Visit CURE at http://curenet.org and CURE BioScience Explorations at http://bioscienceexplorations.org

July 2010
 

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CURE's Annual Meeting and BioHaven Series Showcase Connecticut Biopharma
Yale Cell Biology Researcher Wins $1 Million Prize
Healthcare Reform Focus of CURE Annual Meeting
Ion Torrent & 4 Biotechs Draw Venture Capital
JS Genetics Presents at CURE/Yale BioHaven Series
Amarin Corporation Focus of CURE/Yale BioHaven Presentation
Jonathan Rothberg Presents at CURE Yale BioHaven
CT Stem Cell Research Roundup
CURE Member News Digest

Healthcare Reform Focus of CURE Annual Meeting

Uwe Reinhardt Explains Legislation's Impact on Biopharma

Awards Conferred on Pfizer, Jon Soderstrom, MannKind Corporation and Boehringer Ingelheim
 


Dr. Larry Altstiel of Pfizer (l) with David Keiser of CURE


Dr. Jon Soderstrom of Yale (l) with David Keiser of CURE


Dr. Juergen Martens of MannKind Corporation (l) with David Keiser of CURE


Harry Penner (l) and David Keiser of CURE


Professor Uwe Reinhardt of Yale/Princeton


Professor Reinhardt (l) with Paul Pescatello of CURE

     Connecticut’s premier life science award, the CURE Award for Excellence, was presented to Pfizer, Inc. at the April 27 annual meeting of CURE in New Haven. 

(Click here for a copy of the complete remarks by Paul Pescatello, president and CEO of CURE.)

The award went to Pfizer for its investment in “multiple approaches to treating Alzheimer’s Disease.” Pfizer has no fewer than seven Alzheimer’s clinical projects ongoing and several more programs in earlier stages of development at its Groton research site.

Dr. Larry Altstiel of Pfizer accepted the award from David Keiser, co-chair of CURE, who also presented several other awards.

The CURE Award for Excellence is an annual award given to an individual or organization in recognition of a significant contribution or achievement in Connecticut bioscience. Past winners include Alexion Pharmaceuticals of Cheshire and 454 Life Sciences of Branford.

The CURE Atlas Award for Venture Capital Achievement went to Jon Soderstrom of Yale University’s Office of Cooperative Research, who was at the meeting to accept the award.

Since joining the Yale office, which manages the university’s intellectual assets, Soderstrom has participated in the formation of more than 25 new ventures, collectively raising over $350 million in professional venture capital.

The CURE New Operations Award was presented to MannKind Corporation, which operates a manufacturing facility in Danbury.

The facility includes custom processes for the manufacture and packing of AFREZZA®, the company’s promising new insulin therapy, a drug-device combination consisting of a pre-metered dose of insulin powder and an easy-to-use inhaler.

The award was accepted by Dr. Juergen Martens, who is corporate vice President of technical operations and chief technical officer at MannKind.

The CURE Education Award was presented to Boehringer Ingelheim, the multinational pharmaceutical company with U.S. headquarters in Ridgefield. Harry Penner accepted the award on behalf of Boehringer Ingelheim.

The company has funded Boehringer Ingelheim Science Quest, a multifaceted science outreach program aimed at elementary school children. The program includes a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory that will visit schools throughout Connecticut.

 
Following the award presentations, the audience heard from noted health care economist Professor Uwe Reinhardt of Yale and Princeton. Reinhardt spoke on how the bioscience industries may be affected by the new federal health care legislation.

“This bill, in many ways, is not that big a deal,” said the Princeton professor. It has more opportunities for the biotech field than challenges, he said, as well as for big pharma and wholesale distributors. But he predicted the reverse for the insurance industry.

Reinhardt said the greatest impact of the health care bill will be assistance for middle class families who are being priced out of the market, particularly those earning up to $55,000 a year.

Recognized as one of the nation’s leading authorities on health care economics, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Dr. Uwe E. Reinhardt is the James Madison Professor of Political Economy and Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs at Princeton University. He received his Ph.D. degree from Yale University. Click here to view recent articles by Professor Reinhardt in the New York Times.

In opening remarks, Paul Pescatello, president and CEO of CURE, said that during the past year, “The strength of Connecticut R&D has allowed Connecticut biotechs to attract a disproportionate share of venture capital investment, Connecticut pharmas to redouble their investments in new medicines, and Connecticut research institutions to win grants for an array of novel and exciting projects.

“Connecticut stem cell research serves the public interest and sows the seeds for future entrepreneurial activity,” Pescatello continued. “And CURE’s direct outreach to the public through our BioScience Explorations programs continues to reach Connecticut kids and teachers with state-of-the-art equipment and cutting edge science.”

CURE thanks the sponsors who made this year's event possible: PhRMA, Pfizer, Yale University, and We Work for Health CT.

 
 
Copyright 2010 © Connecticut United for Research Excellence. All rights reserved. Visit CURE at http://curenet.org and CURE BioScience Explorations at http://bioscienceexplorations.org
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Newsletter developed and edited by HarveyMalis Communications LLC, Guilford, Conn.

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