Jennifer Kehlet Barton, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Research and Professor, Biomedical Engineering at The University of Arizona was named the 2012 Michael A. Cusanovich Bioscience Educator of the Year by the Arizona Bioindustry Association. Dr. Barton was nominated by students, past and present with supporting nominations by her co-workers, and selected for this honor by an independent panel of judges from across the state of Arizona for her contributions to all aspects of bioscience education. They include her skill as a course instructor, her compassion and patience as a mentor and adviser to undergraduate and graduate students, her strategic leadership in creating a learning environment and career path for students via her development and leadership of the UA Biomedical Engineering Programs, her recent role as Assistant Director of the BIO5 Institute, and her participation with industry in a broad range of industry association and community groups.

Brain State Technologies  has a mission statement that is  three words: To Help People. The corporate headquarters is based in Scottsdale, AZ and has nearly 200 providers in 18 countries that have helped over 50,000 people. Lee Gerdes is the Founder and CEO of Brain State Technologies®  and the creator of the breakthrough neuro-technology Brainwave Optimization with Real-Time Balancing™, which helps people of all ages and conditions to overcome cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges and is transforming and likely saving lives all over the world.   The firm and its process have been featured on ABC, FOX, CBS, OWN, People, The New York Times, USA Today, PARADE, The Arizona Republic, BrainWorld, Frontiers in Neuroscience, and more.  Brain State offers a non-invasive process versus using drugs or surgery for a wide range of applications to overcome cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges including sleep disorders, alcoholism, meth addition, and PTSD. Their work has resulted in the largest relational database of brain patterns on planet Earth.  Brain State’s patent-pending procedure compares over 48,000 brain frequencies and its patented Relational Sound (Wave Aid) program provides for ongoing process support.  Committed to serving our veterans, the company offers pro bono services to soldiers with debilitating symptoms of PTSD. 

Dr. Paul Keim is the Cowden Endowed Chair of Microbiology at Northern Arizona University (NAU), the Director of Pathogen Genomics at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and research affiliate at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Dr. Keim’s research focuses on the advancement of forensics and genomics analysis of bacterial pathogens. You may know this globally recognized researcher as ” Doctor Anthrax” (a moniker he gained after 9-11) but there is a lot more to the work Dr. Keim and his team focus on every day.

The first cord blood sample ever saved by a family belonged to the son of CBR's Scientific Director. Two decades later, CBR (Cord Blood Registry) is the largest, most experienced stem cell bank, entrusted by families worldwide. Thanks to expecting families like yours, more than 400,000 children have newborn stem cells saved with CBR. As you decide what's best for your family, it's important to understand the CBR difference in quality and experience. CBR has banked more stem cells than any other family bank and has the most experience helping families use their cord blood for medical treatments. In October 2012, CBR was named the Arizona Bioscience Company of the Year.

IBM’s Watson and future strategies for advancing health. David Kerr, Director, Corporate Strategy, IBM, Armonk, N.Y.

For close to four decades, Harry George has been creating, capitalizing, and operating rapid-growth technology companies. A quiet, action oriented leader. Harry has consistently driven Arizona’s bioscience and technology sectors forward by acting on his vision with commitment, dedication, and determination. In recognition of his service and accomplishments, Harry A. George is the 2012 Jon W. McGarity Bioscience Leader of the Year

Michael Birt, director of the Center for  Sustainable Health at The Biodesign Institute (Short version) For the full version visit the Thought Leaders category.

With both drug development costs and healthcare costs at record heights, how can we drive innovation and lifesaving discoveries down the path faster.  That is the question the team at the Critical Path Institute (C-Path) asks every day. Critical Path Institute , a healthcare change agent and leading center of excellence for collaborative scientific innovation, was formed with visionary support from the State of Arizona, UA, Science Foundation Arizona, FDA and the community at large. Its mission: to improve human health and well-being by developing new technologies and methods to accelerate the development and review of medical products. There is no other entity in the country that does what C-Path does. C-Path Milestones and “firsts” include: 1st preclinical safety biomarkers (7) qualified by FDA and its counterparts in Europe and Japan – biomarkers used to detect drug-induced kidney injury earlier and more precisely. 1st CDISC (Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium) therapeutic area data standard enables aggregating and easier FDA review of Alzheimer’s clinical trial data. 1st and largest open database of CDISC aggregated Alzheimer’s clinical trial data (6,100 patients, 22 clinical trials) enabling scientists to look for means to detect disease earlier and understand disease progression based on age, sex, genotypes. 1st drug-disease trial model and clinical trial simulation tool submitted/under review by FDA – model enables scientists to better design Alzheimer’s clinical trials. 1st imaging biomarker for trial enrichment qualified by EMA – biomarker used to select patients in very early stages of Alzheimer’s for inclusion in clinical trials. C-Path brings together stakeholders to create what no one company, university, or government agency could do alone: 6 global consortia with 1,000 scientists, 41 companies, government agencies, patient groups, and academia to collaborate on “tools” to help drug development and focus on drug safety, drug effectiveness, diseases of the brain, developing new imaging biomarkers, and testing drug combinations. C-Path’s collaborative work is just beginning to translate knowledge of disease and human physiology into safe and effective therapies.

The Missing Piece – Access to Capital  Peter N. Allison, IDM Technologies  Jock Holliman, Valley Ventures Joan Koerber-Walker, AZBIO

Where is Industrial Biotech in Arizona Today? Glen Galster, co-founder of   Algae Biosciences  and AZBio Chairman of the Board moderates this panel discussion from the AZBio Expo 2012 featuring:   Leif P. Christoffersen, Director of Biomass Integration,  Yulex Corporation .  Ben Cloud, President and CEO,  Phyco Biosciences, Inc ., Josh Hottenstein,  Cleantech Open