1. health and fitness
2. disease

10
P H F
R E S E A R C H
P A R K
O K L A H O M A
C I T Y
O K
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PHF Research Park consists of seven buildings, over 700,000 square feet of class A wet lab and office space is the home of 31 science based companies.
C O N T E N T S
Letter from the President
2 4
PHF10
PHF Supports Basic Medical Research
26
Grants Awarded
30
Gifts Received
32
PHF Trustees
34
Making Contributions
36
From Michael D. Anderson, Ph.D.
president, Presby terian Health Foundation
2
T
here is a law in logic that
states anything changed
significantly in degree,
changes in kind. A simple
example, changing water
significantly in degree (passing 2l2˚
F) changes the water in kind, from
a liquid to a gas, steam. Ten years
ago PHF built a structure for a single
science based company, UroCor.
Ten years passed and today, more
than thirty biotech companies
make the PHF Research Park their
home. The PHF Research Park,
and the Foundation, ‘changing
significantly in degree have changed
in kind.’ Today this biotech center
of seven buildings, on Research
Parkway, brings a new perspective
to Oklahoma City and the State
of Oklahoma. In each of three
installments, we shall look at
the story of “The Power of Ten”
by describing ten biotech companies.
The ten science-based companies
described in this volume have
the power to affect for good the
course of human health, here and
throughout the world.
Malcolm Gladwell, in “Outliers:
The Story of Success,” delineates
the success of Mozart, The Beatles,
Bill Gates, Bill Joy (“the Edison
of the Internet”), Bobby Fischer
(Chess Master). In each case the
principal person was not just a
“gifted” person or in the case of
The Beatles, “persons,” but with
great discipline and strict focus
these successful persons applied
themselves to at least 10,000 hours
of preparation over a period of ten
years. “The Power of Ten,” ten
years, ten thousands hours, can be
seen in numerous world class sports
stars: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods
(yes, he started young, but he put
in his 10,000 hours of disciplined
preparation by the time he was
nineteen), Jackie Joyner-Kersee,
Michael Phelps, Wilma Rudolph,
and Chris Evert. “The Power of Ten”
applies to many of the disciplined
scientists and technicians applying
their skills here in the PHF Research
Park. It is not uncommon to see
ten years of concentrated basic
research come to a “Eureka” moment
of discovery, and a “Disclosure”
is presented in a peer reviewed
environment. This step leads to
ratification of the “Intellectual
Property,” such as filing “Patents,”
and continuing the journey of
“concept to solution.” The “sound
of science” makes us gratefully aware
of the movement from imagination
to reality. This process, of moving
original scientific discovery from
the lab to the market place, where
the common good of humanity is
served, often takes ten years. Here
are some of the steps taken on this
scientific discovery-to-the-marketplace journey, the journey taken by
companies in the PHF Research Park.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Preclinical Research in the laboratory including animal (e.g. laboratory mice)
testing to determine effectiveness and safety of the product.
Investigational New Drug Application (IND): before a new compound is tested
in human trials, the biotech company must file an IND with the Food and Drug
Administration. If the FDA does not object, the tests (trials) may proceed.
The US has the highest standards in the world.
Phase I Human Trials: Scientists with cooperating physicians examine
the compound’s safety in a small number of healthy volunteers. (Not
infrequently university students are the volunteer subjects.) The scientist
carefully study safe dosage levels and how the human body reacts to the
protocol.
Phase II Human Trials: at this point of development a large number of
volunteers, who are patients suffering from the disease or condition being
treated, are tested. The physicians and scientists monitor the effectiveness of
the compound and carefully document any adverse reactions.
Phase III Human Trials are the most complex clinical methods and protocols.
At this stage, scientists observe results in diverse populations, in numerous
sites, over an extended period of time, using ‘double blind’ procedures,
meaning the investigator does not know which subject has received a placebo,
or the innovative compound, nor do the subjects know. Science is based on
objective observation of evidenced based results, not influenced by subjective
opinion.
New Drug Application: If the Phase I through III trials are successful, and if the
FDA approval is given, the new medicine may be made available to the public.
You may see ten companies in the PHF
Research Park following these costly six steps.
The cost may be $100 million, or ten times
that cost in development. One company
in the Research Park is nearing the 10X
$100MM in development costs. And it is
worth it. The research and the development
of new therapeutics and innovative medical
devises are very costly. However, those costs
are minimal, compared to the cost of disease.
Consider in your imagination, the costs of
Alzheimer’s disease that effects one of every
ten persons at the age of 65.... the individual’s
cost and suffering, and the family’s costs and
suffering. The costs of neuroscience research for
that disease and successfully taking that research
to the market place to relieve suffering and death
is infinitely worthwhile.
In ten years we have taken an area of
Oklahoma City from neglect to biotech. Here
at the Research Park we see a place where
Sir Arthur Clarke’s “Paradigm of New Ideas”
works. Good, new ideas move through three
stages: 1. “It can’t be done!” 2. “Maybe it can be
done, but it’s not worth it!” 3. “I knew it was a
good idea along!”
In the “Power of Ten” you are invited to
see imagination move to reality.
3
10
5
seeing. the future.
6
F
or people who suffer from debilitating
eye disease such as diabetic retinopathy or
age-related macular degeneration, a dark
future awaits, says Mike Moradi, chief executive officer at Charlesson LLC.
“Quite simply, you lose your central vision
because you have this build-up of abnormal
blood vessels in the back of the eye,” Moradi
said in describing the condition that leads to
vision loss. “This is the most crucial part of
your eyesight. It’s what you use for driving, for
reading, for any type of precise task.”
“It’s just a horrible, horrible way to live out
your golden years.”
Current treatments are invasive, painful
and temporary for up to 15 million Americans suffering from macular degeneration or
diabetic retinopathy.
Charlesson plans to reverse the disturbing trends of vision loss among diabetics and
the elderly with a drug it is developing called
CLT003. Built on the groundbreaking work
of University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center researcher Dr. Jian-Xing “Jay” Ma,
Charlesson is perfecting its formulation and
raising capital to begin the long rounds of
clinical trials.
