Case Western Reserve Grants Option to Startup Thermalin Diabetes Inc.
for Insulin Analog Therapies
Case Western Reserve University has granted an 18-month, exclusive option to startup Thermalin Diabetes Inc. regarding a portfolio of insulin analogs. The company must reach certain milestones in order to exercise its option to obtain an exclusive license on therapies designed to help patients with diabetes.
Cleveland-based Thermalin Diabetes is developing treatments that it hopes will become an important part of the $12 billion, rapidly growing insulin market. Insulin is a therapeutic protein used to manage blood sugar levels. Innovations in the 1990s led to the introduction of insulin analogs with superior therapeutic performance.
"This is one of the coolest technologies that we've seen, because of the potential to serve mankind," said Joseph Jankowski, Case Western Reserve's associate vice president for technology management within the university's Technology Transfer Office.
Potential for improved treatment of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes results from the work of Michael Weiss, chair of the Department of Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine. His approximately 20 years of research into the structure and function of biological molecules has focused on insulin, insulin analogs and insulin receptors. Read more.
Campus News
President Barbara R. Snyder and Provost William A. "Bud" Baeslack cordially invite the Case Western Reserve University community to a reception welcoming Rick Bischoff, vice president for enrollment; David Fleshler, associate provost for international affairs; and Donald Stewart, vice president for financial planning. The reception will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8, in the Hovorka Atrium.
SAGES Café is now serving Peet's Holiday Blend Coffee, Special Holiday Blend Black Tea and Eggnog. The campus community is invited to stop by and indulge in classic and new holiday treats.
To get the latest weather conditions, along with the campus forecast, visit the Case Weather Station Web site.
For Faculty and Staff
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) announces a call for applications for fellowships being offered through its Comparative Domestic Policy program (CDP), jointly supported by the Compagnia di San Paolo and Bank of America. The fellowships are intended to commence between May and October 2010, ending no later than March 2011. Fellows will be awarded a grant of $10,000 per month to support a fellowship lasting approximately two to six months on the other side of the Atlantic, during which time fellows will research approaches to an urban/regional challenge confronted by both American and European cities and regions. Applications are due March 15, 2010. Up to four fellowships will be awarded. Learn more.
For Students
Students are invited to check out Church of the Covenant's Cache Resale Shop for last minute holiday shopping needs. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15, and Thursday, Dec. 17. There are many items available for less than $1.
Events
The next Science Café Cleveland, sponsored by the university's Sigma Xi chapter, will focus on the topic of "Deafness and Imbalance: Advances in Treatments and Understanding Using Zebrafish." The speakers are Brian McDermott, otolaryngology, Case Western Reserve, and Cliff Megerian, director of otology and neurotology, University Hospitals. The talk begins at 7 p.m. tonight at the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Tasting Room, 2701 Carroll Ave.
The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) invites the campus community to attend its seminar series presentation at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 15, in Frohring Auditorium (105 Biomedical Research Building). The featured speakers are Michael Kattan, chair of Quantitative Health Sciences at the Cleveland Clinic, and J. Sunil Rao, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Case Western Reserve. They will discuss the progress being made in the Translational Methodologies Working Group.
The views and opinions of those invited to speak on campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community.
Et al.
The Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland's Dietrich Diabetes Research Institute (DDRI) recently presented its 2009 Lifetime Achievement in Diabetes Research Award to two Cleveland-area physicians renowned for their research in the area of diabetes: Vincent M. Monnier of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Patrick M. Catalano of MetroHealth Medical Center. They were honored at the 6th Annual DDRI/CWRU Diabetes Research Symposium last month. The DDRI Lifetime Achievement in Diabetes Research Award recognizes select scientists, researchers or physicians who have significantly contributed toward improving the quality of life for those living with diabetes. Monnier, a professor in the Department of Pathology, conducts research on the structure and significance of protein changes by advanced Maillard reaction (reducing sugars) and oxidation products in aging and age-related diseases, including diabetes, cataract and end-stage renal disease. Catalano is a professor of reproductive biology at Case Western Reserve and serves as chair of the Department of Reproductive Biology at the university and at MetroHealth Medical Center. He served as chair of the DDRI Task Force from 2003-2008.
