Corrections or additions?
Life in the Fast Lane
These articles were published in U.S. 1 Newspaper
on March 17, 1999. All rights reserved.
Chrysalis Expands
Chrysalis’ first claim to fame, when it was founded
in 1985 as DNX, was transgenic pigs that produced human-like blood.
Now it has a broader approach to gene-based research — it develops
therapeutic products and biological testing services on various transgenic
animals — and is expanding from 12,000 square feet on College
Road to 30,000 square feet at Exit 8A, 5 Cedar Brook Drive, owned
by Joseph Stern of Eastern Properties. R.G. Vanderweil Engineers is
doing the fitout, and 40 employees are expected to move this summer.
The company retains its headquarters in Raritan.
A Canadian firm, Phoenix International Life Sciences, has essentially
bought Chrysalis International Corp., and is acquiring all its outstanding
shares and debt. Phoenix will issue shares worth $8.29 million and
assume $10.5 million in debt.
Chrysalis is traded on Nasdaq as CRLS, but after the deal goes down
next month it will be part of Phoenix, which trades in Montreal and
Toronto as PHX.
Chrysalis (DNX Transgenic Sciences) (CRLS), 301BCollege Road East, Princeton Forrestal Center, Princeton 08540. MarkE. Swanson, vice president transgenic sciences. 609-520-0300; fax,609-520-9864.Top Of PageImaging Start UpA virtual instrument can replace the real thing, saysMichael Hinds, CEO of the United States division of a two-year-oldFrench company, Cell S.A, which has just opened a Princeton office.Founded by Marc Lucas and Francis Lacoste, Cell S.A. has such virtualinstruments as a digital sampling oscilloscope, a logic analyzer,and a combination of the two. The average selling price is $2,000or $2,500.Cell’s competition consists of the “real thing” (made by suchcompanies as Hewlett Packard, Tectronics, and LeCroy) and companiesthat sell PCs dedicated to the instrument. “They take over thePC and that is all the PC will do,” says Hinds.”Our small module connects to the PC and the electronic instrument.It collects the data: it doesn’t display it, and doesn’t analyze it,which makes it a lot cheaper and makes the instrument a lot more virtual,”says Hinds. He notes that his module can be connected to a laptop,so a field engineer can test an instrument in the field with a laptop,do all kinds of analytical work, do reporting, and network the datathrough the PC in the office.Hinds will officially launch his firm on April 2 and will try to keepit as a virtual company, subcontracting manufacturing to United Statesfirms because electronic components are less expensive in the UnitedStates. Also to be subcontracted are technical support (software)and sales, but Cell will continue to the R&D and some manufacturingin France.Hinds speaks four languages. His father worked for Texaco as a tooland die maker in Venezuela and Trinidad, and he attended parochialschools in South America before majoring in classics and science atCambridge University and the University of Bordeaux (Class of ’69).With master’s and doctor’s degrees in economics from the Universityof Paris, he has made a career in the medical and diagnostic medicalindustry, doing product development for GE Medical in Germany anddiagnostic imaging for Picker International in Ohio.He has been general manager of Picker’s MRI division. “After settingup a new division in Europe in 1991, I got a fantastic offer fromCytogen to be vice president of marketing and sales in 1995, saysHinds. He left Cytogen a couple of years ago and did consulting untilfriends from his University of Paris days asked him to work for Cell.Cell USA, 707 Alexander Road, Building 2, Suite208, Princeton 08540. Michael Hinds, CEO. 609-419-4401; fax, 609-452-0909.Home page: https://www.cellinc.com.Top Of PageBiotech MovesOrchid Biocomputer Inc., 101 College Road East,Box 2197, Princeton 08543-2197. Dale R. Pfost, chairman and CEO. 609-750-2200;fax, 609-750-2250. Home page: https://www.orchidbio.com.Orchid Biocomputer will open a multi-phased high throughput lab toanalyze what the relationship is between single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) to disease and drug response. Though located in Baltimore now,Orchid’s SNP scoring lab will be integrated into its 31,000 squarefoot laboratory being prepared at 303 College Road East.”By scoring SNPs at very high throughputs, we will determine whichdrug, or drug candidate, will work best in an individual — theunderpinning of pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics,” says DaleR. Pfost, president and chief executive officer of Orchid.Also just announced are the inaugural member institutions of networkthat will provide clinical samples for Orchid to “score.”They include the University of Cincinnati and the University of PennsylvaniaHealth Systems.Founded in 1995 and incubated at Sarnoff Corporation, Orchid aimsto leverage the same technologies used to design computer chips todevelop and commercialize micro-fabricated systems for chemistry andthe biosciences.Palatin Technologies Inc. (PLTN), 214 CarnegieCenter, Suite 100, Princeton 08540. Edward Quilty, president, CEOand chairman. 