BIO X X 2012...20 BIO X PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL November 2, 2012 phoenix.bizjournals.com NAU...

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Celebrating a decade of innovationCelebrating a decade of innovation

20 BIO X PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL November 2, 2012phoenix.bizjournals.com

NAU Research Supports Students, Workforce Needsby John D. Haeger, President

We live in an age when stunning scientific advances seem almost commonplace, as researchers peer deeper into knowledge about humans and their interconnections to the surrounding world.

In this high-tech environment, some might ask what role can be played by a university that is committed to undergraduate education as its primary mission.

At Northern Arizona University (NAU), the answer is that research, even as a secondary outcome, can be significant, and that the practical application of bioscience knowledge is crucial to our collective well-being.

A strong and ongoing commitment to educating students in the health professions marks one important way that NAU has brought bioscience advances to everyday citizens while supporting Arizona’s workforce needs.

Extending that tradition, NAU has recently expanded to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, where our highly regarded doctorate of physical therapy program is joined by a new physician assistant graduate program, and occupational therapy will be offered in the near future.

These programs address an acute national need for graduate-level health professionals. But helping to create a pool of college students who have an aptitude for science in the first place is the job of educators.

In just four years, NAUTeach has contributed to a doubling of graduates specially trained to teach science and mathematics to middle school and high school students, addressing a national need for such teachers.

Our hope is that today’s students will populate a new generation of researchers. There is great value in research, and at NAU, the research is impressive.

Paul Keim, Regents Professor of biology and director of the Translational Genomics Research Institute Pathogen Genomics Division, employs technology that reads the entire DNA code. He continues to solve forensic mysteries at the level of genes, while elsewhere in his lab, discoveries point to a possible vaccine for glanders, a severe infectious disease that is usually limited to horses and donkeys but has potential as a biowarfare agent.

In other fields, our researchers are asking complex questions about biodiversity, the carbon cycle and forest health. They mitigate cancer’s effects, investigate drought and work to understand global warming,

We are all touched by such work, and that sort of interconnectedness is familiar to us at NAU. From the student learning to be a nurse or an educator, to research that explores global phenomena, there extends a single thread: improvement of life through knowledge.

nau.edu/research

Congratulations to Paul Keim, Ph.D. Cowden Endowed Chair of Microbiology at Northern Arizona University

In recognition of his research and innovation in the field of pathogen genomics and microbiology.

nau.edu/keim

2012 Arizona Bioscience Researcher of the Year

®

e are the Translational Genomics Research Institute, home to many of the nation’s leading scientists and physicians investigating the genetic and genomic origins of diseases such

as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and many types of cancer. But most know us simply as TGen. And in simple terms, what we do is look for changes in the DNA of individual patients that can show us how they might have become vulnerable to their disease or medical condition, and then work with the medical community to match those potential genetic vulnerabilities to drug treatments that can add years and quality of life for many patients, including children. (see www.c4rcd.org for a remarkable example). Through collaboration with local clinical partners, our work attracts patients from across the nation and around the world. But the greatest benefi ciaries are those living right here in Arizona, as the majority of our clinical trial patients are Arizonans, seen at hospitals in the Valley. In addition to enhancing patient health, we add to the state fi nancially. Each year, TGen provides an economic impact of more than $137 million to Arizona’s economy, supporting more than 1,100 high-skill jobs and returning $25 for every $1 invested by the state. We also provide a largely neutral setting focused on scientifi c collaboration among research institutes, university faculty, and government research entities, and work closely with multiple industry partners, attracting scientifi c professionals and private business investment to Arizona from across the globe. We are TGen. I encourage you to learn more about the work we do by visiting www.tgen.org.

new medical school, an iconic building, creative partnerships, exciting translational research and many new healthcare professionals are just a few of the advances during the last 10 years on the Phoenix

Biomedical Campus. The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix has grown from a branch campus, to recently receiving preliminary accreditation as the newest medical school in the country. We started with a class of 24 students in 2007 and this July expanded to 80 (our ultimate goal is 120 students per class). Last month we celebrated the grand opening of our new Health Sciences Education Building, a copper-clad education building that is the envy of academic medical centers across the country. The 268,000 square foot building is designed for interprofessional education with students from the UA’s colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health and Nursing, along with Northern Arizona University’s physical therapy and physician assistant’s programs. We work closely with our partners creating new models for providing effi cient and effective health care. As our students graduate, they are skilled in advances in medicine and experts in providing personalized care. Research continues to grow and fl ourish on this campus and you will soon hear about some exciting new hires. The economic impact of this campus continues to grow and has already created high-paying jobs, brought in millions of new dollars and expands our supply of health care workers.We congratulate the Flinn Foundation on the 10th anniversary of the Bioscience Roadmap and TGen on their 10th year in Arizona – as well as all of the leaders who have worked diligently to move Arizona forward. And a special thank you to everyone for making our campus a reality.

November 2, 2012 PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL BIO X 21 phoenix.bizjournals.com

It’s been 10 years since a group of Ar-izona cities and educational institu-tions, along with private businesses, got behind the state’s biotechnology

cluster — although its genesis can be traced a few years further back.

This special section is designed to high-light the evolution of the industry in Ar-izona, where it stands now, and where it is going in the future.

The biosciences have become a key tech sector, and one of the industries on which Phoenix and other cities across the state see as a key part of the future.

Decade of growthThose responsible for the start of biotech operations in the Valley 10 years ago share their thoughts on how the industry has developed so far. 22

Finding leadersThe industry had humble beginnings with about fi ve people, all of whom were looking to make a difference in people’s lives. 24

A 10-year historyA time line examines the big events that have hit the bioscience community during its growth in Phoenix and Arizona. 26

Quick paceThe growth of the biosciences in Arizona has outpaced the indus-try’s growth nationwide. 27

Education changesThe ever-growing biotech cluster has exac-erbated the need for an educated workforce — a need local schools are trying to meet. 28

Working togetherThe collaborative nature of Arizona’s bioscienc-es community is a feature that draws research-ers and companies here from all over. 30

Finding moneyBioscience ventures have some of the same struggles fi nding investment capital as other startups in Arizona, but some groups are aiming to help them clear that hurdle. 31

2 CentsThree biotech leaders offer their thoughts on what the state needs to do to keep the industry from falling behind. 32

Common groundResearch groups have built interdependencies into their structures to force them to rely on one another, with the thought that it will benefi t all. 32

INSIDE

STAFFPatrick O’Grady: project editorCathy Luebke: copy editorJim Poulin: photo editorAmy Morrison and Joel Chadwick: designers

Dr. Jeffrey Trent

Page 25

PROVIDED BY TGEN

22 BIO X PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL November 2, 2012 phoenix.bizjournals.com

When Frances Mallery was dying of ovar-ian cancer in 2001, her husband, Richard, wanted to prevent this from happening to others.

Mallery, a partner in the law fi rm Snell & Wilmer, knew that genomics would play a key role in fi nding better treatments for cancer. He assembled a small working group of Valley leaders to lure Jeff Trent, a University of Arizona and Arcadia High School gradu-ate, back to Phoenix.

