BioCrossroads Establishes Protein Center of Excellence; The First-of-Its-Kind Center Will Bring Jobs to Central Indiana.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 2004 BioCrossroads, the Central Indiana Life Sciences Network, has announced today the establishment of a Protein Center of Excellence called the Indiana Centers for Applied Protein Sciences (INCAPS). Dr. James R. Ludwig, Head, Proteomics Programs, Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company and one of the world's largest corporations. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. , will lead the Center as the Founding Chief Executive Officer. INCAPS will provide technology validation, protein analysis services, instrumentation and technical support for both academic and industry investigators. The mission of INCAPS is to provide the best prototype and commercially available proteomics tools and methods as a service offering to members of the Central Indiana community and beyond. The new Center is housed at the Indiana University Indiana University, main campus at Bloomington; state supported; coeducational; chartered 1820 as a seminary, opened 1824. It became a college in 1828 and a university in 1838. The medical center (run jointly with Purdue Univ. Emerging Technologies Center in downtown Indianapolis The term Downtown Indianapolis refers to the central business district, or CBD, of Indianapolis, Indiana. The boundaries of Downtown Indianapolis vary; the original mile square of Indianapolis is considered to be the true "downtown", though some may consider downtown's boundaries . "Proteomics is one of the most promising science areas for advancing human health while bringing investment and jobs to Central Indiana," said Ludwig. "The study of how proteins interact with other molecules and each other has the potential to reshape the pharmaceutical industry, among others." "This Center represents a collaboration that meets a specific research need and has great economic potential. INCAPS is a giant stride towards making Central Indiana a center of proteomic research and sciences," said Dr. Gus Watanabe, Chairman of the Board for BioCrossroads. INCAPS was conceptualized by a consortium of institutions from Central Indiana, including Lilly, Roche Diagnostics Roche Diagnostics Division is a subsidiary of Hoffmann-La Roche which manufactures equipment and reagents for research and medical diagnostic applications. Internally, it is organized into six major business areas: Roche Applied Science, Roche Centralized Diagnostics, Roche , Dow AgroSciences Dow AgroSciences LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company specializing in not only agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, but also seeds and biotechnology solutions. The company is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. , Inproteo, Indiana University Bloomington, the Indiana University School of Medicine The Indiana University School of Medicine is the medical school of Indiana University, part of the Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Established in 1903, the school had an initial class of 25 students. , Purdue University Purdue University (pərdy  `, -d`), main campus at West Lafayette, Ind. , the City of Indianapolis and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. The valuable input received from each of these entities will ensure that the Center meets the needs of both private industry and academia. As well as providing for the needs of commercial and academic investigators in Indiana, INCAPS expects to find synergy between its efforts and those of Inproteo. Inproteo, an alliance of Lilly, Indiana University and Purdue University, is designed to commercialize the proteomic research of these institutions and to generate spin-off companies. Dr. John Hurrell, President of Inproteo, said, "The services and support provided by INCAPS will facilitate Inproteo to spin-out technology-based companies because of the Centers' ability to provide independent third-party user and validation data for our technologies and prototypes. These data will assist in the further development and maximization of the value of our technologies." Lilly has already committed to $3,200,000 to INCAPS in a combination of participation fees, executive support, instrument training and the prepayment Prepayment 1. The payment of a debt obligation prior to its due date. 2. The excess payment over a scheduled debt repayment amount. Notes: 1. Examples include deferred expenses such as rent and early loan repayments. 2. for services to be provided by the Center to Lilly in the years 2004-2006. INCAPS has also been selected to receive a 21st Century Research and Technology Fund grant. Protein analysis allows researchers to understand disease and wellness through applying knowledge of proteins. The market potential of proteomics is expected to reach $5.6 B world wide by 2006. BioCrossroads' focus on protein analysis came as a result of a strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. process that identified eight regional industry strengths. Teams of academic and private sector experts are engaged in uncovering commercial opportunities within each area, leading to initiatives like INCAPS. INCAPS also bolsters the efforts to build a biotech bi·o·tech n. Informal Biotechnology. biotech Noun short for biotechnology Noun 1. research community in downtown Indianapolis. "Resources like INCAPS will help attract more research and commercial ventures to Indianapolis and Central Indiana," said Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson Barton "Bart" Peterson (born June 15, 1958 to parents Howard and Lori) has been mayor of the U.S city of Indianapolis, Indiana, since 2000. A Democrat, he defeated Sue Anne Gilroy 52 percent to 41 percent in 1999 to become Indianapolis' first Democratic mayor since 1967. . "INCAPS is the latest addition to a growing list of private companies, incubation facilities and research initiatives that make this a perfect place for life sciences businesses to collaborate and grow." Dr. Ludwig is a graduate of the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). , Irvine, where he received his Ph.D. He is fulfilling the responsibility as Chief Executive Officer for the Indiana Centers for Applied Protein Sciences while on-loan from Eli Lilly and Company, where he is responsible for Coordinating Proteomics Programs. Previously, Dr. Ludwig served as Interim Director for the Indiana Proteomics Consortium (now Inproteo) from April - August, 2002. Dr. Ludwig's association with Eli Lilly and Company began in 1985 when he joined the future Lilly subsidiary, Hybritech, as a Research Scientist responsible for establishing Molecular Biology molecular biology, scientific study of the molecular basis of life processes, including cellular respiration, excretion, and reproduction. The term molecular biology was coined in 1938 by Warren Weaver, then director of the natural sciences program at the Rockefeller in the Therapeutics Division. In 1994, Dr. Ludwig took a position as Head of Biotechnology Research in the Technology Core Group at Lilly Research Laboratories Lilly Research Laboratories is the organizational name of the global pharmaceutical research and development organization of Eli Lilly and Company, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical corporations. in Indianapolis, leading a group consisting of Molecular Biologists, Cell Biologists, DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. Technologists, and Protein Chemists. Dr. Ludwig previously headed the Research Acquisition - Technology effort in the Corporate Strategy and Business Development Division at Eli Lilly and Company. About BioCrossroads BioCrossroads is Central Indiana's life science network, a public-private collaboration that supports the region's research and corporate strengths while encouraging new business development. Central Indiana is a global life sciences hub, with 900 private companies employing a skilled workforce of over 85,000, working with multiple nationally-recognized research institutions. With government, industry and academic resources aligned to accelerate business growth, the region is fertile ground for investors and entrepreneurs to build new ventures. Learn more at www.biocrossroads.com. About Eli Lilly and Company Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com. |
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