LifeScience: 'Aurora Bioscience district gets new boss with big experience'

Quoting from the July 3 Aurora Sentinel article by Brandon Johansson:

"Steve VanNurden is excited for the new expansion wing at the Bioscience Park Center, Thursday afternoon, June 28, at the Fitzsimons Life Science District. VanNurden took over as President and CEO in late May...

...That growth and the momentum he sees being built was what drew VanNurden from Mayo Clinic Ventures in Rochester, Minn. to the FRA.

VanNurden started at Mayo 22 years ago after a career with agriculture-industry giant Cargill.

A few years prior, Mayo had launched Mayo Clinic Ventures, which aimed to take the world-class research happening at Mayo, and turn it into bioscience and biotechnology companies.

Since then, he helped start about 50 individual companies.

That ability to take the ideas that sprout from medical research and turn them into profitable companies has local officials excited about VanNurden’s arrival at the FRA.

Mark Spiecker, CEO of Sharklet Technologies, one of the 39 companies at the FRA’s Bioscience Park Center, said VanNurden is the perfect fit for the organization.

Across the health-care industry, Mayo is seen as a model for technology development and funding, Spiecker said, and Mayo Clinic Ventures is well-known as a place where breakthrough technologies become startup companies.

'Having a guy that used to run that program is a great opportunity for us,' he said.

Holli Riebel, CEO of the Colorado Bioscience Association, said landing VanNurden was a sign that Colorado’s burgeoning bioscience industry is gaining credibility around the country. 'I think it’s a real coup for us to be able to attract Steve,' she said.

His background with starting bioscience companies will be ideal at the FRA, where officials have announced an enhanced focus on building relationships with the rest of the state’s bioscience industry, she said.

'That’s really what we’re trying to do,' she said."

Link to the full article

Denver Post: 'Denver to get U.S. Patent Office, a $440 million economic boost'

Quoting from this morning's Denver Post:

"The Denver metro area is among three places that will get a new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; a $440 million economic generator that promises hundreds of new high-paying jobs, according to documents obtained by The Denver Post on Saturday...

Holli Riebel, president of the Colorado BioScience Association, worked the state's budding network of biologists and scientists; people who often apply for patents; to sign a letter of support.

'Many times, things go to the coasts and they don't go to the middle of the country,' she said at the time. 'I think there's a huge market that could be drawn from the middle. It's an easy place for everyone to get to, and we do have an international airport.'"

Link to the Denver Post report

Link to a related report in the Denver Business Journal

NCBR: 'Colorado medical device companies grow'

Quoting from the June 29th posting:

"The number of Colorado medical device companies grew by nearly 20 percent in Colorado in the last decade, according to a new bioscience report.

Furthermore, the state showed a 16.1 percent employment growth in the medical device sector from 2001 to 2010, the nonprofit Colorado BioScience Association said Friday. The association cited data from a recent report compiled by global research and development group Battelle and the Biotechnology Industry Organization."

Link to the Northern Colorado Business Report

New Data Shows Colorado’s Bioscience Industry Outpaced National Growth Since 2001 and Continued Adding Jobs Overall Since 2007

Quoting New Battelle/BIO Report: "Colorado’s bioscience industry is large and has outpaced national growth since 2001 by continuing to add jobs overall since 2007. Its companies employ nearly 27,000 with the large and highly specialized state medical device and equipment subsector growing by 16 percent since 2001. Job growth in research, testing, and medical labs has also driven overall sector growth since 2001."

Link to the Business Wire release

Link to the PitchEngine Social Media newswire

OurWestsiderNews.com: 'Touring cat statues stop in Westminster'

Quoting the June 21st article by Ashley Reimers (Meowscarade by Pam Schmidt pictured):

"The Aar River Gallery will welcome some feline friends as the 'Tails of the Painted Cats' passes through historic Westminster.

'Tails of the Painted Cats' is a fundraising event for the Cat Care Society in Lakewood, a nonprofit organization established to improve the quality of life for homeless, injured and abused cats in the Denver metropolitan area.

Currently the litter of eye-catching cat statues is on a two-month tour of the metro area.

'This is our second year doing this fundraiser, and it’s been a lot of fun,' said Suellen Scott, CCS director of development. 'The cats are amazing to look at.'

The larger-than-life cats created by Colorado artists will be on display 608 p.m. Friday, June 29, during a wine-and-cheese reception in the gallery’s outdoor garden, 3707 W. 73rd Ave. Tickets are $10 [per person donation at the door]."

Link to the article about the Aar River Gallery event June 29th

Link to the Advance Bidding Site

Link to buy tickets to the Gala Dinner & Auction on July 28th at Lakewood Country Club

CBSA Releases 2012 Edition of Bioscience Colorado Magazine - Colorado Centers of Excellence: Elevated Thinking

The 2012 issue of Bioscience Colorado highlights centers of excellence within the state, including Cancer, Infectious Disease, Respiratory, Cardiac and Biofuels. The research the writers and experts have compiled for this issue illustrates that there are several components—infrastructure, expertise, industry connections, and patient outcomes. Each article focuses on a center and examines the elements that make it truly excellent.

The new issue also includes:

* Complete listing of every bioscience company in the state

* Annual industry financing and investment overview

* Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program (BDEGP) update

This publication is an integral part of the Association’s mission to support the Colorado bioscience community through advocacy, resources and advancement of opportunities for collaboration. It reaches thousands of bioscience, economic development, legislative, university and industry leaders.

The new magazine rolls out the industry’s new branding campaign for Bioscience in Colorado: Elevated Thinking. We have some of the top research institutions in the country and over 600 bioscience companies led by the best in the industry—creating the vision and drive to succeed. That’s why so many great ideas that impact the globe start and grow here in Colorado.

Link to the magazine pdf

Link to the Business Wire release

Link to the PitchEngine Social Media newswire

Extra Dirt: 'Give Your Plants a Fishy Treat'

Quoting from the e-newsletter of the National Home Gardening Club:

"Want to give your garden a nutritious boost? Go fish!...

Made by Bell Aquaculture (the nation's largest yellow perch farm), the fertilizer is garden- and people-safe and meets USDA specifications for organic growing. It promises faster greening and root establishment, and more intense, longer-lasting blooms. It's sold in liquid form, so it's easy to apply."

Link to the Extra Dirt online archive