“My hope is we will be able to get this
one into the clinic sometime in the next 24
months,” Moradi said. “We are targeting an
investigational new drug application ready by
the end of 2010.”
The company owns intellectual property licensed from OU, as well as technology
licensed from UCLA and IP developed in its
own PHF Research Park laboratory.
Charlesson was awarded $2.9 million
in funding from the EDGE Policy Board to
advance its compound toward clinical trials.
The company has won almost $9 million in
research grants since its founding in 2005.
Charlesson also operates a rapidly growing contract research organization (CRO),
which provides drug screening tests for other
researchers and pharmaceutical companies.
Charlesson’s CRO already generates a half million dollars annually, and has clients worldwide including Fortune 500 and growth-stage
biopharma companies.
Demand for its CRO services is such that
Moradi anticipates quickly expanding the company’s staff of 20 employees.
But Charlesson’s legacy will be built on its
drug discovery and development business, in
its ability to create new treatments that bypass
painful and short term laser treatments for eye
disease.
Moradi knows first hand the toll that vision loss extracts from people suffering from
age related macular degeneration and diabetic
macular edema. His mother suffers from
diabetic macular edema, providing even more
impetus for creating an effective treatment.
“Our hope is that we will come up with
less invasive ways to treat macular degeneration,” Moradi said. “Today’s standard of care
is a needle in the eye every 30 to 60 days. The
long term hope is we will move away from
needles altogether to eye drops and tablets.”
It is a brighter vision of the future for millions of people now seeing their world darkened by eye disease.
7
Mike Moradi Charlesson LLC
sweet discoveries.
8
T
he technologies developed by Dr. Paul
DeAngelis, either solo or jointly with
colleague Dr. Paul Weigel at OU, were licensed from OU by Austin, Texas-based Emergent Technologies, Inc., and are the foundation for three PHF Research Park companies
under the Emergent umbrella: Hyalose LLC,
Choncept LLC and Heparinex.
DeAngelis serves as chief scientist for all
three “sugar-based” companies, which has the
rights to approximately 25 US patents surrounding the synthetic sugar molecules.
Emergent recognized the value of designer
sugar molecules and their use as “platform
technologies” to enable the delivery of diseasefighting drugs or as a non-animal derived substitute for products such as the blood thinner
Heparin, which was linked to a series of deaths
last year.
“Having the ability to ferment or chemically produce these molecules is a big advantage over the current technology,” said Bill
Strieber, vice president for New Business
Development with Emergent Technologies.
Huge potential markets await the applications of the synthetic sugar molecules, from
blood thinners to joint injections to drug
delivery to skin lotions and much more.
Technology from the Emergent companies already is being used in cosmetic products
by a European company called Novozymes
A/S, and other deals have been signed to
develop the designer molecules for different
applications.
“There are a lot of indications,” DeAngelis
said. “And we can re-tool our process to make
many different therapeutics, or if we want to
make a coating for a medical device implant, we
can change around the same basic components
and make different molecules for different applications. That’s why it’s a platform.”
What are the barriers keeping more of
these designer sugar molecules out of the marketplace?
“Industrial-sized scale up,” Strieber said.
Help is on the way in the form of $1.23
million in EDGE Endowment funding
awarded Hyalose last fall in a partnership with
Cytovance Biologics.
Cytovance operates a cGMP biologics
contract manufacturing plant in the Research
Park and will provide the clean room environment needed to produce the designer sugars in
larger quantities.
“We’ve gotten some traction with the
EDGE funding to get to the next level to
make certain products,” DeAngelis said. “The
idea is to make a mid-level manufacturing
plant in a good, clean environment. We are
making small amounts of materials and delivering them, but some people’s orders are more
than we can handle on a quick turn around, so
we had to turn them down.”
“We will be able to scale up and give
them a clean product, in larger amounts so
they can take the next step, either to animal
tests or safety trials in people.”
Sweet.
9
2
Dr. Paul DeAngelis Hyalose LLC
production. pipeline.
10
A
rmed with a fully validated cGMP manufacturing plant, Cytovance Biologics is
destroying some biotechnology industry
stereotypes about its Oklahoma location.
Yes, contract manufacturing of
therapeutic proteins, cell banking and
product development for the life sciences
industry can be successfully accomplished
and marketed in Oklahoma City.
“We’ve heard a lot of clients talk about
the proximity to being in the Midwest, that
they have a great option without having to
fly to the two coasts,” said Darren Head,
Cytovance’s Chief Executive Officer. “I’m
actually starting to see it being a little of
a competitive advantage being located
in the center of the United States.”
With the long process of building and
validating a 45,000 square foot, custom
cGMP manufacturing plant behind it,
Cytovance is focused on marketing its services
and establishing itself as a major player in
the contract manufacturing industry.
Head became the company’s CEO in
2008, and has since added two national sales
representatives to its staff of about 40 people.
At the end of the year it had about $22
million in contract proposals outstanding.
“My biggest fear is not how much
we’re going to do next year, it’s how can
we do it all next year,” Head said. “We’re
looking at expanding the facility so we
can bring in two new bioreactors. My
challenge is more in how to manage the
growth than how to manage the market.”
As a cGMP facility, Cytovance offers
customers a manufacturing process that
produces drugs that can go straight into humans
for clinical trials or commercial drug use.
And with the 10 scientists on its staff,
the company provides product development,
creating new cell lines for clients. A third
major service is that of cell banking, which
ensures a certain supply of cell lines for future
therapeutic development use by clients.
Cytovance also has established relationships with its Research Park neighbors,
including a collaboration with Hyalose
LLC, which won a $1.23 million EDGE
Endowment grant. The deal calls for
Cytovance to provide space for large fermentation equipment that Hyalose will
use to develop its synthetic HA sugar
molecule manufacturing process.
“The Hyalose process gives us an opportunity to get into another kind of
manufacturing,” Head said. “We are able
to scale them up and meet their needs
long term. It’s going to be a neat project,
and we are really excited about it.”
“And we have three projects sitting right
behind it, all that can use that reactor.”