At the time, Trent was scientifi c director of the Na-tional Human Genome Research Institute at the Na-tional Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

Trent also had just created a nonprofi t, the Interna-tional Genomics Consortium, with the goal of sharing tissue samples with scientists around the world to accelerate research and fi nd a cure for cancer.

A collaborative effort — from Gov. Jane Hull to philanthropists — lured the IGC headquarters to Phoenix in 2002.

“He was one of the leading scientists who gave us the genome,” Dr. Raymond Woosley said at the time when he was vice president for Health Sciences and the dean of UA’s College of Medicine.

It soon became clear that IGC would have to be split into two entities; one for tissue banking and the other for research, that led to the creation of the

Translational Genomics Research Institute.

Trent became medical director of TGen, while Dr. Robert Penny held the CEO spot of IGC. Ten years later, both are still in those respec-tive roles.

Both TGen and IGC maintain their headquarters on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown. A plaque in memory of Frances Mallery hangs in the lobby of that building.

The inscription says her death at the age of 59 inspired the creation of IGC, TGen and the Molecular Profi ling Institute, the fi rst spin-out company of IGC that later was sold to Caris Diagnostics, a Texas biotech fi rm for about $40 million.

MPI’s diagnostic tests to guide treatment based on the molecular characteristics of a patient’s cancerous tumor are used nationwide.

Looking back over the past 10 years, Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, physician-in-chief and director of trans-lational research at TGen, said he can’t believe how quickly the bioscience industry has developed since IGC’s headquarters were established in Phoenix.

Scores of scientists have been recruited to Arizona’s

unique collaborative research ef-forts, and venture funds have be-gun to help fi nance startup biosci-ence fi rms, he said. The growth prompted construction of research buildings, including Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, UA’s Bio5 and UA’s medical school expansion to the Phoenix Biomedi-cal Campus.

“There was a great spirit of coop-eration,” Von Hoff said.

That spirit of cooperation was best seen in the $90 million invest-ed by numerous stakeholders to create TGen in 2002.

But the stage actually was set at Arizona’s three state universi-ties in 2000 when voters approved Proposition 301, which added 0.6

percent to the state’s sales tax. It is estimated to gener-ate $1 billion over 20 years for research at ASU, UA and Northern Arizona University.

In 2001 Flinn Foundation committed to 10 years of major funding of Arizona biosciences — a few months before there was talk of luring IGC to Phoenix.

Ten years later: Bio pioneers see dreams of success, collaboration come true

A decade in the ValleyBY ANGELA GONZALES | Phoenix Business Journal

Woosley

CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

‘It was a combination of

the right time and incredible vision

and the right circumstances

coming together.’Robert Penny

International Genomics Consortium

Landscapers put the fi nishing touches on the University of Arizona Health Sciences Education Building in downtown Phoenix earlier this year. The building, now complete, is the latest addition to the Biomedical Campus.JIM POULIN | PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL

Jack Jewett, who was named president of the Arizona Board of Regents in July 2002, said it was an exciting time.

“We started aligning,” he said. “Many peo-ple started working together very quickly.”

Jewett, who is now president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation, said he gives the foundation credit — before he even arrived — for funding the Biosciences Roadmap. That roadmap has kept the state’s biosci-ences efforts on a growth track.

“There was a sustained focus to bring together the best of what was happening, but in a way it wasn’t just another sector,” Jewett said. “It was a sector that needed a great deal of nurturing.”

Trent said the return on investment to the state for what’s been put into the biosci-ences is unparalleled across the country.

“My big hope is the state will continue its investment; look-ing back over the past 10 years as a framework for success for the next 10 years,” he said.

One of Trent’s most memo-rable dinners when he arrived back in Phoenix was with Michael Crow, who had just become president of ASU.

Both were embarking on new ventures in Arizona, reminding each other about the failure rates of nonprofi ts during their fi rst two years.

Crow said the launch of TGen was an extremely important phase in the develop-ment of biomedical research in the metro Phoenix area.

“That was a lead ASU quickly followed with the establishment of its Biodesign In-stitute a year later,” Crow said.

“This new phase of biomedical research promises new treatments for a range of health issues and the related fi eld of bio-inspired research — which we also have at ASU — has a variety of other applications, including renewable energy and national security. In addition, the important hu-man and societal benefi ts of these kinds of research represent an important step the Valley took into the new knowledge-based economy.”

Penny said he never would have dreamt the success that has happened over the past 10 years.

“I never have allowed myself to get close to dreaming what IGC has accomplished,” he said. “It was a combination of the right time and incredible vision and the right circumstances coming together.”

When Trent moved to Phoenix, he brought with him a cadre of NIH scientists along with MaryAnn Guerra, who was deputy for management for the National Cancer Insti-tute, to help run the business of TGen.

Today, Guerra is CEO of BioAccel, which provides seed funding for bioscience start-ups.

“What attracted me was the whole trans-lational piece,” Guerra said. “To me, sci-ence without translation is nothing. You can have all the academic accomplish-ments you want and all the papers written and published. But if it’s not translated into a commercial utility, it leaves a lot of investment without any public gain. For me, that was the draw.”


As we send best wishes to our outstanding director of advertising sales on his move back to the East Coast, we realize the inevitable: We have a very important job to fi ll.

This is an exceptional opportunity to take the reigns of the fast growing, high achieving advertising sales team at the Phoenix Business Journal – and lead the team to its next era of greatness. We are seeking a leader, a team builder, a driver who thrives on growth, results and a fast pace, and a passionate sales professional. You will lead our highly professional, seasoned and energetic team of advertising sales representatives who are eager to learn, grow and aim for the top. They are seeking a powerful, creative, driven and inspiring leader, one who will expand their sales expertise and who will actively sell alongside them.

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To applyPlease send your resume, cover letter and salary requirements to Don Henninger, by e-mail at [email protected]. No phone calls please.

FROM PAGE 22

Crow

An employee works at the International Genomics Consortium, a company founded by Jeff Trent, with the goal of sharing tissue samples with scientists around the world and accelerating research to fi nd a cure for cancer. JIM POULIN | PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL

‘‘www.bizjournals.com/phoenix ’’

“Veteran reporter Angela Gonzales and the Phoenix Business Journal provides expert coverage of the bioscience industry. Angela’s extensive experience makes her one of the most informed reporters in the Valley. The Business Journal’s in-depth coverage provides the public with a deep understanding of complex issues helping to shape Phoenix and Arizona.

Dr. Robert Penny CEO and Co-FounderInternational Genomics Consortium


About the time Richard and David Mallery approached Dr. Daniel Von Hoff about turn-ing Arizona into a bioscience

powerhouse, Dr. Robert Penny was nearly 2,000 miles away in Indiana contemplating a tremendous need.

“We really needed the equivalency of a Rand McNally Atlas to really understand cancer and the different types and what drove them before we could go to the next level of personal-ized medicine.”

The road map was created at the International Genomics Consortium. As co-founder and CEO, Penny played a key role in compiling the Cancer Genome Atlas, a comprehensive cat-alog of genetic changes associated with cancer.

