Virginia Student to Compete in International BioGENEius Challenge in D.C.

Riley Ennis of Fairfax County, Virginia, was named one of the ten finalists of the 2011 U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge. The Virginia, U.S. National and International BioGENEius Challenges are competitions for high school students who demonstrate an exemplary understanding of biotechnology through science research projects. The ten U.S. National finalists will join students June 27th from Canada and Australia to compete in the International BioGENEius Challenge at the 2011 BIO International Convention in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Ennis, aged 17, is a recent graduate of Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. His winning presentation was titled, “Cancer Immunotherapy Research Vaccine: Mannose Glycoprotein Encapsulated PLGA Fluorescent Nanoparticles Biotinylated for Conjuga.”

Following the announcement of his selection by the judges at the awards banquet at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on Sunday night, Mr. Ennis said, “As an international finalist for the BioGENEius Challenge, I am so honored to be part of the competition; surrounded by amazing students all with the same passion as me. I would like to thank the Virginia Biotechnology Association and the Chesapeake Bioscience Education Foundation for their incredible help and support. Hopefully in the next few years, cancer vaccines will be at the forefront of cancer therapeutics; and it is at competitions like the BioGENEius Challenge where ideas become reality.”

Mr. Ennis was one of three outstanding students who won the 2011 Virginia BioGENEius Challenge, co-sponsored by the Chesapeake Bioscience Education Foundation (C-BEF) and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VABIO). "I know I can speak for the entire bioscience community in Virginia when I commend Riley for his achievement," said Mark A. Herzog, VABIO executive director. “Virginia had an outstanding group competing for the national title and we are very pleased that Riley Ennis will be representing Virginia and the United States at the International Competition.”

“Two years ago, I couldn't have imagined arriving at the point of being selected as a U.S. National Finalist and now a competitor in the International BioGENEius Challenge in Washington DC,” continued Mr. Ennis. “I have developed an innovative cancer vaccine that harnesses the innate abilities of the human body in order to battle cancer, without deleterious side effects or invasive procedures. I was able to take my project to the next level of pharmaceutical relevance with the help of experts in the biotechnology field, who helped me file for a provisional patent, and start RC Molecular Innovations: a biotechnology company focused on the development of this vaccine platform technology.”

“We are so proud of Riley, Prasannappa and Venkatesan,” said Dr. Martin Chapman, chairman of C-BEF and president of Indoor Biotechnologies in Charlottesville, Virginia. “All three of the winners of the Virginia BioGENEius Challenge who competed for the U.S. National title are outstanding students and will be a credit to the industry in the days ahead.”

Also competing in the U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge from Virginia were:

• Prasannappa Rithvik, Age 17, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax County: “Investigating wingless-mediated signaling in class specific dendrite morphogenesis.”
• Venkatesan Radha, Age 14, York High School, York County: “Study of over expression of C-MET Receptor Tyrosine Kinase signaling in liver cancer.”

The International BioGENEius Challenge competition will be held June 27, at the 2011 Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention in Washington, D.C. The BIO International Convention is the largest global event for the biotechnology industry attracting approximately 15,000 attendees each year. The convention attracts the biggest names in biotech, offers key networking and partnering opportunities and provides insights and inspiration on the major trends affecting the industry. Winners of the competition will be announced at the June 28th keynote luncheon session featuring Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The panel of judges will include scientists, researchers, educators and key members of the biotechnology industry and academia. Judges will select the top four winners from 14 U.S. National, Western Australia, and Canada finalists. The first place winner of the BioGENEius Challenge will receive $7,500; second place will receive $5,000; third place will receive $2,500 and fourth place will receive $1,000. Each remaining participant will receive an honorable mention award and $500.

At the Local, U.S. National and International competitions, students are evaluated on the quality of their research and display, as well as on their responses to questions relating to their scientific knowledge and potential commercial applications of their research.

Biotech breakthrough: Industry emerging in Central Va.

They research the drugs and machines that are in your future to diagnose ailments, cure ills, ease your pain and reattach your limbs.

They are the increasing number of biomedical companies being created, researched, financed and grown in Central Virginia, many an offshoot of research and development being conducted in laboratories of the University of Virginia.

About 15 percent of Virginia’s estimated biomedical/technology companies reside in the Charlottesville area and the segment of the region’s economy is slowly growing to become an important community asset area officials say.

Click here to read the complete article by Bryan McKenzie in The Daily Progress.

Business Rx: Tau Therapeutics

Tau Therapeutics article in The Washington Post today.

Andrew Krouse was working at the University of Virginia when he learned about a revolutionary technology his neighbor, a professor of medicine, was developing that could be the key to cancer treatment. Not long after, Krouse joined the team and is now president and chief executive of Tau Therapeutics, a life-sciences company based in Charlottesville that is developing a nontoxic pill it believes can stop cancer and block the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

The pitch

Krouse

“Our clinical priority for the technology we licensed from U-Va. is a program we call Interlaced Therapy. It promises to significantly enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy in a number of serious cancers. It works by halting the dividing cancer cells so that standard chemotherapies are more powerful. We have patented and received orphan drug designation on a drug that was on the market for hypertension and are repositioning this drug for the treatment of cancer. By taking our nontoxic drug in a sequential combination with a standard chemotherapy, we hope to minimize chemotherapy’s terrible side effects and greatly enhance the effectiveness of these therapies. There’s also the potential to overcome drug resistance.

Click here to read the complete article in The Washington Post.

