{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-highlights-branford-innovator-thetis-pharmaceuticals-as-murphys-innovator-of-the-month", "MURPHY HIGHLIGHTS BRANFORD INNOVATOR, THETIS PHARMACEUTICALS, AS MURPHYS INNOVATOR OF THE MONTH", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Christopher Murphy", "M001169", "www.murphy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "MURPHY HIGHLIGHTS BRANFORD INNOVATOR, THETIS PHARMACEUTICALS, AS \u201cMURPHY\u2019S INNOVATOR OF THE MONTH\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 5, 2017\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 In recognition of Crohn\u2019s and Colitis Awareness Week, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Tuesday that Branford\u2019s Thetis Pharmaceuticals \u2013 a biopharmaceutical company developing new oral therapies to treat inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn\u2019s disease and ulcerative colitis \u2013 is this month\u2019s \u201cMurphy\u2019s Innovator of the Month.\u201d Thetis has a proprietary HEALER\u2122 technology platform for developing new medicines that deliver naturally occurring lipids. These medicines have prospects to treat IBD by resolving inflammation and promoting tissue regeneration without compromising the body\u2019s ability to fight infection. Thetis was co-founded in 2011 by Connecticut residents Gary Mathias, a lifelong ulcerative colitis patient and healthcare industry entrepreneur, and Dr. Frank Sciavolino, a former scientist at Pfizer who led the discovery, development and in-licensing of several of its best-selling pharmaceuticals, Zithromax\u00ae and Celebrex\u00ae.\u00a0\r\nConnecticut Innovations, the state-funded venture capital fund, is Thetis\u2019 principal investor. Thetis is a member of the Technology Incubation Program at UConn Health, and is currently partnering with the lab of Dr. Daniel Rosenberg, Professor of Medicine at UConn Health, to conduct preclinical research. Last month, Thetis received a Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) worth up to $2.3 million.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThetis is a great example of how private industry and the government can work together to advance medical research and reduce illness,\u201d said Murphy. \u201cThetis is on the brink of developing new therapies that can help improve the health of tens of millions of Americans, and I\u2019m going to keep fighting on the Appropriations Committee to get them the federal resources they need.\u201d\r\n\u201cOver 1.5 million Americans suffer from IBD and there remains a high unmet medical need for safe and effective new therapies,\u201d said Mr. Mathias, Thetis\u2019 CEO. \u201cThe state of Connecticut has been instrumental in supporting Thetis\u2019 research to develop innovative drugs for patients suffering from this disease.\u201d\r\nMurphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies \u2013 the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Last month, Murphy\u2019s HALOS Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.\r\nMurphy is also focused on securing federal NIH funding for Connecticut research institutions. Murphy recently helped secure over $4.8 billion for NIH over 10 years for new investments in cancer treatment and medical research, and celebrated a $2 billion increase in NIH federal investments for research institutions, such as those in Connecticut, that are working to develop new medical therapies, diagnostics, and preventative measures. Murphy also called on NIH to commit more resources to Connecticut\u2019s leading research institutions, like Yale University. In 2015, Connecticut institutions received over $457.3 million in federal NIH grant funding for 1,100 projects.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-highlights-branford-innovator-thetis-pharmaceuticals-as-murphys-innovator-of-the-month"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.289819996803999, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}