Another IGC success, the Molecu-lar Profi ling Institute, now Caris Life Sciences, provides translational diagnostic testing to a variety of patients, including those with late-stage cancer. Known as Target Now, the test was the brainchild of Penny and Von Hoff. Through the institute, IGC became the fi rst to commercially introduce fi rst- and second-gene ex-pression tests for cancer patients.

“That whole concept of commercial-izing it and driving it was revolution-ary,” Penny said. ”Frankly, there were years we didn’t know if we would be on a bad ‘60 Minutes’ interview or be viewed as doing it in a very appropri-ate way. Medicine is very conserva-tive and changes slowly.”

When it came to focusing on Ari-zona’s bioscience industry, he says the timing was right and so were the people. “It really took a courageous group of fi ve to step out in a coura-geous city, county and state as well as Flinn (Foundation) and other organi-zations,” he said.

Looking back over the decade, Pen-ny said he often pinches himself. “If you would’ve told me we would’ve done all that we did I would’ve won-dered if you were taking some sort of hallucinogenic medication. It’s very rare and humbling in life to be part of a team that changes the course of medicine,” he said.

While Penny typically keeps expecta-tions in check, it doesn’t diminish his passion. He has created six companies, most recently Paradigm, which brings together the expertise of the University of Michi-gan Health System and the IGC to provide pa-tients with treatments based on their DNA profi les. Paradigm will be based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is expected to employ about 15 people at IGC headquarters in Phoenix within three years.

For Richard Mallery, the effort to change how bio-science evolved started with a pledge to his wife.

“I made Francie a promise that something good would come from her death,” he said.

Mallery describes his response to losing Frances to cancer as “constructive grieving.”

He approached Dr. Daniel Van Hoff, director of the University of Arizona Cancer Center with a simple question: How do we do a better job for the patient? The answer was genomics, and the best person for the job was Dr. Jeffrey Trent, who was then overseeing the Na-tional Genome Research Institute at the National Insti-

tutes of Health in Maryland.“I know the law, business and politics of get-ting things done,“ said Mallery, senior part-ner at the Snell & Wilmer LLP, a Phoenix law fi rm. “I’ve spent my life as a transactional lawyer, and this was another complex deal.” The deal not only required Trent and others

to sign on, but also the city of Phoenix, Mari-copa County and the state.

“Arizona has had a great public-private partnership. We’ve had three great governors focused on economic de-velopment and medical research.

The three universities are collaborating magnifi cently. We’re developing a bioscience corridor from Flagstaff to Phoenix to Tucson,” Mallery said.

As pro-bono chairman of the IGC board, he also credits the Flinn Foundation for the local bioindustry’s success through its creation of the Bioscience Road Map and keeping a focus on designing treatments for individual patients, extending lives and preventing diseases.

Starting from scratch certainly brought challenges, but Mallery said it also proved to be a plus.

“We could do it the right way the fi rst time and not try to modify anything,” he said.

The former Fulbright Scholar to England who re-ceived his master’s in English literature from Cornell University often turns to a quote from Ezra Pound for inspiration: “Poets can walk through walls because they can see that the walls do not exist.”

While Mallery doesn’t see walls in his way, he wel-comes walls that mark progress. Looking ahead, he’s excited about the idea of a downtown hospital, led by Maricopa Integrated Health System, which would serve as a teaching hospital to the UA College of Medicine.

Mallery says, “I feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world to be able to serve this great cause and do some-thing to help patients.”

wational Genome Research Insti

tutes of Health in Mar“I know the law, buting things done,“ner at the Snell &fi rm. “I’ve spentlawyer, and this wThe deal not only

to sign on, but alsocopa County and th

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While many people tout the Fab Five behind International Genomics Consortium and Translational Genomics Institute, IGC co-founder David Mallery knows there’s anoth-

er person who deserves recognition. In fact, you’ll see her photo on a small plaque inside

the building on Fifth and Van Buren streets. Part of the inscription under Frances Ann Mallery’s picture reads: “As we search for cures, we dedicate our quest to her.” David’s mother died in 2001, and her battle with cancer was the driving force behind the bioscience industry we have today.

“You’re kind of helpless as a family member of a can-cer patient to truly help,” Mallery said. “And, so we were trying to interview some of the best minds in the industry to fi gure out a better approach.”

The fi rst person organizers turned to was Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, director at The University of Arizona Cancer Center, where Mallery’s mother had been treated. That conversation led to Dr. Jeffrey Trent and generated enough enthusiasm among the right people for Mal-lery to move from his private equity job in Maryland back to his native Arizona to serve as

IGC’s pro-bono chief fi nancial offi cer.“Fortunately my father (IGC founding chairman and

CEO) and I suffer from over optimism, and that’s prob-ably how we’re able to get some things accomplished,” he said.

Among his greatest accomplishments at the IGC, Mal-lery counts a groundbreaking test he developed with Von Hoff and Dr. Robert Penny that’s used by thousands of patients every year as well as the human tissue bio-banking expertise IGC developed, which has become a resource for worldwide research.

Mallery is quick to say he spends most of his time looking forward, not back.

“I had hoped that we’d get where we are today and you know, unfortunately, I had also hoped that we would

globally be further along in the fi ght against cancer and other complex diseases,” he said. “Although there’s been some remarkable improvement and discoveries and drugs, I think there’s still room to improve.”

And, he’ll continue to be part of it. Mallery’s also has a company, Viomics, which focuses on de-

tecting lung cancer early, inexpensively and accurately.

“That’s an area of disease that if you catch it much earlier it’s easier to treat and potentially cure,” he said.

Touting the Valley professionals who have driven the industryBio giants DR. ROBERT PENNY

Co-founder and CEO, International Genomics Consortium

RICHARD MALLERY Co-founder, International Genomics Consortium; senior partner, Snell & Wilmer

STORIES BY CHRISTINA ESTES | Contributing Writer

DAVID MALLERY Co-founder, president and director, International Genomics Consortium

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The Phoenix biotechnology cluster may be a growing segment of the Valley’s industry, but its beginnings were very small.

More than a decade ago, it was merely a handful of people with an idea to create a place where cutting-edge genetics work could help to lead to a cure for many deadly diseases.

On these pages are profi les of fi ve individuals who were instrumental in taking a simple idea — having Phoenix serve as a hub for research on genetics — and crafting it into something that has potentially billions of dollars in research on the line, not to mention hope for people affl icted with life-threatening conditions.

For Dr. Jeffrey Trent, it’s good to be home.

A graduate of Arcadia High School, Trent was scientifi c di-

rector of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National In-stitutes of Health in Maryland when two men from Arizona paid him a visit.

Dr. Daniel Von Hoff and Richard Mallery convinced Trent to return home to lead Arizona’s bioscience in-dustry.

“At the time, I began envisioning ways to take the knowledge developed from the decoding of the fi rst human genome and use that information to make a difference for patients with cancer and other disorders,” Trent said. “TGen became the platform for carrying out that vision.”

As president and scientifi c director of TGen, Trent is the driving force behind numerous studies, includ-ing personalized treatment options for the most deadly type of skin cancer and re-searching genetic clues in people with an ag-gressive type of brain cancer.

