Indian origin biotechnologist in tech hall of fame
Tuesday, 31 October 2006, 20:30 IST
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New York: An Indian origin biotechnologist and pharmaceuticals expert is one of two people to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of a premier industry-led technology organisation in the U.S. Dr. Dinesh Patel, considered by many to be the father of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals in the Mountain West region, and Dr. Jim Kajiya, an acclaimed graphics and hardware designer, have become the 21st and 22nd inductees of the Utah Technology Council's (UTC) Hall of Fame. The honour was conferred on the two at the Council's annual Hall of Fame gala event held in Salt Lake City last weekend, which had Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer as the keynote speaker. Currently a partner in vSpring, a venture capital firm, Patel was born and raised in Zambia. He got his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Gujarat University in India and then did his master's in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. He followed this up with a Ph.D. in physical pharmacy from the University of Michigan. A holder of 15 US patents and foreign counterparts, he is the founder of Ashni Naturaceuticals, a company that specialises in the research, development and marketing of clinically tested and patent-protected naturaceutical products. Patel was an active angel investor in over 20 biotech and technology companies and serves on the boards of several non-profit organisations. The UTC honour is the latest in a series of awards that he has won in his illustrious career. UTC is a privately funded industry trade association, and was formed by the merger of the Utah Information Technology Association (UITA) and the Utah Life Science Association (ULSA) in April 2006. It is the leading professional organisation for Utah's more than 3,900 technology companies.
Source: IANS
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