TUCSON, AZ. — The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is pleased to announce the winning company for the UACI Sponsored Launch Fueled by the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Town of Oro Valley competition. CellMedics Inc., will receive support in the UACI incubation program including resources, facilities, services and expert guidance to grow its business.
David Aubrey, Ph.D., MBA Chief Science Officer (CSO), CellMedics working in Las Vegas lab.
CellMedics Inc. was selected from the pool of applicants for its drive to pursue an innovative solution that addresses a real-world challenge. CellMedics is a privately held specialty biopharmaceutical company with multiple composition of matter patents for topical, transdermal and ocular drug delivery systems with enhanced bioavailability for hard-to-deliver molecules including protein drugs and biologics. CellMedics’s proprietary manufacturing process is a trade secret. It’s a disruptive platform technology providing a competitive advantage in the $1.7 trillion global drug delivery market. Any drug (including generics) administered in CellMedics’s patented transdermal drug delivery cream is a patented formulation. Drug delivery is targeted locally into site-specific tissues or systemically into the bloodstream. Patented cream formulations with enhanced bioavailability have been developed for skin conditions, arthritis & chronic pain and nail fungus. Transdermal delivery of biologics, mAbs and chemotherapeutics are in development.
The selection was based on CellMedics’ commitment to commercializing its innovative and patented technologies and developing a scalable business model. With more business support, the team has an even greater ability to make a difference both locally and globally.
CellMedics, Inc., a Las Vegas-based company, is expanding its operations to Tucson, bringing new investments to Southern Arizona by joining the bioscience-focused incubator UACI at Oro Valley in the fall. Scott Shapiro, CEO of CellMedics, Inc. and a University of Arizona alum, has established a collaborative research agreement with the University of Arizona. Todd Vanderah, PhD, from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Pharmacology, will serve as the principal investigator for the university. This collaboration will focus on research and development, efficacy testing, and NIH grant applications for CellMedics’s patented transdermal cream, which contains various active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for the treatment of inflammation, arthritis and pain, and other disease states.
Scott Shapiro, CEO, CellMedics in Las Vegas lab.
“As a proud University of Arizona alumnus, I’m thrilled to bring CellMedics to the dynamic bioscience ecosystem in Oro Valley. This region, with its impressive biotech and biopharma presence, particularly Roche, offers unparalleled opportunities for collaboration and innovation. We are excited to advance our transdermal therapeutic solutions in collaboration with the University of Arizona. Oro Valley is not just a beautiful town; it’s a vibrant hub for scientific progress, and we look forward to contributing to and thriving within this community,” shared Scott Shapiro, CEO of CellMedics, Inc.
In alignment with its mission to grow scalable companies that fuel the Arizona economy, UACI has teamed up with Oro Valley leaders to support science and technology early-stage and emerging growth companies. The competition is part of a continued collaboration between UACI, the Town of Oro Valley and Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce over the past four years which has supported several biotech companies in Oro Valley through previous Sponsored Launch programs. Building on the momentum and great interest of entrepreneurs who live in the region, the three organizations are proud to make sponsored entry into UACI available once again.
“We are thrilled to welcome CellMedics, Inc. to the Oro Valley community. The support and resources provided through the UACI incubation program will be instrumental in helping CellMedics achieve their goals and we look forward to seeing their positive impact both locally and globally as they grow and thrive here in Oro Valley,” shared Kristen Sharp, CEO and President of the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce.
A special thanks to the selection committee which included: Kristen Sharp, CEO and President of the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce; Dave Perry, former Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO; Donald Pearson, Sr. Director, Safety Health Environmental, Roche and Sean Burcham, Director of Technical Services, Baymar Solutions.
CellMedics will receive one year of sponsored admission at UACI which includes a structured incubation program, customized business support and the ability to work alongside other companies in a fast-paced environment. UACI provides the people, programming and place needed to successfully grow and scale a business. The incubation program also provides its clients with office and laboratory space and support through a 28-point roadmap that helps them with everything from refining their business models to obtaining funding.
About the UA Center for Innovation
The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a startup incubator network with outposts across the Southern Arizona region. For two decades, the program has directly served over 300 companies, impacting thousands of entrepreneurs who have attracted $105.8M in external capital. This is done by providing access to people, programming, and places that help entrepreneurs take their companies from idea to market. With the mission to fuel the Arizona economy, UACI works to help scale science and tech-based companies under the scope of Tech Parks Arizona creating university-based economic impact.
About the Town of Oro Valley
The Town of Oro Valley is located approximately 6 miles north of Tucson, Arizona cradled at the foot of the magnificent Santa Catalina Mountains with hiking trails through Catalina State Park, hiking and bicycle trails throughout the Town, and world class golf courses. Formed in 1974, the Town of Oro Valley is a community of 48,000 residents that is a modern, progressive, clean, safe community with robust employment opportunities and a bustling bioscience sector. The town has been recognized as a
Best Places to Live in Arizona, Best Towns for Families, Best Places in America to Live and Launch a Small Business, and the Upscale Tech Mecca of Southern Arizona.
About Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce was formed in the fall of 1992 to support the growth of and business interests in the community. It became the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce in 1998, when Northwest Tucson was entering a period of major growth. Then, in 2011, directors went back to the organization’s roots, and adopted once more the name Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce. The Oro Valley Chamber’s mission is to cultivate a vibrant economic region by empowering and uniting the Greater Oro Valley business community.
Contact:
Jessa B. Turner, AVP of Marketing and Communications, Tech Parks Arizona
520-382-2485 / jbturner@uatechpark.org