In an attempt to combat this problem, Community Outreach@rtp and companies throughout The Park (yes, that means First Flight), will be participating in this years Books on Break book drive and we need your help!! Books on Break is a joint project of Community Outreach@rtp (a committee of the RTP Owners and Tenants Assocation), Book Harvest and Durham Public Schools.

Books on Break is a program to enable Durham’s low-income children to select up to 10 books to take home and keep at the end of the school year, allowing them to continue their education throughout the summer months.

So here’s where you come in…from now until May 15th we will be collecting books for elementary school children (1^st through 6^th grade), from picture books to chapter books.  And we are grateful for both new books and gently used books that your kids may have outgrown.

There are many ways to donate…here are some super convenient options:

• Drop them off in the designated First Flight book drop off box (location TBD – but probably our shared business center in 113A).
• Stop by RTP HQ’s Food Truck Rodeo (Next one’s on Thursday, April 19th!!)
• Stop by the Regulator Bookshop on Ninth Street in Durham and purchase a new book to donate to Books on Break; you’ll receive a 20% discount.
• If you don’t have gently used books at home to donate, please consider purchasing new books.  To make it even easier, buy books from Books on Break’s Amazon wish list and have them shipped directly to the RTP Headquarters:  http://amzn.com/w/1HQGXBNUBPF0X…

This is an incredibly easy way to help our community and may also give you a leg up on your spring cleaning

Regardless if the book is new or old, please help the kids in our area and donate your books today!!

Ridge Diagnostics, Inc. and Ameritox Ltd. Enter Into Licensing Agreement for Depression Biomarker Blood Test

Assay analyzing multiple biomarkers could be valuable aid to diagnosis, treatment monitoring

SAN DIEGO, CA, and BALTIMORE, MD, APRIL 5, 2012 – Ridge DiagnosticsTM, Inc., a neurodiagnostic company, announced today it has entered into an exclusive agreement with AmeritoxSM, Ltd., a leader in medication monitoring, for the license rights to its proprietary developmental blood test MDDScore TM, a multiple biomarker analysis for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for primary care and pain physicians. As part of the agreement, Ameritox has agreed to make an undisclosed equity investment in Ridge and commit to a next‐stage clinical development program. Antidepressant drugs are among the most frequently prescribed medications in the U.S. today, where depression impacts some 19 million adults each year. A biological test for depression may aid physicians in the differential diagnosis of MDD, assist in the selection of proper patient treatment and improve healthcare cost management.

“Ameritox investment in Ridge will likely accelerate the MDDScore test development and advance access to millions of patients already under the care of primary‐care and pain‐management physicians,” said Lonna J. Williams, CEO of Ridge Diagnostics. “Ameritox longstanding investments in diagnostic science, and now in the Ridge technology, validate the importance of the MDDScore and demonstrate their commitment to improving patient well‐being.”

The MDDScore test developed by Ridge Diagnostics measures ten biomarker levels associated with factors such as inflammation, development and maintenance of neurons and interaction between brain structures involved with stress response and other key biological functions. Measurements are analyzed to produce an MDDScore which may help physicians determine whether a patient has major depression.

A recent peer‐reviewed study with 70 adults who had been diagnosed with major depression evaluated in a pilot and replication study using the MDDScore appears in Molecular Psychiatry (February 2012) and indicates the test diagnosed major depression with a high degree of accuracy within the study population. The study is co‐authored by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; Cambridge Health Alliance, Boston, MA, and Elizabeth Medical Center, Brighton, MA.

“Biomarkers are an important emerging scientific tool to better understanding illness, and may enable health professionals to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and help match the right treatment to the right patient,” said Ancelmo Lopes, CEO, Ameritox Ltd. “Personalizing care offers the best use for  precious healthcare resources. We are committed to providing physicians with tools to support their care decisions. We are excited to launch clinical trials to evaluate the utility of MDDScore in primary care and pain medicine settings.”