609-520-1911; fax, 609-452-0880.The development-stage medical technology company has entered Phase2 studies on its second LeuTech product line, for the diagnosis ofbone infections known as osteomyelitis. The first LeuTech productline, for diagnosing thoracic and abdominal infections such as equivocalappendicitis, is nearing the end of its Phase 3 clinical trials, withanticipated enrollment of 200 patients at 10 sites.The initiation of the Phase 2 study of LeuTech for osteomyelitis isa major step in fully developing LeuTech’s potential for multipleapplications, says Charles Putnam, executive vice president. “LeuTechalso has the potential to make a significant impact in healthcarecost containment, since current tests that LeuTech is designed toreplace are cumbersome, costly, time-consuming, and may require hospitalization.”LeuTech can be administered in one hour or less, and does not requireblood handling by staff.Biotrace Inc., 666 Plainsboro Road, Suite 1010,Plainsboro 08536. Steve Forrester, president. 800-246-0033; fax,609-897-0289. Home page: https://www.biotrace.com.The medical research company has signed an agreement with HeinekenTechnical Services, following research and development work over thelast three months, for the development of Biotrace’s single shot hygiene/contaminationtests, Clean-Trace and Aqua-Trace, for beer testing.Biotrace provides Rapid Cleanliness Testing systems based on ATP Bioluminescencetechnology. The process is used to detect microbial contaminationsin the manufacturing of cosmetics, food, and pharmaceuticals.Hydro Med Sciences (GPX), 8 Cedar Brook Drive,Cedar Brook Corporate Center, Cranbury 08512. Robert A. Feinberg,CEO. 609-409-9010; fax, 609-409-1650. Home page: https://www.hydromed.com.Hydro Med Sciences has entered into exclusive licensing and manufacturing/supplyagreements with Eatontown-based Roberts Pharmaceutical Corporation.The agreements pertain to a Roberts’ LHRH therapeutic and representHydro Med’s first commercial collaboration for its Hydron Implant– a proprietary subcutaneous hydrogel retrievable device thatcan deliver a broad spectrum of therapeutic compounds at controlled,constant release rates for up to one year and longer.”We are excited to announce our first corporate partner for thecombination of our long-term Hydron Implant with a therapeutic active,”says Robert Feinberg, president of the drug delivery company thatdesigns, develops, and manufactures a broad range of polymer-basedproducts. It is a division of GP Strategy Corporation.The Liposome Company Inc. (LIPO), 1 Research Way,Princeton Forrestal Center, Princeton 08540-6619. Charles A. Baker,chairman and CEO. 609-452-7060; fax, 609-452-1890. Home page: https://www.lipo.com.Wyeth-Ayerst International, a subsidiary of American Home Productswill assume marketing responsibilities for the sale of Liposome’sAbelcet in the United Kingdom. Marketed in the United States and 22other countries, Abelcet is used in the treatment of severe, systemicfungal infections in patients who are refractory to or intolerantof conventional therapy and is the leading lipid-based formulationof amphotericin B in the U.S.”We expect this marketing agreement to increase our profitabilityand add to shareholder value,” says Charles Baker, chairman andCEO of Liposome, which trades on Nasdaq as LIPO.”Wyeth-Ayerst has a large sales force in the UK and will provideimproved access to the UK market for Abelcet. In addition, we willrealize significant cost savings from the transfer of selling activitiesto Wyeth-Ayerst,” he says.The two companies currently have marketing agreements that cover France,Italy, Greece, Austria, and the Nordic countries. Liposome is a biopharmaceuticalcompany developing, manufacturing, and marketing therapeutic productsto treat cancer and related diseases.Top Of PageNew in TownKPIT Infosystems Inc., 123 Franklin Corner Road,Suite 201, Lawrenceville 08648. Sachin Tikekar, general manager. 