Paul B. Ferrara, pioneer of DNA use, dies at 68

Paul B. Ferrara, 68, the former head of Virginia's forensic-science laboratory who helped pioneer the use of DNA as a crime-fighting tool in the U.S., died Monday.

His wife, Dale Lynn Ferrara, said Tuesday that her husband died of complications of cancer Monday morning at their home in Chesterfield County. She said funeral and other arrangements have not yet been set.

Mr. Ferrara retired at the end of 2006 after 21 years as director of the state Department of Forensic Science, where he was credited with recognizing the forensic potential of DNA and then winning the resources to exploit it.

He began his career in 1971 and held doctoral degrees from Syracuse University and the State University of New York. He was a distinguished professor of forensic science at Virginia Commonwealth University.

A high point in his career began in the mid-1980s when he and others at his lab learned about a new tool then called "genetic fingerprinting." In a 2006 interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Mr. Ferrara said they realized, "My God, we have to implement this.'"

"We just knew intuitively … that it's going to change the way police conduct investigations, collect evidence, how prosecutors and defense attorneys are going to approach their cases," he said.

In September 1987, a private New York laboratory, Lifecodes, offered to train two of Mr. Ferrara's scientists so Virginia could establish the first state DNA laboratory in the country.

Mr. Ferrara fought for roughly $300,000 from the state and, in March 1989, Virginia opened the first state DNA laboratory capable of performing DNA fingerprinting. The FBI had started its limited DNA laboratory operations just four months earlier.

That same year the state forensics laboratory also became the first to create a DNA database of previously convicted sex offenders. In 1992, the state became a pilot state for a national DNA databank.

A "cold hit," or match, from the state databank resulted in a first conviction in 1994. The laboratory's work, in addition to catching many criminals, has also cleared people wrongly convicted of crimes.

"I don't know a single person that does not think highly of Paul. That's something to say," said Peter Marone, the current director of the department.

Mr. Ferrara hired Marone as a forensic serologist in 1978. An independent agency and not a part of law enforcement, the forensic laboratory went through several iterations before becoming a department six years ago.

Marone said that in addition to his forensic-science accomplishments, Mr. Ferrara established strong working relationships with the General Assembly and with all the different gubernatorial administrations over the years.

"He never promised pie in the sky. It was always, 'You give us this — we can do that,'" Marone said.

The career of Dr. Marcella Fierro, who retired as the state medical examiner in 2008, overlapped that of Mr. Ferrara's.

"Paul made Virginia a better, safer place to live by leading and directing a laboratory whose work protected the innocent as well as convicting the guilty. I am saddened to hear the news. We had lunch a few weeks ago, and he looked so well," she said.

Fierro said Mr. Ferrara built the premier state forensic lab in the country. "It had innumerable firsts, all of which required considerable leadership when you have to persuade people to do something that has not been done before," she said.

"I used to admire him incredibly because he would get money and staff. I could try for here and hereafter and not get any," Fierro said.

"And," she said, "He's a nice guy."

Peter Neufeld, a cofounder of the Innocence Project, in New York, said of Mr. Ferrara, "He preached the gospel of DNA, both to convict and exonerate with extraordinary exuberance and the criminal justice system will be indebted for that contribution."

In addition to his wife, Mr. Ferrara's survivors include three sons, Mark S. Ferrara of Oneonta, N.Y., Paul G. Ferrara of Des Moines, Iowa, and Anthony D. Ferrara of Richmond; two brothers, Richard Ferrara of Davie, Fla., and James Ferrara of San Francisco; a sister, Mary Wyatt of The Villages, Fla.; and a grandson.

By Frank Green
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Health Diagnostic Lab Wins VABIO Company of the Year

Congratulations to Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) of Richmond, winner of the 2011 Virginia Bioscience Company of the Year Award. The award, presented May 26 at a special reception at the Pfizer Consumer Products Research Laboratory in Richmond, recognizes the biotech or medical device company that has distinguished itself from its peers with strong overall performance and best exemplifies the innovative spirit of the Virginia life sciences community.

Mark Herzog, executive director of VABIO, presented the award to Tonya Mallory, CEO of HDL.

The Virginia Bioscience Company of the Year Award was presented by the Virginia Biotechnology Association and sponsored by the law firm Cooley LLP and Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America.

Del. Scott Lingamfelter Wins Virginia Bioscience Award

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (VABIO), today announced that L. Scott Lingamfelter, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Woodbridge, received the Virginia Bioscience Legislative Leadership Award for his exemplary efforts on behalf of the bioscience industry during the 2011 Session of the Virginia General Assembly.

“Delegate Lingamfelter played a key role in the passage of legislation to match Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards and to protect and fund Virginia’s commitment to the Commonwealth Research and Commercialization Fund (CRCF),” said Mark A. Herzog, executive director of VABIO. “The CRCF is designed to spark early-stage commercialization and job creation in high-growth, high-wage technologies such as biotechnology.”

The Virginia Biotechnology Association has only recognized a handful of state legislators with this special distinction.

“Technology, and biotechnology in particular, will be a major component of a vibrant Virginia economy going forward,” said Delegate Lingamfelter in a statement following the award presentation. “ I'm glad to have played a small part in working with the Governor and leaders with an economic vision for Virginia by advancing legislation that will attract and grow more high-tech companies to Virginia.”

The SBIR program, signed into law by President Reagan in 1982, is the largest innovation program in the United States. SBIR offers competition-based awards to stimulate technological innovation among small private sector businesses with significant commercial applications. Many famous, high-tech firms, such as Qualcomm, first got their start via this important program. These awards are extremely competitive; historically only about 15% of all Phase One applications are approved.

