July 27, 2012

Bioscience

Bioscience is a thriving sector in Northern Colorado, with 50 companies in growth mode, according to the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. The industry employs nearly 2,000 people.

Bioscience has been growing thanks to Colorado State University’s two superclusters aimed at speeding the transfer of innovative new technologies to the marketplace. One focuses on cancer research and the other emphasizes infectious disease.

The superclusters recently have spawned four bioscience companies, Diazamed, KromaTiD, VetDC and Avant Microsensors. CSU researchers have generated 157 new bioscience inventions in the past two years, according to CSU Ventures.

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In the cancer supercluster, Diazamed makes a compound that coats stents to keep them working properly amid complications such as clotting. VetDC uses the Animal Cancer Center’s research capacities to identify promising cancer therapies for animals.

KromaTiD is developing methods to detect chromosomal inversions, which are genetic abnormalities associated with cancers and developmental disorders. The Colorado Institute for Drug, Device and Diagnostic Development recently announced that it would back the company with investment and operational support services.

As part of the infectious disease supercluster, Avant Microsensors makes paper with a wax-like substance that can be used to test for bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria. The testing is less expensive and more efficient than conventional diagnostic systems.

Other CSU bioscience assets include the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, consistently ranked as among the nation’s top veterinary programs.

Along with the activity at CSU, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention operates one of its federal laboratories in Fort Collins. The Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases is one of the leading vector-borne research centers in the world.

The CDC opened its $80 million facility in the city in 2007. The facility is a center for research in West Nile virus, Lyme disease, plague, dengue fever, Eastern equine encephalitis and other illnesses.

Fort Collins’ National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, formerly called the National Seed Storage Laboratory, is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The center is a repository for plant genetic resources, as well as animal semen.

The region also boasts many medical-device, instrument, pharmaceutical and biofuels companies, many of which have ties to CSU.

The Northern Colorado Bioscience Cluster, headed by Michael Handley, aims to create an even greater bioscience presence.

Handley, appointed president of the Northern Colorado Bioscience Cluster in January, has an ambitious goal of helping to create 25 viable life-science companies over the next five years. The target also involves helping create 250 jobs, each paying more than $70,000 annually, according to the organization’s strategic plan.

Bioscience is a thriving sector in Northern Colorado, with 50 companies in growth mode, according to the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. The industry employs nearly 2,000 people.

Bioscience has been growing thanks to Colorado State University’s two superclusters aimed at speeding the transfer of innovative new technologies to the marketplace. One focuses on cancer research and the other emphasizes infectious disease.

The superclusters recently have spawned four bioscience companies, Diazamed, KromaTiD, VetDC and Avant Microsensors. CSU researchers have generated 157 new bioscience inventions in the past two years, according to CSU Ventures.

In the cancer supercluster, Diazamed makes a compound that…

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