prestigious research-based competition for high-school students in the world.

Co-sponsored by the Siemens Foundation and the College Board, the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology offers scholarships for individual and team winners that range from $1,000 to $100,000.

Details regarding eligibility and registration are available on the Siemens Competition website.

In 2005, two Arizona students shared the top prize at the competition, splitting the $100,000 prize.

ASU President Michael Crow to head NLR oversight council

Travel Dispatches — 2011-09-14

Patrick Soon-Shiong, chair of National LambdaRail (NLR), has named Arizona State University President Michael Crow to head the advisory council that will overseeNLR.

“Michael Crow is the perfect person to lead the advisory council for this ambitious mission,”
said Soon-Shiong. “He is the most innovative university leader in the country, and he is a founder member of Gig.U., the University Community Next Generation Innovation Project, which was set up in July to accelerate the deployment of ultra high speed networks among universities.”

“I applaud the mission of the new NLR,” said President Michael Crow. “This is exactly the kind of initiative we need to maintain and enhance the economic competitiveness of our universities and our country. I am delighted to be a part of it.”

[...]

Dr. Soon-Shiong described NLR’s enhanced mission as twofold: first, to integrate the science around advanced communications networks under a new affiliated body called the National Advanced Networks Alliance (NANTA); and second, to utilize such advanced networks for practical application, beginning with the translation of new medical science into new clinical practice via a Clinical Translational Science Network.

NLR is financially backed by the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health, a Phoenix-based organization that aims to improve health drawing together and analyzing vast networks of health data.

Read more at the source: "National LambdaRail Appoints Chairman’s Advisory Council"

ABOR okays new UA research facilities

Matt Ellsworth — 2011-09-02

[From the Arizona Daily Star]

The University of Arizona has crossed an important approval threshold for two new research facilities, including one for the BIO5 Institute.

Capital improvement plans were approved by an Arizona Board of Regents committee on Thursday.

Having the projects in the plan allows the university to spend some money to hash out project details, including how to repay bonds to finance the projects, ahead of more stages of approval.

[...]

A proposed $85 million bioscience lab facility would be built near the Bio5 building for disease research.

Read more at the source: "Regents panel OKs UA plans for 2 new research buildings"

Science Festival developing events, seeking sponsors

Matt Ellsworth — 2011-09-01

The inaugural Arizona Science and Technology Festival will occur during February 2012 with events at sites across the state. Individuals and organizations wishing to participate in and support this unique opportunity to showcase Arizona's scientific strength and potential should contact Jeremy Babendure, director of the Festival.

What are the aims of the Festival, and how big an undertaking will it be? Here's what Dr. Babendure has to say:

Spearheaded by the Arizona Technology Council Foundation, Arizona State University, and the Arizona Science Center, the Arizona Science and Technology Festival will be 6-week statewide celebration involving 200+ orgs in industry, education and community to inspire Arizonans about how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) will drive the future of Arizona.

Through a series of hands-on activities and workshops, discussions, exhibitions, concerts, and tours centered during the month of February 2012, the First Annual Arizona SciTech Festival’s goals are to (1) brand Arizona as a leader in science and technology; (2) inform/inspire our future workforce about opportunities in AZ; and (3) serve as a focal point to bring diverse stakeholders in workforce, education and community together.

We anticipate the festival will reach 100,000+ Arizonans through 300+ activities that take place in diverse neighborhoods throughout the state with: signature events highlighting the innovative character of each region (aerospace, technology, bioscience) with high energy exhibitions and shows; 20+ neighborhood hubs providing workshop and discussion opportunities at accessible locations such as libraries and community centers; tours of science/technology facilities statewide; and activities, talks and challenges in-schools to get kids engaged before, during and post festival.