Velcura News
Jan. 1, 2003 — As mentioned in the fall edition of
Business Incubation News, Velcura
Therapeutics has moved to a new home at
4300 Varsity Drive in Ann Arbor, MI. This
new facility, which houses the seven
Velcura employees, is a total of 5,500
square feet, including 1,700 square feet of
labs, a 1,500 square foot warehouse and
storage area, and 2,300 square feet of
common and office space.
Dec. 11, 2002 — "Developing new and better therapies for osteoporosis and other bone
diseases, Velcura Therapeutics, Inc. is interested in strategic partnerships
to speed this process and in translating our scientific research from the
laboratory bench to the bedside," said Dr. Michael W. Long, scientific founder
and CEO of the biotechnology company that was honored at the Dec. 9 Michigan
Investment and Commercialization Success Celebration.
Dec. 11, 2002 — Missed this one Monday night after attending it last year, but the Michigan Economic Development Corp. recognized the growth and development of 12 companies, three individuals and two entrepreneurial support groups at the third annual Michigan Investment and Commercialization Success Celebration, held at the Michigan Capitol Rotunda. Winners in advanced manufacturing were Ardesta L.L.C. of Ann Arbor; KTM Industries Inc. of Lansing; Mag Research and Development Co. of Pleasant Ridge; and Quantum Signal L.L.C. of Ann Arbor. Winning in the IT category were Arbortext Inc. of Ann Arbor and Clarity L.L.C. of Troy. The life sciences category was the biggest group with six winners: Ash Stevens Inc. of Detroit; AvTech Laboratories Inc. of Kalamazoo; Neogen Corp. of Lansing; Nephros Therapeutics Inc. of Ann Arbor; NephRx Corp. of Portage; and Velcura Therapeutics Inc. of Ann Arbor. Investors honored were Hal Davis of Blue Gull Network, Dexter; Frank Hennessey of Hennessey Capital, Taylor; and TGap Ventures of Kalamazoo. Two additional awards were given to honor the support of Michigan's entrepreneurial community. Those awards went to David Parsigian of Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone P.L.C.'s Ann Arbor office, and the Detroit office of business consultants McKinsey & Co.
Dec. 5, 2002 — Wednesday night, I got a look at some fascinating medical technology from an Ann Arbor
biotech startup, Velcura Therapeutics Inc. (Have I mentioned lately
how much fun my job is?) Mike Long, who may be the world's most down-to-earth
genius-Ph.D.-medical-researcher kind of guy, is opening the doors
of his company, which has the modest goal of curing osteoporosis and
other dread bone diseases. Long's team at the University of Michigan
was the first on the planet to grow human bone cells outside the body.