609-912-0666;fax, 609-912-0059. Home page: https://www.kpit.com.The software solutions firm has a headquarters in Pune, India, plusoffices in the United Kingdom and the Gulf. Its first office in theU.S. has only two people now but will be bringing in 30 to 40 peoplein the next few months.Top Of PageExpansionsA-1 Limousine, 2 Emmons Drive, Princeton 08540-9923.Michael Starr, president and CEO. 609-951-0070; fax, 609-951-9330.Home page: https://www.a1limo.com.The ground transportation company has expanded its headquarters inPrinceton by moving the sales and marketing departments to a locationacross the street, increasing the customer service staff by 60 percentincrease, and acquiring a new telephone system.The expansion includes the installation of a Sun 5000 computer mainframe,which will support A-1’s integrated mobile data communication systemwith mobile data terminals and global positioning receivers. StevePitel, vice president of sales and marketing, says that the communicatorswill provide constant accessibility of the drivers along with accuratedispatch.With locations in Princeton and Bound Brook, A-1 Limousine is “thelargest full-service ground transportation company in New Jersey andthe fourth largest in the nation,” says Pitel. The company operatesa fleet of 260-plus late model luxury sedans, limousines, vans, andmotor coaches.The Mosso Group Inc., 436 Wall Street, Princeton08540. Lisa A. Mosso, project director. 609-252-1776; fax, 609-252-1787.The previously home-based events planning company has moved to itsnew location at 436 Wall Street. “Right now we only do medicalmeetings but we are looking to grow and branch out in the future,”says Lisa Mosso, project director. “We would like to move intoentertainment and production and organize more `showy’ events.”Her father, Gus Mosso, founded the company in 1990. “He was creativeservices director for Squibb and planned meetings for them. I trainedunder my father.” Mosso majored in communications and theaterat Trenton State College, Class of 1984. After a brief shot at theater,she decided to join her father in the business.The company is presently involved with organizing oncology meetingsfor Bristol Myers Squibb. “Pharmaceutical companies have meetingsat certain times of the year and they do not need to keep in-housepeople for that,” says Mosso. “Large pharmaceutical companiesare looking for smaller companies like mine to organize their eventsfor them.”Top Of PageName ChangesPark Place Center, 2 Deer Park Drive, MonmouthJunction 08852. Kim Frazee, administrator. 732-274-1122; fax, 732-274-1991.This skilled nursing facility was formerly known as Deer Park Nursingand Rehabilitation Center. The 96-bed facility offers rehabilitationtherapy and nursing careTop Of PageElectronic ContractsITXC: Internet Telephony Exchange Carrier, 600College Road East, Princeton 08540. Tom Evslin, CEO. 609-419-1500;fax, 609-419-1511. Home page: https://www.itxc.com.The Internet telephony company has closed a $15 million second roundof venture capital financing. Investors include Chase Capital Partners,Flatiron Partners, Intel, Polaris Ltd., Spectrum Equity Investors,and VocalTec Communications, all of whom also invested in ITXC’s firstround.John G. Musci, former senior vice president of wholesale markets atQwest Communication Corporation of Denver, Colorado, has joined ITXCas chief operating officer, and executive vice president.Magnetic Specialties, 10 Albemarle Avenue, Trenton08638. Bruce Ruhf, president. 609-883-3150; fax, 609-883-9250. URL:https://www.magspecinc.com.The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is guaranteeing 50 percentof a $200,000 Summit Bank loan through its Technology Funding Programto further develop Magnetic Specialties’ proprietary new product.The company designs and fabricates components that sense and controlelectrical energy. The product, FCS-2000, provides furnace end userswith a safer, more efficient way of powering industrial electric resistancefurnaces at a lower cost.Mier Communications Inc., 99 Princeton-HightstownRoad, Princeton Junction 08550. Edwin E. Mier, president, CEO. 609-275-7311;fax, 609-275-8813. Home page: https://www.mier.com.MierComm has been named as the pioneer test lab for Voice-over-IPvendors seeking iNOW! certification of their product’s interoperability.The company pioneered the development of Voice-over-IP testing methodologiesand is preparing a test environmnt that will certify that iNOW! compliantproducts do interoperate.Nettech Systems Inc., 600 Alexander Road, Princeton08540. Boris Fridman, president. 609-734-0300; fax, 609-734-0346.Home page: https://www.nettechrf.com.BellSouth, one of the Baby Bell regional telephone companies, willbe using Nettech software as part of a computer upgrade for Bell’s15,000 service technicians. The company’s software can send and receivedata over a wide variety of wireless networks, such as those usedfor cellular telephones or by satellites.Top Of PageDeathsDavid Senese, 41, on March 11. He worked at Lee MylesTransmission on Route 33.Thomas Foy, 55, on March 13. He was a quality controlmanager for Strategic Technology Systems, formerly Base Ten.Joyce A. Snyder, 65, died March 13. She had worked atKepner-Tregoe.Harry N. Wyckoff, 79, on March 14. He had been a salesmanat Harry Ballot clothing store on Nassau Street.Alfred Lewis Bickford, 74, on March 14. Formerly an engineeringprofessor at Mercer County College, he worked for Starr Transit andAmerican Limousine.Corrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
