Tellurex Corp. of Traverse City delivers high-performance thermoelectric products to both large- and small-volume customers, including the defense industry. Its thermoelectric knowledge benefits from its association with Michigan’s 315 global automotive R&D, engineering, and tech centers. Performing primary research in chemical metallurgy in collaboration with major universities and laboratories including Pacific Northwestern National Laboratory, Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Michigan Technological University, and University of Michigan, Tellurex turns laboratory advances into production-ready thermoelectric products and contributes to Michigan’s key role as a defense research center.
www.tellurex.com
Tolera Therapeutics is a Kalamazoo-based firm with an immune-modulating technology that is useful for transplantation surgery and the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases including Type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis. The technology is based on a monoclonal antibody drug that targets immune cell subsets, permitting safe and targeted modulation and creating an opportunity for immune tolerance. Current therapies often result in broad immune system suppression and lead to serious adverse events and toxicities with limited opportunity for immune modulation or tolerance. www.tolera.com
Vestaron Corp. of Kalamazoo is developing insecticide products based on the molecular architectures inherent within spider peptides. This molecular architecture is potent against insects, but is harmless to vertebrates. To date the company has identified and characterized three unique lead insecticide peptide ingredients that are active at entirely novel molecular targets (sites of action) within the insect pest. And each peptide can be exploited by multiple means of delivery including: as a peptide insecticide, as a pharmacophore for developing synthetic chemical mimics, and as a genetic material for the modification of crop plants. Insecticidal characteristics can be developed in plants, representing a $4.4 billion market for insect-resistant genetically modified (GMO) crops that are kind to the environment but useful against a broad spectrum of insect pests. “Vestaron possesses an extensive core technology platform that allows the rapid development of innovative products that address significant and currently unmet market and regulatory needs,” said John L. McIntyre, president and CEO. “Our proprietary, biologically-inspired products will effectively compete with currently marketed insecticides based on cost, efficacy and environmental safety. Our offerings will include a spectrum of insecticide products that will be introduced worldwide into agriculture, animal health, public health and consumer retail markets that currently represent total sales of $14.0 billion at the manufacturer level.” www.vestaron.com
Click here to view the 2010 event photos