Dendritic NanoTechnologies Inc. (DNT), a technology
company that is a leading developer and provider of advanced dendritic
polymers, or “dendrimers,” today announced
it has appointed Michael Pirc, a chemical engineer and licensing
manager for
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), to the company’s Board of
Directors. Dendrimers are nanostructures with specific, precise and
predictable physical properties that make them especially useful for
targeting
diseases and delivering drugs to fight them.
In his capacity as Dow’s
business manager for the Dow Technology Licensing Business, Pirc has overseen
licensing for a broad range of Dow’s business ventures. At DNT, Pirc will help
the company better position itself to engage companies that wish to license
DNT’s unique dendrimer technologies.
In January, DNT announced a
strategic partnership with Dow and DNT investor Starpharma, an Australia-based
dendrimer developer (ASX: SPL, USOTC: SPHRY). This agreement means that DNT
owns the world’s broadest dendrimer patent portfolio (196 patents comprising 41
patent families). Pirc, who was instrumental in the agreement between Dow and
DNT, and who has extensive experience with Dow’s dendrimer intellectual
property, is uniquely positioned to identify potential licensing arrangements
for DNT’s technology and help bring those arrangements to fruition.
“Thanks in part to Mike’s efforts while heading
technology licensing at Dow, DNT was able to acquire the majority of
intellectual property in the dendrimer field,” said Robert
Berry, chief executive officer, Dendritic
NanoTechnologies. “We simply could not have found a board member who would be
in a better position to help us take our comprehensive dendrimer portfolio to a
wider base of licensees. In addition, with his background as a chemical
engineer, his extensive research into polymers, and his experience managing
dendrimer licensing with Dow, Mike comes to DNT’s board with a resume that is
tailor-made for the role. We’re thrilled to have him on the team.”
“The development and agreement
of mutually beneficial licensing agreements is a key element in DNT’s business
plan,” said Mike Pirc, business manager, Dow
Technology Licensing. “As a board member, I intend bring my licensing
experience to bear on DNT’s forthcoming business ventures, and to guide and
assist Bob and his team in maximizing the potential of the company.”
Dendrimer technology was first developed at Dow when DNT
founder Donald Tomalia was a Dow
employee. DNT’s initial research and licensing efforts include imaging contrast
agents for new diagnostic solutions for enhancing the findings of MRIs,
transfection reagents for RNA-I delivery with improved gene silencing with less
toxicity, and encapsulation and release of palatinate-based anti-cancer drugs
to reduce the toxicity and side effects of their use. With the assignment of
the Dow patent portfolio, DNT owns the world’s broadest intellectual property
position in dendrimer science.
About DNT
Dendritic NanoTechnologies Inc. (DNT) is a technology company that is a
leading developer and provider of advanced dendritic nanoscale polymers.
Dendrimers are nanostructures with specific, precise and predictable physical
properties that make them especially useful for pharmaceuticals, medical
imaging, electronics, materials, and the mass commercial markets. DNT has a
broad and comprehensive IP portfolio that comprises over 200 patents in 41
patent families—a unique level of IP concentration among nanotechnology
companies—and has existing licensing agreements with established revenue
streams for dendrimer technology. DNT’s business strategy is to establish
dendrimer technology, through licensing agreements, as the preferred
nanotechnology enabling platform from which to build value and generate revenue
for DNT and its customers. DNT’s technology development is directed by Donald
A. Tomalia Ph.D., the company’s president and chief technical officer. Dr.
Tomalia had a 25-year management and senior scientist career with The Dow
Chemical Company, has numerous commercial developments including Citrucel® (now
marketed by GlaxoSmithKline) and cationic polymerization of 2-oxazolines, and
is the inventor and originator of the term “dendrimers.” Incorporated in 2003,
DNT is a U.S. company
located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. http://www.dnanotech.com
Contact:
Tim Cox
Zing Public Relations
+1-650-369-7784 office
+1-650-888-6116 cell
tim@zingpr.com
PDF(0.3MB)