“The Virginia SBIR Match Program was first created in 2009 but no funding had been provided,” said Mr. Herzog. “We are grateful to Delegate Lingamfelter and his colleagues in the General Assembly for including the $2 million in the 2012 budget.”

Previous recipients of the award include: Delegate Steve Landes of Weyer’s Cave; Delegate Mark Sickles of Fairfax; Delegate John O’Bannon of Henrico; Delegate Sam Nixon of Chesterfield, Delegate Joe May of Loudoun and Senator Mark Herring, also from Loudoun.

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO) is the statewide non-profit organization that promotes the scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Approximately 200 biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies are based in Virginia, mainly clustered around universities in Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Norfolk and Northern Virginia. For more information about the impact of the bioscience industry in Virginia, please visit www.vabio.org.

Building On A Firm Foundation

A new R&D tax credit, among other programs and projects, could help Virginia reach the upper echelon of life sciences states.

All across the Commonwealth of Virginia, biomedical innovators are pursuing a shared passion to help their fellow citizens live longer, healthier lives. These dedicated researchers, in nearly 200 biotechnology and medical device firms clustered around research universities such as the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University and Virginia Tech, are expanding the frontiers of modern medicine. They are pioneering new drugs, more effective therapeutics and life-saving medical devices. According to a new study by Miami-based Archstone Consulting, there were more than 1,500 active clinical trails conducted last year by Virginia researchers on new drugs, including those targeting cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, mental health disorders and respiratory diseases.

In addition to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and biopharma companies with facilities in Virginia such as Pfizer, Merck, Novozymes, Abbott Laboratories, Boehringer Ingelheim, Teva Pharmaceuticals, ATCC and SRI International, the Commonwealth is also home to one of the most advanced bioscience research institutes in the world. The Janelia Farm Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) opened in October 2006. Located on a 689-acre (279-hectare) property in Northern Virginia, the unique, world-class biomedical research complex represents a $500-million investment by HHMI, one of the largest biomedical research philanthropies in the world. Several hundred of the world's top researchers from diverse disciplines use emerging and innovative technologies to pursue biology's most challenging problems.

Clearly, biotechnology has asserted itself as a vital contributor to Virginia's economic growth.

According to the Battelle/BIO State Biosciences Initiatives 2010 report, from 2001 to 2008, bioscience employment in Virginia grew by 23 percent, compared to 6-percent total growth statewide and 3.5-percent across all sectors in the U.S. Between 2001 and 2008, the number of Virginia bioscience companies grew by 55 percent, in contrast to 18-percent growth in the private sector statewide, and 14 percent across the U.S.

In Virginia, bioscience organizations directly employ more than 20,000 people. Indirectly — through biomedical suppliers, vendors and services-related companies — more than 80,000 jobs are dependent on Virginia's life science industry. All told, Virginia's biopharmaceutical and device sector generated products and services valued at more than $13 billion in 2008.

New Tools Help, But Stronger Educational Focus Will Help Keep Up With the Neighbors

Founded in 1607 by a venture-backed company in London, Virginia has always been a welcoming home for entrepreneurs and start-up companies. That continues today as private investors recognize the long-term value of Virginia's robust biotechnology industry. Between 2004 and 2009, Virginia biotechnology companies attracted $405 million worth of venture capital. That puts Virginia in the top 20 nationally (19th).

Underlying this hopeful news are some potentially worrisome issues. Like many states, Virginia's educational requirements need to be reviewed, particularly to get more students prepared for careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. A state's concentration of STEM graduates generally is considered to be a bellwether of its future ability to compete for jobs and economic growth, especially in the global economy. In fact, a recent study notes that Virginia is one of only 17 states without a biology requirement for high school graduation (biology is one of three laboratory options).

Indeed, bioscience research provides fertile soil to nurture ideas from seedlings to useful products and services. And on the surface, Virginia's biotech sector seems to match up well in terms of the percentage of research-and-development activity taking place at state academic institutions. In fiscal year 2008, Virginia ranked 17th in the nation in the amount of academic research and development dollars spent on biosciences. Of the $70.55 billion in academic funding, more than $550 million was allocated to biosciences research in Virginia.

That's good enough to place Virginia in the top 20, but it also indicates how far the Commonwealth has to go. Virginia is bookended by two states — North Carolina and Maryland — that rank fifth and sixth in the nation, respectively. In short, state policy-makers and the research community must take action now to gain full advantage of future growth in the life sciences industry.

Seeking to capitalize on the growing nucleus of innovative research-based companies, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell earlier this year signed into law the Virginia Refundable Research & Development Tax Credit, which recognizes the enormous upfront expenses emerging advanced technology companies typically absorb during the arduous journey of bringing cutting-edge products and services to market. Virginia is now one of only a handful of states that provides a refundable credit that gives cash-strapped bioscience companies more elbow room to pursue their innovative ideas, without having to worry quite as much about meeting expenses before revenue comes rolling in. These "pre-profitable" biotech firms are eligible for up to a 15-percent tax credit or refund of their "qualified" R&D expenses, and up to 20 percent if they partner with Virginia's public or private universities.

The new legislation complements the Virginia Innovation Investment Act, enacted by the General Assembly in 2010. That initiative rewards Virginians who invest in advanced technology companies with a 100-percent exclusion from capital-gains taxes if an investment is made in the next three years.

And that is not all. Virginia also matches SBIR awards, provides aggressive tax credits for angel investors, has a state-funded seed-stage investment program and a stable corporate tax rate of only 6 percent. All of this in a state that consistently ranks first or second as the best place for business in America.