Cytovance also extended its good
neighbor policy to Selexys Pharmaceuticals, for which it will provide cell line
development, process development and
manufacturing for two antibodies the
company hopes to commercialize.
Phase 2 of the Cytovance business plan
includes the addition of an 800 liter reactor
and, eventually, a reactor up to 3,000 liters.
“To get into Phase 3 (trials) and commercial products you have to have that
large reactor,” Head said. “That is where
you really move into the next level.”
Cytovance offers a comprehensive range
of development and cGMP manufacturing services for therapeutic recombinant
protein and monoclonal antibody products
derived from mammalian cell culture.
Contracts are coming to Cytovance
from across the USA and other countries
in Europe and Asia. This Oklahoma
based company is developing a sophisticated international clientele.
11
3
Darren Head Cytovance Biologics
extinguishing inflammatory disease.
12
F
or half a million Americans, daily life is
accompanied by searing abdominal pain,
cramping and diarrhea so severe that it
discourages full pursuit of activities.
The condition is known as Crohn’s
disease, an autoimmune condition brought
on when the body’s immune system begins to
attack normal tissue in the colon.
There are no effective treatments for
Crohn’s disease beyond antibiotics and antiinflammatory drugs that bring temporary
relief at best.
Help for Crohn’s disease patients may be
on the way through a drug under development
in the Research Park laboratories of Selexys
Pharmaceuticals.
Building on groundbreaking technology developed in the OUHSC and OMRF
laboratories of Drs. Rod McEver and Rick
Cummings, Selexys is pushing its therapeutic
treatment toward clinical trials needed for
FDA approval.
“All of the science at Selexys is focused on
developing inhibitors of the selectin pathway
of inflammation,” said Selexys CEO Dr. Scott
Rollins. “We are developing humanized monoclonal antibodies that bind to selectin molecules
and block their function, thereby blocking one
of the major inflammation cascades.”
Rollins is an Oklahoma native who cofounded Connecticut-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals in the early 1990s and developed
and commercialized a groundbreaking, FDA
approved drug. That drug, Soliris, treats a rare
blood disease known as PNH.
Along the way Alexion raised more than
$800 million in public and private placements
and today has a market cap of $2.6 billion.
Rollins returned to Oklahoma in early
2008 to lead the development and commer-
cialization efforts of Selexys. The company
has raised about $3.5 million to move its drug
development forward and expects to file an
investigational new drug application with the
FDA within a year.
That will begin the long process of clinical
trials to prove the effectiveness of a drug that also
shows promise in treating Sickle Cell disease and
a host of other inflammatory diseases.
“Crohn’s disease is a $2 billion to $3
billion market, and Sickle Cell disease market
is about a billion dollar market,” Rollins said.
“Those are big, big markets.”
But it won’t be accomplished without
serious financial backing.
“The biggest obstacle is fund raising,”
Rollins said. “I would say we are probably five
to seven years from commercial launch for a
selectin inhibitor.”
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Dr. Scott Rollins Selexys Pharmaceuticals
major hope. major disease.
14
A
lzheimer’s disease robs its victims of
their memories, their ability to live
independently and, eventually, their life.
It cuts across all ethnic groups and knows no
geographic boundaries.
Alzheimer’s presents an enormous challenge for the world’s health care and medical
research community, claiming increasing
numbers of victims as average age of the world
population increases.
“It is a terrible disease,” said Dr. John
Hey, vice president for discovery and preclinical development with CoMentis, the San
Francisco-based company that operates a large
research laboratory in the Research Park.
“Tragically, it’s one of the most rapidly
growing diseases because the incidence increases as the percentage of elderly in the population advances. Estimates are that upwards
of 10 percent of the population over the age
of 65 will develop the disease, and the percent
rises to over 40 percent by 85 years of age. The
numbers are staggering and the human health
toll on patients, family, caregivers and society
is enormous. There is no cure available”.
Such is the enormity of Alzheimer’s disease
that Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. invested
almost $800 million in 2008 in a collaborative
agreement with CoMentis to advance a promis-
ing drug known as CTS-21166.
It’s a big bet on an Alzheimer’s drug
that has its roots in the Oklahoma Medical
Research Foundation laboratory of Dr. Jordan
Tang, who along with fellow researcher Dr.
Arun Ghosh of Purdue University discovered a
key brain enzyme responsible for the generation of a toxic protein, beta-amyloid, that
deposits in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients
slowly over time forming plaques, and is
crucial for development of Alzheimer’s disease.
“All of this technology has grown out of
Dr. Tang’s work at OMRF and Dr. Ghosh,”
said Hey, who earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center in 1986 and has worked in
pharmaceutical drug development for 20
years. “The scientists at CoMentis are building upon these ground-breaking discoveries
with the goal of developing a disease modifying drug that will stop the progression of the
disease. To do this we have built a world class
research and drug development engine focusing on Alzheimer’s disease here in Oklahoma.”
The drug under development aims to halt
the progression of Alzheimer’s in patients, which
represents hope for a cure. Building on Dr.
Tang’s foundational work we are designing and
developing compounds that selectively target
and block the brain enzyme responsible for the
biochemical cascade that underpins the disease.
In experimental animals that have features of the
disease our compounds block the disease from
progressing and maintain brain function.
“What we have done is taken those innovative discoveries and original compounds that Dr.
Tang and Dr. Ghosh have come up with and
built in all the properties needed to make a good
drug. CTS-21166 is the result of this intense
drug development work,” Hey explained.
CoMentis is a successor to Zapaq, a
company created to advance their discoveries
and funded by various venture capital groups.
Today it employs 23 researchers in Oklahoma City and is expanding its presence in
the Research Park with 23,000 square feet of
new lab space at 865 Research Parkway, which
opened in 2009.
Astellas’s investment is expected to carry
the company’s drug development through the
lengthy clinical trials required to prove its effectiveness. CoMentis has phase I clinical studies
already under way in Australia and the U.S.
“CoMentis is one of the best-kept secrets
in Oklahoma,” Hey said. “We have one of the
leading Alzheimer’s drug research and development operations in the world right here.”