About Ameritox
Ameritox is the nation’s leader in Pain Medication Monitoring Solutions®, offering specialized laboratory testing and reporting services. Ameritox’s expertise and innovative science provide physicians with insights and support to enhance and optimize the care of chronic pain patients. Ameritox offers the most thorough pain medication monitoring lab process – Rx GuardianSM – with Rx Guardian CDSM, the only pain medication screening with a proprietary normalization algorithm and a reference database of pain patients assessed for medication adherence. Patient results are compared against this database, helping physicians assess whether patients are taking their pain medications correctly. Monitoring through urine drug testing helps physicians make more informed clinical decisions and manage the risks and complexities associated with prescribing pain medications. Ameritox is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. with laboratory facilities in Midland, Texas and Greensboro, N.C. Ameritox can be found online at www.ameritox.com, on Twitter @Ameritox, or on Facebook at facebook.com/ameritox.

© 2012 Ameritox Ltd. All rights reserved. AMERITOX, the AMERITOX logos, AMERITOX AUTOREMINDER, AMERITOX MEDICATION MONITORING SOLUTIONS, AMERITOX UNIVERSITY, PAIN MEDICATION MONITORING SOLUTIONS, POWERED BY YOUR NEED TO KNOW and PROTECT YOUR PATIENTS. PROTECT YOUR PRACTICE. RX GUARDIAN, RX GUARDIAN CD, and RX GUARDIAN AUTOREMINDER are trademarks of Ameritox.

About Ridge Diagnostics, Inc.
Ridge Diagnostics is a neurodiagnostic company developing and marketing blood‐based tests to diagnose and monitor neuropsychiatric disorders. The MDDScore™, the first‐in‐class, proprietary blood test for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is available to psychiatrists. Additional tests are in development for antidepressant response prediction and monitoring, adolescent depression and companion diagnostics. The portfolio of neurodiagnostic blood tests are based on a proprietary Human Biomarker Library and Hyper‐Mapping™ technology. Testing services are provided by Ridge Diagnostics CLIA laboratory. The company is located in San Diego, CA and Research Triangle Park, NC. www.ridgedx.com.

Contacts:
Ridge Diagnostics:
Lonna J Williams, CEO
800‐578‐7818 ex 101
lwilliams@ridgedx.com

Ameritox Ltd:
Lon Wagner, Director
336‐387‐7742
Lon.Wagner@ameritox.com

Makovsky Health
Tom Jones, Group Vice President
212‐508‐9633
tjones@makovsky.com

April 13th marks the opening day of the 2012 North Carolina Science Festival, so this is your chance to see some awesome science up close and personal.

Hosts of the event indicate that “The Festival strives to raise awareness among the young, the old and everyone in between about the importance of science, not only in the classroom but in everyday life, and as an economic engine.”

The 16-day statewide series of 400+ events showcases science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It includes hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits, performances and other events. Organizers expect more than 150,000 North Carolinians to participate in the Festival.

With hosts from popular TV shows like Mythbusters, this Festival is meant to remind all of us that science really can be a lot of fun!

There are tons of events throughout the state, appropriate for any age group. So load up the car and take some time to get up close and personal with the wonderment’s of science with this year’s Science Festival.

Thanks for reading & we hope to see you out at some of the events!

To see a list of events for your area, click here.

We are also interested in any sponsorship that your organization could provide.  In exchange for sponsorship, we are offering publicity opportunities in media related to the event.

Engineers without Borders is a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. More information about Engineers without Borders at UNC is available on our website at  http://studentorgs.unc.edu/ewb.

If you have any questions, or would like to participate, please contact: Nathaniel MacHardy, Local Project Leader, Engineers Without Borders.

machardy@email.unc.edu or ewbuncgolftournament@gmail.com.

Engineers Without Borders

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Rosenau Hall CB7431 Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7431

www.zenph.com

Here’s the skinny…Ryan Allis, co-founder and CEO of iContact, stepped down as president of the division that was created around that company when it was acquired last month by Vocus in a stock and cash deal worth some $169 million. Allis agreed to stay on board until the acquisition was complete, so as of Tuesday he stepped down from his role as President in the firm he grew from the ground up.

Now who better to tell us about the acquisition and the road ahead for iContact than Allis. Well, lucky us! iContact put up the message written by Allis himself, and here’s what he had to say about the acquisition and what lies ahead for iContact.

iContact & Vocus Combine Forces

Feb282012 15

For them, it wasn’t until the 40th attempt at creating their solution that they finally came up with the right combination. According to their website, “It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40_®—which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try—is still in use today.”

So if you’re convinced you have an idea, product, etc. and your ‘eureka’ moment seems just beyond your reach – take a lesson from the guys at WD-40_®. Take a step back, approach it from another angle and don’t give up!

