The new stem cell law catapults Connecticut into the vanguard of states that are taking active steps to encourage research in what many see as one of the most important avenues for bioscience investment currently on the table. The research holds promise for developing new therapies, and with President Bush set to veto any expansion of federally funded embryonic stem cell research, it will be up to the states and to private investors to fund additional research in the area.

Connecticut's new law establishes a research fund of $20 million while at the same time setting guidelines for embryonic stem cell research. "This fund is a catalyst, intended to attract other investments and generate opportunities for growth," Governor Rell said as she signed the bill into law. "The growth of the bioscience industry in Connecticut has been critical to our state's economy. We intend to build on that leadership role."

At year end 2004, bioscience organizations directly employed more than 18,000 people in Connecticut, a 15% increase over five years. In 2004 Connecticut boasted nearly 5.6 million square feet of laboratory space. That year bioscience organizations spent more than $4.3 billion on operations within the state, a 65% increase over five years.

World-class research at Yale University and The University of Connecticut supplies a steady stream of know-how and technology to the bioscience industry. Connecticut consistently ranks within the top five states in patents issued, and within the top ten nationwide for monetary value of National Institutes of Health grants received.

An informal survey of some of the highlights in Connecticut since last year's BIO 2004 convention reveals that Connecticut, "the land of steady habits," is also the land of steady progress in the bioscience industry.

    * Pfizer Inc, one of five major pharmaceutical companies with operations

      in the state, marked the grand opening in New Haven of a $35 million

      state of-the-art clinical research unit in New Haven. The 62,500 square-

      foot, three-story facility includes 50 beds and employs about 50 staff.

      Pfizer's worldwide research headquarters are in New London.


    * Protein Sciences Corporation, based in Meriden, announced preliminary

      results from its first field efficacy study of FluBlOk(TM), a patented

      influenza vaccine that is produced in insect cells without live

      influenza viruses, eggs or preservatives such as thimerosal. The study

      met its primary endpoints by showing safety and inducing very strong

      titers against influenza in all vaccinated subjects that correlate with

      protection.

    * Bayer HealthCare announced a decision to concentrate research and

      development activities in the therapeutic fields of cancer and

      cardiovascular risk management, including diabetes, at sites in

      Wuppertal (Germany) and West Haven. Bayer's sorafenib was shown was

      shown to significantly slow tumor progression in an ongoing Phase III

      trial in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

    * Applied Spine Technologies (AST), an emerging surgical implant company

      developing the M-Brace(TM) System, a stabilization device that supports

      the spine while preserving motion and flexibility, received $15 million

      in venture capital to commercialize the technology developed at Yale.

      M-Brace(TM), invented at Yale University to address chronic low back

      pain, is a minimally invasive surgical implant procedure designed to

      maintain normal spine motion and disc function.

    * Boehringer Ingelheim, a major pharmaceutical company with U.S.

      headquarters in Ridgefield, continued to expand its operations in

      Connecticut. Boehringer announced that in a retrospective analysis,

      patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated with

      the inhaled. anticholinergic medication Spiriva® (tiotropium) appeared

      to have a significantly slower decline in FEV1, a measure of lung

      function.

    * The stock price of New Haven-based CuraGen rose sharply after it

      announced a distribution agreement with Roche. Under the agreement,

      Roche would promote, sell, and distribute nanotechnology-based genome

      sequencing systems from 454 Life Sciences, of which CuraGen owns 66

      percent. PXD101, which is being co-developed by CuraGen and TopoTarget,

      is currently in a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of advanced

      multiple myeloma.

    * Bristol-Myers Squibb, a major pharmaceutical company with operations in

      Wallingford, announced a worldwide collaboration to develop and

      commercialize MDX-010, a fully human antibody investigational product

      targeting the CTLA-4 receptor.

    * An agreement between Genaissance Pharmaceuticals of New Haven, Monsanto

      and the Agricultural Research Service, the chief scientific research

      agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is expected to provide

      U.S. soybean plant breeders with new technology for more accurate and

      efficient plant breeding research.

    * Neurogen Corporation of Branford announced commencement of Phase I human

      testing of its leading proprietary drug candidate for insomnia, NG2-73.

    * Alexion Pharmaceuticals placed into Phase III clinical trials its drug

      eculizumab, testing it on patients with the rare blood disorder

      paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobiuria.

    * C. Boyd Clarke, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Neose

      Technologies Inc., joined the board of directors of Rib-X Technologies

      of New Haven. Rib-X Pharmaceuticals is a small molecule drug discovery

      company focused on the structure-based design of new classes of anti-

      infective agents.

    * Invitrogen of Carlsbad, Calif., acquired Protometrix of Branford.

    * HistoRx of New Haven announced plans to make its proprietary

      fluorescence-based AQUA(TM) tissue analysis platform available for

      licensing through a new program being offered to pathologists and

      scientists at universities and other noncommercial research institutions

      throughout North America and Europe.

    * Cellular Genomics of Branford announced the completion of a key

      performance milestone in its joint kinase discovery program with Serono.

    * Yale University's Office of Cooperative Research recently reported that

      over the past decade, Yale research has contributed to a growing cluster

      of spin-off companies in Connecticut, generating over 50 business

      ventures, including 24 biotechnology companies located in Greater New

      Haven, 18 of those in the city of New Haven itself. The New Haven

      Register reported that Yale spin-off companies -- including CuraGen,

      Genaissance and Alexion  -- have raised over $450 million in venture

      capital and $2 billion in equity.

    * The University of Connecticut's Technology Incubator Program (TIP) named

      a new executive director. The TIP is part of UConn's Office of

      Technology Commercialization, which provides a variety of resources to

      support entrepreneurs as they begin patenting and licensing and move to

      funding and commercialization.

    * The Connecticut Technology Transfer and Commercialization Advisory Board

      of the Governor's Competitiveness Council has developed an action plan

      in response to a study it commissioned on the state's infrastructure for

      innovation, technology transfer and development of new businesses.

    * Elaine Pullen, a senior vice president at Gerber scientific, was named

      chairwoman of Connecticut Innovations, the quasi-public organization

      that strengthens the state's economy by making equity investments in

      entrepreneurial high-technology companies.

    * Connecticut Innovations' Economic Climate Study, co-sponsored each year

      with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, in 2004 documented revenues of $9.1

      billion for Connecticut's emerging technology sector, an increase of 13%

      over 2003. Emerging technology companies are defined as those with fewer

      than 500 people whose sustainable competitive advantage is based on

      technology or technology expertise. The study estimated that such

      companies employ 38,000 people, an increase of 1,000 employees over last

      year.

    * CURE teamed with a number of other state organizations devoted to host

      the first-ever Alliance for Technology Innovation Day. Designed to

      increase collaboration among technology executives, researchers and

      elected officials, the event included panels, annual meetings, exhibits,

      a poster session, and a gala awards dinner.

CURE (Connecticut United for Research Excellence, Inc., http://www.curenet.org) is a statewide, member-supported coalition of over 100 educational and research institutions, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and other supporting businesses. It is dedicated to promoting the growth and increasing public understanding of biomedical research and science in Connecticut.

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