5
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15
Dr. John Hey CoMentis
alarming inventions.
16
F
or the 70 million Americans who live
with hearing loss, the high-pitched tone
of a smoke alarm offers no protection in
the event of a fire. The sound frequency is far
above their range of hearing, and the alarms
are placed on a ceiling or high on a wall that is
not in proximity to, say, a bed.
“Last year, 3,500 people died in fires,”
says Dr. David Albert, founder and chief technology officer at Lifetone Technology, a wholly
owned subsidiary of InnovAlarm Corp. “Most
died at night and died of smoke inhalation.”
So Albert invented a device that changes
the dynamics of the fire alarm technology.
The long-time inventor and serial entrepreneur developed a device that listens for the
signals of conventional smoke alarms, and
when it detects one emits its alarm on loud
broadcast in much lower frequencies.
Over the last four years, Albert has won
10 patents for his low-frequency fire alarm
products and created the company, Lifetone
Technology, to commercialize it.
“We have two major revisions to the US fire
alarm code that I’ve been a part of,” Albert said.
“I was part of a group that got the US government to fund three studies to see if there is a
better way to wake people up who are at risk.”
Turns out there is.
Lifetone Technology will begin selling
Lifetone HL™ in 2009. Bedside Fire Alarm
and Clock through a network of retailers that
specialize in servicing the hearing impaired
population. First units will retail for approximately $200 each.
“We now have this fully functional alarm
clock that you put at your bedside,” Albert
said. “It has a lot of unique features that are
focused on safety compared to the alarm you
have at your bedside now.”
Sitting in his Research Park office, Albert
picked up a prototype Lifetone HL model that
looks very much like a traditional alarm. The
Lifetone HL features a large digital display
that spells out “FIRE” in the event of an
alarm. It also includes more than seven days
of battery backup, as well as a “bed shaker” for
users with complete hearing loss.
Albert worked closely with the Underwriters
Laboratories to meet their requirements for UL
certification and even helped rewrite National
Fire Protection Association code that now
specifies alarms at lower frequencies because they
are proven to more effectively wake people.
Lifetone employs eight people, including
engineers from both the University of
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.
The market potential for the product is
much larger than the hearing loss population. Potential users include the elderly,
families with young children, people who may
take sleeping pills and even college students
who may go to sleep intoxicated and can’t be
awakened by traditional smoke alarms.
“Our newly hired national sales manager
is already making sales calls and getting phenomenal reception,” Albert said.
The next step for Lifetone Technology is
a unit that also includes a carbon monoxide
alarm monitor, as well as eventually one
that includes a weather radio to monitor for
weather threats.
Albert tosses a traditional smoke detector
onto the desktop where he is sitting.
“You know what this is?” he asked. “It is
incredibly cheap insurance. Our product is
nothing more than a little better inexpensive
insurance that is scientifically proven.”
17
6
Dr. David Albert Lifetone Technology
pure. science.
18
T
he human immune system is triggered to
defend the body by its own alarm system
composed of proteins known as HLA –
Human Leukocyte Antigen – according to Dr.
William Hildebrand.
Sometimes the immune system responds
appropriately to viruses or cancer cells and
mounts an attack on the intruders. But
sometimes the response is a harmful false
alarm, such as when the body rejects an organ
transplant.
A researcher and professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center,
Hildebrand discovered a way to produce HLA
proteins in the mid-1990s.
“We began to have a lot of success
producing this alarm system so we could
characterize good and bad immune responses,”
Hildebrand said. “At the same time, people
began to say ‘if somebody could make this
(HLA protein), we could begin to make organ
transplants more successful. ’”
Hildebrand’s timing couldn’t have been
better. State Questions 680 and 681 had
recently passed, which made it easier for
universities and faculty researchers to transfer
technology to private companies.
Hildebrand’s technology became the
foundation for Pure Protein, L.L.C. through
a license from OU. The intellectual property
protection process began immediately using
the local patenting firm Dunlap, Codding, and
the technology has developed with support
from OCAST through the OARS program,
investment from Emergent’s Oklahoma funds
and sales revenue.
“We were the first ones to start a company
out of the Health Sciences Center after those
state questions passed,” said Hildebrand,
who today serves as Chief Scientist for Pure
Protein.
More than 10 years later, Pure Protein is a
successful, Research Park-based company that
is producing HLA proteins commercially used
for both transplantation and vaccine applications.
Two subsidiaries – Pure Transplant
Solutions and Pure Vaccine Solutions – were
spawned to commercialize the technology in
both those areas.
Researchers are finding even more use of
Hildebrand’s immune-alarm system technology.
Pure Protein recently signed a deal with
a company that will begin making an HLA
protein-based assay this year for an often-fatal
blood transfusion condition known as TRALI
– transfusion related acute lung injury.
“It’s equivalent to having an organ
rejection from a transplant, but your body is
actually rejecting the blood,” said Bill Strieber,
an Emergent Technologies official who serves
as executive vice president for Pure Protein.
The TRALI assay is expected to be launched
by the Pure Protein partner company in July
(2009) and is projected to be a $200 million
market. It is anticipated that blood banks will
make wide use of the new technology.
“With this order for production of
our proteins, we’ve reached a new phase in
a true production capacity,” Hildebrand
said. “Launching new products within nine
months, that’s a big step for us.”
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Dr. William Hildebrand Pure Protein, LLC
prosthetic. technique.
20
O
ne constant has always remained in the
evolution of prosthetics: the person who
wears an artificial limb must adapt to
the physical demands of the device.
OrthoCare Innovations is at the forefront
of an industry revolution that is pioneering
prosthetics that adapt to the wearer.
“Currently, most prosthetic devices are
comprised of static, inert, components that are
not compatible with patients’ physiology,” said
OrthoCare CEO Doug McCormack. “They
are not forgiving, nor do they change shape
or form to adjust to physiological changes in
patients, to environmental factors or barriers
that a patient might encounter. So, it really
requires the patient to adapt to the prosthesis.”
