News Release
September 18, 2008

UW College of Agriculture award recipient discusses merging science, commerce

A single mother of three from Cheyenne who worked her way to a doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Wyoming and then developed biotechnology products with far-reaching effects while working in academia and industry will discuss insights on merging science and commerce in a presentation open to the public.

Regina Rooney, a recipient of the UW College of Agriculture’s outstanding alumna award for 2008, will speak from 3-4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in room 103 in the Animal Science/Molecular Biology Building on the UW campus. A reception immediately follows. The event precedes Ag Appreciation Weekend Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27, at UW.

Rooney will be joined by her husband, Richard Ogden.

As a research and development technical area manager for Invitrogen in California, Rooney was instrumental in developing new products from inception to the marketplace.

As a result of her research, Regina also had a major role in obtaining a patent on PAK as a therapy for cancer through inhibition of cell division,” said Jolinda Traugh, professor of biochemistry at the University of California, Riverside. Rooney had been a post-doctoral researcher in Traugh’s laboratory before moving into industry.

The projects she has developed have been a boon to technology, especially in the area of electrophoresis,” said Traugh.

Said College of Agriculture Professor Nancy Peterson, who was Rooney’s graduate adviser at UW, “She is among the most successful graduates of the molecular biology program at UW.”

Ogden, who worked to develop new HIV-AIDS and other viral infectious disease products, was a founding scientist with Agouron Pharmaceuticals of California and a key member of their HIV product development team. He served as scientific liaison for the Agouron/Pfizer commercial and corporate organizations following Agouron’s merger with Pfizer.

Rooney and Ogden are co-founders of RORR Inc., a medical, scientific and consulting firm focusing on strategic planning for biotech product development, manufacturing and engineering.

Further information about Rooney and Ag Appreciation Weekend is at www.uwyo.edu/UWAG/Outstanding_Alumni.asp.

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Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

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