Calgary, Alberta
February 19, 2002
SemBioSys Genetics Inc., a
privately held biotechnology company, announced today that it
has named Jeff Craig as vice president of business development.
Craig will be responsible for establishing development and
commercialization agreements with pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies based on SemBioSys' enabling oil
body-based Stratosome(TM) Production System.
"Jeff's broad experience with therapeutic proteins will allow
him to work with our current and potential customers to fully
leverage our Stratosome Production System in the
commercialization of their biologics," said Andrew Baum,
president and chief executive officer of SemBioSys.
Craig brings diverse biologic manufacturing and business
development experience to SemBioSys. He has over 20 years of
technical and executive experience in cell biology,
bioprocessing, transgenic systems and the commercialization of
biologics. Prior to joining SemBioSys, Craig served as president
of Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc., and as vice president of
business development at Monsanto's Integrated Protein
Technologies. He is a co-founder of LevTech, Inc., and will
continue to serve as chairman of the LevTech Board of Directors.
"I am very excited by the opportunity and potential at
SemBioSys. The technology and intellectual property here
represent a tremendous breakthrough in the manufacturing
economics of simple and complex proteins," Craig said. "In
addition to providing significant upstream expression and
formulation advantages, SemBioSys' Stratosome Production System
offers a true breakthrough in product recovery and downstream
processing."
Stratosome Production System
SemBioSys is using a variety of genetic engineering technologies
to express proteins in the seeds of
safflower. The Stratosome Production System is an
enabling technology that allows the attachment of proteins to
oil bodies -- natural oil storage organelles found in oilseeds
-- through either direct targeting or affinity capture. Taking
advantage of the simple physical principle that oil is lighter
than water, oil bodies can be easily separated from the majority
of other seed components. Combined with low-cost production of
plant-based systems, this provides a cost-effectiv solution for
bulk protein production and purification. The technology also
offers a unique platform for the oral and topical delivery of
bioactive peptides and proteins. SemBioSys operates a pilot
manufacturing facility that can deliver oil body-based products
and purified protein at scale.
Calgary, Alberta-based SemBioSys Genetics is a privately held
biotechnology company focused on the development of high-value
protein and oil body-based products using its proprietary oil
body-based technology -- the Stratosome Production System.
Spun-out of the University of Calgary in 1996, the company's
investors include Bay City Capital, Dow AgroSciences Canada
Inc., Ventures West, Business Development Bank of Canada,
University Technologies International, Royal Bank Capital
Partners and Maurice Moloney, Ph.D., scientific founder and
chief scientific officer. SemBioSys has established partnerships
with Syngenta, Metabolic Pharmaceuticals, a multinational fine
chemical
manufacturer and several pharmaceutical companies.
|