Virginians themselves have plenty of cause for optimism about the impact of biotechnology on their lives. Those sanguine sentiments go far beyond new tax policies and investment, as pivotal as those elements continue to be. Biotechnology-driven advances are saving lives or managing debilitating diseases everyday for millions around the world.

Like their counterparts nationally, these are the ideals that animate the ambitious, innovative and driven people who are the face of Virginia's burgeoning life sciences cluster.

Mark A. Herzog
The Site Selection Life Sciences Report

Hopewell's Osage Bio Energy Plant For Sale

The nation's first major barley-to-ethanol factory has been put up for sale before it ever fully opened in Hopewell.

Osage Bio Energy on Monday cited "unfavorable market conditions" as the reason for its decision to sell the company and its Appomattox ethanol plant in Hopewell.

The company said it will not start production at the plant. Osage said it will lay off all but a "core group" of the plant's 55 employees as it seeks to sell the property.

Heather Scott, a spokeswoman for Osage, declined to say how many employees would remain.

Osage's key investor, the private-equity firm First Reserve Corp. of Greenwich, Conn., decided to sell the company and its assets, Scott said.

"We are very hopeful this is still a great thing for Virginia and Hopewell," Scott said. "It will just be transitioned to a potential new owner that will come in and run this company and produce ethanol."

Osage, founded in 2007, planned to make ethanol for gasoline blends used in local markets.

The company started construction in 2008 on the $160 million plant, located on a 55-acre parcel in Hopewell. The plant was only in production for several days before a fire in September 2010 caused by a mechanical failure interrupted production.

Scott said Monday that the fire was not connected to the decision to the sell the plant.

The plant was expected to bring up to $2 million a year in tax revenue for the city of Hopewell.

"The city is pleased that the new plant has been constructed," City Manager Ed Daley said. "This is a major investment in our community. We are anxious for the sale to be completed so operations can begin."

Daley said he did not know all the components of the plant or what else other than ethanol could be produced there if a buyer could not be found.

The company had planned to produce up to 65 million gallons of ethanol at the plant, using up to 30 million bushels of barley a year, much of it from farmers in Virginia.

Osage obtained barley through Perdue AgriBusiness, which contracts with farmers to grow the crop. "Perdue is responsible for the receipt of the grain, so they will work with the growers on that," Scott said.

By: John Reid Blackwell
Richmond Times-Dispatch

New Patent Expands Keraderm's Portfolio

A Blacksburg company has received its fourth patent in pursuit of a lighted device that treats nail and skin infections.

The patent, granted April 5, expands Keraderm Corp.'s portfolio of three patents and broadens the company's hold on its technology, CEO William Cumbie said.

Keraderm is developing a medical device for the dermatology market. The new patent covers "a different way to generate the light," Cumbie said.

Cumbie said the patent could be thought of as an additional picket in a protective fence the company is building around itself. For technology protection, "you want to build a fence. This is just one more panel that we're putting on the fence," he said.

To advance its commercialization goals, Keraderm is conducting clinical trials and could have results by the end of the year, Cumbie said. The early stage company based at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center has yet to generate revenue, but has garnered investments of about $4.5 million, Cumbie said.

Some of the money came from NewVa Capital Partners, a fund through which the Virginia Tech Foundation, Carilion Clinic and Third Security support firms in the NewVa region of Southwest Virginia.

It will take additional money to bring the lighted treatment device to market, though the amount depends on the approach, Cumbie said.

The company contends that drugs are ineffective in curing fungal nail infections, which are embedded in the nail, but that its microbe-destroying light has yielded results. The light penetrates the nail and either kills the infectious microbes or renders them incapable of reproducing, the company told the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Keraderm is hoping the same or similar technology can be proven to combat infections of the skin.

By Jeff Sturgeon
The Roanoke Times

Biotech Is Making Life Better In Virginia

Op-Ed by Mark Herzog, printed in the Virginia Gazette and the Daily Press

Virginia's bioscience leaders met this week in Williamsburg to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing health care, public policy and biomedical innovation in the commonwealth. For more than 20 years, biomedical innovators across our state have pursued a shared passion to help their fellow citizens live longer, healthier lives.

All across the commonwealth, dedicated researchers in nearly 200 biotechnology and medical device firms are expanding the frontiers of modern medicine. They are pioneering new drugs, more effective therapeutics and life-saving medical devices

Virginia companies have developed nearly 80 marketable biotechnology products, with another 50 or so undergoing the arduous process of clinical trials.

Clearly, biotechnology has asserted itself as a vital contributor to Virginia's economic growth.

According to the Battelle/BIO State Biosciences Initiatives 2010 report, from 2001 to 2008, bioscience employment in Virginia grew by 23 percent, compared to 6 percent total growth statewide and 3.5 percent across all sectors in the U.S.

In Virginia alone, biotechnology organizations directly employ more than 20,000 people. Indirectly through suppliers, vendors and services-related companies, Virginia's biotechnology industry employs nearly 80,000 people. All told, Virginia's biotech sector generated products and services valued at more than $13 billion in 2008.

Underlying this hopeful news are some potentially worrisome issues. Like many states, Virginia's educational requirements need to be reviewed, particularly to get more students prepared for careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. A state's concentration of STEM graduates generally is considered to be a bellwether of its future ability to compete for jobs and economic growth, especially in the global economy. In fact, a recent study notes that Virginia is one of only 17 states without a biology requirement for high school graduation (biology is one of three laboratory options).

