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NewHope Bariatrics, Inc. Secures $18.5 Million in Capital
Charlotte-based NewHope Bariatrics, Inc. (www.newhopebariatrics.com/), an obesity surgery company, has received $18.5 million in debt and equity financing from three institutional investors: Austin Ventures, Versant Ventures, and Square 1 Bank. The company will use these funds to develop and operate ambulatory surgery centers focused on the treatment of obesity using the Lap-Band® system.

Founded in 2005 by David Crane and Dennis Kelly, former senior executives at MedCath Corporation (NASDAQ: MDTH), NewHope Bariatrics will own and operate these centers in partnership with leading bariatric surgeons in markets across the United States. In anticipation of this new financing, the company has been working diligently with several physician groups and expects to announce its first partnerships in the coming weeks.

Square 1 Bank is a CED member.

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Sicel Technologies Raises $7 Million in Convertible Debt
Morrisville-based Sicel Technologies (www.siceltech.com), a privately held developer and manufacturer of implantable sensors and surface dosimeters has raised $7 million in convertible debt.  The company focuses on developing pioneering implantable products targeted at improving delivery of cancer treatments. 

Sicel, which employs around 30 people, focuses on developing pioneering implantable products targeted at improving delivery of cancer treatments. The company’s sensors are designed to offer physicians a way of obtaining real time feedback about the biological and physiological changes in patients’ cell and organ systems.

Sicel Technologies is a CED member.

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Hosted Solutions Acquires Boston Datacenters, Inc.
Raleigh-based Hosted Solutions (www.hostedsolutions.com), a provider of managed hosting and data center services, has acquired Boston Datacenters, Inc., for an undisclosed amount.

Privately-held Hosted Solutions also runs three SAS 70 Type II certified data centers, located in Charlotte, Cary and Raleigh, N.C. In addition to continuing to provide managed hosting and collocation services to Boston Datacenter customers, the company will offer expanded capabilities, including dedicated servers, managed storage, managed load balancing, business continuity and managed security services.

Hosted Solutions is a CED member.

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Talecris Biotherapeutics to Acquire Plasma Collection Centers
Research Triangle Park-based Talecris Plasma Resources (www.talecrisbio.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Talecris Biotherapeutics, Inc., signed a purchase acquisition agreement with International BioResources, LLC (IBR) to acquire IBR’s plasma sourcing centers in 21 states in the U.S. for an undisclosed amount.  Talecris will incorporate the 58 centers acquired from IBR into their expansion plans in plasma sourcing.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Talecris expects to complete the acquisition within the next 30 to 60 days, subject to a series of regulatory approvals. Talecris plans to integrate the associated IBR employees into the Talecris organization as quickly as possible, and will augment the acquired staff with support from its quality, compliance, and other business units to accelerate the growth and development of the acquired platform.

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RTI International Awarded $4 Million Contract to Develop Technology to Reduce Greenhouse Emissions
RTP-based RTI International (www.rti.org), a non-profit research organization, was awarded a three-year, $4 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOC NETL) to continue the development of a carbon dioxide capture technology based on an inexpensive, dry, reusable sorbent.  The technology, developed by RTI for the past five years, is designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions at coal-fired power plants as well as natural gas plans, cement plants and petroleum refineries. 

The release of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere has become on of the major environmental issues of the early 21st century.  DOE’s Energy Information Administration projects a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for changes in the global climate. 

RTI International is a CED member.

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CubeShield Awarded U.S. Patent for Product that Reduces Workplace Vision Problems
CubeShield, Inc. (www.cubeshield.com), marketer of the CubeShield product, has been granted U.S. Patent 7,117,802 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers the CubeShield product, which blocks out excessive overhead lighting while providing added personalization and privacy to office cubicles.

The product improves employee comfort and satisfaction while preventing potential vision problems. The company began selling the CubeShield product in early 2004 and has experienced a steady growth in sales to consumers and facilities managers throughout the United States.

CubeShield, Inc. is a CED member.

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NC State Start-Up Looks to Turn ‘Lights Out’ on Flu and Other Viruses
Raleigh-based LaamScience (www.laamscience.com/), a N.C. State University spin-out, announced that Laboratory testing of a novel, permanent nano-coating, has been shown to kill or inactivate most viruses and bacteria when exposed to visible light. Early tests have shown that the coating kills 99.9 percent of influenza viruses and 99.99 percent of vaccinia virus, which causes rash, fever, head and body aches.

The coating technology was developed by Dr. Stephen Michielsen, associate professor in N.C. State’s College of Textiles, and Drs. Igor Stojiljkovic and Gordon Churchward, associate professors at Emory University’s School of Medicine in Atlanta. N.C. State has applied for a patent on the invention, which has been licensed to Research Triangle Park-based start-up LaamScience, Inc.

LaamScience is a CED member.

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Cornerstone BioPharma, Inc. Obtains Exclusive Licensing Rights for Spectracef
Cary-based Cornerstone BioPharma (www.cornerstonebiopharma.com/), the specialty pharmaceutical company focused on niche respiratory prescription medications has obtained exclusive U.S. licensing rights from leading Japanese pharmaceutical company Meiji Seika Kaisha for Spectracef (cefditoren pivoxil). Cornerstone BioPharma’s seasoned sales force will begin promotion and sale of Spectracef to primary care providers, allergists and otolaryngologists nationwide. 

Spectracef is a cephalosporin oral antibiotic used to treat adults and adolescents with certain bacterial infections of the lungs, throat and skin.  The drug is indicated to treat Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), Acute Bacterial Exacerbation of Chronic Bronchitis (ABECB), Pharyngitis/Tonsillitis and Uncomplicated Skin and Skin-Structure Infections (USSSI). Currently, the U.S. allergy market exceeds $3.3 billion in annual sales as more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergy symptoms. 

CornerStone BioPharma is a CED member.

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Phase Bioscience Announces Licensing Agreement with Duke University
Durham-based Phase Bioscience, Inc. (www.phasebio.com) has concluded a Licensing Agreement with Duke University for the acquisition of certain intellectual property associated with the delivery of therapeutic agents based on ELP technology.

Under the terms of the agreement PhaseBio will have worldwide rights to use the technology to develop its own portfolio of products as well as enter into third party arrangements for co-development and licensing.

Phase BioScience is a CED member.

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Events Update

10/07 Entrepreneurs Only Workshop™: Marketing vs. Selling
10/07 FastTrac® TechVenture™ - Training and Mentoring for Startups

 

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