Idaho State University wins Idaho Innovation Award for medical isotopes project
October 30, 2017
BOISE – Idaho State University’s Cu-67 technology developed at the Idaho Accelerator Center was named Early Stage Innovation of the Year at the 2017 Idaho Innovation Awards presented by Stoel Rives.
Stoel Rives LLP organizes the awards with support from Trailhead and the Idaho Technology Council. ISU was one of five winners announced at the gala event, which was a segment of the Idaho Technology Council’s eighth annual Hall of Fame celebration held at the Boise Centre.
ISU was honored for “A New Process and Mechanism for Producing Copper-67 that enables economical manufacture of Cu-67 in the quantities and purity required for medical testing and life-saving use.”
“We are honored,” said Jon Stoner, deputy director and director of technical operations at the Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC). “It’s great recognition for the research that takes place at ISU as well as the effort to commercialize the research. We are shipping the isotope to multiple cancer research centers in the U.S. and Australia. We believe it could lead to treatments with significant economic and social impact.”
Copper-67 has great promise for cancer therapy as a component of a radiopharmaceutical drug, which can be focused at certain types of cancer. The Idaho Accelerator Center has been working to develop a process to make it for more than 7 years.
“It has taken a great effort by the entire staff at the IAC along with different faculty and several students,” Stoner said. “Doing this kind of development, especially for components of drugs, takes years of effort and multiple cross-cutting skills. ISU has a unique facility with the IAC, unlike those at any other university, which allows us to do this kind of work.”
An Idaho Innovation Award video including footage about the IAC project can be viewed online at https://youtu.be/V34YQNDFA_M.
Other winners of Idaho’s premier business innovation awards program, held Oct. 23, were:
- Commercialized Innovation of the Year: PreView Sentry Plus by PRECO Electronics - heavy-duty collision mitigation technology with an integrated radar and camera monitor system.
- Consumer Product of the Year: Predictable Ryde by Predictable Ryde - a school bus management system that provides real-time bus information to parents and schools.
- Early-Stage Innovation of the Year: Innovative Company of the Year: House of Design - an ABB Robotics Integration company.
- Innovator of the Year: Matt Rissell, CEO, TSheets - co-founder of Idaho’s fastest growing technology company, makers of time-tracking and scheduling software.
Nominations were evaluated by a selection committee consisting of leaders from Idaho’s business, technology and academic communities; their votes were tallied by accountants at Deloitte.
In addition to revealing the winners, Stoel Rives partner and awards program chair Paul Boyd honored the following finalists:
- Commercialized Innovation of the Year Finalists
– Data Integrity through Blockchain Technology by ULedger
– PharmaWatch eGlycol by AmericanPharma Technologies, Inc.
- Consumer Product of the Year Finalists:
– Killer Whey! Frozen Dessert by Killer Whey!
– ShapeShift Modular Holster System by Alien Gear Holsters/Tedder Industries LLC
- Early-Stage Innovation of the Year Finalists:
– Battery Internal Short Detection Technology by Idaho National Laboratory
– The APR Phosphate Sponge by Idaho National Laboratory and Rocky Mountain Scientific, Inc.
- Innovative Company of the Year Finalists:
- Innovator of the Year Finalists:
– Jeff Walker, President and General Manager, Idaho Information Consortium LLC/Access Idaho
– Tracy Lotz, Founder and CEO, LiveRez
Annually since 2010, the ITC Hall of Fame recognizes innovative technology leaders who have made a significant contribution to Idaho’s technology community. Barbara Morgan, former NASA Astronaut and educator, and Burt Rutan, aerospace designer and engineer, were this year’s inductees. Morgan is the first female inductee to the Hall of Fame.
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About the Innovation Awards: Stoel Rives has celebrated innovative companies and their accomplishments since hosting the first Innovation Awards in Salt Lake City in 2002. Each consecutive year, the law firm has honored groundbreaking advancements from emerging to established businesses. In its commitment to foster the innovation ecosystem across its footprint, Stoel Rives has since expanded its Innovation Awards program to Boise, Idaho (2006) and Sacramento, California (2016). In 2017, the firm partnered with the Puget Sound Business Journal as a presenting sponsor of the publication’s inaugural innovation awards program in Seattle, Washington. For more information visit www.stoel.com/innovation.
About Stoel Rives LLP: Stoel Rives is a leading U.S. corporate and litigation law firm. One of the largest national firms focused on energy, natural resources, climate change and the environment, Stoel Rives also serves the agribusiness, food and beverage, health care, life sciences and technology industries. With more than 350 attorneys operating out of 10 offices in seven states and the District of Columbia, Stoel Rives is a leader in regulatory and compliance matters, and business, labor and employment, intellectual property, land use, and real estate development and construction law. For more information, follow us @stoelrives or visit www.stoel.com.
About Trailhead: Trailhead helps Boiseans start and scale businesses and high-impact projects. Founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, Trailhead is the place to find resources, explore new technologies, and create something all your own. From our casual, yet connected coworking space to high-octane workshops, we are dedicated to giving entrepreneurs access to the tools and connections they need to build something with impact. For more information visit www.trailheadboise.org.
About Idaho Technology Council: The Idaho Technology Council exists to connect, inform and promote the technology companies in Idaho and is dedicated to foster the growth of technology companies in the state, primarily in the areas of information technology, agriscience and energy. The ITC provides a valuable forum for industry, research, educators, investors and government throughout the state. The ITC advocates for creating a strong, innovative technology ecosystem and a high-quality, high-paid workforce. For more information visit www.idahotechcouncil.org.