On the surface, Virginia's biotech sector seems to match up well in terms of the percentage of research and development activity taking place at state academic institutions like the College of William and Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University. In fiscal year 2008, of the $70.55 billion in total academic funding nationwide, more than $550 million was allocated to biosciences research in Virginia.

That's good enough to place Virginia in the top 20, but it also points up how far the commonwealth has to go. Virginia is bookended by two states — North Carolina and Maryland — that rank fifth and sixth in the nation, respectively. In short, state policy-makers and the research community must take action now to gain full advantage of future growth in the life sciences industry.

Seeking to capitalize on the nucleus of innovative research-based companies, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell earlier this year signed into law the Virginia Refundable Research & Development Tax Credit, which recognizes the enormous upfront expenses emerging advanced-technology companies typically absorb during the arduous journey of bringing cutting-edge products and services to market.

The refundable aspect of the tax credit gives cash-strapped bioscience companies more elbow room to pursue their innovative ideas without having to worry quite as much about meeting expenses before revenue comes rolling in.

The new legislation complements the Virginia Innovation Investment Act, enacted in 2010. That initiative rewards Virginians who invest in advanced technology companies with a full exclusion from capital-gains taxes if an investment is made in the next three years.

Biotechnology-driven advances are saving lives or managing diseases every day for millions around the world. Biotech treatments have increased life expectancy for cancer patients by three years since 1980. Three years may not sound like much, but if you're a parent it can seem like a new lease on life — it may be just enough time to watch a grandchild graduate from college or walk a daughter down the aisle on her wedding day.

Like their counterparts nationally, these are the ideals that animate the ambitious, innovative and driven people who are the face of Virginia's burgeoning biotechnology cluster.

Herzog is the executive director of the Virginia Biotechnology Association.

Virginia Tech Proposes 5 New Degrees

The engineering, biological science and nanotechnology degrees would help students interested in higher-level science fields better prepare for graduate school.

And, the degrees could initiate new partnerships with the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Tech. There, laboratory scientists work cooperatively with high-level computer programmers and other scientists to produce new cancer treatments, among many other sponsored research projects.

Developed in consultation with alumni who work in real estate, that degree proposal would incorporate studies in engineering, agriculture and business, among other elements. If it is ultimately offered, the degree is expected to allow students to take advantage of a housing market rebound, Wubah said.

It is also thought that graduates of the program would be well-positioned in the field because officials found that about "25 percent of Northern Virginia real estate is controlled by Hokies," Wubah said.

All the new proposed degrees would emphasize interdisciplinary studies and undergraduate research -- two major areas of focus at Tech.

In fact, research and interdisciplinary elements will be required for any new undergraduate programs, Wubah said.

"Siloed programs ... are not the future," he said. "The major problems we face ... can't be solved in one discipline. If you take energy, water. Solving those problems takes understanding beyond one discipline."

Requiring biology students, for example, to also take a course in physics and another in chemistry produces graduates who are aware of how other scientific disciplines affect their own field.

"They will have an area they will focus on. But we want them to think laterally," Wubah said.

Wubah came to Tech in 2009 from the University of Florida, where he served as associate provost for undergraduate academic affairs. Since his arrival, he has adopted a review system for new degree proposals similar to one used by graduate school Dean Karen DePauw.

Under this system, concept plans for new degrees are reviewed first by the dean, and then by a committee system within the university. Market research and a detailed explanation of how the degree will prepare students for academia or the work force are required.

If approved by the University Council and the board of visitors, the plan then goes to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, and in some cases the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, for final approval.

From start to finish, implementation of new degrees normally takes about three years, Wubah said.

Both the undergraduate and graduate offices keep and monitor a prioritized list of new program proposals that is reviewed on an annual basis.

Since 2004, the graduate school has used the same process to add 11 new doctoral and master's degrees, as well as certificates and dual degree programs, DePauw said.

Since coming to Tech in 2002 from Washington State University, DePauw has nurtured a resurgence of graduate education at Tech. That resurgence has been instrumental in boosting Tech's overall goal of increasing funded research contracts, as well as helped foster the university's diversity and equity goals.

DePauw echoed Wubah's comments on the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to new degree development, saying she has watched the trend grow in importance over the past 20 years.

Research and science have not been the only areas of focus for the grad school, however. DePauw pointed to the creation of a doctorate in rhetoric and writing and Master of Arts in foreign languages, cultures and literature, and creative technologies.

Research and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) remain the primary focus of Tech's growth, however.

Increasing research funding has been a signature goal of President Charles Steger's administration, and it has become more important as the university looks to high-tech companies, federal agencies and others for grant money to help offset declining state funding.

Officials say that outside money helps fund salaries, erect buildings and buy laboratory equipment, among other benefits.

By: Tonia Moxley
Roanoke Times

2011 Virginia State Science Fair Awards for Biotechnology

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (VABIO) in conjunction with the Chesapeake Bioscience Education Foundation presented awards at the 2011 Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. The volunteer judges studied the abstracts prior to their arrival at the Fair and then voted on the top ten projects to interview one-on-one. Photos from the competition are available here.

"Once again, the students' projects amazed the judges. It was hard to choose among so many excellent projects," said Mark Herzog, VABIO executive director.