McCormack knows first-hand the challenges faced by amputees. He has worn a prosthetic limb since losing his left leg to cancer as
a teenager. He has experienced the heat that
builds up in the socket where the leg connects
to the artificial device. He knows how it feels
when a prosthetic knee does not keep pace or
buckles at inopportune times while walking.
OrthoCare’s ComPAS – Computerized
Prosthesis Alignment System – is a giant step
toward changing the prosthetic paradigm.
“The ComPAS system helps you walk in
a more normal gait and helps eliminate, or at a
minimum reduce, co-morbidities associated with
wearing a prosthesis, such as lower back pain,”
McCormack said. “A lot of issues come into play
when your device isn’t aligned properly.”
Alignment technology is but one of
several areas of prosthetic innovation in which
OrthoCare is focused.
“We are looking at an adaptive socket that
changes shape and form to provide a better fit
and better function for patients,” McCormack
said. “We will be exploring complete microprocessor controlled limb systems that enable
the device to really change with the patient.”
OrthoCare came to the Research Park in
April 2008 with its purchase of Martin Bionics,
which already was located here. The medical
device and product development company has
since won a $1.6 million EDGE Endowment
grant that will allow it to begin full scale production and marketing of its ComPAS system and
other prosthetic technologies.
As part of its EDGE proposal, OrthoCare
pledged to establish its corporate headquarters
in the Research Park and employ as many as
115 people here within three years. It also is
relocating local operations to 840 Research
Parkway and expanding its space to approximately 14,000 square feet to facilitate manufacturing of the high-tech prosthesis system.
“We anticipate getting into the new
space and immediately begin to produce the
initial products we have ready for market,”
McCormack said.
The first customer for the new alignment
system is the Department of Defense.
OrthoCare also has an understanding with the
Veterans Administration to roll the technology
out in 12 cities.
“We will be doing all final production,
assembly and testing here in Oklahoma at the
Research Park,” McCormack said. “PHF has
been our biggest champion and has made our
decision to locate OrthoCare’s operations here
an easy one.”
8
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Doug McCormack OrthoCare Innovations
case. studies.
22
W
hen the medical world sought clues to
a series of mysterious deaths last year
related to the blood thinner Heparin,
a team of Oklahoma City scientists was among
the experts asked to investigate.
Evidence was examined at the Research
Park laboratories of Analytical Research
Laboratories, where scientists have weighed
evidence in myriad other cases that range from
drug formulations to deadly medication errors
to development of new drugs to fight disease
such as cancer.
Founded in 1994, Analytical Research
Laboratories is a science company with highly
educated and skilled employees who provide
pharmaceutical services and testing for clients.
“We have a lot of big pharma clients, as
well as hospital research institutions such as
the Mayo Clinic and Duke University,” said
Dr. Tom Kupiec, CEO of Analytical Research
Laboratories and two related companies also
located in the Research Park. Also under Kupiec’s umbrella of knowledge-based companies
are DNA Solutions and the Kupiec Group.
“We are commercializing a service and
knowledge-based information in the areas of
pharma, genetics and forensics,” he said. “In
this technology pipeline from basic research
to applied research to technology transfer to
commercialization, you are either going to
have to commercialize a product or a service.
Our commercialization product is a service in
the area of scientifically tested information.”
Business is booming for the niche market
companies. For example, DNA Solutions experienced 30 percent revenue growth in 2008.
DNA Solutions, begun by a group of
Noble Foundation scientists and acquired by
Kupiec in 2000, provides genetics testing on
both plant, animals and humans.
“Its core competency is genetic testing,
genetic analysis,” Kupiec said. “We do that
through human DNA testing, animal DNA
testing, forensics and R and D, which is diagnostics. We are considered a national leader in
animal genetics testing.”
The Kupiec Group, incorporated in
2006, provides forensics expertise to the legal
community. Kupiec and his team of forensic
experts have provided testimony in more than
130 court cases nationwide.
Kupiec’s knowledge-based companies
employs 40 highly skilled people who work
closely with other Oklahoma institutions such
as the OU Health Sciences Center to bring
federal research dollars into the state.
“I want to be the largest biotech firm in
this region of the country,” he said.
o n
t h e
e d g e
Tom Kupiec serves as a member
of the EDGE policy board, which
last fall made the first awards
from the $150 million EDGE
Endowment fund.
The nine-member board
provided $12 million in grants
to Oklahoma-based researchers and entrepreneurs. The five
projects funded showed promise
for creating jobs and economic
development in the state.
Kupiec, CEO of DNA Solutions
and Analytical Research Laboratories, wants to see the EDGE
Endowment continue to grow
into the $1 billion originally envisioned for it.
“I would like to see the
EDGE funding come to culmination,” Kupiec said of the EDGE
Endowment.
Oklahoma City created a
template for success with the
MAPs project from the 1990s
that resulted in new venues and
economic development in the city.
“We’re benefitting now from
our forefathers and city leaders
paying the price,” he said. “That’s
why we have the canal, have the
arts, have the Thunder.
“We have all this going on in
Oklahoma City because someone
thought ahead.”
Three of five EDGE awards
were made to companies that
are located in the Research Park.
The awards to Research Park
companies were:
A cooperative funding
proposal to produce sugar-based
therapeutics by Hyalose and
Cytovance Biologics, Dr. Paul
DeAngelis, principal investigator,
$1.237 million;
A proposal to use nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery for
treatment of diabetic retinopathy
by Charlesson, Dr. Jian-xing Ma,
principal investigator, $2.86
million;
And a proposal to develop
the Limb Restoration Institute and
manufacture advanced prosthetic
devices by OrthoCare Innovations, Dr. David Boone, principal
investigator, $1.6 million.
9
23
Dr. Tom Kupiec ARL Laboratories
synergetic. science.
24
A
ltheus Therapeutics is rooted in University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center research into inflammatory bowel
disease, a painful condition that afflicts more
than one million Americans.
In observing the effects of different drugs
on a disease known as colitis, Dr. Richard
Harty conceived an idea that eventually became
Altheus. He noted that the two drugs appeared
to work significantly better when administered
together rather than as stand-alone therapies.
