BIO IT Business Catalyst of the Year

Wei-Wu He, Ph.D.
General Partner and Co-Founder
Emerging Technology Partners LLC

Dr. Wei-Wu He is a talented and creative financial partner recognized for providing funding for individuals and companies whose innovative ideas have resulted in advances in Bio/IT, business, and society.

Dr. He has been involved in over 20 biotech companies through his career, has been awarded over 20 U.S. patents, and has more than twenty original research publications.  Dr. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine and conducted cancer research at both the Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital.  He received his MBA from the Wharton School.  He continues to use his knowledge of bioscience and business for the creation of successful biotech companies that will create diagnostic and therapeutic products to improve human health.

 

 

BIO IT Company of the Year

Celera Genomics Group

Celera Genomics Group has used imagination, innovation and intelligent risk-taking in the application of IT to the life sciences.  This has led to the most dramatic progress in the advancement of BIO IT through its own IT development for the analysis and compilation of genome sequences.  Celera's success has had a profound influence on the industry.

Celera Genomics Group was founded to complete the monumental task of sequencing and assembling the human genome.  In February of 2001, Celera published its first draft of the human genome sequence in the Journal Science. 

Celera's efforts accelerated the race to sequence the human genome which led to completion of the project 3 to 5 years sooner than expected.  Once Celera achieved this monumental goal, it changed its mission to the discovery and development of meaningful new therapies for the improvement of human health.  Currently, they are engaged in the discovery and development of targeted therapies for cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (including diseases such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis), the identification and validation of drug targets and diagnostic marker candidates.  To uncover novel therapeutic candidates, Celera leverages capabilities in proteomics, bioinformatics and genomics.  They also seek to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders.

Celera has now released it proprietary human, rat and mouse sequences to be used in the public domain for use in other drug discovery.  Their scientists also work to better understand associations between diseases and patterns of genetic variation.  This information should be useful in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic products and in the identification of which people will best respond to certain drugs i.e. "Personalized Medicine."

Celera Genomics is one of three business segments of Applera Corporation. Applied Biosystems and Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture of Celera Genomics and Applied Biosystems, are the other two segments.  The company has approximately 500 employees, and 2004 Revenues of $60.1 Million.

 

 

BIO IT Innovation of the Year

Sentel Corporation's RDR System

The RDR System saves lives by detecting dangerous chemical and biological agents in sensitive military and other facilities.  This Bio defense sensor system is an example of the valuable combination of Bio and IT products. It is an example of how complex problems can be solved by combining science and technology.  This is the best Life Science application of IT based upon measurable improvement in productivity, process methodology, and the clarity of scientific communication.

Sentel is an engineering services company that develops, tests, implements, and supports innovative technology that improves defense, enables communication, and protects lives.  Founded in 1987, Sentel has garnered numerous awards for its work.  Sentel managers work side-by-side with their teams to solve highly complex problems and support mission-critical operations for government and commercial clients.

SENTEL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dimensions International.  SENTEL provides mission-critical support to the Department of Defense, NASA, FAA and other government agencies in the areas of chemical and biological agent defense, software development, electromagnetics engineering and test and evaluation.  SENTEL's innovative Remote Data Relay (RDR), a sensor networking system, is among its leading products.  The RDR, with its new PDA capabilities, is a smart networking tool designed and built by SENTEL that can simultaneously monitor and control numerous, disparate sensors that detect, nuclear, biological, chemical and other toxic agents.

 

 

BIO IT Visionary of the Year

Francis Collins, M.D., Ph. D.
Director
National Human Genome Research Institute

Dr. Francis Collins is the visionary leader who shepherded the public effort to sequence the human genome.

Dr. Collins is an individual whose knowledge, leadership and energy have helped the BIO IT industry gain recognition and advancement in the region and the world.  His clear headed visionary leadership will hasten the development of improved healthcare products and services for all mankind.  As director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Collins led the successful international effort to complete the Human Genome Project (HGP), a complex multidisciplinary scientific enterprise directed at mapping and sequencing all of the human chromosomal DNA and determining an understanding of its function(s).  A working draft of the human genome sequence was announced in June of 2000, an initial analysis was published in February of 2001, and a high-quality, reference sequence was completed in April 2003.  From the outset, the project ran ahead of schedule and under budget.  All the data is available to the scientific community without restrictions on access or use.

Dr. Collins received a B.S. from the University of Virginia, a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Yale University and an M.D. from the University of North Carolina.  Following a fellowship in Human Genetics at Yale, he joined the faculty at the University of Michigan, where he remained until moving to NIH in 1993.  Dr. Collins' research has led to the identification of genes responsible for cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, Huntington's Disease and Hutchison-Gilford progeria syndrome.  He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences.