Georgia Bio Names 2022 Golden Helix Award Winners

Clearside Biomedical’s Rafael Andino and The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Krishnendu Roy to be Honored with Top Award

ATLANTA, GA (April 11, 2022) – Georgia Bio, the state’s life science trade association, will celebrate its annual Golden Helix Awards on Thursday, May 5 th . Georgia Bio is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Golden Helix Awards and be returning to an in-person celebration.

Clearside Biomedical’s Rafael V. Andino and The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Krishnendu Roy are the recipients of the 2022 Industry Growth Awards for their impact on the life sciences industry in the state. The Industry Growth Awards are the highest honors bestowed each year by Georgia Bio.

The Golden Helix Awards celebrate the contributions and achievements of Georgia legislative, academic, corporate, and other organizational leaders working to advance the growth of the life sciences industry and foster strategic partnerships that can create a healthier world. The event is expected to draw 300 of the state’s life sciences industry leaders.

“We are thrilled to have our annual awards dinner return to being an in-person celebration of the individuals and companies who are making waves in the life sciences industry,” said Maria Thacker Goethe, CEO, Georgia Bio and the Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI), “Our community strives to improve patients’ lives, support workforce development, grow Georgia’s economy, and be a driving force for good in the world. The Golden Helix Awards highlights those lasting contributions made by many in the life sciences sector in Georgia.”

Now in its 24 th year, the Golden Helix Award winners showcase the best in innovation and leadership in Georgia’s community. Georgia Bio presents awards to individuals and companies in eight categories: Industry Growth; Deals of the Year; Community; Innovation; Emerging Leader; Biotech Teacher of the Year; Legislator of the Year; and the Metro Atlanta Chamber sponsored Phoenix Award. Winners are some of Georgia’s hardest working innovators and entrepreneurs producing advanced medicines, diagnostics and technologies to improve medical care.

Companies being honored with the distinguished Deal of the Year award include: Antios Therapeutics for their successful fundraising efforts, which included closing on a Series B financing round totaling $107 million dollars; Axion Biosystems for their sale to Summa Capital; Guide Therapeutics for their sale to Beam Therapeutics; Danimer Scientific for their $700 million dollar expansion of a 2,000,000-square-foot facility in Bainbridge, Georgia; MedShape, Inc. for their sale to DJO; Intuitive Surgical’s commitment to creating 1,200 new jobs that will have an average salary of over $130,000 in Gwinnett County; Kennesaw State University for earning a three-year, $809,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to strengthen the University’s research and diversity infrastructures in the biomedical fields; Sharecare for going public through a merger with Falcon Capital Acquisition Corp.; Strados Labs for raising $4.5M in Pre-series A Funding; and VERO Biotech for receiving $100 million in a Series E financing round led by MVM Partners (MVM).

“The Metro Atlanta Chamber is honored to present the Phoenix Award this year to two titans of economic development in Georgia for their partnership in creating the Delta Innovation Hub at the University of Georgia, said David Hartnett, Chief Economic Development Officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and member of the Georgia Bio Awards Committee. “Their collaboration will invigorate Georgia’s innovation ecosystem for years to come and symbolizes what the spirit of the Golden Helix Awards and Phoenix Awards is all about.”

AWARD WINNERS 

Georgia Bio Industry Growth Awards:  Presented to two people who have made an extraordinary contribution to the growth of the life sciences industry in Georgia.

  • Rafael V. Andino, Clearside Biomedical, Inc.
  • Krishnendu Roy, Georgia Institute of Technology

Phoenix Award:  The Phoenix award represents the iconic “rising from the ashes” of the Phoenix, a symbol of strength, tenacity and leadership and is presented to celebrate the best Industry and Academic collaborations. The two Georgia honorees will have forged academic and industry relationships that will drive translation and lead to new treatments and cures. This award is sponsored by the  Metro Atlanta Chamber. 

  • Delta Air Lines Foundation
  • UGA Innovation District

Deals of the Year Awards:  Presented to one or more companies or institutions for the most significant financial or commercial transactions closed from January 1, 2021-December 31, 2021, based on the importance of the transaction to Georgia’s life sciences industry. 

Acquisitions 

Summa Capital acquisition of Axion Biosystems

Beam Therapeutics acquisition of Guide Therapeutics

DJO acquisition of MedShape, Inc.

Economic Development

Danimer Scientific

Intuitive Surgical

Private Financing 

Antios Therapeutics

Sharecare

Strados Labs

VERO Biotech

Public Financing 

Kennesaw State University

Community Awards:  Presented to a small number of individuals, companies or institutions whose contributions to Georgia’s life sciences community are worthy of special recognition. 

  • Ian Biggs, University of Georgia Innovation Gateway
  • Angelita Howard, EdD, MBA-PM, MA, Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, Emory University & Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Dorothy Leone-Glasser, RN, HHC, Advocates for Responsible Care
  • Marine Extension & Georgia Sea Grant, University of Georgia
  • Grace Powers, MS, MBA, RAC, Powers Regulatory Consulting
  • Ryan White Program, Augusta University

Innovation Awards:  Presented to the department, institution, company or individuals who are forging new ground by thinking outside traditional paradigms to create some unique technology. 

