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October 19, 2021

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

BioHealth Innovation Appoints Aubrey Watkins III, Ph.D., M.S. to Board of Directors

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, Oct 18, 2020 – The Board of Directors of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) unanimously approved the appointment of Aubrey Watkins III, Ph.D., M.S. as a new board member. Aubrey Watkins III is a Senior Director, Corporate Development, Scientific Affairs, with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland; where he leads due diligence and technical evaluations to facilitate mergers and acquisitions that supports the company’s growth strategy. BHI would also like to congratulate Board of Directors members Jarrod Borkat as he takes a new role at CareDx as Vice President Corporate Development, and Bob Silverman in his new role as Chief Business Officer with Rejuveron Life Sciences.

“I am delighted to welcome Aubrey to our Board of Directors,” said Richard Bendis, BHI President, and CEO. “BioHealth Innovation and Emergent BioSolutions have had a long and productive relationship. We look forward to having Aubrey as a part of this Board to share his experience and perspective.”

A US – UK Discussion: How to Conduct Clinical Trials as Seth Toback, Vice President, Clinical Development at Novavax and Divya Chadha Manek, Director of Business Development at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) join Rich Bendis on BioTalk.

Listen now via Apple https://apple.co/3BSIFjn, Google https://bit.ly/3j7YyLt, Spotify https://spoti.fi/2Z474Ec, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/3DUweUz.

Divya Chadha Manek was appointed as the NIHR CRN’s Head of Commercial Business Development in 2015 then in 2020, Divya was seconded to the UK Vaccines Taskforce (VTF) which was set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to lead the UK’s search for a safe and effective vaccine. Divya was responsible for supporting global pharmaceutical companies to rapidly generate the evidence required for marketing authorisation of COVID-19 vaccines. Divya also played a pivotal role in conceptualising and developing the NHS Vaccine Research Registry.

Life Sciences Business Strategist - Open Position!

BioHealth Innovation (BHI) is an innovation intermediary that facilitates the commercialization of emerging technologies in the BioHealth Capital Region (Maryland, DC and Virginia).

BHI is seeking a Life Sciences Business Strategist to join its team in Rockville, Maryland. This position provides the opportunity to leverage scientific knowledge to evaluate the commercial potential of emerging technologies and provide recommendations on go-to-market strategies.

This is a customer facing role with a focus on supporting clients in the development of commercial analyses and federal grant proposals.

Click here for more details.

Full Interview: Nearly True Tales of Innovation - Jennifer McCaney & Kwame Ulmer - YouTube

Benjamin Glenn of A Matter of Innovation sits down with Jennifer McCaney PhD, (Co-Executive Director UCLA Biodesign) and Kwame Ulmer, MD (Venture Partner Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health and BHI/NIH Entrepreneur in Residence) to discuss the new UCLA Biodesign curriculum and their landmark study which asks the question:

“What does it take to bring a novel medical technology to market in the year 2021”?

Topics include how companies large and small are currently dealing with regulatory and reimbursement, the current palette of investment strategies and the possible trend towards a US first launch strategy as the norm. The study so far has produced insightful data on medtech companies owned and operated by people of color and the detailed novel solutions borne out of experiences unique to these communities - as well as the benefits of a fresh focus on addressing unmet clinical needs as a wellspring for powerful new innovations, essential data and a better future for all.

Click here to watch the video.

BHI EIR Feedback Day October 27th. Register Now!

Are you a biohealth start-up in Maryland, DC or Virginia seeking feedback on your biohealth business idea, pitch deck, or commercialization plan? Schedule your feedback session with BHI EIRs on one of the following dates. Pre-registration is required; Sign up here tinyurl.com/EIRfeedback

For questions/more information, contact BHI.

Emergent BioSolutions Announces Initiation of Pivotal Phase 3 Study Evaluating the Safety and Immunogenicity of Its Single-Dose Chikungunya Vaccine Candidate, CHIKV VLP | Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced the first participant dosed in its pivotal phase 3 study evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of the company’s investigational chikungunya virus (CHIKV) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate, CHIKV VLP, in a single dose. CHIKV VLP is the only VLP-based vaccine currently in clinical development for active immunization against chikungunya disease.