After talking with each of the students, the judges made their final selections:

First Place: Charlotte Nina Keeley and Emily Jane Keeley
“Creating a SmartBandage: A Nanoparticle-Embedded Polymer to Detect Local Oxygen Levels in Wounds” (ENT007)
Category: Engineering: Materials and Bioengineering
Region: Charlottesville

Second Place: Choonh-Seoup Youn
“Regulation of Telomerase Activity in Prostate Cancer Cell by a Novel Protein, DEK” (CMI003)
Category: Cellular – Molecular Biology
Region: Fairfax

Third Place: Benjamin Tyler Cobb and John Conor Moran
“Identification of Novel Stress – (Cortisol) Dependent Cisplatin Resistance in Lung and Breast Cancer Cells” (CMT002)
Category: Cellular - Molecular Biology
Region: Fairfax

Thank you to our VaBIO Judges:
David Anderson, Vice President Scientific Affairs, Lyotropic Therapeutics, Inc.
Martin Chapman, President, Indoor Biotechnologies, Inc.
Michael Francis, Research Associate, LifeNet Health
Mark Herzog, Executive Director, Virginia Biotechnology Association
Eugene Maurakis, Director of Science Education, Science Museum of Virginia
Roy Ogle, Director of Regenerative Medicine, LifeNet Health
Gary Pekoe, Founder, Arkios Biodevelopment International
Patrick Sachs, Research Associate, LifeNet Health

The winners are eligible to be considered for the 2011 Virginia BioGENEius Challenge team that will compete at the national challenge in June at the BIO Convention in Washington, DC.

Local News Video: New Biotech Labs for Charlottesville

The historic former home of Coca-Cola in Charlottesville is getting a new high-tech future. Monday morning, the city announced a major development will fill the space on Preston Avenue with labs and research companies. This project is a first for the city.



Citycampus Biotechnology Center will begin transforming the 72-year-old former soda bottling plant into state-of-the-art labs. The city and Virginia Biotechnology Association presented the plans Monday morning.

Citycampus Center will be the first fully-equipped wet lab space in Charlottesville - labs where researchers can test chemicals, drugs, and biological materials. Indoor Biotechnologies Incorporated is buying the building from Coke and will be the lead tenant in Citycampus.

The United Kingdom based company sells allergy and asthma products and services around the world.

Indoor Biotechnologies President Martin Chapman said, "If we provide space for expansion, we can clearly develop more of that industry and hopefully recruit biotech companies to come from other parts of the state, which would be terrific."

The project to rehabilitate the 1939-era Coca Cola building will cost Indoor Biotechnologies $3-$5 million and will take about two years to finish. At full-build out, the facility will create 110-150 high-tech, high-paying jobs.

The city expects the project will keep UVA research spin-off companies in Charlottesville.

Click here for the video link: http://www.nbc29.com/category/175568/video-landing-page?clipId=5701013&autostart=true

Insmed Regains NASDAQ Compliance

Insmed Incorporated (Nasdaq CM: INSMD), a biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received notification from The NASDAQ Stock Market that it has regained compliance with the minimum $1.00 per share bid price requirement.

To regain compliance with the bid price rule, Insmed was required to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share or more for a period of at least 10 consecutive business days. On March 16, 2011, the closing price of Insmed's common stock was $5.02 per share, the tenth consecutive business day the stock price had closed above $1.00 per share. The NASDAQ Capital Market has indicated that this matter in now closed.

Insmed will continue to trade on The NASDAQ Capital Market.

March 21, 2011
citybizlist

ADial Pharmaceuticals, Led by UVA Profs, Raises $4.1M

According to an SEC filing, ADial Pharmaceuticals, L.L.C., developer of medications to treat addictions, completed a $4.1 million offering.

The company was founded by Prof. Bankole Johnson, who serves as president and chairman.

Dr. Johnson is Alumni Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. He is well-known for his discovery of compounds that have been effective in the treatment of alcoholism. Professor Johnson also received national media attention for his appearance in the Home Box Office (HBO) original documentary feature, "Addiction", which won the prestigious Governors Award, a special Emmy Award, from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Johnson is named in the filing, along with CEO William B. Stilley and CFO John F. Riccardi; and directors Robert S Capon, Mike L. King, Ming D Li, and Wendy L Yarno.

Capon, King and Li are all members of the University of Virginia faculty. Capon was also the co-founder and former CEO of Charlottesville-based Adenosine Therapeutics.

March 16, 2011
citybizlist

Virginia To Start Using Familial DNA Searches for Criminals

Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that the Virginia Department of Forensic Science (DFS) has developed the capability to perform a technique known as familial DNA searching. This application will expand DFS’ ability to assist in criminal investigations by searching its DNA database for a person or persons who may be closely related to an unknown individual, not in the database, whose DNA has been identified on an item of crime scene evidence and consequently is being sought as a suspect in a specific crime.

“It is vital that our law enforcement agencies have every available tool at their disposal to protect public safety and investigate the most violent crimes in the Commonwealth,” said Governor McDonnell. “This new technology will allow forensic experts to develop leads otherwise unavailable to law enforcement officers that can expedite the identification of criminals in certain cases and can get these offenders off the streets before any further loss of life or injuries to citizens occur.”

Familial DNA searching is currently being used in California and Colorado to provide law enforcement investigators leads to possible criminal suspects, and was instrumental in the 2010 capture of a murder suspect in California’s “Grim Sleeper” cases. The computer software required to perform a familial search of profiles in Virginia’s databank of convicted offender and arrestee DNA samples was developed by and provided to DFS without cost by the Office of Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. The acquisition of the Denver software and the DFS laboratory personnel’s review to validate its suitability for searching Virginia DNA databank profiles followed requests from several local prosecutors to consider applying the technology to a number of unsolved crimes that occurred in the Commonwealth.

