Alumnus to deliver distinguished alumni lecture Sept. 22
Jim Benedict, vice president of research and development at Cerapedics Inc., in Denver, Colo., will deliver a Minnesota State University Moorhead Distinguished Alumni Lecture Thursday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. in the Science Lab room 118 on the MSUM campus. It is a part of the university’s homecoming week activities. The talk and reception following are free and open to the public.
Benedict, a 1966 chemistry graduate, will talk on “Bisphosphonates as a Therapy for Osteoporosis; and Other Wonderful Stops on My Trip from MSUM to Today.” Benedict also received a Ph.D. in organometallic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As a senior research chemist at Procter & Gamble Co. In Cincinnati, Ohio, Benedict invented Risedronate, the pharmaceutically active bisphosphonate component in Actonel, one of the nation’s leading drugs for combating the debilitating effects of osteoporosis. In 1986, Benedict began working at Sulzer Biologics in Denver, and led their bone growth factor research program. He helped found Cerapedics LLC in 2002, developing a new category of bone grafting materials used by spine and trauma surgeons in spine fusion procedures and skeletal repair.
At MSUM, he was a member of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity, a resident assistant and a four-year starting center for the Dragons football team.