To read  WD-40_®‘s history  click here.

Such was the case for CertiRx, a small emerging growth company who is currently developing Assured Brands™, pharmaceutical products made safer from the growing global risk of counterfeiting via a unique on-dose marking technology.

While I wasn’t able to sit down with all three of head honchos, I was able to steal a few minutes with two of CertiRx’s senior management and get a better insight into their company and what makes them tick.

To CertiRx, a team is more than just a group of people who come to the office and talk about business. For them, the team is key to building a solid and ultimately successful company. “We have a commitment to each other, and value personal integrity above all else,” explains Director of Engineering, Hersh Tapadia.

To an outsider, the CertiRx team seems a bit unconventional. President Tom Mercolino spent the bulk of his almost 30-year career in large corporations, where he made his name as one of the world’s foremost experts on flow cytometry methods and products. Contrary to this, Tapadia comes to the table with a microscope invention and a few start-ups under his belt – not too shabby for someone who recently finished his graduate degree. Finally, Lead Systems Engineer Amy McPherson, who Tapadia & Mercolino stress as one of the key elements to the team, is working on her doctorate in microfluidics and seamlessly balances the team.

Mercolino explained their team might not have been the same had the economy been different. “The economic conditions have given people who wouldn’t have necessarily worked with one another a chance to see what could happen if they did,” said Mercolino.

The conditions were right for CertiRx, and despite the large variance in age and background, the glue that holds this team together is a shared passion for creation and entrepreneurialism. Developing an impactful and meaningful product for the masses is an arduous task. The CertiRx team knows they will face many disappointments, but they balance realism and optimism by expecting the best and preparing for the worst.

Typically, a poor economy is not seen as a positive thing. However, in the right context it can be the perfect combination to create a start-up as unique as the team itself.

Such was the case for CertiRx, a small emerging growth company who is currently developing Assured Brands™, pharmaceutical products made safer from the growing global risk of counterfeiting via a unique on-dose marking technology.

While I wasn’t able to sit down with all three of head honcho’s, I was able to steal a few minutes with two of CertiRx’s senior management and get a better insight into their company and what makes them tick.

To CertiRx, a team is more than just a group of people who come to the office and talk about business. For them, the team is key to building a solid and ultimately successful company. “We have a commitment to each other, and value personal integrity above all else,” explains Director of Engineering, Hersh Tapadia.

To an outsider, the CertiRx team seems a bit unconventional. President Tom Mercolino spent the bulk of his almost 30-year career in large corporations, where he made his name as one of the world’s foremost experts on flow cytometry methods and products. Contrary to this, Tapadia comes to the table with a microscope invention and a few start-ups under his belt – not too shabby for someone who recently finished his graduate degree. Finally, Lead Systems Engineer Amy McPherson, who Tapadia & Mercolino stress as one of the key elements to the team, is working on her doctorate in microfluidics and seamlessly balances the team.

Mercolino explained their team might not have been the same had the economy been different. “The economic conditions have given people who wouldn’t have necessarily worked with one another a chance to see what could happen if they did.”

The conditions were right for CertiRx, and despite the large variance in age and background, the glue that holds this team together is a shared passion for creation and entrepreneurialism.

Developing an impactful and meaningful product for the masses is an arduous task. The CertiRx team knows they will face many disappointments, but they balance realism and optimism by expecting the best and preparing for the worst.

When facing difficulty, Tapadia describes, “You mope, get over it and move on. Allow yourself time to grieve and then move into your contingency plan.”

On their path to entrepreneurialism, the CertiRx team has received a lot of advice from many people.
Both Mercolino and Tapadia stressed the importance of understanding the emotional commitment that’s required to run a start-up. They mentioned that, “All parties, including family, need to be committed. If you don’t have the support from your family and loved ones, just forget it.”

And if there are two people who know commitment, it’s Mercolino and Tapadia. Seeing them interact first hand leaves you with a sense of wonderment. It’s amazing to know that this unique team can merge and create something that could change the pharmaceutical industry forever.

Thank you to Tom, Hersh and Amy (even though she wasn’t physically able to join us) for giving me a few minutes of your time – I know how busy you are and I really appreciate it!

For more information on CertiRx’s team and products, visit www.certirx.com.

UPDATE
CertiRx has gotten their first client! CONGRATS to CertiRx – we hope this is the first of many!