“We are constantly looking for ways to push the boundaries of knowledge,” he said. “We work with dozens of oth-er institutions — nonprofi t institutes, academia and industry — in our en-deavor to accomplish that. We think the biotech industry, here in Arizona and worldwide, is on the verge of great discoveries that will signifi cant-ly transform and benefi t our lives.”

During the grand opening of TGen and the International Genomics Con-sortium in March 2005, Trent described the worldwide headquarters as “a cata-lyst, a stimulus that will move the bio-medical sciences forward.”

While the Great Recession created some funding challenges, the found-ers’ dedication has paid off.

“From a small group of key person-nel, TGen has grown into a robust

and highly regarded research institute with approximately 300 employees with accom-plishments that have met or exceeded the expectations at

the time of our founding,” he said. “We look forward to the

next decade of innovative re-search and patient care

with great enthusi-asm and promise.”

DR. JEFFREY TRENT President and scientifi c director, Translational Genomics Research Institute

For someone exposed to so much sadness and death, Dr. Daniel Von Hoff remains op-timistic.

Those who know the Transla-tional Genomics Research Center’s physician in chief describe him as a “bulldog” who never loses sight of his patients. Von Hoff has devoted his life to fi nding the best new ther-apies for cancer patients.

In 1989, he became the founding director of the Institute for Drug Development at the Cancer Ther-apy and Research Center in San Antonio. Ten years later, he was re-cruited to run the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson.

When he joined TGen, Von Hoff said he had two goals.

“That TGen would help as many patients as possible in the short-

est period of time and the biotechnol-ogy industry would

create jobs that make a difference

for patients,” he said.He credits a team ef-

fort for TGen’s success, with everyone pulling in

the same direction. While TGen’s research focuses on

a variety of diseases, including Al-zheimer’s, autism and certain types of cancer, Von Hoff has a special interest in pancreatic cancer, which has a low survival rate. He is concen-trating on the development of molec-ularly targeted therapies. His goal is to fi nd a cure before he retires.

Von Hoff also is chief scientifi c of-fi cer for US Oncology Network and for Scottsdale Healthcare Clinical Research Institute. He sees patients every Monday and leads teams con-ducting clinical trials.

Von Hoff hopes to develop ways to quickly determine whether or not a patient’s tumor is responding to therapy. Von Hoff also is committed to training the next generation of physicians and researchers.

A past president of the American Association for Cancer Research, Von Hoff received the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s high-est award in the fi eld of cancer re-search in 2010. He served six years on the National Cancer Advisory Board and has served on the Food and Drug Administration’s Oncol-ogy Advisory Committee.

DR. DANIEL VON HOFF Physician in chief, Translational Genomics Research Institute

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2000Voters approve Proposition 301, estimated to generate $1 billion over 20 years for research at Arizona universities.

2001Flinn Foundation commits to 10 years of major funding for Arizona biosciences.

Bio5 Institute, then known as IBSB, debuts at the University of Arizona.

2002

Translational Genomics Research Institute is created following a $90 million fundraising effort.

International Genomics Consortium moves to Arizona.

Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap is launched.

2003Arizona Biomedical Collaborative involving three state universities is created.

Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University is established and breaks ground on its fi rst facility.

Legislature authorizes $440 million for construction of university research facilities.

Arizona BioIndustry Association is formed as a statewide trade association for bioscience companies.

2004Gov. Janet Napolitano, higher education leaders and the city of Phoenix announce creation of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, including the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix.

Voters approve $100 million

for bioscience and health care training and facilities at Maricopa Community Colleges.

2005Critical Path Institute debuts in Tucson.

TGen opens headquarters at Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

State legislation passes to provide tax credits for angel investors.

Northern Arizona University introduces the Strategic Alliance for Bioscience Research and Education consortium.

Arizona Biomedical Research Commission assumes coordination of the translational research component of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap.

2006State legislation creates Arizona 21st Century Fund; Science Foundation Arizona established.

Phoenix Bioscience High School debuts.

Numerous research facilities open, including Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, a neuroscience tower at Barrow Neurological Institute, the second facility at ASU’s Biodesign Institute and UA Bio5 Institute’s Thomas W. Keating Bioresearch Building.

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust commits $50 million to personalized medicine in Arizona.

2007TGen North pathogen-genomics and biodefense research facility opens in Flagstaff.

Classes begin at UA College of Medicine-Phoenix.

NAU opens its Applied Research and Development Building, called the nation’s most environmentally friendly university facility.

TGen and Biodesign Institute at ASU join Nobel laureate Lee Hartwell to launch Partnership for Personalized Medicine.

Caris Diagnostics purchases Molecular Profi ling Institute, created by the International Genomics Consortium with TGen as its initial business collaborator.

2008Helios Education Foundation awards a grant to support the Helios Scholars research internship program at TGen for the next 25 years.

Oro Valley-based Ventana Medical Systems is purchased by Roche for $3.4 billion.

UA Bio5 Institute wins $50 million grant to establish the iPlant Collaborative.

Arizona STEM Education Center debuts to strengthen science, technology, engineering and math education.

Banner Health completes the purchase of Sun Health Corp., including Sun Health Research Institute.

High-tech incubator Northern Arizona Center for Emerging Technologies opens in Flagstaff.

Cancer Treatment Centers of America opens a hospital in Goodyear.

2009Phoenix Children’s Hospital establishes the Children’s Neuroscience Institute.

BioAccel launches to boost Arizona bioscience startup companies.

Abraxis BioScience (since acquired by Celgene) opens a $70 million

Phoenix site.

ASU, UA, Chandler, GateWay Community College and Surprise secure millions for new high-tech incubators, accelerators and research parks.

2010Delaware-based W.L. Gore, which also has operations

in Flagstaff, begins a $130 million expansion in north Phoenix.

C-Path assumes leadership of global collaborations to tackle tuberculosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

International Genomics Consortium secures $59 million for a key role in the Cancer Genome Atlas Project.

Roche announces a major expansion of Ventana Medical Systems; neighboring Sanofi US opens a larger facility.

2011Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health announces plans for a Phoenix headquarters and $200 million investment in health-data infrastructure.

UA and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center form a partnership to expand UA Cancer Center to Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center opens in Gilbert.

Mayo Clinic and ASU announce a partnership to establish a medical-school campus in Scottsdale.

Mayo Clinic breaks ground on proton-beam cancer treatment facility in Phoenix.

2012The inaugural Arizona SciTech Festival attracts 200,000 participants over six weeks.

FDA gives expedited approval of a skin-cancer drug fi rst tested at Scottsdale Healthcare in partnership with TGen.

State intellectual-property law passes designed to increase clinical partnerships between industry and Arizona’s public universities.

Banner Alzheimer’s Institute launches a $100 million international clinical trial of an experimental drug that could help delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

City of Phoenix approves plans to work with Mayo Clinic and ASU to develop a biomedical campus in north Phoenix.

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, a major privately funded brain cancer foundation, moves to Scottsdale.

UA College of Medicine-Phoenix receives preliminary accreditation from the national Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

Medical-device incubator BioInspire opens in Peoria; the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation incubator opens at GateWay Community College.

UA opens Health Sciences Education Building on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, enabling the class size of its Phoenix medical school to increase and NAU allied health programs to be added.

