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Georgia Bio Names 2022 Golden Helix Award Winners
Apr 11, 2022

Clearside Biomedical’s Rafael Andino and The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Krishnendu Roy to be Honored with Top Award

ATLANTA, GA (April 11, 2022) – Georgia Bio, the state’s life science trade association, will celebrate its annual Golden Helix Awards on Thursday, May 5 th . Georgia Bio is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Golden Helix Awards and be returning to an in-person celebration.

Clearside Biomedical’s Rafael V. Andino and The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Krishnendu Roy are the recipients of the 2022 Industry Growth Awards for their impact on the life sciences industry in the state. The Industry Growth Awards are the highest honors bestowed each year by Georgia Bio.

The Golden Helix Awards celebrate the contributions and achievements of Georgia legislative, academic, corporate, and other organizational leaders working to advance the growth of the life sciences industry and foster strategic partnerships that can create a healthier world. The event is expected to draw 300 of the state’s life sciences industry leaders.

“We are thrilled to have our annual awards dinner return to being an in-person celebration of the individuals and companies who are making waves in the life sciences industry,” said Maria Thacker Goethe, CEO, Georgia Bio and the Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI), “Our community strives to improve patients’ lives, support workforce development, grow Georgia’s economy, and be a driving force for good in the world. The Golden Helix Awards highlights those lasting contributions made by many in the life sciences sector in Georgia.”

Now in its 24 th year, the Golden Helix Award winners showcase the best in innovation and leadership in Georgia’s community. Georgia Bio presents awards to individuals and companies in eight categories: Industry Growth; Deals of the Year; Community; Innovation; Emerging Leader; Biotech Teacher of the Year; Legislator of the Year; and the Metro Atlanta Chamber sponsored Phoenix Award. Winners are some of Georgia’s hardest working innovators and entrepreneurs producing advanced medicines, diagnostics and technologies to improve medical care.

Companies being honored with the distinguished Deal of the Year award include: Antios Therapeutics for their successful fundraising efforts, which included closing on a Series B financing round totaling $107 million dollars; Axion Biosystems for their sale to Summa Capital; Guide Therapeutics for their sale to Beam Therapeutics; Danimer Scientific for their $700 million dollar expansion of a 2,000,000-square-foot facility in Bainbridge, Georgia; MedShape, Inc. for their sale to DJO; Intuitive Surgical’s commitment to creating 1,200 new jobs that will have an average salary of over $130,000 in Gwinnett County; Kennesaw State University for earning a three-year, $809,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to strengthen the University’s research and diversity infrastructures in the biomedical fields; Sharecare for going public through a merger with Falcon Capital Acquisition Corp.; Strados Labs for raising $4.5M in Pre-series A Funding; and VERO Biotech for receiving $100 million in a Series E financing round led by MVM Partners (MVM).

“The Metro Atlanta Chamber is honored to present the Phoenix Award this year to two titans of economic development in Georgia for their partnership in creating the Delta Innovation Hub at the University of Georgia, said David Hartnett, Chief Economic Development Officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and member of the Georgia Bio Awards Committee. “Their collaboration will invigorate Georgia’s innovation ecosystem for years to come and symbolizes what the spirit of the Golden Helix Awards and Phoenix Awards is all about.”

AWARD WINNERS 

Georgia Bio Industry Growth Awards:  Presented to two people who have made an extraordinary contribution to the growth of the life sciences industry in Georgia.

  • Rafael V. Andino, Clearside Biomedical, Inc.
  • Krishnendu Roy, Georgia Institute of Technology

Phoenix Award:  The Phoenix award represents the iconic “rising from the ashes” of the Phoenix, a symbol of strength, tenacity and leadership and is presented to celebrate the best Industry and Academic collaborations. The two Georgia honorees will have forged academic and industry relationships that will drive translation and lead to new treatments and cures. This award is sponsored by the  Metro Atlanta Chamber. 

  • Delta Air Lines Foundation
  • UGA Innovation District

Deals of the Year Awards:  Presented to one or more companies or institutions for the most significant financial or commercial transactions closed from January 1, 2021-December 31, 2021, based on the importance of the transaction to Georgia’s life sciences industry. 

Acquisitions 

Summa Capital acquisition of Axion Biosystems

Beam Therapeutics acquisition of Guide Therapeutics

DJO acquisition of MedShape, Inc.

Economic Development

Danimer Scientific

Intuitive Surgical

Private Financing 

Antios Therapeutics

Sharecare

Strados Labs

VERO Biotech

Public Financing 

Kennesaw State University

Community Awards:  Presented to a small number of individuals, companies or institutions whose contributions to Georgia’s life sciences community are worthy of special recognition. 

  • Ian Biggs, University of Georgia Innovation Gateway
  • Angelita Howard, EdD, MBA-PM, MA, Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, Emory University & Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Dorothy Leone-Glasser, RN, HHC, Advocates for Responsible Care
  • Marine Extension & Georgia Sea Grant, University of Georgia
  • Grace Powers, MS, MBA, RAC, Powers Regulatory Consulting
  • Ryan White Program, Augusta University

Innovation Awards:  Presented to the department, institution, company or individuals who are forging new ground by thinking outside traditional paradigms to create some unique technology. 