  • GENOSYL, VERO Biotech

Emerging Leader of the Year Awards:  Presented to young individuals who have made a significant impact on the life sciences industry through their studies or employment. 

  • Aaron Enten, PhD, MBA, Insight Optics

Teacher of the Year Award:  Presented to a Georgia biotechnology high school teacher who exhibits excellence in STEM teaching and support for the biotechnology pathway. 

  • Cynthia Greer, North Hall High School

Legislators of the Year Award:  Presented to state legislators for their support of the life sciences industry in Georgia. 

  • The Honorable Chuck Hufstetler, Georgia State Senate
  • The Honorable Shaw Blackmon, Georgia House of Representatives

For a list of past Georgia Bio Industry Growth Award recipients,  click here. 

ABOUT GEORGIA BIO (GaBio) 

Georgia Bio is a division of the Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI), a 501(c)(3) organization that was launched in January 2020 to bring together diverse Global Health, Health Technology and Life Sciences entities to collaborate, innovate and activate solutions to enhance human health outcomes around the world. Visit CGHI at  cghi.org. 

Credentialed members of the news media are invited to attend as guests. Please register with Georgia Bio. 

Media Contact:

Ryan Brooks

404-805-2456 

Announcing the Launch of the Life Sciences Workforce Collaborative — and a Preview of What’s Ahead

By Sheran Brown • June 17, 2025
This week marks an important milestone for workforce development in the U.S. life sciences sector: the official launch of the Life Sciences Workforce Collaborative (LSWC) . Formerly known as the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI) , LSWC premiered at the 2025 BIO International Convention as a new national nonprofit—building on over a decade of state and regional leadership to expand industry-aligned solutions for talent development. As the life sciences industry confronts evolving technologies, shifting economic headwinds, and persistent workforce challenges - including specialized talent needs, unmet demand for skilled biomanufacturers, positioning for future growth —LSWC offers a unified platform to scale solutions, support workforce readiness, and strengthen public-private partnerships across the country. Just out of the gate, the new organization is pleased to announce a major insight-driven release later this month: the upcoming 2025 National Life Sciences Workforce Trends Report , produced in partnership with TEConomy Partners and the NSF-funded InnovATEBIO National Biotech Education Center . Comprised of data from over 700 life science companies and 2.9 million job postings, the report will go live on June 24, 2025. Why This Matters The newly launched LSWC builds on more than a decade of trusted collaboration among 50+ state, regional and national life science organizations and workforce partners. Its mission: to align, advise, and accelerate talent development efforts across the entire life sciences talent pipeline—from middle school to mid-career--to build a competitive life sciences workforce. Next week, the LSWC will launch the 2025 National Workforce Trends Report, the organization’s flagship effort. Now in its seventh edition, this biennial report draws on: Responses from over 500 companies across 30 states and Puerto Rico Interviews with over 200 life science executives Analysis of 2.9 million unique job postings across the U.S. from the last four years The report is the definitive source for understanding the real-world trends shaping hiring, upskilling, and STEM education engagement across the life sciences ecosystem. More to come next week. What Comes Next In the weeks ahead, we’ll be working with our partners to roll out media toolkits, schedule events, and activate coordinated campaigns to bring visibility to both the LSWC launch and the report. We are deeply grateful to our investor-level supporters—AZBio/AZ Advances, BioNJ, BioUtah, California Life Sciences, Georgia Life Sciences/Institute, Colorado Bioscience Association/Institute, MichBio, NewYorkBIO/Institute, Ohio Life Sciences, Oregon Bioscience Association, SCbio, and Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio)—LSWC partners and connectors, and to every organization that has shaped this initiative from the ground up. Together, we are building a stronger, competitive, and future-ready workforce—one that ensures the U.S. remains the global leader in biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and life sciences innovation. Stay tuned and learn how you can partner with us to advance the life sciences workforce. Learn more at: www.LifeSciencesWorkforce.org For media inquiries: connect@lifesciencesworkforce.org

Georgia Life Sciences Accepted into ARPA‑H Customer Experience Hub

By Sheran Brown • June 16, 2025
GLS has been named a new Spoke Member of the ARPA‑H Customer Experience Hub—ARPA‑H’s patient‑centric network dedicated to embedding real-world user insights and representation into health innovation. As part of the nationwide ARPANET‑H hub‑and‑spoke initiative (with hubs in Dallas, Boston, and D.C.), Georgia Life Sciences will help prioritize inclusive design, usability testing, and equitable trial participation in next-gen therapies.

BIO Statement on HHS Dismissal of CDC Advisory Committee Members

By Sheran Brown • June 10, 2025
June 9, 2025
MORE POSTS