Drug maker Pfizer Inc. received the Connecticut bioscience community’s premier life science award for its Groton research into treatments for Alzheimer’s.
Pfizer received the Connecticut United for Research Excellence (CURE) Award for Excellence for at least seven Alzheimer’s clinical projects underway and a handful of others in early stages of development at its Groton research site.
CURE’s annual excellence award ecognizes an individual or company for a significant contribution or achievement in Connecticut bioscience. Past winners include Alexion Pharmaceuticals of Cheshire and 454 Life Sciences of Branford.
Jon Soderstrom, who manages Yale University’s technology and other intellectual property, received CURE’s Atlas Award for Venture Capital Achievement. CURE said Soderstrom has led Yale’s participation in more than 25 bioscience and biotechnology ventures that have raised more than $350 million in venture capital.
CURE’s New Operations Award was presented to MannKind Corp., which operates a manufacturing plant in Danbury. The facility includes custom processes for the manufacture and packaging of its Afrezza brand of insulin therapy, a drug-device combination consisting of a pre-metered dose of insulin powder and an inhaler.
CURE’s Education Award went to Boehringer Ingelheim, the German pharmaceutical company with U.S. headquarters in Ridgefield. Boehringer funds Science Quest, targeted at elementary school children. The program includes a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory that visits schools throughout Connecticut.
