Boulder Biopharm Company Moves to Tucson, Will Partner With UA Research Group

Tucson, Ariz. — Teleost Biopharmaceutical, a company based on an invention developed at the University of Arizona, is moving its headquarters from Boulder, Colorado, to Tucson. The move will help the company partner long-term with the original UA inventors of the technology, maintaining a pipeline for future product development.

The original invention, a peptide that helps humans to produce photo-protective melanin as a natural prevention against skin cancers, was developed by Regents’ Professor Emeritus Victor J. Hruby and the Peptide Group in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, in the UA College of Science.

The UA licensed the invention to Teleost in September 2014 with the help of Tech Launch Arizona, the UA unit dedicated to commercializing inventions born of UA research. Tech Launch facilitated the development of the exclusive license agreement.

David Allen, Tech Launch Arizona’s vice president, said, “We are delighted Teleost has chosen to develop its technology here in Tucson and we look forward to a productive relationship.”

“Working with Sean Shelby and his team at Teleost,” Hruby said, “provides a unique opportunity to develop the discoveries we have made in this research area into products that can greatly aid men, women and young people who have problems dealing with the sun’s radiation, and who may develop skin cancer and other diseases. We are very excited to participate in this endeavor.”

Shelby, who is the CEO of Teleost, and his team see the potential.  “After looking at what Dr. Hruby’s group is accomplishing,” Shelby said, “making the move to Tucson to be able to collaborate more closely with him and his team was clearly the right move for the long-term success of our company.”

Shelby started his career in cancer research in 1997 at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he worked on the design, synthesis and evaluation of drugs targeting breast, prostate, lung, liver and pancreatic cancers. He started Teleost in 2014 with the goal of developing products to help protect against and treat skin maladies.

The Hruby Peptide Group is one of three groups being considered for the 2014 Arizona Governor’s Celebration of Innovation award for Innovator of the Year. The winner will be announced at an event at the Phoenix Convention Center on Nov. 13.