Op Ed Piece Praises Nucleus and UofL for Role in Local Startup's Success
Courier-Journal, Nov 11, 2009
Thank you to everyone in Louisville who has supported the work of Potentia over the past several years, especially those at the University of Louisville who gave us a place to grow our research which will lead to a new treatment for millions of patients with macular degeneration.
Potentia is among several companies housed under the umbrella of Nucleus, Kentucky's Life Sciences & Innovation Center, established by the University of Louisville. I can say that making our home in Louisville was the right decision because of the positive environment that exists here for this kind of work. Potentia is located in the Nucleus research park downtown, and we have used the laboratory facilities there since 2003.
As The Courier-Journal noted in its article about our recent announcement, Potentia's deal with Alcon is “the largest coup to date for the city and University of Louisville's efforts to establish a life-sciences industry here.”
It is a true credit to this community that U of L President James Ramsey, Mayor Jerry Abramson and many other state and local officials are creating a life science and innovation cluster. This concept will lead to economic development opportunities for the city and state for years to come.
It is important to note the great teamwork that exists between the university and local and state officials and organizations. This teamwork is leading to good jobs for this community, and Potentia is an example of what success is possible here because of this type of collaboration.
Also, I would like to thank Dr. Donald Miller, director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, who recruited scientists here and arranged a great deal of support from U of L for the people working on this important breakthrough, as well as Drs. John Barker, Claudio Maldonado and Irving Joshua of the Department of Physiology, who together were all instrumental in providing a home for us.
I am proud to be in Louisville, and I hope other scientists developing life-changing research will look to U of L and Nucleus as a home for their work. I plan to be in this community for quite some time, and the people involved with Potentia will continue to grow new companies and engage in even more cutting-edge research right here in Louisville.
CEDRIC FRANCOIS
President and CEO
Potentia Pharmaceuticals
Potentia
Potentia
(10/2009) Potentia Pharmaceuticals, one of several start-up companies located at the Nucleus Research Park, has entered into a multimillion dollar licensing and purchase option agreements with Alcon Research, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alcon, Inc. Through Nucleus, Potentia received laboratory and office space, along with other start up services.
Potentia is an early stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapeutics, primarily in the area of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other inflammatory ocular diseases. Potentia’s agreements provide Alcon with a license to develop Potentia’s leading drug candidate, POT-4, for the treatment of AMD. The agreements also provide for Alcon to acquire the shares of Potentia if specified development milestones are achieved and if Alcon elects to continue development of POT-4.
“We congratulate Potentia on its success, and we hope people take note of what Nucleus and the University of Louisville can do for similar endeavors,” said University of Louisville President Dr. James Ramsey. “This is an example of how Nucleus and UofL can fulfill our mission of stimulating economic development and improving the climate for doing business in Louisville and Kentucky.”
“This development for Potentia is another success in the path toward Dr. Ramsey’s vision to create the incentives, community resources and specialized infrastructure for companies to succeed,” said Nucleus CEO Vickie Yates Brown. Potentia established their offices and laboratories in the Nucleus Research Park in 2003 and commenced full-scale operations with start-up capital raised from private investors and the UofL.
“This is a great day for Louisville and Kentucky. This development shows that when community partners work together on a project like Nucleus, great things can happen. Nucleus will help lead our city and state in the pursuit of life sciences companies that greatly enhance our quality of life and economic development opportunities,” said Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, who serves as Chairman of the Nucleus Board of Advisors.
For more information, check out The Courier Journal’s article, Louisville’s Potentia Pharmaceuticals sells drug to eye-care giant Alcon.
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