In Conversation: John Mumm, Chief Executive Officer, Deka Biosciences · BioBuzz

John Mumm, the chief executive officer of Germantown’s Deka Biosciences, describes the body’s immune system as a ballet. While the dancers take the stage and command attention, Mumm notes that it’s the symphony that guides the performance and dictates where the dancers need to be.

Tips for Small Business Applicants | National Institute on Aging

What Does a Successful Submission Look Like?

Offers Innovative solutions to a significant unmet clinical need
Provides solutions that have significant commercial potential
Corresponds to one of NIA’s research priorities
Leverages the expertise of the company/founder
Seeks funding to produce feasibility data (Phase I) or conduct product-focused development activities (Phase II)

National Science Foundation Issues Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant to The Wrightguard Innovations Corporation in Support of Novel Mouthguard Technology

BALTIMORE, Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wrightguard Innovations Corporation (TWGIC), a University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) startup company developing smart mouthguard technology designed to protect athletes, announced today that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the company an SBIR grant totaling more than $250K.

Developed by the University of Maryland's School of Dentistry (UMSOD) faculty member Radi Masri, DDS, MS, PhD, and Michael Wright, DDS, MS, CEO and founder of TWGIC, the technology is a smart mouthguard with physiological tracking capabilities that provides real-time monitoring for a variety of biometrics, such as force of impact, pH and hydration levels, as well as body temperature. Currently in the prototyping and beta testing phase, the technology can be used to collect multi-sensor data in real time, enabling more advanced physiological analysis and a new level of safety and performance for athletes.

Pionieren in de Polder - Miniatuurorganen op een chip (Paul Vulto co-founder of BHI client MIMETAS)

For our Dutch-speaking following, there is a podcast available with our CEO Paul Vulto. In this podcast series “Pioneren in de polder”, different entrepreneurs talk about starting and growing their company in the Leiden Bio Science Park. Listen to the podcast to hear about the origin story of MIMETAS, our launching customer, and of course Paul’s musical talents! e

Q3 2021 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor | PitchBook

Exits top $582 billion as US VC continues its extraordinary year

In nine months, the US venture capital industry turned 2021 into a year for the record books, leaving 2020's eye-popping numbers far behind.

The Q3 2021 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor depicts how the frenetic pace of dealmaking, exits, and fundraising has easily toppled last year's records, as venture capital's strength continues to support the country's economic recovery.

Mapping the Medical Device Start-up Ecosystem | by John G Younger | Bioeconomy.XYZ | Oct, 2021 | Medium

Medical devices are ubiquitous in US healthcare— everything from the delivery room’s sterile gloves and umbilical cord clamps to the breathtakingly sophisticated neurosurgical operating room’s stereotactic navigation systems. More than ever medical devices are a fusion of hardware, software, and even synthetic living material. These are the physical tools through which new life science discoveries improve our lives.

Distrust, Fear Hamper COVID Vaccinations, Clinical Trial Diversity

TYSONS CORNER, Va., Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As of late September, 77% of the total adult population of the U.S. had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Black and Hispanic people, however, remain less likely than whites to have received a vaccine, leaving them at increased risk of infection, particularly as the novel variant spreads.(1) Some of this hesitance to vaccination, notes Dr. Harsha Rajasimha, founder and CEO of Jeeva Informatics, is rooted in long-lost trust. "We see it in clinical trials as well," he says. "Black and brown people need the medicines and therapies being developed but are less inclined to trust the professionals who develop them." This is unfortunate.

Grand Opening at USM Southern Maryland (USMSM) Celebrates New, $86 Million 'SMART' Innovation Center to Expand Educational Opportunities, Autonomous Vehicles Research - USM

Baltimore, Md. (Oct. 12, 2021) – State of Maryland leaders will join University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Jay A. Perman at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15 to celebrate the unveiling of the Academic & Innovation Center for the University System of Maryland (USM) at Southern Maryland (USMSM) in California, MD.

The new Southern Maryland Autonomous Research and Technology (SMART) building is an $86 million, 84,000-square foot academic and research facility that will nearly double the educational footprint of USMSM, create autonomous systems research space, and spur economic activity and job growth.

Image: https://www.usmd.edu