WEEKLY E-NEWS FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER

Brewing Creative Ideas in Greenville

The Science Cafe is held every other month for scientists, engineers and the general public to discuss current research and its implications. The next event is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 10 at Ham's Restaurant in Greenville. The topic is Stem Cells: Divide and Conquer. There is no cost for the public to attend and free food will be served. Pre-register at www.go-science.org/sciencecafe.

FROM OUR WEB SITE

• Mayors Forge Job-Creation Plan
• Ph.D.s Get Business Experience
• Educators Fill Ag Bio Workshop
• Triad Bioscience Business Center Launches
• Tranzyme Drug On FDA Fast Track
• Raleigh Biomanufacturing Meeting Takes Shape
• PharmAgra Earns FDA Nod
• Targacept Gets $600K from Fox Fund

DEPARTMENTS

• News from Other Sites
• Events Calendar
• Community Watch

From Our Web Site

Mayors Forge Job-Creation Plan
Led by Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines, chairman of the N.C. Economic Development Board, a group of the state's mayors put together an action plan to make sure high-paying biotech jobs are created in North Carolina.

News coverage of the event includes:
News 14 Carolina
North Carolina News Network
Triad Business Journal
WFMY and DigTriad
Winston-Salem Journal
WXII Channel 12

Ph.D.s Get Business Experience
Members of the second class of the Biotechnology Center's unique fellowship program are on-the-job at three North Carolina bioscience companies.

Educators Fill Ag Bio Workshop
Twenty teachers from middle and high schools across North Carolina who merge biotechnology and agriculture in their classrooms are honing their knowledge and skills this week.

Triad Bioscience Business Center Launches
The business center will ultimately provide assistance for international bioscience companies seeking to do business in the Piedmont Triad.
News coverage of this event is linked in the online story.

Tranzyme Drug On FDA Fast Track
RTP-based Tranzyme Pharma has received a Fast Track designation for its oral gastrointestinal drug candidate TZP-102.

Raleigh Biomanufacturing Meeting Takes Shape
Details of the BioProcess International Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for Oct. 12-16 at the Raleigh Convention Center, are now available.

PharmAgra Earns FDA Nod
Clearance for PharmAgra Labs' drug-manufacturing facility means the company can produce pharmaceutical ingredients for use in clinical trials.

Tarcept Gets $600K from Fox Fund
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has given a $600,000 research grant to Winston-Salem's Targacept.

News from Other Sites

Advanced Animal Diagnostics Raises $110K
The company's product could help the dairy industry fight an infection that costs it $10 billion per year. The company has received two awards from the Biotechnology Center.
From TechJournalSouth

Tech Companies Grab Investors' Attention
Nine companies - seven of them life science - in the Research Triangle region raised more than $100 million in venture financing last quarter.
From the Raleigh News and Observer

Talecris Still Mulling Big IPO
The blood-plasma products company, with headquarters in Research Triangle Park and a plant in Clayton, is updating paperwork with the SEC.
From the Raleigh News and Observer

Kannapolis Council Seeks Alternative Funding for Research Campus Projects
Receession and decreased tax revenues mean the city needs other options to finance its support of the cutting-edge campus.
From the Salisbury Post

Q&A: Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines
A conversation about the mayor's hopes for biotech to help the economy in his city and the state.
From Genome Web (Free registration required)

Become an Investor-Ready Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs can prepare to successfully engage private equity investors at a workshop offered Aug. 18 at the Biotechnology Center. This opportunity provides an insider’s look into the world of equity funding.

The registration fee is $295; however, a special scholarship rate of $95 is available courtesy of our state and local sponsors. For more information, visit: www.sbtdc.org/investorready

Community Watch

• Joseph Zack, executive vice president of marketing and sales for Orasure Technologies, has joined Research Triangle Park-based Metabolon as senior vice president of diagnostics. More

• Laurence Keller, M.D., chief medical officer of Durham-based Aldagen, has a paper published in the July/August issue of Congestive Heart Failure that describes the potential of its ALDH-bright adult stem cell products to treat cardiovascular diseases. The firm believes its adult stem cells hold promise in treating a variety of disorders including stroke, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy.

• Raleigh-based developer of gastrointestinal drugs, Salix Pharmaceuticals, will present at the BMO Capital Markets Focus on Healthcare Conference in New York City at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 5. A live audio Web cast of the presentation, and subsequent replay access, will be available at the company’s Web site.

• Chris Davis, director of marketing, communications and outreach at ARD (Associates in Rural Development), a Burlington, Vermont-based international development consultancy, has joined RTI International as vice president of corporate communications. More

Events Calendar

View our complete listing of events.

This newsletter was sent Thursday, July 30, 2009. For the latest headlines from North Carolina’s biotechnology industry, please visit our Web site news section.

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