Virginia law requires that persons convicted of or arrested for certain specified crimes provide a sample of their DNA for inclusion in the state databank of DNA profiles. In a typical search of the database, a match is determined if a DNA profile in the databank is essentially the same as a DNA profile found on crime scene evidence. If a typical search does not result in a match, it is possible that a familial search could identify one or more database profiles that bear a strong similarity to the crime scene profile, suggesting that the persons who provided the DNA may be related. Further DNA analysis can be conducted to determine the likelihood of a family relationship before the names of potential relatives are provided to law enforcement officials for investigation. The success of identifying a lead to the perpetrator of an unsolved crime depends upon a parent, child, or sibling of the perpetrator having previously provided a DNA sample by law as a convicted offender or arrestee.

“I am grateful for the assistance the Commonwealth has received from Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey and his staff, and I am enormously proud of the effort undertaken by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science to put this technology in place,” said Governor McDonnell. “As always, DFS has proceeded with the care and deliberation required to ensure confidence in its results and the highest level of service to the law enforcement agencies of the Commonwealth. Familial DNA searching, which must be used cautiously and sparingly, provides another important tool to assist law enforcement in some of their most difficult and heinous cases where the safety of the public remains a concern.”

DFS has issued a policy for considering requests from law enforcement officials to conduct familial DNA searches in cases involving unsolved violent crimes against persons where other investigative leads have been exhausted and critical public safety concerns exist. In such a case, if crime scene evidence has yielded a DNA profile suitable for searching and law enforcement officials and prosecutors commit to further investigation if a potential relative is identified, the DFS director will direct that a familial DNA search be performed in accordance with departmental scientific protocols.

Commonwealth Biotechnologies removes board chairman

Commonwealth Biotechnologies Inc. said it has removed its board chairman after he urged shareholders to support his own reorganization plan for the company, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Chesterfield County-based research and development company said in a statement Tuesday that its board voted March 11 to remove William Guo as chairman and as a director of the company.

Guo, an entrepreneur in China who founded the pharmaceutical company VenturePharm Group, filed various submissions with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 9, March 11 and again on March 14.

In the filings, Guo urged shareholders to support a reorganization plan that would make him the sole director of the company at a salary of $1. His letter to shareholders claimed that the company's co-founder and chief executive officer, Richard Freer, was unqualified to serve as CEO. He called for a shareholders' meeting in late March.

The company said in a statement Tuesday that Guo's filings were "unauthorized" and were "replete with factual errors, misleading comments and baseless allegations."

The company said its board of directors demanded that Guo retract the statements and inform the Securities and Exchange Commission that the filings were unauthorized. He declined to do so, according to the statement by the company.

Guo also called for the company to delay the sale of its 32,000-square-foot building at 601 Biotech Drive in Chesterfield. Instead, Guo said he wants to cut the company's administrative expenses and pay off its unsecured debt partially with common stock and partially with cash from the sale of its only remaining operating unit, Mimotopes Pty Ltd., a drug discovery and research business in Australia.

A phone message left Tuesday at Commonwealth Biotechnologies seeking comment was not returned. A U.S. representative for Guo listed in the SEC filings said Guo was not available for comment Tuesday.

Commonwealth Biotechnologies provides research services to the biotech industry. Founded nearly 20 years ago by four Virginia Commonwealth University scientists, it was the first business to occupy space in the Virginia Biotechnology Research Park in Richmond in 1994.

In 1999, two years after it sold stock publicly, it moved to a new headquarters and laboratory building in Chesterfield.

After reporting millions of dollars in annual net losses since 2006, the company announced plans last year to sell its assets, pay off its debts and seek a merger partner.

It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January to protect itself from creditors and to halt a foreclosure auction of its building.

The company's plan is to sell its assets and make itself a shell company. It would then seek to complete a "reverse merger" by finding a privately owned company seeking to become public by acquiring a shell business with stock that is already publicly traded.

By: John Reid Blackwell
March 16, 2011
Richmond Times-Dispatch

Daily Progress: VA Needs to Focus on Biotech

In the University of Virginia, our Charlottesville region possesses one of the nation’s top teaching hospitals and one of the nation’s top business schools. For these reasons and more, our area already is doing well in biotech entrepreneurship.

But it could be positioned for even greater growth.

And the commonwealth as a whole would be smart to better support this important and growing industry, for the sake of economic and humanitarian advancement.

Biotech is a special industry, says Mark Herzog, executive director of the Virginia Biotechnology Association — both in its promise and in its needs.

Some of the most exciting innovations in science are occurring in this field, including in such areas as potential cures for cancers and bioremediation of pollution. When this research comes to fruition, the gains for humanity will be enormous.

Already, quality and longevity of life are being immensely improved by biotech advances.

Although biotech scientists generally pursue their research for love rather than riches, the economic benefits from biotech also can be substantial. And it is economic benefit to the community, more than to the individual, that brings the biggest payoff.

Biotech firms need highly trained workers, who can be highly paid for their special skills, and that money helps feed the local economy.

Biotech firms need support businesses — from accountants, to attorneys (working through red tape can take years) to advertising experts (to market successful products). Spinoff and support firms also contribute to the economy.

†Biotech firms also have special needs. In addition to specially trained workers, they also need specialized facilities, particularly wet labs. It is far more expensive to build these facilities than to construct typical office or manufacturing space.

Higher startup costs unfortunately often combine with delayed return on investment. It can take 20 years to bring a new drug to market — 20 years of meticulous research, testing and adhering to government regulations.

The rewards from biotech research can be huge — equally, the risks. Although some “angels” are attracted expressly to the excitement of bioscience, many venture capitalists don’t understand the unusual realities of the industry, or are unwilling to accept its uncertainties.

