SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- California Life Sciences Association (CLSA), the leading voice to drive innovation for California's life sciences sector, today announced the winners of the 2015 CLSA Pantheon DiNA Awards, an annual flagship program that attracts more than 600 pioneers within California's life sciences community. Pantheon recognizes achievements and honors excellence, uniting life sciences leaders in celebration of California's rapidly expanding life sciences sector, which employs nearly 300,000 Californians. This year's Pantheon DiNA Awards Ceremony will take place Nov. 17 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis.
The 2015 Life Sciences Leadership Awards will be awarded to three forward-thinking leaders: William H. Rastetter, Ph.D.; Douglas Crawford, Ph.D.; and Regis B. Kelly, Ph.D., OBE.
William H. Rastetter, Ph.D., is a guru in making and growing investments in biotechnology. He has played significant roles in the founding and/or operations of IDEC Pharmaceuticals, Biogen Idec (now Biogen), Illumina, Receptos, Fate Therapeutics, Neurocrine Biosciences, Regulus Therapeutics, and Cerulean Pharma. He also serves on the Advisory Council for Leerink Partners, a healthcare focused investment bank, and on the Board of Trustees for Caltech. Rastetter was a co-inventor of Rituxan® which became the first monoclonal antibody approved by the U.S. FDA for cancer; it went on to become one of the world's most valuable cancer therapies. Rastetter also served on the Board of Directors of CHI-California Healthcare Institute (now CLSA). Click here to view his full biography.
Dedicated to helping entrepreneurial scientists succeed, Douglas Crawford, Ph.D. and his colleagues have systematically lowered the barriers between great ideas and successful companies, helping startups meet California's needs for better health, a sustainable environment, and economic growth. Regis B. Kelly, Ph.D., OBE is the executive director of QB3, a University of California institute, created by the California State Legislature to help grow the State economy using research in biology and the life sciences industries. He has held multiple high-profile positions within the University of California graduate education system. Both Kelly and Crawford are co-founders and general partners of the seed-stage venture firm Mission Bay Capital, LLC and QB3 Incubator Management, LLC, a company that creates and manages entrepreneurship workspace. Click here to view full biographies.
All 2015 CLSA Pantheon DiNA Award Recipients include (sorted by award category):
- Biotechnology Educator Award: Stephanie Couch, Ph.D., California State University, East Bay
- Digital Health Innovation Award: Proteus Digital Health
- Life Sciences Leadership Award: William H. Rastetter, Ph.D.; Regis B. Kelly, Ph.D.; Douglas Crawford, Ph.D.
- Outstanding Partnership Award: Celgene; Sutro Biopharma
- Outstanding Product Award, Therapeutic: Repatha by Amgen
- Outstanding Product Award, Medical Device: Heartmate II by St. Jude Medical
- Outstanding Company Award: Receptos
- Rising Star Award: Kite Pharma; Ultragenyx
"California's life sciences community continues to blossom and grow to new heights thanks to our statewide innovators, entrepreneurs and executives," said Sara Radcliffe, President & CEO of California Life Sciences Association (CLSA). "The high caliber of this year's awardees is a testament to the strength of our sector, and a promise of big things to come. With 2,848 life sciences companies employing nearly 300,000 people all across the state, California's life sciences community is an increasingly important driver of our economy and the source of promising innovations for patients and consumers around the world. We look forward to celebrating the growth of this booming industry and the individuals driving it at the Pantheon DiNA Awards ceremony on Nov. 17."
CLSA will also be providing its new 2016 California Life Sciences Industry Report, an annual economic and therapeutic impact report on California's life sciences sector. Interested media personnel can contact Will Zasadny (Wzasadny@califesciences.org or 619-961-8848) to obtain complimentary registration to the Pantheon DiNA Awards.
For additional information, click here. Register for tickets by contacting registration@califesciences.org.
About California Life Sciences Association (CLSA)
California Life Sciences Association (CLSA) is the leading voice for California's life sciences sector. We work closely with industry, government, academia and other stakeholders to shape public policy, drive business solutions and grow California's life sciences innovation ecosystem. CLSA serves over 750 biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics companies, research universities and institutes, investors and service providers. CLSA was founded in 2015 when the Bay Area Bioscience Association (BayBio) and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) merged to create the state's most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization. Visit CLSA at www.califesciences.org, and follow us on Twitter @CALifeSciences, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Contact:
Will Zasadny
Manager, Communications for CLSA
Wzasadny@califesciences.org
619-961-8848