“Those observations opened up a series of
questions about how this might be applied to
individuals with inflammatory bowel disease
such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease,”
Dr. Harty said. “That started the development
of Altheus and the path we are on now.”
Harty took his idea to OU’s office of
research administration, which pointed him
to i2E, the not-for-profit corporation that
maintains its headquarters in the Research
Park. The wheels were turning and Altheus
was created about three years ago.
Today, the biopharma company is located
in the Research Park with Dr. Harty serving
as its chief scientific officer. Trained in internal
medicine, Harty formerly was the chief of
Division of Gastroenterology in the Department
of Medicine at the OU Health Sciences Center.
Altheus is working to develop and commercialize drug combination therapies for
treating inflammatory bowel disease that
includes both oral and enema products. Both
of the drugs it is working to combine are FDA
approved and generic. Dr. Dennis Hair is
director of product development for Altheus.
“We have this synergistic combination that
is very exciting,” Dr. Hair said. “The idea is
to start with the basic chemistry and ask the
questions, how do they interact; do they form
any reactive side products; how do we make
the drug stable; how do we make it safe for
people?”
All those questions must be answered in a
series of clinical trials before FDA approval is
won for a treatment that could benefit more
than a million people suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.
Altheus has raised about $5.2 million to
begin the long trial process, and Harty hopes
to win FDA approval for clinical trials within
the next year.
The big challenge, Dr. Hair said, is “time
and money.”
“We do have a lot of confidence in these
products,” he said. “Of course, you can never
predict how they are going to perform in
humans. But it takes time to get there and it
takes money to get there.”
In the meantime, Altheus has benefited
from the backing of its executive board and
the support of like-minded colleagues in the
Research Park.
“We have the benefit of seeking counsel
from colleagues within our scientific community
here,” Dr. Harty said. “We’ve invited people over
and had conversations. It’s just amazing to have
this group of people here.”
10
25
L to R: Dr. Dennis Hair, Dr. Richard Harty Altheus
PHF Supports Basic Medical Science
•OUCI
•PhysicianScientists
•EndowedBiomedicalChairs
26
Oklahoma University Cancer Institute
H
ope for cures and treatment is coming
closer to home. OUCI is the only
comprehensive cancer treatment
center in the State of Oklahoma that has the
designation as a National Cancer Institute.
There are only sixty-three such designated
institutes serving fifty states in the U.S.
Formerly, the closest comprehensive cancer
institutes involved travel to Houston, St.
Louis or Albuquerque, if one wanted to have
the highest standard of care and treatment.
Now, Oklahoma City is the base of the
OUCI, a $210MM project at the Health
Sciences Center.
PHF has contributed $4MM to this
program headed by Robert Mannel, M.D.,
OUCI Director, and Associate Director,
Wade Williams, Ph.D. OUCI means
Oklahomans will have state of the art
treatment, including certain types of clinical
trials that will not be available anywhere
else in the state. Cancer kills more people
under 85 years of age than any other disease.
Hope has just moved closer to home. World
renown research and clinical experts are
being recruited to the OUCI. For example,
Dr. Danny Dhanasekaran, a researcher from
Temple University in Philadelphia is one of
America’s leading research scientists in cancer.
His portfolio includes over one million
dollars a year in federal funding because of
the quality of his research. Dr. Dhanasekaran
is the new Deputy Director of OUCI. The
Oklahoma Legislature acknowledged the
need of a National Institute of Health, National
Cancer Institute designated cancer center.
The bill passed supporting this effort called
on OU to “provide statewide leadership in
cancer research, prevention, information and
treatment, and seek to gain national recognition
for excellence in the fight against cancer by
being named as a comprehensive cancer center
by the National Cancer Institute.” Now, this
mandate is becoming a reality.
27
PHF Supports Basic Medical Science
•OUCI
•PhysicianScientists
•EndowedBiomedicalChairs
28
Physician Scientists at Oklahoma University
& Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
O
ne of the principle grants of PHF
($5MM) funds part of the MD/
PhD Program at the University of
Oklahoma. This academic and research
experience trains new physician scientists.
OU and OMRF are co-administrators of
the program. Our grant provides a $25,000
stipend per year per student. The MD/
PhD Program consists of two years of
medical school curriculum followed by three
or four years of graduate study and dissertation research leading to a Ph.D. degree. Two
years of clinical studies in the College of
Medicine lead to the M.D. degree.
Several of the outstanding research
faculty members of OUHSC and OMRF
are graduates of this program. For example,
Dr. Judith James of OMRF (with Dr. Patrick
Wilson) received international acclaim for
cloning a molecule that targets a specific infectious disease. The scientific journal, “Nature,”
published the findings of this team in April
2008. Dr. James was in the first MD/PhD
graduating class funded by PHF.
29
M. Dewayne Andrews, M.D., MACP, Executive Dean OU College of Medicine (standing)
with MD.PhD. students Lauren Cole, GS1 and Adam Hoffhines, MS3
PHF Supports Basic Medical Science
•OUCI
•PhysicianScientists
•EndowedBiomedicalChairs
“10x ROI” Presbyterian Health Foundation
GrantsforEndowmentsofChairsandProfessorships
at the University of Oklahoma
30
P
resbyterian Health Foundation has
supported 37 Chairs and Professorships, and 3 annual PHF “Presidential
Professor” awards at the University of Oklahoma. The total dollar amount invested
in these endowments is $33,068,000, according to the most recent accounting of
the University of Oklahoma Foundation.
“The Power of Ten:” for every dollar PHF
invested in OU professor/scientists, more
than ten dollars has come into the State of
Oklahoma from outside sources. Some of the
research scientists, in the following list, have
garnered $5MM, $10MM, $12MM and
over $20MM in research grants from out of
state sources. This has been a 10x ROI (return on investment) for the Foundation, the
University, and for the State of Oklahoma.
