Genesis Awards salute Quebec researchers and companies

Montreal, QC – April 30, 2004 – BIOQuebec has honoured a number of Quebec-based biotechnology companies and executives in its annual Genesis Awards. Procyon Biopharma, ART Advanced Research Technologies, DiagnoCure, LMS Medical Systems received honours, as well as executives Hans J Mader, chairman of the board and president and CEO of Procyon Biopharma, Jacques R Lapointe, president and CEO of ConjuChem, Gervais Dionne, CEO and chief scientific officer of ViroChem Pharma, and Steven Arless, president and CEO of CryoCath.

Procyon Biopharma won the Biotechnology-Biopharmaceutical Entrepreneurship Award for the clinical development of three of its flagship products (Fibrostat, PCK3145 and PL-100). The company was also cited for its acquisition of Pharmacor in 2003.

ART Advanced Research Technologies won the Health Technology Entrepreneurship Award. After investing some $40 million in research, ART has developed an optical imaging technology platform for the in vivo and non-invasive observation of the reactions, phenomena and processes that occur in human and small animal organisms.

DiagnoCure won the Innovation Award because it attained several important technical and commercial goals during 2003, including work on UPM3, a test for the detection of prostate cancer. In addition, the company entered into an exclusive worldwide licence with Gen-Probe for the use of PCA3 technology for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and the company doubled its sales of ImmunoCyt, a test for the detection of bladder cancer.

LMS Medical Systems won the Transfer-Emergence Award. LMS developed a remote monitoring module enabling general practitioners working in remote regions to receive real-time guidance from specialists via a telemedicine interface. This system already links the major hospitals in four large urban centres (Montreal, Calgary, Dartmouth and Baltimore) to smaller hospitals in the surrounding areas.

Hans J Mader won the Brio Award for his successful management of Procyon. Since he joined the company, he orchestrated its listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange and raised more than $70 million. In addition, under his direction, Procyon has reached licensing agreements with such partners as IMI International Medical Innovations and Biovail.

A group of executives were given membership in the prestigious Excelcia Club to mark their contributions to the growth of the life sciences sector in Quebec. Mr Lapointe, Mr Dionne, and Mr Arless all received this honour.