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Liquidia Technologies Raises $6 Million; Names Todd Pope as CEO
RTP-based Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (www.liquidia.com) has secured $6 million in Series A funding led by the Wakefield Group with additional funding from Firelake Capital Management, Siemens, and private investors, W. Lowry Caudill, Alfred Childers and William Starling. The funding will be used to make critical hires, build out vital manufacturing capabilities for the breakthrough particle molding technology for material science and nanomedicine applications, and to scale up the capacity for large scale Fluorocur production.

Liquidia has also named Todd Pope as their Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Liquidia, Pope had roles of increasing executive responsibilities in sales and marketing at Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific. Pope rose to vice president of Global Sales and Marketing at the Neurovascular Division of Boston Scientific. Pope also spent three years at Newell Rubbermaid where he became a president at the company's American Tool Division. Earlier in his career, he led business development initiatives at Duramed Pharmaceuticals and internet incubator, Divine Interventures.

Liquidia is a CED member.

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Visitar Secures Additional $1 Million in Funding; Names Stephen Wallace as CFO
Raleigh-based Visitar, Inc. (www.visitar.com) has secured $1 million in additional funding from Aurora Funds and NC IDEA. The new funds bring Visitar's first-round venture capital backing to about $3.6 million. As part of the agreement, W. Merrette Moore, vice president for NC IDEA, will join the Visitar board.

In addition, Visitar has announced the appointment of Stephen Wallace as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Visitar, he served as CFO for various technology and systems implementation companies including Vista Information Technologies, Inc. He also served as director of financial planning and accounting for publicly held Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. and began his career at Price Waterhouse in Washington, DC.

Visitar is a CED member.

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StrikeIron Announces Acquisition of DesertSoft’s Web Services Operating Unit
Durham-based StrikeIron Inc. (www.strikeiron.com), a provider of the Web Services Marketplace, has acquired DesertSoft’s Web Services operating unit. DesertSoft is a provider of Web Service solutions for e-tailers, online procurement, e-marketplaces and traditional brick-and-mortar companies. As part of the acquisition StrikeIron will add DesertSoft’s eCommerce, CRM and online procurement Web Services to its growing marketplace.

In addition, StrikeIron will allow DesertSoft customers to take advantage of the StrikeIron Marketplace features, such as the ability to integrate web services from multiple vendors in a consistent manner and via a single account. DesertSoft customers will enjoy a centralized and automated billing system as well as tools like StrikeIron’s Web Services Analyzer and OnDemand for Excel Add-in. They will also have access to Integrated ISV partner solutions that have created a variety of applications for CRM, eCommerce and business management using Web services from the Marketplace.

StrikeIron is a CED member.

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FDA Approves GlaxoSmithKline’s Welbutrin XL®

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s (www.gsk.com) Wellbutrin XL® for the prevention of seasonal major depressive episodes in patients who are diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition which affects about 6 percent of American adults. Wellbutrin XL® is the first and only medication approved to prevent seasonal major depressive episodes.

A combined analysis of three different clinical trials showed that Wellbutrin XL® reduces the chance of developing a seasonal major depressive episode by 44 percent. These studies were among the first pharmacologic studies to explore the possibility of preventing the onset of autumn-winter depression by starting treatment with an antidepressant early in the season, prior to experiencing symptoms.

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Integrian Awarded Australian Public Transportation Contract
RTP-based Integrian, Inc. (www.integrian.com), which develops and manufactures mobile surveillance systems for public safety and transit markets, was recently awarded a contract in Australia with the Victorian Government’s Department of Public Transport to provide train event recorder and vigilance control systems for the Department’s Comeng train fleet.

The project is the result of a six-month trial conducted by the Department of Infrastructure.  Integrian was among a list of companies asked to install trial systems on two Comeng train units in late 2005.  The systems were tested throughout the Melbourne network to assess performance and suitability for fleet deployment. Companies were evaluated on a number of key factors including technical solution, cost and post warranty support, and customer support throughout the trials. At the conclusion of the trials, Integrian was chosen to supply the full fleet deployment of the VICERS system.

Integrian is a CED member.

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Duke University to Collaborate with LabCorp to Offer New Genomic Tests
Duke University will partner with Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (www.labcorp.com), a company involved in esoteric testing, in an effort to expand opportunities to offer new genomic tests.  The new partnership will create the "Duke-LabCorp Scholars in Genomic Medicine" program.

The program, led by Geoffrey S. Ginsburg of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy, will support advanced research studies in specified clinical testing applications in genomic medicine which are currently being identified. The goal of the collaboration is to develop a commercial partnership that enables the translation of important genomic tests into clinical practice as rapidly as possible.

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Respirics Announces Launch of MD Turbo™
Raleigh-based Respirics Inc. (www.respirics.com) announced the commercial launch of its product, MD Turbo, designed to solve two of the biggest problems facing patients with Asthma and COPD who use pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDI): the coordination of inhaler actuation with the patient’s inhalation and the accounting for how much medication is in the inhaler at any given time. MD Turbo will be marketed in the United States by TEAMM Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

MD Turbo incorporates i-Point™, the company’s proprietary inhalation technology, which triggers the release of medication when an inspiratory flow threshold has been reached by the user. The device works by automatically depressing the inhaler canister when the patient breathes, thereby coordinating the drug’s delivery. Also, with a limited number of “puffs” in each pMDI, if a user doesn’t account for every use, the risk of a patient using an empty inhaler exists. To solve this problem, MD Turbo has an electronic counter which allows patients to keep track of how much medication remains in their inhaler.

Respirics is a CED member. 

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Fred Hutchison Honored with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine
Raleigh attorney and CED founding president Fred Hutchison received the State of North Carolina’s highest honor as approximately 300 people gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hutchison Law Group PLLC (www.hutchlaw.com). Hutchison, a Raleigh native, is the state’s most recent recipient of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor that is given by the state.

The award is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. Robert McMahan, the State Science and Technology Advisor and Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology, presented the honor to Hutchison on behalf of Governor Mike Easley.

Hutchison Law Group is a CED member.

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Events Update

7/21 Fast 50 Nominations Deadline
8/1 Tech 2006 Demo Application Deadline

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