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Photo by Thad Allender

tom Thornton, president of the Kansas Bioscience Authority, chats during a luncheon meeting at Maceli's, 1031 N.H. Thornton addressed the group Tuesday about the authority's initiatives as part of the Bioscience Speaker Series organized by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.

The Kansas Bioscience Authority isn't just about establishing new commercialization campuses, financing business incubators or pumping $6 million into emerging technologies.

It's also about helping a promising startup in Lawrence hire another scientist so that the company can focus on breaking into a market worth more than $19 billion each year in the United States alone.

OsteoGeneX Inc.'s first goal: Treat osteoporosis. Next: Focus on spines, knees and other troublesome areas that could benefit from additional bone.

"They have the only technology that actually adds to bone density," said Tom Thornton, president of the bioscience authority, in Lawrence on Tuesday for a luncheon meeting organized by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. "It's a great company, led by a fantastic researcher. The technology was developed by her, at (the) Stowers (Institute), and now she's here developing the company."

With $130,000 from the authority, OsteoGeneX is moving ahead with efforts to conduct clinical trials for its osteoporosis treatment. The staff already has Dr. William Rosenberg, a neurosurgeon who handles spinal fusions, as chief medical officer, and J.P. Rey starts Monday as the company's chief scientist.

Dr. Debra Ellies, whose research at Stowers and resulting efforts led her to become a KTEC Pipeline Innovator, said the authority's investment was helping the company's efforts immensely.

She's already secured phase I financing from the National Institutes of Health and is looking to make phase II, the financing round that could provide as much as $750,000.

The authority's money helps confirm that the technology shows promise.

"The KBA's award does definitely help, especially in terms of the review panel," Ellies said. "They want to see that you have other funding coming in."

Such tales are just what Thornton likes to hear.

The authority - a state organization created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004, to be financed by an estimated $580 million in revenues generated by biosciences operations over a period of 15 years - is working to create partnerships that could pay off for years to come in the state, he said.

Among them: Money for a commercialization campus in Olathe, an incubator for start-ups in the East Hills Business Park and $6 million for Deciphera, a Lawrence bioscience effort gearing up to move to the East Hills center.

OsteoGeneX isn't as far along but is forming partnerships. The Lawrence Regional Technology Center already is providing organizational assistance. The Higuchi Biosciences Center at KU offers support.

The authority entered with money, and the march is on.

"Locally, this is a great example of what we want to do," Thornton said. "This is the kind of partnership we want to continue."