Georgia Bio today announced recipients for the Innovation Award. The Innovation Award will be presented to Latha Ganeshan, CEO and Founder of Zywie; Robert Ivarie Ph.D., B.S. of University of Georgia/Synageva; Matthew Lyon, M.D. of Augusta University and David Munn, M.D. of Augusta University.

The Georgia Innovation Award honors the department, institution, company or individuals who are forging new ground by thinking outside traditional paradigms to create some unique technology. The recipients will receive their awards at the Georgia Bio Annual Awards Dinner January 26, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North. Visit www.gabio.org/awards for more details.

Latha Ganesha
Ms. Ganesha is being recognized for her leadership at Zywie and the commercialization of an innovative technology which is revolutionizing cardiac remote monitoring with its innovative solution that improves patient care and value to the physician. ZywiePro, the next-generation cardiac remote monitoring solution, leverages mobile and cloud technology to facilitate detection of cardiovascular arrhythmias in patients in a more timely, accurate and cost-effective manner than alternative monitoring solutions allow.

Robert Ivarie
Dr. Ivarie is being recognized as a co-founder of Avigenics (a.k.a. Synageva.) Based on technologies Dr. Ivarie invented using transgenic chickens as bioreactors to produce medically-relevant proteins, Synageva developed rare disease therapeutics. The company was acquired for over $8 billion and their 1st drug is on the market in the U.S., Europe and Japan. The company maintains a significant footprint in Oconee County Georgia.

Matthew Lyon
Dr. Lyon is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. He is being recognized for his pioneering of several new applications for ultrasound, including use of ultrasound for volume resuscitation in critically ill patients, use of ultrasound for respiratory complaints and for traumatic brain injury assessment. His brain injury assessment using ultrasound has been both experimentally and clinically oriented and has received grant funding. He is building collaborations with industry to bring new devices and techniques to the market for brain injury assessment.

David Munn
David H. Munn, M.D., is a Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, and a member of the Georgia Cancer Center. Dr. Munn’s long-term and continuing work in cancer immunotherapy reflects the best traditions of laboratory research, clinical research, industry partnership, and patient care. He is being recognized for his current research which focuses on tumor immunology, and molecular mechanisms of immune suppression and tolerance. Dr. Munn’s laboratory studies the regulation of T cell activation by tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the setting of cancer. A major focus of the laboratory is the immunoregulatory role of tryptophan metabolism via the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO).

For a list of past Georgia Bio award recipients, click here.

Georgia Bio (www.gabio.org) is the state’s life science industry association whose members include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, medical centers, universities and research institutes, government groups and other business organizations involved in the development of life sciences related products and services.

Note to Editors: Credentialed members of the news media are invited to attend. Registration is complimentary. Please contact Maria Thacker (404-920-2042; mthacker@gabio.org).