Virginia BioTechnology Research Park

November 2009

BIOTECH PARK NEWS

Park Graduate, Intelliject, Inc., Enters Into Licensing Agreement with Sanofi-Aventis
Intelliject, Inc. announced an exclusive license with sanofi-aventis U.S. for a novel epinephrine auto-injector, in the U.S. and Canada territory. Under the license, sanofi-aventis U.S. shall be responsible for manufacturing and commercialization. Intelliject will be responsible for the on-going development and for obtaining U.S. regulatory approval and has retained certain co-promotion rights in the territory.
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Park Featured on NPR For New Partnership with BioCity
The Virginia BioTechnology Research Park recently announced a collaborative partnership with BioCity Nottingham, one of the UK’s fastest growing bioscience incubators. Robert T. Skunda, President and CEO of the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, was featured on NPR on November 24, 2009, to talk about this new partnership.
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BioCity Nottingham – Gateway to the States for Life Science Companies
BioCity Nottingham, one of the UK’s fastest growing bioscience and healthcare business incubators, has officially announced a collaborative partnership with three leading US science parks, including Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, which effectively establishes a gateway into the lucrative American pharmaceutical markets.
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VBRP CEO Featured on NPR for Dominion GreenTech Incubator
Robert T. Skunda, President and CEO of the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, was featured on NPR on Friday, November 13, 2009. The interview featured the Dominion GreenTech Incubator which is a new partnership between the Park, Dominion Resources Inc., Hanover County and the Town of Ashland.
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Dominion Resources Greentech Incubator To Grow Clean Technology Businesses, Jobs in Central Virginia
The Dominion Resources GreenTech Incubator, a center to assist new businesses focused on energy efficiency and other clean and green technologies, is scheduled to open early next year in Ashland, Va., with financial support from Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation’s largest producers of energy. In addition to Dominion, founding members of the new incubator include Hanover County, Va., the Town of Ashland and the Virginia Biosciences Development Center (VBDC) of Richmond, Va., which will manage the GreenTech incubator.
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AWARDS, HONORS and GRANTS

VCU Alumna Named Rhodes Scholarship Finalist
Margaret (Maggie) O’Brien, a 2008 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, has been selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest international fellowship for academic study.
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VCU Medical Center Recognized for Achievements in Stroke Care
The VCU Medical Center has received the American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines -Stroke Silver Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes the VCU Medical Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.
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VCU da Vinci Center Project Showed “Greatest Potential for Patient Benefit”
The Virginia Commonwealth University da Vinci Center’s prototype of a $500 operating table for developing countries stood out in a recent competition in Boston, winning a top honor among 60 entrants that included participants from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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NEWS and RESEARCH

Bulgarian Officials, Transplant Professionals Visit UNOS
Representatives from Bulgarian transplant programs and transplant professional organizations and the Bulgarian government visited UNOS Nov. 24 to learn more about the U.S. organ transplant system and discuss opportunities for information exchange and assistance.
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Researchers Identify Role of Gene in Tumor Development, Growth and Progression
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. Scientists hope the finding could lead to an effective therapy to target and inhibit the expression of this gene resulting in inhibition of cancer growth.
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ARCTIC Program Offers Very Latest in Treatment for Cardiac Arrest
The VCU Medical Center was one of the first hospitals in the country to use therapeutic hypothermia to improve survival after cardiac arrest and has been doing so for nearly six years. The program continues to evolve by implementing new science as soon as it is available so that patients receive the very latest in quality treatment for cardiac arrest.
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