College of Medicine
Arnold and Bess Ungerman Chair in Psychiatry
Holder: Dr. Robert B. Nisbet
CMRI/Shaun Walters Chair in Developmental
and Behavioral Pediatrics
Holder: Dr. Mark L. Wolraich
Bob G. Eaton Chair in Radiological Sciences
Holder: Dr. Susan M. Edwards
Dr. and Mrs. W.W. Kerley and Mrs. Cash Cade Chair
in Cancer Clinical Research
Holder: Dr. C.V. Rao
Chair in Child Neurology
Holder: Dr. Julie T. Park
Ed Miller Chair in Molecular Biology
Holder: Dr. Paul Weigel
CMRI/C.R. Anthony Centennial Chair
in Pediatric Pulmonology
Holder: Dr. James A. Royall
Frances and Malcolm Robinson Chair
in Gastroenterology
Holder: Dr. Courtney Houchen
CMRI/Jean Gumerson Chair
in Clinical Child Psychology
Dr. Barbara L. Bonner
Francis Duffy Professorship of Oncology
Holder: Dr. Mark Huycke
CMRI/Presbyterian Health Foundation
Chair in Pediatric Graduate Medical Education
Holder: Dr. Joan Parkhurst Cain
G. Rainey Williams, M.D., Chair
in Surgical Breast Oncology
Holder: Dr. William C. Dooley
Harry Wilkins, M.D., Chair in Neurosurgery
Holder: Dr. Timothy Mapstone
31
James P. Luton Chair in Ophthalmology
Holder: Dr. Gregory L. Skuta
James A. Merrill Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Holder: Dr. Joan L. Walker
M.G. McCool Chair in Ophthalmology
(no incumbent)
Patricia Price Browne CMRI Distinguished Chair
in Pediatrics
Holder: Dr. Terrence L. Stull
Presbyterian Health Foundation Chair in
Neuroscience
Holder: Dr. Beverley Greenwood-Van Meerveld
Presbyterian Health Foundation Chair
in Otorhinolaryngology
Holder: Dr. Lurdes Queimado
Presbyterian Health Foundation Chair
in Microbiology/Immunology
Holder: Dr. William H. Hildebrand
Professor of Psychiatry Education
Holder: Dr. Theresa S. Garton
Stewart Wolf Chair in Internal Medicine
Holder: Dr. Michael Bronze
Warren M. Crosby, M.D., Chair
in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Holder: Dr. Elisa A. Crouse
Professorship of Obstetrics/Gynecology
Medical Student Education
Holder: Dr. Gary A. Johnson
Professorship of Microbiology
(no incumbent)
Presbyterian Health Foundation Chair in Pathology
Presbyterian Health Foundation
Presidential Professor
Awarded Annually
Presbyterian Health Foundation
Presidential Professor
Awarded Annually
Presbyterian Health Foundation
Presidential Professor
Awarded Annually
Virginia Kerley Cade Chair in Cancer Development
Virginia Kerley Cade Chair in Cancer Treatment
Holder: Dr. Scott McMeekin
College of Allied Health
(no incumbent)
Ann Taylor Chair in Pediatric and Developmental
Disabilities in Physical Therapy
Holder: Dr. Irene McEwen
Chair in Gynecologic Oncology
Stuart Coulter Miller Professorship of Allied Health
Holder: Dr. P. Kevin Rudeen
Chair in Perinatal Research
College of Dentistry
CMRI/Edith Kinney Gaylord Chair
in Pediatric Diabetes
Holder: Dr. Steven Dwight Chernausek
Professor of Dentistry
(no incumbent)
CMRI/James Paul Linn Chair in Pediatrics
William E. Brown Chair in Dentistry
Holder: Dr. Theresa White
Elizabeth Merrick Coe Chair in Breast Imaging
James D. Funnel, M.D. – Gary F. Strebel, M.D.
Dr. Russell J. Stratton Chair in Dentistry
Holder: Dr. Nancy L. Jacobsen
gifts received
32
Name Fund Donations:
Mike & Lolly Anderson
Mr. & Mrs. Blake Arnold
Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Browne
Drs. J. Donald & Patricia H. Capra
Mr. & Mrs. Kent Carlin
Tom & Lois Godkins
Mr. & Mrs. Clyde Ingle
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Friends for Life Donations:
Richard Alvarez
Bill & Kathy Amalong
Analytical Research Laboratories
Dr. Petar & Alexandra Alaupovic
Gene Binning
Dr. & Mrs. John L. Boland
Kent Carlin
Commercial Real Estate
Cytovance Biologics
Darr & Collins
Richard Dotter, M.D.
Ramsey & Susan Drake
Ford & Vanessa Drummond
Robert Ellis, M.D.
Colin & Mary Fitzsimons
Rodney Foster
Grande Oil & Gas
Donald B. Halverstadt, M.D.
i2E
Willa Johnson
L.M. Johnston, Ph.D.
Midwest Maintenance
Miles Associates
Nexus Media
Don & Suzy Nicholson
Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce
OG&E Electric Services
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
ONG
OU Medical Center
Thelma R. Parks
Price Edwards & Company
Quantum Consulting
Duane Rictor
Streets
University of Oklahoma Foundation
Kirstin & Ali Barr
Nicole Barr
Anderson Lee
Kirstin Lee
Charlie & Sam Sandefer
Laura Sandefer
Anna, Abby & Lucy Webb
Michelle Webb
Mike & Lolly Anderson
Memorial Donations:
Honoree Name/Donor Name
Mary Conner Allen
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Friends Honoring Friends Donations:
Honoree Name/Donor Name
William G. “Bill” Bailey
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Mike Anderson
Lolly Anderson
Bettye Bell
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Dr. John & Lillian Boland
Robert & Karen Browne
Jane Hogg-Krizer
Dick & Mary Clements
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Ellis
Betty Catching
Mr. & Mrs. Tom R. Gray, III
Lolly Anderson
Melissa Kizer
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Gail Chapman Haynes
Presbyterian Health Foundation
Lolly Anderson
Bill Berger
Constance Ingles
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Lolly Anderson
Lorraine S. Black
Klee, Sally Ashley & Mallory Black
Patricia Bowdell
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Mr. E.L. Brooks
W.C. Payne Foundation
Russell E. Caston, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Tom R. Gray, III
Robert M. Catching
Lolly Anderson
Bettie Curtis
Mr. & Mrs. Earl Ingram, III
William Earl Dahlgren
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
E.J. Dixon
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Catherine Dobelbower
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Jim Dolman
Mr. & Mrs. Don Nicholson, II
Richard G. Dotter, M.D.