  • GENOSYL, VERO Biotech

Emerging Leader of the Year Awards:  Presented to young individuals who have made a significant impact on the life sciences industry through their studies or employment. 

  • Aaron Enten, PhD, MBA, Insight Optics

Teacher of the Year Award:  Presented to a Georgia biotechnology high school teacher who exhibits excellence in STEM teaching and support for the biotechnology pathway. 

  • Cynthia Greer, North Hall High School

Legislators of the Year Award:  Presented to state legislators for their support of the life sciences industry in Georgia. 

  • The Honorable Chuck Hufstetler, Georgia State Senate
  • The Honorable Shaw Blackmon, Georgia House of Representatives

For a list of past Georgia Bio Industry Growth Award recipients,  click here. 

ABOUT GEORGIA BIO (GaBio) 

Georgia Bio is a division of the Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI), a 501(c)(3) organization that was launched in January 2020 to bring together diverse Global Health, Health Technology and Life Sciences entities to collaborate, innovate and activate solutions to enhance human health outcomes around the world. Visit CGHI at  cghi.org. 

Credentialed members of the news media are invited to attend as guests. Please register with Georgia Bio. 

Media Contact:

Ryan Brooks

404-805-2456 

GeoVax Receives BARDA Project NextGen Award to Conduct Phase 2b Clinical Study Evaluating the Company’s Next-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, GEO-CM04S1

By Georgia Bio Admin • 19 Jun, 2024
10,000-participant randomized Phase 2b study will evaluate and compare GeoVax’s multi-antigen, vaccine candidate (GEO-CM04S1) to an approved vaccine against COVID-19 under BARDA’s Clinical Studies Network

CyanVac Receives BARDA-Funded Project NextGen Award to Evaluate its Intranasal COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in a Phase 2b Study

14 Jun, 2024
Award will support a 10,000-participant study comparing CyanVac’s PIV5-based intranasal vaccine candidate CVXGA with a commercial COVID-19 vaccine under BARDA’s Clinical Studies Network
Maria Thacker, Alex Warner, EJane Caraway, and Eddie Lai

Georgia Bio Announces Forsyth County as Newest BioReady® Community at BIO International Convention

07 Jun, 2024
June 7, 2024, San Diego, CA – Forsyth County has been designated a BioReady® Bronze Community by the state’s leading life sciences membership organization, Georgia Bio. To receive this distinction, communities must meet certain criteria and be able to support the growing biotech industry. This distinctive honor was presented to Forsyth County this week at the BIO International Convention in San Diego, California, the largest biotechnology gathering in the world. “The life sciences sector represents a meaningful portion of the vast business being done in this state, and establishing BioReady® sites, like Forsyth County, signifies Georgia’s readiness for future growth in this industry,” said Maria Thacker-Goethe, President and CEO of Georgia Bio. “This program allows municipalities to showcase biotech-zoned science parks, streamline permitting, build a robust infrastructure, and identify biotech-friendly sites more effectively, making them a desirable choice for industry and a benefit to Georgia’s overall economy.” “Georgia prioritizes long-term partnerships, creating opportunities for collaborative solutions such as BioReady® Communities,” said Kristi Brigman, Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “From the top-tier colleges and universities in Georgia that are educating diverse talent to the state’s ‘Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development’ site certification program that accelerates the path to success, Georgia works with companies throughout the life of a project starting with the very first handshake. We are thrilled that Forsyth County is leveraging their assets to further strengthen these relationships with the bioscience community.” As the state’s largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization, Georgia Bio works to improve access to innovative technologies and grow Georgia’s life sciences economy. Forsyth County has seen recent growth in the sector with wins such as pharmaceutical company Alimera Sciences moving its headquarters to the Halcyon development. Additionally, Forsyth County Schools have been introducing life science careers to students in partnership with the Georgia BioEd Institute for years to support the industry’s workforce needs. The BioReady® rating system rates communities in three tiers from Bronze to Silver to Gold. Through these BioReady® ratings, Georgia Bio seeks to provide cities and towns a platform to effectively tell their stories to the biotechnology industry, ultimately helping real estate developers and biotechnology companies find the most favorable destinations to locate. Georgia Bio launched the BioReady® Community program in Georgia with the support from the non-profit’s partners at MassBio, a global life sciences and healthcare organization dedicated to advancing Massachusetts’ position in the life sciences. With a goal of helping local communities connect with leading life sciences industry representatives, Georgia Bio replicated the MassBio rating system program to determine a municipality’s readiness to host biotechnology facilities based on the community’s zoning practices and infrastructure capacity. Learn more on the Georgia Bio’s BioReady Communities website . About Georgia Bio Georgia Bio (GaBio) is the state’s most impactful life sciences membership organization, advocating for the sector and its diverse innovation pipeline. For more than 30 years, GaBio has served its members by supporting companies of all sizes, from early-stage innovators and startups to established industry leaders in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology. GaBio also works closely with universities, academic and research institutions, the investment community, and other critical partners that promote this vibrant sector. GaBio works to shape public policy, improve access to breakthrough technologies, educate lawmakers, provide member programs, strengthens the workforce pipeline, and advance equity within our ecosystem by championing innovative solutions for some of the most pressing challenges of our times. For more information, visit www.gabio.org .
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