Interview: ValveXchange's Larry Blankenship and Dr. Ivan Vesely

w3w3's Larry Nelson:

"We're talking with Larry Blankenship, Chairman of the Board and CEO of ValveXchange and Ivan Vesely, Founder and Chief Science Officer. Dr. Vesely is a PhD. Bio Physicist who founded the company and invented this heart valve technology." Link to the w3w3.com interview

ValveXchange recently announced its successful First in Man procedures. Link to the related Business Wire release.

Lakewood Pet Examiner: Cajun's Closet Halloween Book Sale Saturday Oct 29, 9-5

Quoting from the 'Lakewood Pet Examiner' by Carrie Dow:

"The Cat Care Society of Lakewood is having their annual Halloween book sale this Saturday, October 29, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the new remodeled Cajun's Closet Thrift Store. Get a great deal on books and even better deals for those brave enough to come in costume. The event features mass market books six for $1, hard covers for $1 each, trade paperbacks two for $1 and children's books for 10 cents.

Check out the newly remodeled store and library and then visit the Cat Care Society next door to find a new holiday feline friend."

Link to the examiner.com posting

Learn more about Carrie Dow and subscribe to her Lakewood Pet Examiner Feed

Note: Lakewood Pet Examiner is one of Cat Care Society's "Favorite Blogs" - see the list on the right hand column of our News Feed Blog

Lakewood/Edgewater Featured Event: Oct 29th Cajun's Closet Halloween Book Sale Benefiting Cat Care Society

Quoting from this morning's Lakewood/Edgewater print edition:

"Halloween Book Sale. Cajun's Closet Thrift Shop's annual Halloween Book Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the store, 5707 W. Sixth Ave., Lakewood. All proceeds benefit the Cat Care Society. For more information, call 303-202-0455."

Link to the related online Denver Post YourHub story

Link for more information about the Cat Care Society's fundraising stores

Award-Winning Fashion Photograher Rick Guidotti To Keynote 2011 Colorado BioScience Awards Celebration

The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) Annual Awards Dinner is slated for Thursday, December 8, at the Embassy Suites in Downtown Denver. The event, celebrating the success of the bioscience industry in Colorado and its 2011 standout companies and individuals, will feature a keynote presentation by Rick Guidotti of Positive Exposure in New York. The announcement is made by Holli Riebel, CBSA President and CEO, who says: “CBSA is honored to partner with Positive Exposure in sharing Rick’s important message about genetic difference and dynamic images with our industry community.”

“CBSA is honored to partner with Positive Exposure in sharing Rick’s important message about genetic difference and dynamic images with our industry community.”

While in Denver on December 7th, Guidotti will photograph a select group of children in partnership with the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, Mile High Down Syndrome Association, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, and Colorado Children’s Hospital. An exhibit reception will also be held at VSA Colorado/Access Gallery, an inclusive nonprofit organization that engages people with disabilities to access and experience the arts, located at 909 Santa Fe Drive, in the Santa Fe Arts District. The Exhibition will be on display from November 18 – December 16, 2011.

Link to the Business Wire Release

Link to the Pitch Engine Social Media Release

Things to do in Denver - 'Cajuns Closet Halloween book sale: a Cat Care Society fundraiser'

Quoting from today's Denver Bucket List posting by Chrissy Morin:

"Cajun’s Closet Thrift Shop - 5707 W. 6th Avenue (on the Frontage Road west of Sheridan).

There will be 'creepy' but safe refreshments and special discounts for those who come in costume. Cajun’s was named Denver Westword’s Best Thrift Store for 2011."

Link to the Denver Bucket List

Coming Sat Oct 29: the Cat Care Society Cajun's Closet Halloween "Monster" Book Sale! Be there!

The Cat Care Society 'Cajun's Closet' Thrift Shop is holding its annual Halloween Book Sale on Saturday, October 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be special deals on Cajun's wide selection of books, including mass market books, six for $1; hard back books, $1 each; trade paperback books, two for $1; and children's books: 10 cents each. Plus, Cajun's is offering additional discounts for those brave enough to come in costume to help raise funds for the CCS shelter cats and Cat Care Clinic.

Cajun's Closet, located at 5707 W. 6th Avenue (on the Frontage Road west of Sheridan), is Denver Westword's Best Thrift Store for 2011 and was recently renovated at the end of August by a dedicated team of Cat Care Society volunteers, customers and donors. Cajun's Closet Manager Dawn Risner recounts, "We pulled up carpet, painted floors and walls, took down window treatments, built new displays, rearranged the library, and last but not least, updated the front room just in time for fall shopping and our annual Halloween Book Sale."

