The GBBC assesses companies’ qualifications for admission based upon the following criteria:

Industry Application – The GBBC is primarily interested in companies in the biotechnology, agribusiness, biofuels, pharmaceutical, therapeutic, diagnostic, medical device or other bioscience field.

Market Opportunity – There must be a significant multi-million dollar market opportunity generated through products, or a combination of products and services.

Financial Status – The company should have already secured an initial round of funding, and be prepared to either pursue additional funding or generate sales revenue.

Management Expertise – At least one member of the management team (CEO/COO) must have a track record within the industry application or analogous industry experience.

Intellectual Property – A strong intellectual property portfolio anchored by issued and/or pending patents, copyrights, and trade secrets are essential to maintaining a competitive advantage in highly technical fields such as biotechnology.

Relationship to the University – University relationships can be in the form of faculty and/or student founders, IP license/option/research agreements, or an interest in using University core facilities.

Job Creation – Companies should make a commitment to hiring between 4 and 20 employees in the Athens area within one year of assuming GBBC residency status.

In order to be considered for admittance to the GBBC, companies must submit an Executive Summary with cover letter to sschulze@uga.edu.

The document should include:

1. a description of technology
2. an assessment of the market opportunity
3. a description of how the company’s technology capitalizes on this opportunity
4. a review of direct and indirect competitors
5. financial projections for the first five years; and
6. a description of the management team’s relevant experience.

A full Business Plan may be submitted in support of the Executive Summary.

These companies meet GBBC admission criteria: industry application, market opportunity, financial status, management experience, intellectual property, relationship to UGA and job creation.

• Abeome is a biotechnology firm dedicated to leveraging its proprietary technology that greatly enhances the speed, efficiency and stability of developing and producing monoclonal antibodies.
• Argent Diagnostics is an early stage academic start-up company based on research directged toward the development and commercialization of a diagnostic platform using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) to target bio-molecules. The technology differentiates itself form current PCR methods by improved sensitivity, and rapid and direct detection of biomolecules from clinical isolates without amplification.
• ArunA Biomedical is dedicated to the development and commercialization of products and services derived from or related to human stem cells. ArunA has worldwide exclusive licenses from the University of Georgia for technology related to methods of deriving neural stem cells from human embryonic stems.
• Bacterial Barcodes is a subsidiary of Biomeriux Inc. and provides the equipment, reagents and software for microbial genotyping of bacteria and fungi. Packaged together, these components are referred to as the DiversiLab System
• BioInquire, LLC is a privately-held bioinformatics software company engaged in the development and commercialization of software solutions for mining the products of mass spectrometric analyses. Their flagship proteomics software, PROTEOIQ offers a unified software solution that supports the entire proteomic data analysis pipeline, from statistical validation to quantification.
• InsectiGen, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on discovery and development of innovative biopesticides. Founded by Clifton Baile, PhD and Michael Adang PhD, InsectiGen has licensed IP from the University of Georgia associated with novel modified proteins form the intestine of insects that enhance natural insecticides produced by Bacillus thuringensis (Bt).
• Millenium Cryogenics, Inc. provides critical infrastructure needs of the biotech and biomedical industries for the protection and safe storage of valuable biological samples.
• Natural Science Enterprises Inc. is a research and development group dedicated t the understanding of basic biochemical processes with an emphasis on application for innovative treatments. The company has developed a proprietary technology platform, a cationic sub-micron emulsion, allowing for a broad pipeline of innovative products for addressing major conditions as well as orphan diseases.
• NovoCell, Inc./BresaGen is a stem cell engineering company dedicated to creating, delivering, and commercializing cell and drug therapies to treat diabetes and other chronic diseases. Novocell uses its proprietary cell encapsulation technology and expertise in cell implantation to develop a renewable source of specialized cells for the treatment of cellular diseases. Bresagen represents a division of Novocell’s research operation.
• Synageva Biopharma is focused on the development of biopharmaceuticals that address needs in oncology, autoimmune disease, and genetic disease. Through its protein expression technology, AES™, Synageva has developed a diverse pipeline of products that promise superior efficacy and safety over existing alternatives. http:// synageva.com
• Vitamin Derivatives Inc. manufactures 1-OH-Vitamin D3 for the global poultry industry. This particular D3 derivative is the most bioactive on the market, preventing fibial dyschoncroplasia and improving phytate phosphorous utilization. It creates a dual role of improving animal welfare while being environmentally friendly.

 

These companies do not meet residency criteria, but have a substantive relationship to UGA through intellectual property, sponsored research, faculty participation, and is in applied biotechnology.

• Body Surface Translations is a biomedical device company focused on discovery and marketing of imaging technology that can be used to estimate the weight of an animal. The initial target markets will be agribusiness (swine and cattle) but opportunities in other aspects of agriculture and human health are envisioned as well.
• Evirx, LLC was formed to commercialize technology based solutions for human performance assessment and accountability (HPAA). Its lead product, Video Analysis Tool (VAT) uniquely combines customizable live video and commentary or assessment tools.
• Molecular Therapeutics is the manufacturer and distributor of the advanced antibiotic potentiator, TricideÈ. Tricide is marketed only to veterinarians, and Tricide-Neo (Tricide with added neomycin sulfate) is marketed for over the counter sales to aquaculturists.
• Oncose is a post-genomics glyco-proteomics company committed to developing novel in-vitro diagnostics tests for early cancer detection. The Company believes its blood serum tests based on unique, cancer specific glycoprotein tumor markers, will revolutionize the field of early cancer diagnostics.
• Pathens Inc. is an early seed-stage company formed to commercialize discoveries made in the field of vaccination. The core discovery is that a cold-adapted bacterium, Mycobacterium shottsii, can provide a platform technology for the production of a wide range of vaccines or vaccine vectors.
• PISCES is a sturgeon aquaculture company producing farm-raised Russian sturgeon caviar and meat utilizing expertise in husbandry, nutrition and sex determination through the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia.
• Planteco Environmental Consultants was founded to provide a range of environmental remediation services and sustainable green technologies. Its key technology, “munitions remediation” (MUNIREM™), safely and cost-effectively cleans up munitions constituents at military and defense contractor sites.
• rPeptide (Recombinant Peptide Technologies, LLC) is focused on the Alzheimer’s market. rPeptide licensed a platform vector technology from the University of Georgia. Recombinant beta-amyloid peptides are being commercialized for use in Alzheimer's research. rPeptide’s long term goal is to develop the maximum field of uses for its vector technology, and develop related proprietary technologies.

Companies are eligible for graduation from GBBC when established revenue, financing, management, facilities or production milestones are achieved. Current GBBC graduate companies are:

• Apgen (Applied PhytoGenetics, Inc.) utilizes plants, trees and grasses, through the process of phytoremediation, to remove or degrade hazardous materials from the environment. Apgen's current strategy for the remediation of organic chemical contaminants involves the selection and use of naturally-occurring plant species capable of taking up and degrading pollutants. Apgen is also developing genetically modified plants to remediate mercury, arsenic and other elemental contaminants. »
• P3 Laboratories provides consulting, development, production, and post-marketing technical support to the pharmaceutical industry for the development of niche products.
• ViaGen identifies economically important genetic traits in any animal species, and then efficiently applies them to commercial breeding operations regardless of scale. Its gene mapping, gene identification and functional genomics services are supported by an in-house reproductive technology laboratory where a range of services from gene banking through nuclear transfer are performed.