A company involved in skin cancer research, which was founded by two UA professors, has won a prestigious bioscience award.

Niadyne, Inc. won the Arizona Bioindustry Association’s “”Bioscience Company of the Year”” award during ABA’s Excellence in Bioscience Awards Dinner held June 20.

The founders of Niadyne, Inc. are a husband-and-wife pair, Drs. Myron and Elaine Jacobson, professors of pharmacology and toxicology. They have conducted more than 30 years of research in pharmacology, toxicology and medicinal chemistry.

“”Niadyne, Inc., is an excellent example of science and business blending together for better health and a better economy in Arizona,”” said J. Lyle Bootman, dean of the UA College

of Pharmacy.

“”Mike and Elaine Jacobson have brought a wealth of experience in pharmacy research and education to the College of Pharmacy, as well as a growing biotechnology company to Tucson.””

The BIO5 Institute nominated the Jacobsons and Niadyne for their work in the fields of dermatological disease prevention and heart disease prevention. The “”Bioscience Company of the Year”” award is “”awarded to the most significant Arizona-based for-profit bioscience company in 2006 with more than a year of revenues,”” according to the ABA Web site.

“”The company they founded, Niadyne, is an excellent example of translating discoveries into real-world applications that benefit people,”” Deborah Daun, coordinator for marketing and communications at the BIO5 Institute, wrote in an e-mail.

Niadyne has been developing and testing topical pharmaceuticals for treating and preventing skin cancer since its founding in 1997. So far it has 17 patents on its products and 10 more patents pending. The company also invests a large portion of its proceeds on research, Elaine Jacobson wrote in an e-mail.

“”Niadyne Development Inc. is spending a majority of its funds on skin cancer research,”” Jacobson wrote. “”Our current burn rate is around $2 million per year at this stage of development.””

The company’s business model is to “”create an ongoing revenue stream from the sale of several lines of cosmecutical products to help fund long-term drug research that targets life-threatening diseases such as skin cancer and heart disease,”” she wrote.