Dr. & Mrs. Barton Carl
John O. Colton
Mr. & Mrs. James Davis
Jim & Christy Everest
Melissa Kizer
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Presbyterian Health Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Vannatta
William Egolf
Dr. & Mrs. H. Wallace Vandever
Rev. Ernest A. Flusche
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Arch Jack
Mike & Lolly Anderson
Mr. & Mrs. Van Barbert
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Mr. & Mrs. Jordan C. Braun
Coggins Family
Luann Cravens
Jerry Dickinson
Mr. & Mrs. Carl Edwards
Melissa Kizer
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Mr. & Mrs. Dwight T. Mitchell, Jr.
Presbyterian Health Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. David Vance
Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce
James Work
Connor McGrath
Mike & Lolly Anderson
Mr. & Mrs. Kent Carlin
Bebe Dotter
Dr. & Mrs. Robert Ellis
Jim & Christy Everest
Mr. & Mrs. Tom R. Gray, III
Melissa Kizer
Presbyterian Health Foundation
David & Kim Rainbolt
Ellen Sembe
Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Vannatta
Victor R. Schuelein
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Goldie McKelvy
Mrs. Gilbert Adler
Marguerite Sears
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Dr. Victor A. McKusick
Drs. John & Charlotte Mulvihill
Zach Taylor
Mike & Lolly Anderson
Mr. & Mrs. Tom R. Gray, III
Jack E. Franklin
Mrs. Joan N. Fleetwood,
Polly & Elizabeth
William R. Jackson, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. H. Wallace Vandever
Virginia Gill
Mr. & Mrs. Tom R. Gray, III
Eva Norine Kazan
Miles Associates
Frank Golzen
Charles & Kay Wells
Charles Kemnitz
Mr. & Mrs. Ron Graber
Jean Gumerson
Jane Hogg-Krizer
June Kimberling
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Johnny Dale Hankins
Mr. & Mrs. Byron Gambulos
Don Lippert
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Jeannine Rainbolt
Mike & Lolly Anderson
Joanna M. Champlin & Shawnee Brittan
Melissa Kizer
Judy & Dennis McGrath
Presbyterian Health Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Vannatta
Mary Heaton
Kay Sherwood
Donald “Don” Manners
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Harold Reedy
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Myrna Bayles Howard
Don & Sally Sappington
John W. Nichols
Mr. & Mrs. Claude Arnold
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Mr. & Mrs. Cliff Branan
Marianne C. Rowsey (Mrs. Paul E. Rowsey, Jr.)
Mrs. Joan N. Fleetwood,
Polly & Elizabeth
James W. Sherburne
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Mr. Richard S. Sidwell
Mildred I. Sidwell
Harry Singleton, M.D.
Mike & Lolly Anderson
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
Dana Waits
Gayle Harris
Dr. David Watson
Mrs. Joan N. Fleetwood,
Polly & Elizabeth
Viola Walker
Tom D. Walker
Romanie Walter
Judy & Dennis McGrath
William Fredric “Bill” Williams
Mr. & Mrs. Gene Binning
33
PHF Board of Trustees
34
Carl Edwards, Chairman
Michael D. Anderson, Ph.D.
William F. Barnes, M.D.
William M. Beard
Robert S. Ellis, M.D.
Christy Everest
Clyde Ingle
Michael E. Joseph
Dennis McGrath
David Rainbolt
Harry B. Tate, M.D.
Jerry B. Vannatta, M.D.
G. Rainey Williams, Jr.
Stanton L. Young
Tom R. Gray, III
Advisory Trustee
C O R P O R A T E B O A R D Includes all Trustees and the following members:
Ray H. Potts
William M. Bell
Madeleine Cunningham, Ph.D. Randy Hogan
Jeanne H. Smith
G.T. Blankenship
James F. Davis
Jill King
Karen Browne
John Gruel, M.D.
William Liedtke III
Ted Clemens, Jr., M.D.
Donald B. Halverstadt, M.D.
Polly Nichols
STAFF
Michael D. Anderson, Ph.D.
President /CEO
Dennis McGrath
Vice President/CFO
J.R. Caton
Vice President/Research Park
Melissa Kizer
Administrative Assistant
Judy Jones
Secretary
35
In Volume II of the Power of Ten, we shall profile ten more
science companies in the PHF Research Park.
These companies are producing novel therapeutics and
innovative diagnostics that promise very significant rewards
in human health and well being. Look for the profiles on:
Advancia
Biolytx
Choncept
Crescendo
Inoveon
Nomadics
SIWA
Swaasth
Therametics
TRI
Volume III will consist of profiles on all other companies and
agencies in the PHF Research Park.
make a contribution
Tax-deductible gifts to the Presbyterian Health
Foundation are used to support medical research,
education and health programs. Only income generated
by these gifts is used, so donations serve Oklahoma
health needs in perpetuity. You can contribute to the
Presbyterian Health Foundation through:
36
•FriendsForLifeannualgivingprogram
•AWillForLifeenhancinghealthcareforothers
through your will
•FriendsRemembranceProgramtohelpyou
encourage your friends in joy or sorrow, to
celebrate or console
Your contribution will make a difference in the quality of
life and health care, today and tomorrow.
Contributions can be made online at: www.phfokc.com,
or phone us at 405.319.8150. Thank you.
This report is printed on 30% post consumer fiber paper.
Printed with 100% vegetable ink.
Design by Hit LLC: www.thehitshow.com
Photography by Joseph Mills: www.josephmills.com
37
The mission of Presbyterian Health Foundation
supports medical research and development
that saves and enhances human life.
38
www.phfokc.com
www.phfresearchpark.com
655 Research Parkway, Suite 500
Oklahoma City, OK 73104-3603
Telephone: 405.319.8150
Fax: 405.319.8168