2006 Biotechnology Heritage Award Announced

The Chemical Heritage Foundation and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO, Washington, DC, www.bio.org) presented the 8th Annual Biotechnology Heritage Award to Alejandro Zaffaroni, PhD, a biotechnology pioneer and entrepreneur. The award was presented on April 10 at BIO 2006 in Chicago. "Dr. Zaffaroni's scientific contributions, particularly in the area of drug delivery, have enhanced healthcare for people throughout the world," said BIO President Jim Greenwood.

Zaffaroni developed and patented several transdermal, controlled-release drug delivery methods and founded ALZA Corporation (Mountain View, CA, www.alza.com) to bring this technology to the world market. Early in his career, Zaffaroni helped transform Syntex (Mexico City, Mexico), a small chemical company, into a major pharmaceutical company that pioneered the development of oral contraceptive pills. He later founded companies such as DNAX, Affymax, and Affymetrix to that developed medical and pharmaceutical products.

In 1995, President Bill Clinton awarded Zaffaroni the National Medal of Technology in recognition of his contributions to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He became the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the University of California at Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum in 1998 and was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.