Insectigen Inc

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Recent Publications Mar 31, 2006 UGA faculty and graduate students honored for research, creativity Writer: Carole VanSickle, 706/583-0599, rcomm@ovpr.uga.edu Contact: Mary Boyd, 706/583-0444, maryboyd@uga.edu Athens, Ga. -- University of Georgia faculty and graduate students were recognized for excellence in research and creativity at the university ’s 27th Annual Research Awards Banquet on March 29. The award program is sponsored by the non-profit University of Georgia Research Foundation Incorporated INVENTOR ’S AWARD This award is presented to an inventor for a creative and innovative discovery that has made an impact on the community. This year ’s recipient is Michael Adang. Adang, a professor of entomology, biochemistry and molecular biology, studies insects that have natural tolerance for or an acquired resistance to toxins that are typically used to protect crops. As an inventor in this field, he created technologies resulting in twelve patents. While conducting research at UGA with funding from the Georgia Research Alliance, the U.S Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health, Adang discovered a new protein that increases the effectiveness of the bioinsecticide Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt). His discovery, which he calls “Bt-Booster, ” expands the range of insects that Bt works against and reduces the amount required to be effective. The benefits are higher crop yields and less environmental impact. InsectiGen, a new biotech company based at UGA ’s Georgia BioBusiness Center, has been formed to commercialize Bt-Booster as a biological control agent. Dec. 9, 2005 InsectiGen Closes on More Than $1 Million Funding Support for Athens-Based Company Comes from Private Sector and State Fund InsectiGen, an Athens, Ga.-based biotechnology company, today announced that it closed on a round of venture funding totaling $1.16 million, allowing it to hire additional researchers and continue developing its bio-pesticide products. This is the second big announcement for the young company this year. In July, InsectiGen licensed its patented BtBooster ™ technology for cotton to Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Incorporated, a subsidiary of DuPont, for use in making better pest-resistant crops. “This round of funding will allow us to develop our bio-pesticides business and hire a director of research and development, ” said InsectiGen CEO Cliff Baile, who is also a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Agricultural Biotechnology and Distinguished Professor of Animal Science and Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia. “With the support of the University, the GRA, and the State of Georgia, we continue to move our technology and business forward. ” Funds came from the Georgia Venture Partners Seed Fund and the Georgia Biosciences Seed Capital Fund, which both invest in promising early-stage companies. These two institutional investments amounted to approximately $550,000, with the remainder coming from individual angel investors. “One of the best ways for Georgia to compete in the global economy is for the state to grow its own innovation-based businesses, ” said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

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