A decade after its start, Arizona’s bioscience community has grown as institutions joined together to promote and sustain the cluster.

From its beginning injecting voter-approved money into state research universities, the bioscience community created a signifi cant impact, not just in terms of employment and jobs, but also in terms of research that will help people live better lives.

This timeline looks at the major events that occurred dur-ing the past decade and provides a perspective on where the industry will be heading in the next decade.

2002

Piper trust contributes $50 million to bioscience

SciTech Festival founder Jeremy Babendure

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center

Translational Genomics Research Institute

UA Health Sciences Education Building in Phoenix


Arizona biotech sector exceeds initial expectations as it surpasses national growth rate

Industry expansionANGELA GONZALES | Phoenix Business Journal

Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Deputy Director of Research Michael Berens at the company’s Phoenix headquarters. TGen has been a

major player in the state’s biotech sector since being spun off from the International Genomics Consortium

10 years ago.JIM POULIN | PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL

Now that Arizona has leapfrogged into the bio-sciences, jobs within this sector are growing at a rate here that surpasses the rest of the country.

The number of bioscience jobs in the state has grown by 38 percent — from 10,892 in 2002 to 15,057 in 2012, according to the most recent data available from the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap. That compares with na-tional industry growth rate of 5.4 percent, according to Battelle’s Technology Partnership Practice.

That number is even bigger after factoring in hospi-tal jobs with a 41 percent growth rate in Arizona from 2002 to 2010, accounting for nearly 28,000 new jobs and a total of 96,223 workers. The U.S. posted an 11 percent gain by that measure during this span, according to the roadmap.

Walt Plosila, vice president of Battelle’s Technology Partnership Practice, credits the Flinn Foundation for having the vision to fund the roadmap 10 years ago.

“Arizona is a player now,” he said. “Ten years ago, it wasn’t a player. It’s rising faster than most skeptics in 2002 would ever believe.”

Plosila said Arizona has made more progress than anyone imagined.

“The roadmap is a success because all of the stake-holders who made it happen,” he said. “They are still

staking their positions and moving ahead. Every year there is something new and exciting, like the Mayo Medical School announcement last year.”

Looking back over the past 10 years, each year marked a signifi cant event or announcement in the bioscienc-es, he said.

“It’s like having a good infection,” he said. “It has in-fected everyone to be on the bandwagon to move things forward, much more than I see in any other state in the country.”

This is no time to rest on laurels, however, said Dr. Robert Penny, co-founder and CEO of the International Genomics Consortium.

“We led in a huge way and everyone else now is jump-ing in much more heavily fi nanced,” he said. “Unless we do something about that, there is no question we will be lapped.”

Jeff Trent, medical director of Translational Genom-ics Research Institute, which spun out of IGC 10 years ago to focus on research, said the race to succeed is far from over.

“We’re going to be accomplishing some things at a pace and speed that is going to be unparalleled literally in the world,” he said. “I think we’re poised to make the next major leap forward that will set the bar for everyone else.”

The biggest challenge is capital, said Jack Jewett, president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation.

According to the Bioscience Roadmap, Arizona re-bounded from a diffi cult 2010, with a 2011 total of $69 million in bioscience venture capital. This repre-sents the second-most productive year since 2002, though it is still short of the goal of $100 million annually.

While National Institutes of Health grants of $184 mil-lion were down in 2011, compared with 2009 and 2010, that fi gure is 14 percent higher than 2008, according to the roadmap.

Plus, NIH funding in Arizona grew faster — 25 per-cent — than the top 10 funded states, which showed 20 percent growth, and the U.S., which had a 17 percent growth rate from 2002 to 2011.

“We’re also not trying to replicate San Diego or the Bay area, but to focus on those specifi c areas where we might have a competitive advantage, which is in the neurosciences, cancer and personalized medicine.”

The number of bioscience fi rms in Arizona rose 27 percent from 2002 to 2010, increasing from 682 to 867. This compares to 20 percent growth for the U.S., ac-cording to the Roadmap.

The research, testing and medical-lab subsector re-mains the largest in Arizona, with 436 fi rms, and since 2002, has expanded the quickest, growing 49 percent.

Bioscience education is booming in Phoenix-area high schools, and busi-ness collaboration is growing as an essential component in educating a

new generation of students headed to ca-reers in applied science.

While business isn’t a driver in terms of curriculum design, its infl uence is felt in many areas, experts say.

“There are all kinds of ways business infl u-ences high school and K-12 without having the authority to input or change the actual curriculum,” said Stephen Rippon, assistant dean of Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Standardized test scores and meeting or surpassing state standards, including the new Common Core Standards now in the works, are more infl uential, he said.

What matters most, experts say, is en-gaging and exciting students so that pas-sion for discovery and learning will create not only lifelong learners but a workforce able to compete globally in science and technology.

The most important thing is that business “needs to fi ll the pipeline” of technology jobs, said Rippon, adding 35 percent of engi-neers are retirement ready.

Business also contributes money and staff for programs such as science, technology, en-gineering and science, commonly known as STEM, he said.

Another important industry role is partici-pation on university advisory boards, which routinely include business as well as aca-demics and alumni, according to Jeffrey T. LaBelle, assistant professor in ASU’s Biodesign Institute,

“We all work as a team,” he said. “Industry is looking for its workforce of the future. They know what we need to help us with curriculum, and they make us listen to industry. This keeps it all fresh for students.”

Pearl Chang Esau, president and CEO of Expect More Arizona, an outreach and advocacy nonprofit, said some business-people have been participating in the ef-fort to align Common Core standards to curricula.

“Our school districts all over the state need business mobilized to provide information and resources,” she said.

Perhaps the most visible area of business involvement, however, is the internship pro-gram, which provides a real-world human interface.

“We are able to help students with what they need to know and use in the real world to interface with real industry,” said Darcy Renfro, vice president and director of Science

Bioscience education gets by with a little help from its friends

Learning push

BY LAURIE DEVINE | Contributing Writer


Students around the Phoenix area are seeking different internships associated with the sci-ences.

Deedee Falls, co-principal at Phoenix’s Biosci-ence High School, says her 62 seniors love internships in the downtown medical corridor, at hospitals such as Banner Good Samaritan and St. Joseph’s Medical Center and research sites such as Translational Ge-nomics Research Institute.

Internships at Arizona State University’s research

labs also are very popular, as are sustainability proj-ects with alternate fuels.

Falls said wildlife and veterinarian internships are student favorites. For example, students recently worked on a project with the Herpetological Society to devise a prosthetic for an alligator missing a tail. And 12 students in the wildlife pathway will be conducting fi eld work in the Galapagos Islands this spring.

Falls said students also have been asking for intern-ships in computer tech and robotics.

Biotech among students’ favorite internships

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

EsauStudents at Phoenix’s Bioscience High School work together on a

science experiment.PROVIDED BY BIOSCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL


Foundation Arizona STEM Initiatives.While internships occasionally result in

permanent jobs, that’s not their intent.“We’re not preparing them for particular

jobs,” said Quintin Boyce, co-principal at the Bioscience High School in the Phoenix Union School District.

