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March 16, 2005
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Affinergy Awarded Technology Innovation of the Year by Frost & Sullivan
Affinergy's site-specific biological delivery system called "breakthrough" with the "potential to become an industry standard."
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 16, 2005 - Affinergy, Inc., a Duke University spinout with a proprietary site-specific biological delivery system, was awarded the 2005 Technology Innovation of the Year for medical coatings/biocoatings by Frost & Sullivan, a leading independent market research and consulting firm. The Technology Innovation Award was presented at the Excellence in Medical Devices & Healthcare Awards Banquet in San Francisco in an audience of executives from the major medical device firms. Affinergy's "Interfacial Biomaterials" platform technology was chosen due to its all-biological system that can be flexibly engineered to direct biology in a site-specific manner.
"Affinergy is grateful for the independent and significant validation that comes with this prestigious Award," said Peyton Anderson, CEO of Affinergy. "It reflects the grand vision of our scientific founders and the excellent work of our employees in building out Affinergy's site-specific biological delivery system. This objective validation of our technology by an industry leader will allow us to further accelerate our commercial development."
"Affinergy's proprietary all-biological technology platform of interfacial biomaterials provides select multifunctional coatings that considerably enhance the value of medical devices, such as orthopedic implants," notes Frost & Sullivan research analyst Miriam Nagel. "Affinergy's development of a novel interfacial biomaterial coating technology can help unlock the potential of growth factors and stem cells to vastly improve the success of medical device implants."
"The size and range of potential product applications for Affinergy are truly exciting," said Daniel Kenan, MD. Ph.D., a scientific co-founder of Affinergy. "This Technology Innovation Award is an exciting milestone for the work begun at Duke University and now being commercialized at Affinergy. Our ability to create user-defined bioactive matrices is both novel and highly functional. It is very encouraging to see the broad level of interest Affinergy is getting from commercial partners."
Reasons cited by Frost & Sullivan for selecting Affinergy for the 2005 Technology Innovation Award:
Affinergy is based on functional peptides and uniquely uses modular structures and a proprietary linker technology. While one peptide selectively binds to biological materials, another is specific to certain surfaces. This selectivity provides it with the exceptional flexibility. The coatings can be applied to medical devices using various procedures such as spray, dip, print, or painting, and can even be applied directly by a surgeon. Affinergy materials are stable to sterilization processes with a proven shelf life and a low toxicology profile. The technology also offers the advantage of 'mild' chemistry, which is essential for attaching fragile biologics. A chief attraction of this technology is the remarkable diversity of its platform that enables the creation of biological coatings to regulate biological processes on the surface of synthetic materials. Applications for the technology include immobilizing growth factors, attracting cells, such as osteoblasts or stem cells, to a targeted surface, and site-specific therapeutic delivery. Affinergy has set up a cache of peptides so that these peptides can be mixed and matched for customized coatings. The company has already obtained initial seed funding for launching its product in the orthopedics, growth factor immobilization, and cellular therapies.
For more information on this award, please click here.
About Affinergy, Inc.
Affinergy develops site-specific biological delivery systems. We use biofriendly binders that can selectively adhere to proteins, cells, and other biomaterial surfaces in order to direct biology toward an intended outcome. Affinergy is primarily focused on orthopedic devices and delivering biological therapeutics with a growing interest in cardiovascular applications. Affinergy's technology was patented at Duke University and has been incubated at Becton Dickinson's research center in Research Triangle Park.
For more information, visit www.affinergy.com or contact Peyton Anderson at (919) 597-6227.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company founded in 1961, partners with clients to create value through innovative growth strategies. The foundation of this partnership approach is our Growth Partnership Services platform, whereby we provide industry research, marketing strategies, consulting, and training to our clients to help grow their business. A key benefit that Frost & Sullivan brings to its clients is a global perspective on a broad range of industries, markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. With a client list that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, as well as the investment community, Frost & Sullivan has evolved into one of the premier growth consulting companies in the world. For more information, visit www.frost.com.
Contact:
Stacie Jones
210.247.2450
Stacie.jones@frost.com
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