Published: 09.27.2008

Hotel at UA tech park gets regents’ blessing

By Aaron Mackey

FLAGSTAFF — The UA will build a hotel and conference center on Tucson’s Southeast Side at its Science and Technology Park under a proposal approved Friday by regents.

The 123-room hotel, which UA leaders say is crucial to the development of the technology park, will include a 7,400-square-foot conference center and cost roughly $23 million to build.

Officials said it will be the only hotel within seven miles of the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park and will allow companies there to use much-needed conference rooms and lodging.

A non-profit company will be created by the UA, University Hotel Corp., to manage the overall project, with Legacy Hospitality LLC of Nevada operating the hotel.

Published: 09.22.2008

Raytheon gets Phalanx contract

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a U.S. Navy contract modification worth up to $220.5 million for upgrades and conversions, system overhauls and associated hardware for the Phalanx Close-In-Weapon System Block 1B ship-defense system.

About 16 percent of the work will be performed in Tucson, and all the work is expected to be completed by September 2012, the Defense Department said.

Published: 09.20.2008

Raytheon to compete on missile system

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems and Lockheed Martin Corp. won separate awards to develop competing versions of a new air-to-ground missile for the U.S. military, Bloomberg News reported.

Raytheon won a $125 million, 27-month contract to develop technology for the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, company spokesman John Nelson said. Lockheed won a $122 million contract over the same period, the Bethesda, Maryland-based company said in a statement.

The new weapon will replace existing ones including the Hellfire missile on the Army’s Apache attack helicopter and the Marine Corps’ Super Cobra attack helicopter, as well as the Maverick missile on the Navy’s F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter. Lockheed estimates the three military services may ultimately buy 35,000 of the new missiles.

Published: 09.19.2008

Raytheon contract worth $10 million

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a $10 million Missile Defense Agency contract to continue research and development of the Network Centric Airborne Defense Element, or NCADE.

The NCADE is an air-launched weapon system designed to engage short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in the boost and ascent phases of flight.

The interceptor uses many proven components and technologies, including the aerodynamic design, aircraft interface and flight control system of Raytheon’s Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), as well as proven imaging infrared seeker components from existing Raytheon production programs.

In December, Raytheon Co. successfully flight- tested a key component of the NCADE system with the intercept of a test ballistic missile.

Published: 09.19.2008

Grant to UA for research center targets Net advances

By Evan Pellegrino

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Technology that will allow faster, cheaper and more widespread Internet access soon could be developed at the UA through the formation of a multi-million-dollar research center.

Using a five-year, $18.5 million grant provided by the National Science Foundation, the University of Arizona announced Thursday it will team up with nine other universities to form the Center for Integrated Access Networks.

Through the center, members of both the UA’s College of Optical Sciences and the department of materials science and engineering, along with partner universities, will work to develop technologies in optoelectronics.

By creating new technologies in electronic chips, the goal of the project is to develop an advanced optical access network, which could provide Internet access capable of delivering data at 10 gigabytes per second — 1,000 times faster than current bandwidth of about 10 megabytes per second.

Published: 09.18.2008

Phoenix Mars Mission attracts NPR spotlight

By Evan Pellegrino

The Phoenix Mars Mission will be on center stage this week when NPR’s “Talk of the Nation: Science Friday” broadcasts live from the UA Phoenix Science Operations Center in Tucson.

More than 3 million listeners worldwide are expected to tune in, as host Ira Flatow, along with University of Arizona scientists, will address questions about Mars, the Phoenix Mission and other science topics.

“We’re delighted to be showcased,” said Sara Hammond, public-affairs manager for the Mars mission.

A limited number of people will be in the audience, but no spots are available. Listeners can call in questions to the National Public Radio show.

“We encourage people of the community to call in,” said Wendy Erica Werden, Arizona Public Media marketing chief.

Cancer care

Treatments also kill healthy cells, can cause nausea, pain, flulike symptoms

ALAN FISCHER

Published: 09.16.2008

The horrible side effects of chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients are legion.

The toxic chemicals that flood the patient’s body to kill cancer cells can cause extreme nausea, muscle pain, flulike symptoms and a host of other ailments. They also kill healthy cells.

Now a University of Arizona scientist has gone off research’s beaten path in his efforts to develop breakthrough therapies for cancer and other diseases that will cause no harm while doing good.

Current chemotherapy drugs focus on targeting proteins responsible for a cancer’s growth, said Laurence Hurley, the UA Howard Schaeffer endowed chair in pharmaceutical sciences and associate director of the BIO5 Institute.

Published: 09.15.2008

Maker of gene-testing plates experiences solid gains locally

By Jack Gillum

Tucson-based High Throughput Genomics Inc. makes specialized, high-capacity sample plates for rapid chemical screening in genetic testing.

HTG’s chief scientific officer, Bruce Seligmann, founded the company in 1997. Since then, HTG has grown to about 29 people at its offices in Tucson and Madison, Wis.

Last October, the company received commitments for $10 million in venture funds, including money from global drug giant Merck.

Seligmann spoke with the Arizona Daily Star last week on the company’s success, his future and the prospects for biotech growth in Southern Arizona. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Published: 09.11.2008

Raytheon wins $7.4M contract

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems was awarded a $7.4 million contract for program evaluation work, focusing on concept refinement and contract risk reduction, on Advanced Medium Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Air Intercept Missile programs.

The contract was awarded by the 328th Armament Systems Group at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the Defense Department said.

Published: 09.11.2008

Tucson-created cancer drug advances

South Korea in licensing accord for still-in-trials Amplimexon

By Dan Sullivan

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

A local drug-development company with links to the University of Arizona got a boost from a drug-licensing deal with a South Korean company — even before the cancer drug is approved by U.S. regulators.

Tucson-based AmpliMed Corp. said Wednesday that it has entered into a license agreement with a leading South Korean-based pharmaceutical company for exclusive rights to its developmental cancer drug Amplimexon in the Asian nation.

Under terms of the agreement with Seoul-based Handok Pharmaceuticals, Handok will receive marketing and distribution rights for all cancer uses for Amplimexon in South Korea.

The company will pay AmpliMed an upfront fee, plus additional payments based on certain development and regulatory milestones. Additional financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.