Current freshman may not fi nish graduate school for a de-cade. And especially in science and technology, things evolve quickly, so students have to keep up, Boyce said.

Jack Clark, program coor-dinator for the Center for Re-search in Engineering, Science and Technol-ogy in the Paradise Valley School District, said jobs his students may get “probably don’t even exist yet.”

He added forging business relationships that culminate in a large number of intern-ships each year can be daunting.

Clark’s program, now in its third year, needs to place 75 students in new intern-ships a year from now. He has been work-ing on opportunities with employers such as Honeywell, ASU labs, Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service Co.

“But it can be diffi cult to cold call a busi-ness and ask, ‘Do you want to take on our kids?’ he said. “What we’re working toward is long-term and sustainable partnerships.”

Dan Greene, coordinator of the new four-year STEM program at Perry High School in the Chandler Unifi ed School District, said he will not need internships for his fi rst crop of seniors for three years. But the number will

be much higher than originally expected. The school anticipated 20 to 30 freshmen would be involved when the program began this year. Instead, 106 students chose to par-ticipate.

Greene is getting out the word through speaking engagements and summer work-shops, with an eye toward eventual shadow-ing and internships for his students.

“I let the companies know that this is not babysitting,” he said. “You are mentoring. Let the kids shadow you and see what you do.”

While the four-year STEM programs get a lot of public attention, there are others.

At Xavier College Preparatory, Catherine Wyman, program director for technology, has parlayed an after-school ecology project into an elective course.

Students, under the aegis of a national energy-oriented program, are working to revitalize a formerly blighted area of the Salt River in South Phoenix as part of the Rio Salado Project. Their efforts range from trash caging to fencing off trees that beavers have been devouring.

“Our students love this stuff,” Wyman said. “They are intentionally called to make the world a better place. STEM hits a lot of high notes.”

When starting new projects, she talks to businesses and nonprofi ts about their needs as well as students. Students might say, “We want to work on a healthier habitat for but-terfl ies.” She then takes that desire back to the business and if all are in accord, begins developing the new student project.

“This may not result in a job,” she said, “but it’s teaching them to be lifelong learners.”

FROM PAGE 28

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JIM POULIN | PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL


Talk to people in the local bio community and you’ll notice a telling use of life-sciences meta-phors, particularly when it comes to working together.

“An activated collaborative gene” is how AZBio CEO Joan Koerber-Walker speaks of the climate of interde-pendence in Phoenix biosciences circles.

BioAccel CEO MaryAnn Guerra refers to “an imme-diate antibody response” that needs to be managed be-tween academic and commercial cultures.

Thomas Rainey, director of Peoria’s new medical-device incubator BioInspire, praises the state’s “fertile ecosystem” of organizations and talent.

All fi nd something special that sets Ari-zona apart from the nation’s other high-tech clusters.

“Think of it this way,” said Koerber-Walker. “We live in a desert. And for hun-dreds of years what people in the desert have always known is that you cannot succeed alone. You have to collaborate, whether it was the early pioneers who founded this state or the early companies

that worked together to secure the things that we need-ed to grow the state. We work together.”

When Guerra worked in Boston, she sometimes wrote business agreements that spelled out in detail how partners were expected to interact.

Fiefdoms and silos may be tradition elsewhere, but “it’s more free” in Arizona. “Collaboration and inter-action is so important to where we want to go,” she said.

Indeed, collaboration is written into the DNA of groups like BioAccel, which helps ease the transition between laboratory and marketplace.

For example, Guerra said, BioAccel has been work-ing with a new medical-device company. The science is great, but it needs help to navigate the prototype and regulatory stages. “They’ve got to have the right connections made, and the connections usually are go-

ing to be outside in the community somewhere, not in their organization,” said Guerra.

Part of the formula includes smoothing relation-ships between scientists and businessmen, she added. Often there’s “a little bit of push-pull between science and business.” But more often, the guiding scientists behind a given project fi nd they don’t want to deal with issues such as payroll or human relations, and are hap-py to be chief science offi cers or consultants.

Guerra’s recipe for a beautiful team: “All of the im-portant players understanding all of the pieces and being able to participate in the area that’s their sweet spot.”

The development of the BioInspire incubator in Peo-ria is itself an example of collaboration, said Rainey.

“This was a planning effort similar to the (Flinn Foundation’s) Bioscience Roadmap,” he said.

Peoria assessed its strengths in science and medi-cine. Then, “rather than try to reinvent the wheel, they reached out to BioAccel and entered into an agreement (to devel-op) the BioInspire incubator program,” he said.

Arizona State University President Michael Crow conceived ASU Biodesign as a place to foster collaboration, said Neal Woodbury, co-director and chief science offi cer of the institute’s Innovations in Medi-cine program.

The idea was to create a place to focus multiple disci-plines on problems such as health care, energy, public safety and national security, Woodbury said.

“Essentially all this work is quite collaborative,” he said, citing Mayo Clinic, Banner Health’s medical cen-ter and Barrow Neurological Institute as active part-ners.

Collaboration extends to support for a product once it gets out of the lab, Woodbury said.

Echoing Guerra, he notes that scientists often need help in

turning ideas into products. One example of success is biophysicist Stuart Lind-

say’s work at Biodesign on atomic-force microscopy, which led to diagnostic technology acquired in 2005 by Agilent AFM in Chandler.

“They bought Stuart’s original company, (kept it) in the Valley, and expanded it quite substantially,” Wood-bury said. “That’s the kind of success story we want to see a lot more of in terms of direct effect on our com-munity.”

While startups are inherently risky, support from groups such as Biodesign or BioAccel can help boost the chances of success.

Fruitful collaboration can occur when it’s least ex-pected. Five years ago, Rainey admits he was skeptical about the Flagstaff area. He came from New England to do a feasibility study for the organization that be-came the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneur-ship and Technology incubator.

“The fi rst thought that sprang to mind immediately was the Grand Canyon, which didn’t exactly conjure up images of high technology.” A tipping point came when he saw that the local U.S. Geological Survey branch was the only one doing extraterrestrial geol-ogy, mapping out mission pathways for NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers.

After interviewing 80 people, Rainey said he learned “it was a bit of a well-kept secret that there was a tremendous brain trust,” and accepted an invitation to head the incubator.

Now, he plans to build on relationships he developed in Flagstaff and elsewhere to make his Peoria venture work.

“We’d like to parlay that into opportunities to have reciprocal privileges among the incubators, and to fi nd ways to connect some of our resources,” he said. “Re-ally, it kind of takes a village to make this happen. And

it’s just a lot of fun. It’s invigorating for me to see. This is what America is all about.”

‘Collaborative gene’ drives Arizona bioscience success

Climate of interdependence

Koerber-Walker

Rainey

Woodbury

BY TOM MARCINKO | Contributing Writer

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Arizona State University created its

Biodesign Institute to foster scientifi c

collaboration, according to Neal Woodbury,

co-director and chief science offi cer of the

institute’s Innovations in Medicine program.

PROVIDED BY ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

BY TIM GALLENPhoenix Business Journal

With Arizona lacking a sig-nifi cant venture capital com-munity, emerging biotech companies and groups are

looking elsewhere for funding. Securing a deal often depends on

where along the development life cycle the company is and, like other startups, its future prospects.

