PHILADELPHIA–(August 20, 2020) – The University City Science Center will recognize three local leaders during its annual Nucleus Awards event on September 22, 2020, presented by CSL Behring. This year’s class of honorees includes Benjamin Doranz, President & CEO of Integral Molecular, Aurora Archer, Founder & CEO of Bellatrix Group and Co-Host of The Opt-In Podcast, and Sylvester Mobley, CEO of Coded by Kids. The awards will be presented to the recipients during a one-hour virtual event hosted by WHYY’s Tracey Matisak.
Each fall, Nucleus brings together the region’s leaders and groundbreakers in innovation, all while supporting Philadelphia’s future as a hub of innovation and discovery. Funds raised through Nucleus help sustain Science Center programs, which in 2019 alone supported the growth of 118 businesses; convened more than 39,000 attendees across 475 events; and engaged over 370 middle and high school students through its STEM education initiatives.
“This year’s honorees exemplify the very best of what our region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has to offer in our shared pursuit of improving the lives of people around the world,” says Bill Mezzanotte, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Vice President, Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer for CSL Behring – company sponsor of this year’s Nucleus Awards – and member of the University City Science Center Board of Directors.
“Congratulations to Ben, Aurora and Sylvester for your outstanding examples of the tangible impact that novel technologies can have on quality of life, economic development and societal welfare.”
BENJAMIN DORANZ
President and CEO of Integral Molecular
Commercialization Award
Sponsored by NewSpring Capital
Ben Doranz is President and CEO of Integral Molecular. Founded in 2001 at the Science Center and current uCity Square resident, Integral Molecular is a founding member of the Philadelphia biotech community with a history of excellence in antibody discovery for difficult to treat diseases and research in emerging viruses. In 2020 Integral Molecular rapidly pivoted its research and development programs in an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from the National Institute of Health and a team of talented scientists, Integral Molecular rapidly adapted many of its platform technologies to launch a suite of research solutions to accelerate the development of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics. These include Reporter Virus Particles (RVPs) to test for the presence of neutralizing antibodies in vaccinees and technologies to assess the breadth of human immune responses against this virus.
Dr. Doranz co-founded Integral Molecular together with colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania using virus-based technologies. He has led all aspects of the company’s growth since its inception, bringing five different technologies from research to market. His efforts have cultivated a company that is profitable while being actively engaged with the local community. Dr. Doranz is an established life science entrepreneur previously responsible for helping create startups at the Center for Technology Transfer at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Doranz earned a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. from Cornell University.
For more information about Nucleus or to purchase tickets, visit www.ucscNucleus.org.
