Quoting from the May 2011 ColoradoBiz report by Eric Peterson:
"Holli Baumunk, president and CEO of the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) in Denver, is bullish, and she has the numbers to back it up.
'Bioscience is one of the few sectors that's been growing in the past two years,' Baumunk says. From 2005 to 2010, the biotech and pharmaceutical industries in Colorado grew by about 3 percent, while the larger industry suffered through a 4 percent contraction over the same period nationally. And Colorado's medical device industry outdid biotech and pharma by growing 8
percent over those five years.
However, not all is well in bioscience, Baumunk says. 'We're a little concerned about regulatory issues at the federal level and financial issues around the country,' she says. 'The FDA is undergoing major reforms that are having an impact on the bioscience industry. It's becoming a lot more stringent toward the medical device industry.
New devices could have to go through the same trials a drug goes through. The cost of that is extremely high. What we're really concerned about is what this will do to U.S. competitiveness globally. If we're constantly implementing more and more regulation on our companies, it's not going to be cost-effective for them to manufacture here. It's a long haul already, and this makes it longer.'
Proposals to lower the length of a patent on biosimilars, generic versions of biotech drugs with expired patents, from 12 years to seven have also raised the industry's ire, Baumunk says.
'It doesn't give companies enough time to recoup their investment,' she argues, noting that the average drug requires a decade to get out of the red. 'Why develop it? Where's the money? Another thing we're very concerned about is lack of financing for emerging bioscience companies. Venture capital money has really dried up.'
The CBSA is pushing for a five-year renewal of the Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program, which funneled $27 million to early-stage companies in recent years. 'We want that to continue,' Baumunk says. Same goes for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding at the federal level.
Nevertheless, Colorado is well-positioned with its fast growing medical campuses and programs at the state's institutions of higher learning. Baumunk cites both University of Colorado and Colorado State University as well as Colorado School of Mines. 'We are really lucky to have all of these research institutions.'"
Link to the article at cobizmag.com
Quoting Joanne Davidson's column in the Denver Post:
Industry supporters gathered at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science May 26th to celebrate Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper's signing of The Innovation Reinvestment Act, Senate Bill 47. The announcement is made by Holli Baumunk, President & CEO of the Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA), who says the bill was initiated during the 2010-11 legislative session by the CBSA in partnership with the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association (CCIA) and sponsored by Senator Rollie Heath, Representative Cheri Gerou, and Representative Jim Riesberg.
BCBR's Beth Potter recaps the Biotechnology Panel discussion at the recent Boulder Economic Summit in "Small biotech firms find success."
The Cat Care Society (CCS) is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year. The announcement is made by Shari Shiffer-Krieger, CCS Executive Director, who says the milestone is being officially commemorated June 5th at Green Gables Country Club with the auction of 17 painted fiberglass cats, each about 28" tall and painted a different theme by local artists.
Quoting from John Davidson's May 8th Pet Calendar:
The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) has been fortunate to have passed/supported four financing bills through the 2010-2011 Legislative Session that will help the bioscience community grow in Colorado. The state has extended the BDEGP program to 2018 and increased grant funds by an additional $26 million through 2018 for a total grant program of $53 million. Quick overview:
Quoting from the May 2011 ColoradoBiz report by Eric Peterson:
Quoting from the Denver Business Journal:
The May 2011 issue of the national trade magazine, Bioscience®, includes the Colorado BioScience Association in several quotes, plus a photo with CBSA Pres/CEO Holli Baumunk, in the feature "Working the Network" by Mark Crawford.
Reminder: the Cat Care Society's 30th Anniversary 'Painted Cats' Art Collection is now on display at the Lakewood Arts Council Gallery and tonight (Thursday, May 5) is the Opening Reception, 7-8:30 p.m. The event is open to the public. See all the Painted Cats, plus other great feline art on display. We encourage you to join us. The LAC Gallery is located at 85 South Union Blvd #C.
KWGN's Everyday Show featured the Cat Care Society's Painted Cats Art Collection on Wednesday, May 4. We appreciate the reminder about the Opening Reception, Thursday Night, May 5, 7-8:30, at the Lakewood Arts Council Gallery. See all the Painted Cats, plus other great feline art on display.
"Tails of the Painted Cats," the 30th Anniversary Art Event for the shelter cats at the Cat Care Society (CCS), are now on display at the Lakewood Arts Council Co-op Gallery during the month of May through June 4. A public reception is Thursday, May 5, 7 - 8:30 p.m., at the LAC Gallery.
The session was held April 28, 2011, at the Scientific Education Research Institute (SERI), Thornton, CO. Participants in the session included: Dr. Ron Sokol, Director, Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) - keynote speaker; Fred Mitchell, CEO, Beacon Biotechnology; Dr. Larry Gold, Chairman and Chief Science Officer, SomaLogic; David Brunel, CEO, Biodesix; and Dr. Pauline Gee, Chief Science Officer, BodySync. Vicki Jenings, Director of Business Relations, Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, moderated the session.