Unlike other startups, however, biosci-ence companies have several develop-ment stages that require different skill sets and types of funding, said MaryAnn Guerra, CEO of BioAccel, a Phoenix-based accelerator that provides funding to early-stage companies.

“With great science you’ve got to have research outcomes, then you have to think about how do you then take the next steps to getting it into commer-cialization,” she said. “As the science evolves, it takes different skills; it takes different pots of money and different in-dustries or sectors to develop it.”

Particularly if an idea is in the very early stages of development, funding can be hard to come by, Guerra said. Venture capitalists see early-stage com-panies as too risky.

“These are the struggles that scientists will face validating their tech,” Guerra said. “How will they get the early seed

money to get the company started?”Acquiring funding has changed im-

mensely over the past decade, said Tom Gordon, director of business de-velopment in life sciences for Arizona State University’s Arizona Technology Enterprises. He cited the rise of angel investors and incubators as signifi cant groups emerging companies approach.

“Today it is a much more varied, diverse and sloppier proposal (to acquire fund-ing),” Gordon said. “It’s the difference between a highly organized prize fi ght and a tough and rumble street fi ght.”

Government grants are available, usu-ally through the National Institutes of Health or the Department of Defense, Guerra said. But they can be diffi cult to

obtain. Plus, the process often can last more than a year before funds are doled out.

BioAccel is one local example of a group that provides seed funding to early-stage companies to help them grow to a point where they are developed enough for the next round of funding, ideally from angel or venture investors.

AZ Furnace, a collaborative effort be-tween BioAccel and the Arizona Com-merce Authority, is partnering with state universities to offer existing research and intellectual property for license to entrepreneurs and new companies who agree to set up shop in Arizona.

AZ Furnace will offer startups ac-cepted into the program at least $25,000 in seed money, incubation space at one of the program’s technology-providing institutions, an intensive, six-month mentor-led program and additional sup-port services.

ACA has committed $400,000, and Bio-Accel will kick in up to $150,000 for AZ Furnace.

“Furnace is pulling together those as-sets that exist already and looks at how do we leverage these existing assets?” Guerra said. “What has the best poten-tial for commercialization?”

Ventures such as Furnace help expand and bolster the pipeline for qualifi ed deal fl ow that companies move along as they grow and seek funding.

Guerra likened the many stages in companies’ development and funding needs as a relay race. As a company de-velops, its needs to adapt and change, and it must be handed off to a new group as part of the next stage.

“If you don’t have validated technolo-gy, if you don’t have the science to point to that you’ve reduced some of that risk and it has value, you won’t get the ven-

ture community to step in and fund,” she said.

However, because Arizo-na lacks the type of robust venture capital commu-nity like Silicon Valley, many companies that pur-sue such investments go out of state or even out of

the country, said Curtis Gunn, chairman of the Tucson-based Desert Angels.

“We need to fi nd some way to attract venture capital to the state,” he said. “I think that’s a longer term problem for the state of Arizona.”

Though substantial venture capital may be lacking in Arizona, Gunn said the state’s ecosystem of developing and funding companies is strong.

“The ecosystem is very strong,” he said. “There’s a lot of innovation, a lot of enthusiasm. We are getting these deals funded but ultimately we’re going to need to fi nd more capital to come in to help these companies to continue to grow.”

2012 Downloadable Edition2012 Downloadable Editio

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We doubled the contacts (in most markets) and made them all downloadable.Now you can electronically access companies and rankings, contacts, phone numbers,

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Bioscience companies seek funding in unique places

Gunn

‘(AZ) Furnace is pulling together those assets that exist already andlooks at how do weleverage these existing assets?’MaryAnn GuerraBioAccel


e s e c g , f e s

A Y


MASADA SIEGELContributing Writer

Arizona’s biotechnology industry has been known for collabora-tion, much of that set up with an intentional focus.

The community, which includes nu-merous researchers working together in a model vastly different from other clusters, has been a catalyst for building a community of scientists, making suc-cess more likely.

During the past decade, Arizona has become internationally known as a place that promotes scientifi c sharing from experts of different arenas in the search to fi nd cures for diseases as well as creating new technologies. As a re-sult, researchers and the cluster now have a solid method to draw in more people, studies and economic benefi ts.

The Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium is one of the organizations that under-scores this intentional interdependency. It is a model medical and scientifi c com-munities around the country strive to emulate.

The consortium includes about 150 re-searchers and colleagues from seven in-stitutions: Arizona State University, Ban-ner Alzheimer’s Institute, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Barrow Neu-rological Institute, Mayo Clinic Arizona, the Translational Genomics Research In-

stitute and The University of Arizona. “The consortium capitalizes on the

complementary strengths of research-ers from different disciplines and insti-tutions to address each other’s scientifi c problems in a more effective way,” said Eric Reiman, executive director of Ban-ner Alzheimer’s Institute and director of Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium.

It’s built in such a way that when one group benefi ts, all others are raised up as well, those involved say.

“I could cite numerous examples, for instance, in which clinical researchers worked with experts in brain imaging, genetics, clinical assessments, neuro-pathological diagnosis and the basic neurosciences worked together to make a major contribution to the scientifi c understanding of Alzheimer’s disease,” Reiman said.

Often at the center of this axis of in-terdependency is the Flinn Foundation.

Established in 1965 by Dr. Robert S. and Irene P. Flinn, the foundation’s goal is to improve the quality of life in Arizona. Since its inception, the foundation has promoted technology-driven medical care programs and recruited top physi-cian specialists to the state, but hasn’t favored one institution over another.

“I think we have tried to facilitate co-operation between the many different groups, and what we learned in our 10 years is that we are successful when

we pool complementary strengths in-stead of duplicating efforts,” said Jack

Jewett, president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation. “Collaboration can sound gentile, but it is hard work and it requires individu-als to balance self interest with the greater good.”

Science remains a focus for Flinn, including its com-

mitment to 10 years and $50 million in funding to launch the state’s biosciences sector in 2001, followed a year later by cre-ation of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap.

The study concluded that Arizona pos-sessed many of the essential elements to become a global leader in biosciences but needed to strengthen its biomedical-research base and create more biosci-ence fi rms and jobs.

Interdependency, such as that dis-played by the Alzheimer’s Consortium, is a key factor in the growth that has oc-curred in the state’s bioscience employ-ment base, which increased by 7 percent even during the post-recession period of 2009-10.

The atmosphere has created a job mar-ket where bioscience workers earn an average annual salary of $55,353, com-pared to $42,858 for all private-sector industries. Bioscience salaries were up 27 percent from 2002 to 2010.

While the Flinn Foundation provided

a catalyst for connections, the Transla-tional Genomics Research Institute has pushed the notion that people should work together.

TGen has worked with a variety of organizations as well as creating cross-functional teams comprised of engi-neers, geneticists, clinicians, biologists and computational experts.

This cross-functional ideology has given TGen the opportunity to approach medicine and solutions in new ways. One case example involves a 12-year-old Phoe-nix girl named Shelby. She was wheel-chair-bound for nearly a decade and had diffi culty walking, talking, holding her head up, swallowing and even breathing.