That means funding for promising new fields of research can be hard to come by.

It’s also why the statistic cited in the March 6 editorial is so important. Virginia is not just 50th, but 52nd — behind even Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia — in categories tracking changes in the amount of grant money our companies are able to attract from the National Institutes of Health. Even when public money is available, Virginia is doing a relatively poor job of pulling it in.

That’s just one measure of success, but it tells a vital part of the story.

Other states are forging ahead in biotech research — in fact, they are so far ahead that our own young scientists are leaving to pursue careers elsewhere.

With its nationally ranked universities, its ties to the defense industry and its proximity to Washington, Virginia could be — should be — a leader in bioscience. But Virginia must determine to capitalize on those resources and determine to add to them.

The risks of inaction are high; the rewards of success, virtually unlimited.

Editorial By The Daily Progress, Published: March 08, 2011
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/mar/08/va-needs-focus-biotech-ar-891518/

Va Should Position For Growth

The greater Charlottesville region is home to more than 17 percent of the state’s biotech companies, based on information from the Virginia Bioscience Directory.

It contains more than 20 percent of the state’s bioscience equipment companies, nearly 18 percent of its medical device companies and nearly 17 percent of its bioenergy companies.

That’s a pretty good record — and it doesn’t even include firms in nearby Waynesboro and Staunton.

And it all adds to the local economy.

With much of this innovation sparked by the University of Virginia, the region is doing well in comparison with other parts of the state. But more could be accomplished.

And significantly more could be accomplished statewide if the commonwealth’s leadership would bring state policies up to speed in this emerging tech field.

That’s the view of Virginia Biotechnology Association Executive Director Mark A. Herzog. He was in Charlottesville last week for a biotech conference and took time out to speak with The Daily Progress editorial board. And he made a strong case for increased public support of biotechnology startups and homegrown companies.

First, a snapshot of where Virginia stands today in comparison with other states:

“When’s the last time you saw Virginia at the bottom of anybody’s list?” Mr. Herzog asked.

Well, there we are: Not just 50th, but 52nd — behind even Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia — in categories tracking changes in the amount of grant money our companies are able to attract from the National Institutes of Health. The figures from a Batelle study show that Virginia actually lost ground in those categories from 2004 to 2009.

It’s just one small part of the overall picture — but it’s a dramatic one, and deserves attention.

Here’s another startling statement: “We’ve become an incubator for other states’ bio industries,” says Mr. Herzog.

Too often, our people — UVa post-docs, for instance — cannot remain in the commonwealth because the jobs aren’t here, and the jobs often aren’t here because the venture capital for exciting new startup companies comes from out of state.

In other words, Virginia might be producing brilliant researchers who have world-class ideas for new medical drugs or new biofuels, but we are not always providing an environment that allows them to develop their ideas and take them to market. We are not completing the loop. And when they must export their ideas elsewhere, Virginia experiences the ill effects of brain drain and lost economic opportunities.

Clearly, the Charlottesville region isn’t doing too badly, with its relatively high percentage of biotech companies. But imagine how much more powerful that economic engine could be if the state provided the right tools for growing it.

Some of the world’s most exciting — and humanitarian — innovations are occurring in this field. And Virginia should position itself to be an integral part of these advances.

The Daily Progress

VA Assembly Honors Henrietta Lacks

From the Virginia Pilot:

Va. legislators honor woman whose cancer became a cure

After six decades of obscurity, Henrietta Lacks was honored Tuesday by the Virginia General Assembly for the revolutionary advances in medicine made possible by her harvested cancer cells.

Watching from the gallery were surviving family members, many of whom lack health insurance as biomedical companies make millions from her legacy.

A doctor from the medical school where the saga began acknowledged that the case raises difficult issues of medical ethics.

Lacks was born in 1920 and raised by her grandfather on a tobacco farm in Clover, a crossroads in Halifax County where her ancestors had toiled as slaves. She married in 1941 and moved to Baltimore.

In 1951, she died of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where doctors – following the common practice of the day – had taken samples of her tumor without asking permission of Lacks or her family.

The cells, it turned out, had an incredible ability to divide and replenish themselves indefinitely, creating a line that has been used worldwide in medical research. HeLa cells, as they are known – an abbreviation of Lacks’ first and last names – contributed to the invention of the first effective polio vaccine by Jonas Salk and treatments for cancer and AIDS.

Lacks’ family didn’t learn the full story of her monumental contribution to medicine until publication last year of the widely praised book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot.

They listened Tuesday as Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, sponsor of a resolution commemorating Lacks in observance of Black History Month, called her story “a source of pride and celebration not just for African Americans but for all mankind.”

Among those at the presentation and a news conference was Lacks’ son David Lacks, 63, a part-time truck driver in Baltimore with no health insurance.

He and other family members have struggled to make sense of a system in which corporate medicine benefited handsomely from their ancestor’s legacy while they scraped by.

“It would be nice if we could get some compensation,” he said.

Dr. Daniel Ford, vice dean for clinical investigation at Johns Hopkins, said “it has taken too long for Johns Hopkins to recognize the contribution of Henrietta Lacks.”

But any financial payment to the family by the hospital would be a “bad precedent,” Ford said, noting that Johns Hopkins gave the cells away to other researchers. It now pays $100,000 a year to companies that produce HeLa cells for research at Hopkins.

The compensation issue is “a very complicated question,” he said. “As a society we’re all still trying to work that out.”

http://hamptonroads.com/print/590040