Last modified: Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Young IU-generated businesses get a chance to shine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 17, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Four new business startups, based on Indiana University intellectual property, will tout their best products and services before a panel of potential investors at this week's Indiana Future Fund Entrepreneurial Forum. The forum is co-sponsored by Indiana University and BioCrossroads.
IU President Adam W. Herbert and D. Craig Brater, IU vice president with life sciences responsibilities and dean of the School of Medicine, will provide opening remarks. Representatives of csKeys LLC, EndGenitor Technologies Inc., ImmuneWork LLC and Lab Rat Software Systems LLC will give presentations to the venture capitalist firms A.M. Pappas & Associates, Burrill & Company, EDF Ventures, Pearl Street Venture Funds, Spring Mill Venture Fund and Triathlon Medical Ventures.
All six venture capital firms are actively exploring investments and have five more years to commit Indiana Future Fund capital. Since December 2004, Indiana Future Fund VC firms have made five investments in Indiana.
All four presenting businesses have strong ties to the IU School of Medicine.
- EndGenitor Technologies Inc. is Indiana's first adult stem cell company. Based on the work of IU School of Medicine pediatricians Mervin Yoder and David Ingram, EndGenitor seeks to commercialize cell lines that will grow into native tissues, such as blood vessels.
- Lab Rat Software Systems LLC is a laboratory information systems company created by researchers at the IU Center for Medical Genomics. In the past, university and commercial research laboratories relied on writing into loose-leaf lab notebooks for information management. Lab Rat is using ASP-based software services to improve the management, security and retrieval of this kind of data.
- ImmuneWork LLC is a pharmaceutical company that is developing a treatment for several types of lung diseases related to lung transplant rejection. Developed by IU School of Medicine immunologists David Wilkes and Michael Klemsz, this treatment reduces the body's immune response to native tissues.
- csKeys LLC is a cancer diagnostic company. csKeys is based upon a novel antibody developed by IU Cancer Center researchers Linda Malkas and Robert Hickey that can help detect certain kinds of cancer better than other approaches.
This is the fourth such forum BioCrossroads has sponsored since April 2005. Credit Suisse manages the Indiana Future Fund, a $73 million venture capital pool that employs a network of local and national venture investment firms to explore Indiana life sciences investment opportunities. The fund was formed through BioCrossroads.
Earlier in the day, BioCrossroads and Indiana University will host a luncheon for business and government leaders at the Skyline Club in Indianapolis to update them on BioCrossroads-related activities.
To speak with representatives of the four IUETC businesses, please contact IUETC President and CEO Mark Long at 317-278-1901 or mslong@indiana.edu.
To speak with BioCrossroads President and CEO David Johnson, please contact Jenny Siminski, BioCrossroads, at 317-238-2456 (office), 317-213-5466 (cell) or jsiminski@biocrossroads.com.
To speak with IU School of Medicine dean and vice president with responsibilities for the life sciences D. Craig Brater, please contact Pamela Perry at 317-274-7722 or pperry@iupui.edu.