Link to the PRWeb newswire

Link to the Pitch Engine Social Media Release

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News: 'Can the FDA Be a Catalyst for Innovation?'

Quoting Colorado's Dr. Tim Rodell (GlobeImmune) and Holli Riebel (CBSA) from the October 15 GEN:

"The products the FDA regulates represent 20% to 25% of every consumer dollar spent in the U.S., Dr. Hamburg pointed out. 'That’s a gigantic percent of the country’s gross domestic product,' Tim Rodell, M.D., CEO of GlobeImmune (www.globeimmune.com) and a member of the BIO board of directors, said. 'Given the FDA’s importance, it warrants being a cabinet-level agency.'

...Although FDA reviewers typically are trained in scientific research, applying that experience to the regulatory environment is learned on the job. 'That’s a significant deficit for the agency,' Dr. Rodell said. 'There’s no process to train the kinds of people the FDA needs.' Consequently, 'it takes one to two years for new reviewers to get up and running.'

Meanwhile, the FDA, in its determination to do no harm, risks being so cautious that it withholds live-saving therapies. Admittedly, it’s a delicate balance. 'Innovation occurs so quickly that FDA staff can’t keep up with new technology,' observed Holli Riebel, president and CEO of Colorado BioScience.

'Patients are waiting and—sometimes—dying, while amazing drugs aren’t released because of fears about potentially adverse reactions. Science isn’t perfect. We can’t push forward without some risks.'

...BIO also supports a progressive approval pathway so that even before final trials are completed, promising therapeutics could be released and monitored. Dr. Rodell suggested that could be accomplished safely and effectively by designing electronic medical records systems to accommodate retrospective, anonymous analysis of drug safety in real time. Therefore, drug developers could track adverse events associated with the commercial release of particular therapies more accurately than under the current system, which depends upon harried physicians taking the time to voluntarily report adverse events. Dr. Rodell added that the FDA is exploring this already with its pilot Sentinel initiative.

Link to the article at the GEN website

CBSA Pres/CEO Holli Riebel: Denver Business Journal 2011 Power Book Finalist, Technology Division

CBSA Pres/CEO Holli Riebel is a Finalist in the Denver Business Journal's 2011 Power Book/Newsmakers Awards Program.

Riebel was nominated in the Technology & Telecommunications Division. Quoting from the DBJ website: "The Colorado BioScience Association has managed to keep the state’s biotech drug and medical-device industries in the minds of public policy makers and national investors at a time of tight funding. CEO and President Holli Riebel (formerly Holli Baumunk) has maintained support for the industry during her first year leading the organization. CBSA organizes a regional conference that each year attracts investors from biotech hubs on the East and West Coasts, and it’s worked to keep state tax incentives and other support largely intact at a time when state funding has been cut for many other programs."

Learn more at the DBJ website.

Shop at King Soopers with your reloadable 'purchasing card' to benefit Cat Care Society

You can now buy a reloadable King Soopers card from Cat Care society for $25. Then simply start shopping at Kings and 5% of your purchases will go directly to Cat Care Society, as long as you use your card.

After you've spent the first $25, just reload your card at the King Soopers service desk for the amount of your choice and resume shopping.

This is an easy and absolutely great way to benefit the Cat Care Society!

Link to the King Soopers Website

Remember, you buy your CCS King Soopers card at the Cat Care Society adoption desk.

Lakewood Pet Examiner: 'Miracle Marvell gets a second chance from the Cat Care Society'

Quoting from today's posting by Carrie Dow, Lakewood Pet Examiner:

"The Cat Care Society (CCS) is celebrating the success they have had saving little Marvell, a 10-week-old abandoned kitten.

'Marvell was brought to our shelter in July by a woman who had rescued him from several young boys severely torturing this helpless kitten. The boys were swinging the kitten by its tail and lighting the tips of his ears and whiskers on fire,' said Clyde Dawson, CCS Interim Executive Director...

This is just one of the many ways the Cat Care Society helps our community. Celebrating 30 years of serving Lakewood and the Denver West Metro area, the Cat Care Society, a cage-less shelter, needs support to continue another 30 years. You can help with cash donations by clicking on the Donate Now link. They also accept in-kind donations of the following items: Cat litter, bleach, paper towels, 5-inch paper plates, baby food (turkey and chicken), can cat food (no fish flavors please), dry cat food (Science Diet, Iams Original, Purina Kitten Chow) hooded cat beds and trash bags. To learn about upcoming events, visit the CCS blog at DenverCatCare or "like" their Facebook Page."

Link to the Posting

Cat Care Society Alum Bombay Featured as a Friday Feline on the ModCatLove Blog

Check out Cat Care Society Alum Kitty Bombay on the ModCatLove blog, posted earlier this month as a "Friday's Featured Feline" profile...

