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RuiYi, Inc. announced today a $15 million Series B financing by existing investors: 5AM Ventures, Versant Ventures, Apposite Capital, SR One, the independent corporate healthcare venture capital fund of GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Serono Ventures, the strategic corporate venture fund of Merck Serono, and Aravis SA. RuiYi has a pipeline of innovative monoclonal antibodies to previously untargeted G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) for important global, therapeutic needs. The financing will support the continued development of RuiYi’s lead asset, RYI-008, a novel anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibody (mAb), and the discovery and development of new therapeutic mAbs targeting GPCRs, including a first-in-class mAb to cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB-1), a commercially validated but previously intractable drug target. In addition, RuiYi expanded the leadership team, appointing Erik Karrer, Ph.D. as chief scientific officer and Brian Campion, Ph.D. as vice president of business development. 

Doctors and Life Science Professionals: Invest in what you know!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM

The original idea for the subtitle of this meeting was “doctors don’t have to be bad investors!” Doctors have the resources to invest, but often lack the time or expertise needed to evaluate investment opportunities.

However, with healthcare now the fastest growing sector of the economy, physicians are uniquely positioned to use their knowledge to invest wisely and achieve great returns.  Additionally, with all the recent SEC changes, new approaches to investing, such as crowd equity, bring opportunities to take part in investing like never before. Therefore, for doctors, it starts with investing in what you know!

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a new round of funding for the Innovation Corps Sites (I-Corps Sites) Program.  Housed at institutions of higher education, I-Corps Sites are intended to:

• Nurture students and/or faculty who are engaged in NSF-funded research projects with commercial potential;
• Provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and funding to enable groups to transition their scientific and engineering discoveries into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants;
• Support and mentor I-Corps Teams; and,
• Develop formal, active, local innovation ecosystems that contribute to a larger, national network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.

15-month, global online program combines academics with new web-based incubator

The University of Maryland, a national leader in entrepreneurship education and venture creation, today announces it will offer a new master’s degree program in technology entrepreneurship starting this fall.

The 30-credit, 15-month Master of Technology Entrepreneurship, available online to current and aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide, features the university’s most advanced and comprehensive entrepreneurship curriculum to date, taking students from concept development and prototyping to business model generation and customer validation, as well as legal aspects of entrepreneurship, financial and innovation management, and effective growth strategies.

This Request for Information (RFI) solicits input from the public regarding interagency research awards via competitive grants, contracts, or other vehicles provided by a Federal agency to a researcher at a Federal laboratory that is managed, owned, or operated by another Federal agency. Applicable research awards include extramural research awards awarded to intramural researchers in Federal laboratories. Federal laboratories include Government-Owned, Government-Operated laboratories (GOGOs) and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Research awards pay for research projects and supporting resources, including the salaries of the principal investigators. The public input provided in response to this Notice will inform the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as it works with Federal agencies and other stakeholders to develop best practices for agencies.

GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) today announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for its once-weekly diabetes treatment, Eperzan® (albiglutide).  Eperzan is indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults, to improve glucose control as:

• Monotherapy, when diet and exercise alone do not provide adequate glycaemic control in patients for whom the use of metformin is considered inappropriate due to contraindications or intolerance1
• Add-on combination therapy, in combination with other glucose-lowering medicinal products, including basal insulin, when these, together with diet and exercise, do not provide adequate glycaemic control.1

The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), Maryland’s largest technology trade association for life science and technology, today announced that individuals from IBM, Sucampo Pharmaceuticals and the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) were named to the board of directors.

“The Tech Council of Maryland is very pleased to welcome our newest directors to the board,” said Phil Schiff, TCM’s CEO. “These individuals bring expertise in technology, life science and higher education that will enhance the depth and breadth of TCM’s leadership.”

As the health care industry undergoes some of the most dramatic change in its history, data and innovation are key to its future.

That’s the message U.S. Department of Health and Human Services CTO and Entrepreneur-in-Residence Bryan Sivak delivered Wednesday morning at a Nashville Health Care Council briefing. Sivak, who has several entrepreneurial ventures on his resume, briefed the attendees on HHS’ IDEA Lab, a project that stands for Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship and Action.