WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – En’Urga, Kylin Therapeutics and Passageways, three Purdue Research Park-based firms, were named by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. in its second annual list of 50 Companies to Watch.

“These three companies represent some of the key economic sectors – life sciences, information technology and engineering – that will diversify and strengthen Indiana’s economy,” said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation, which manages the Purdue Research Park. “Recognition in the Companies to Watch program is a great honor for an entrepreneur, especially when you consider that nearly 450 companies were nominated for the award.”

The program is sponsored by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and its Small Business Development Center network; Barnes & Thorburg LLP; KeyBank; Premier Capital Corporation; Katz, Sapper & Miller; Purdue University; and the Edward Lowe Foundation. An awards ceremony will be held Aug. 27 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.

The Purdue Research Park-based firms included in the 2009 list include:

* En’Urga Inc., which helps some of the world’s largest manufacturers, utility companies and government agencies maintain quality and efficiency while protecting the environment through its products and contract services in combustion diagnostics and combustion systems analysis.

* Kylin Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company that employs an RNA nanoparticle technology platform called pRNA to exploit the enormous potential of RNA interference (RNAi) for treatment of many common diseases. This platform has enormous potential to meet the huge market opportunity for treating cancer and other diseases with RNA-based therapeutics. The unique capabilities of the platform have enabled Kylin to overcome the most significant challenges in the development of RNA-based therapies.

* Passageways LLC, a leading portal provider to the community bank and credit union industry. Passageways’ mission is to provide an affordable portal strategy for financial institutions of all sizes, helping employees, directors and partners become more efficient in collaboration and communications.

Last year, Purdue Research Park-based companies named as Companies to Watch were Cook Biotech Inc., Endocyte Inc., Next Wave Systems LLC, Quadraspec Inc. and Simulex Inc.

About Purdue Research Park

The 725-acre Purdue Research Park (http://www.purdueresearchpark.com) has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The park is home to more than 157 companies. About 100 of these firms are technology-related and another 39 are incubator businesses. The park is owned and managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue University in the area of economic development. In addition to the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, the foundation has established technology parks in other locations around Indiana including Merrillville, New Albany and Indianapolis.

To the Purdue Research Park, http://www.purdueresearchpark.com

Purdue Research Park contact:

Steve Martin, 765-588-3342, sgmartin@prf.org

Source:

Joseph B. Hornett, 765-588-1039, jbhornett@prf.org