Jumping the curve: biotech a bright spot in Colorado economy.

• Author: Cole, Rebecca
• Position: FEATURE - Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals

Good innovators must be in denial, Guy Kawasaki says. Otherwise, "the bozos will grind you down." That's what the former Apple software evangelist, venture capitalist and author of "Art of the Start" told a crowd of about 200 in November at Bio West 2008.

A humorous and at times acerbic portrayal of how most companies try to innovate (lots of corporate-speak mission statements and waste-of-time off-site meetings--sound familiar?), Kawasaki's luncheon presentation drove home the point that innovations isn't easy.

"You can't wait for a perfect world, or opportunities will pass you by," he said. To "jump the curve," he said, is the goal. "Don't just define the curve you are on. If you truly want to be creative, you have to get to and create the next curve."

With the economy in the dumps and job losses piling up across all sectors, bioscience and technology is clearly a bright spot for Colorado. In August, Gov. Bill Ritter approved $26.5 million in additional funding for biotech grants over the next five years, and some companies jumping the curve now are seeing funding dollars roll in.

DELIVERING DRUGS DIRECTLY TO THE BRAIN

One company is Sierra Neuropharmaceuticals, winner of the 2008 "Rising Star" award. A University of Colorado spin-out founded in 2006, SierraNeuro developed an innovative technology using implantable pumps placed surgically under the skin to deliver drugs directly to the fluid around the brain via a catheter.

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The approach aims to help patients suffering from severe epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia and other neurological diseases who have had to treat their conditions by taking drugs orally, causing potentially toxic and debilitating side effects.

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In July, SierralNeuro received $21.5 million in venture capital series-A financing and is now in the process of beginning clinical trials.

GREEN AROUND THE GILLS

Another is Oberon, an Idaho Springs-based biotech company developing a renewable process to supply sustainable protein to the aquaculture, or farmed fish, industry. With global fish consumption accelerating rapidly and stocks of wild-caught fish declining, the fish-farming industry is experiencing rapid growth.

The problem is that farmed fish still need to eat--dubbed "feed and breed" by industry insiders. Guess what they eat? More fish; ground up and turned into fish meal--about 6 million tons a year since the 1990s. And as wild fish stocks diminish, the cost for fish meal...