Quoting Bombay's person, Jeannie:

"I adopted Bombay from the Cat Care Society shelter in Lakewood, Colorado 4 years ago, about 6 months after we lost a cat that was 19 and had diabetes for 3 1/2 years...

When I saw him, it was love at first sight! His big blue eyes got me right away! He got his name Bombay because his eyes are so blue, they look like the Bombay Sapphire, so it is fitting...

Bombay is 4 now, a lynx point Siamese and the most special cat in more ways than one. He has a rare condition where he has suffered bone loss and all cartilage in his legs. Besides being on several meds and supplements everyday, he gets acupuncture and laser treatments once per week. These have helped him keep his mobility and get around; he can’t run and jump like other cats, but he can get in his favorite spots and gets around much better than before he started. It has worked wonders for him!"

Link to the posting and more great photos of Bombay

Halloween Book Sale Is Coming Oct 29th: Bigger, Better & Spookier Than Ever

The Cat Care Society 'Cajun's Closet' Thrift Shop is holding its annual Halloween Book Sale, Saturday, October 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 5707 W. 6th Ave. (on the Frontage Road west of Sheridan). There will be "creepy" but safe refreshments and discounts for those who come in costume. Cajun's was named Denver Westword's 2011 Best Thrift Store.

"With Halloween right around the corner we're all thinking ghosts, ghouls and creepy crawlies. The new and improved library at Cajun’s Closet has a wonderful variety of Sci-fi and Fantasy books to choose from. As an avid reader myself, I can tell you that a good book about a killer clown will do a lot to creep you out on a dark night. Beyond that, Cajun's Closet offers vampires, werewolves, aliens, serial killers and a wide variety of other things that go bump in the night. If the imaginary and legendary don’t interest you, you can always find a really good true story of debauchery; we have true ghost stories, true crimes and biographies of politicians. If creepy isn’t on your list we also have a huge mystery section to choose from. Our mystery section has everything from cute light mysteries to the genuinely twisted. Even if you have never been a big reader we can find something to interest you in the thousands of books at Cajun's," Dawn Risner, Cajun's Closet Manager, says.

Cajun's Closet suggestions for good Halloween reading include:

• True Ghost Stories (1995) by Terry Deary

• The Zombie Survival Guide & World War Z by Max Brooks

• Anything by Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Saul

• For Vampire introduction: Anne Rice for advanced readers and Charlaine Harris for those looking for something lighter.

• And wonderful year round reading: Jim Butcher & Simon R. Green

There will be special deals on Cajun's wide selection of books, including mass market books, six for $1; hard back books, $1 each; trade paperback books, two for $1; and children's books: 10 cents each.

Don't forget the other great shopping at Cajun's Closet while checking out the Halloween Book Sale. Cajun's has great collectibles, home items, jewelry, and a large inventory of clothes. Regular hours are Wednesday - Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Questions? Call Cajun's Closet at 303-202-0455.

Your Contribution: 'Cat at center of cat society fundraising is a Marvell'

Quoting from the article in today's Lakewood/Edgewater YourHub:

"Lakewood's Cat Care Society recently launched its fall fundraising direct-mail campaign, focusing on the success story of the 10-week-old abandoned kitten fondly named Marvell by society staffers after the Colorado Rapid's player Marvell Wynne.

'Marvell was brought to our shelter in July by a woman who had rescued him from several young boys severely torturing this helpless kitten," said Clyde Dawson, CCS interim executive director. 'The boys were swinging the kitten by its tail and lighting the tips of his ears and whiskers on fire.'

Marvell is one kitten who was able to have a second chance at life because of the hard work of the medical team at CCS."

Link to YourHub.com

IAMS The Daily Cat: 'Preparing for a New Kitten'

Quoting from The Daily Cat blog by Kim Boatman:

"Kitten-proof your home. Kittens, like toddlers, can find trouble in an instant. Be wary of dangling cords, toxic plants and open toilet seats. A curious kitten might be able to crawl into a toilet, but not back out. Your kitten’s little razor-sharp teeth can bite into an electric cord. Understand that kittens can find their way into impossibly small spaces. “It’s surprising what tight hiding spaces a kitten can get into, so make sure there aren’t holes in walls,” says Shari Shiffer-Krieger, who has fostered hundreds of kittens as executive director of the Cat Care Society in Lakewood, Colo."

Link to The Daily Cat

Cat Care Society Kitten 'Marvell' Gets a Second Chance Because of Rescuer & CCS Services

Cat Care Society (CCS) recently launched its Fall Fundraising direct mail campaign, focusing on the success story of the 10-week-old abandoned kitten, fondly named Marvell by CCS staffers after the Colorado Rapid's player Marvell Wynne. The announcement is made by Clyde Dawson, CCS Interim Executive Director, who says: "Marvell was brought to our shelter in July by a woman who had rescued him from several young boys severely torturing this helpless kitten. The boys were swinging the kitten by its tail and lighting the tips of his ears and whiskers on fire."

Marvell is one kitten who was able to have a second chance at life because of the hard work of the medical team at CCS.

Link to the PR Web newswire

Link to the Pitch Engine Social Media Release - with video

PoliticalNews: 'Bennet Applauds FDA Commitment to Modernize, Foster Innovation, Drive Global Economy'

Quoting from Senator Bennet's release:

"Washington, DC – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet applauded the release of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new report 'Driving Biomedical Innovation: Initiatives to Improve Products for Patients,' which outlines initial efforts the FDA is undertaking to modernize its regulations and foster innovation in the bioscience industry, which accounts for 20,000 jobs in Colorado, according to the Colorado Bioscience Association...

In August, Bennet sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg pushing for reformed FDA regulations that foster innovation and competitiveness and position the FDA to serve as a driver of the global economy. Following the letter, Hamburg joined Bennet to hear about innovation and advances in the bioscience industry in Colorado while touring the Colorado Science and Technology Park at Anschutz Medical Campus."

Link to politicalnews.me

Denver's ValveXchange® Performs First In Man Surgeries of New Heart Valve System

Quoting from this morning's news release:

"ValveXchange, Inc., has performed successful First In Man (FIM) surgeries demonstrating the practicality and advantages of its novel Vitality™ two-part heart valve system.

The surgeries were performed by two highly renowned US cardiac surgeons, Lars Svensson, MD, PhD of The Cleveland Clinic and W. Randolph Chitwood, MD of The East Carolina Heart Institute, working with Adrian Ebner, MD at his facilities in Asuncion, Paraguay. The surgeries took place Sept. 26 and 27, 2011. Three men aged 49, 62 and 72 received the Vitality™ heart valves. All have been discharged and are recovering normally.

The mission of ValveXchange® is to bring the full, active lifestyle advantages of tissue heart valves to patients of all ages. Currently, tissue valves are recommended only for older patients because the leaflet sets wear out every 10-15 years, requiring repeated open-heart surgeries. Younger patients today receive mechanical heart valves that do not wear out, but require lifelong high doses of anticoagulation drugs that force a sedentary lifestyle with serious side effects."

ValveXchange is a former CBSA Venture Showcase winning company. Further, ValveXchange CEO Larry Blakenship is a CBSA board member, chair of its legislative committee and member of the executive committee.

Link to the Business Wire release

Mark your calendar: October 29th is the Annual Halloween Book Sale at Cajun's Closet Thrift Shop

Saturday, Oct 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cajun's Closet Thrift Shop, 5707 W. 6th Avenue, Lakewood, CO

Mass market books: 6 for $1.00

Hard back books: $1.00 each

Trade paper back books: 2 for $1.00

Children's books: 10 cents each

Plus there are additional discounts for those brave enough to come in costume!

Link to the Cat Care Society Website

Opinion by Dr. Scott Gottlieb: 'How the FDA Could Cost You Your Life'

Quoting from an opinion piece by Dr. Scott Gottlieb in this morning's WSJ:

"When the U.S. Congress crafted the modern device-review process, it envisioned an approval path structured much differently than drug reviews. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee are working on comprehensive legislation that would reinforce the FDA's mandate to be "least burdensome" when it comes to new devices. The measure would also prevent the FDA from jamming companies with draft 'guidance' documents that change the rules on innovators midstream, without advance notice or chance for comment. The bill will tell the FDA, with unusually explicit direction, how to use its existing rules to improve post-market monitoring to ensure patient safety. The FDA was recently upbraided by the Government Accountability Office for not effectively using its current recall tools even while asking for new post-market authority.

These ideas have broad bipartisan support. Congressional Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns that the FDA's regulatory slide could be harming innovation, job creation and patient care. Sen. Michael Bennet (D., Colo.) recently brought FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to Colorado for a public meeting with local entrepreneurs and health leaders to address these concerns. 'At a time when our nation's drug, biotechnology and medical device startup companies are struggling to access capital,' he said, 'we must strive to provide them with regulatory clarity and predictability.'"

The meeting in Colorado was arranged at Senator Bennet's request by the Colorado BioScience Association.

Link to wsj.com

Dr. Gottlieb, the deputy commissioner of the FDA from 2005-2007, is a practicing physician and a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He invests in medical-device companies.