Shelby’s sequenced genome showed she had issues making dopamine, a key brain chemical that helps regulate move-ment, muscle control and balance. With-in a few months of receiving a medica-tion to address her dopamine defi ciency, Shelby was able to walk and talk again.

“While researchers from individual laboratories will continue to make im-portant contributions in biomedical research, researchers need to fi nd new ways to work together, there is a grow-ing need for researchers from different disciplines to come together to work on important problems, capitalize on complementary interests and skills, and address those problems in the most im-pactful way,” Reiman said.

Jewett

Intentional interdependency boosts bioscience programs

Arizona has a vibrant, growing, biosciences sector. To continue and accelerate that growth, Arizona should make further investments in education.

Why is education so important for our biosciences industry? There are at least two reasons.

First, to recruit and retain biosciences leaders, we need to offer quality schools for their families. While many quality-of-life factors in Arizona are high, our eighth-grade public school students’ test scores are below national averages.

This fact is of concern to those considering relocating from biosciences hubs with high-performing schools. Bright spots exist, as shown by the recent ranking of two Arizona schools in the top 10 high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

A second reason to invest in education is that biosci-ences companies —both those considering relocating to Arizona, as well as those expanding locally — iden-tify a well-educated and trained workforce as a critical resource, which is limited in Arizona.

Investments in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) certifi cate and degree programs at Ar-izona’s community colleges and universities can increase the size and quality of our workforce, and thus draw biosci-ences industry. Investments at the high school and middle school levels also are needed for programs that encourage young people to pursue STEM opportunities.

Investments already are being made by state and local governments, industry, foundations, and individuals.

Two examples are the Helios STEM School Pilot program, and the University of Arizona’s Keep Engaging Youth in Science (KEYS) high school intern-ship program.

We need to build on this momen-tum, invest in education and drive Ari-zona to a bright biosciences future.

Jennifer Kehlet BartonAssociate vice president for research and professor, biomedical engineering, University of Arizona

How do we keep Arizona

from falling behind in

biosciences?

First, shoot for the stars. I suggest that not only because our Arizona colleagues are leaders in the astro-nomical sciences, but because of the opportunities we have to make a difference right here on Earth.

Whether it’s ending Alzheimer’s disease without losing a generation, fi nding a cure for certain pancreatic cancers, or making a difference in the fi ght against other major dis-eases, we must seize the opportunity to make a transfor-mational difference in people’s lives.

Second, fi nd new ways to work together in support of common goals. The Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium has worked hard to capitalize on complementary resources from different scientifi c disciplines and research organiza-tions to address each researcher’s problem in a more fundamental way. It has become a leading model of state-wide collaboration in bioscientifi c research and a world leader in the scientifi c fi ght against Alzheimer’s disease.

It has capitalized on the generous spirit of research-ers and leaders from our participating institutions, in-kind investments from the institutions, the state, and the National Institutes of Health, and new ways of working together to make a real difference in the fi ght against Alzheimer’s disease.

Third, capitalize on our strengths. We need to con-tinue to build the critical mass of researchers and pro-grams needed to make the most impactful difference in the biosciences, and to attract the kind of academic and industry powerhouses needed to accomplish a number of important goals.

In an era of limited resources, I think there is value in being strategically focused and investing in the kind of programs that would make us all proud.

Dr. Eric M. ReimanExecutive director, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute; CEO, Banner Research; clinical director, Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute; professor of psychiatry, University of Arizona; director, Arizona Alzheimer’s

Compiled by Connor Radnovich

It is important that we work on addressing grand challenges through research, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development activities.

The collective talent that exists in Arizona in the area of biosciences produces superlative ideas that can be brought to the marketplace through the promotion of an ecosystem that includes collaboration with industry and deploying incubator and accelerator strategies.

This necessitates a strong partnership between universities, research laboratories, clinical establishments and industry within this ecosystem for propelling Arizona as a national leader in biosciences.

Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan Senior vice president, Offi ce of Know-ledge Enterprise Arizona State University

n Senior vice president, Offi ce of Know-ledgeEnterprise ArizonaState University

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ENTS2 ¢

November 2, 2012 PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL BIO X 33phoenix.bizjournals.com

The era of personalized medicine has arrived. Just ask Shelby. Once confi ned to awheelchair and barely able to speak, Shelby today is an actively engaged 12-year-old thanks to TGen’s Center for Rare Childhood Disorders (C4RCD). Shelby’s illness baffl ed an array of medical specialists for years. But led by TGen Drs. David Craig and Matt Huentelman, C4RCD scientists teamed with Dr. Vinodh Narayanan to sequence Shelby’s genome. They discovered her brain wasn’t producing enough of the chemical responsible for muscle control and balance. That diagnosis changed Shelby’s life. And today, the right medications allow Shelby a freedom she’d never known. To learn more about Shelby’s story, or how the C4RCD is helping numerous children with rare or unknown disorders, please visit www.c4rcd.org.

As biomedical research plays an increasingly signifi cant role in how we view healthcare, scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) fi nd excitement in knowing their work impacts all facets of life, from childhood disorders to identifying the fl u or something far worse.

Vinodh Narayanan, M.D. Medical Director, C4RCD

Matt Huentelman, Ph.D. Co-Director, C4RCD

David Craig, Ph.D.Co-Director, C4RCD

Miracle Child

The Excitement of Translation

About TGen | The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a non-profi t organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of translational research where investigators are able to unravel the genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with collaborators in the scientifi c and medical communities, TGen believes it can make a substantial contribution to the effi ciency and eff ectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.

They call him Dr. Anthrax, but he is so much more. Dr. Paul Keim, Directorof the Pathogen Genomics Division at TGen, is a world-renowned expert in

infectious diseases, directing investigations into how to bolster the nation’s biodefense, and to prevent outbreaks — even pandemics — of such contagions as fl u, cholera, and even the plague. That’s why Dr. Keim, also a Regents Professor of Microbiology at Northern Arizona University (NAU), received the 2012 Bioscience

Researcher of the Year award October 23 from the Arizona BioIndustry Association (AZBio). Congratulations Dr. Keim!

TGen ScientistWins Top Award

Shelby, Age 12

34 BIO X PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL November 2, 2012phoenix.bizjournals.com

What if cancer werejust a bad memory?

Learn more at phoenixmed.arizona.edu

Big questions. Cancer is just one of many we face. The population of our state – and the entire world – is on the rise. How will medicine and medical research respond? At the University of Arizona, we are addressing the big questions head-on, and developing bold solutions.

Bold solutions. At the UA College of Medicine campuses in Phoenix and Tucson, we’re innovating bold solutions like holography for earlier, non-invasive cancer detection. We’re developing

personalize medical responses to illness. And we are training more physicians and health professionals than ever before.

Better tomorrows. At the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix alone, 80 new students started down the path to becoming doctors in 2012. Their expertise will take them as far as the other side of the world and as close as hospitals right here in our own home town. At the UA, our faculty, researchers and students are creating better tomorrows for the people of our state, our nation and the world.

BIO X X 2012...20 BIO X PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL November 2, 2012 phoenix.bizjournals.com NAU...

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