admin

Despite the serious impacts of the coronavirus, MIPS is continuing its normal business activities, although we have moved many of our operations online. Our upcoming round of proposals are due May 1 at 5 p.m. We continue to work with the Maryland business and academic communities to support your efforts to develop technology products and services. Now is an excellent time to develop new products in order to have them ready for market when the U.S. economy begins to recover in the not-too-distant future.

Sterling, Virginia-based biotech company Aperiomics has launched a new test that can detect COVID-19.

Founded in 2014, the company uses genomic analysis and machine learning to detect known pathogens from a sample of any nature in just one test. Aperiomics reports that its Xplore-PATHO tech can accurately identify nearly 40,000 microorganisms including over 12,000 clinically relevant pathogens.

Image: An Xplore-COVID-19 testing kit from Aperiomics – Courtesy Photo

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a coronavirus test that can deliver a COVID-19 diagnosis in 45 minutes.

The test, made by California-based Cepheid, got emergency clearance on Saturday, eight days after the agency gave fast-track approval for a test by Roche, which can diagnose the novel coronavirus within three hours.

Not long ago, American entrepreneur and President of Lung Biotechnology PBC, Martine Rothblatt, was told her aspiration of converting conventional helicopters to electric power was impossible.

Fast forward to 2018 and not only is it a possibility but it’s also a reality – a reality that has granted Rothblatt along with her “dream team” – Tier 1 Engineering (USA) and test pilot, Captain Ric Webb of OC Helicopters (USA) – an official Guinness World Records title for Farthest flight by an electric helicopter (prototype).

Image: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com

NEEDHAM, Mass., March 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — For biopharma companies faced with increasing demand for new biologics, cell and gene therapies, and drug products, Thermo Fisher Scientific is investing more than $475 million in new capabilities and capacity in 2020. This investment, in addition to those made in 2019, brings the total investment over two years to approximately $800 million across the company’s pharma services business.

“We’ve invested strategically to ensure that lack of capabilities, capacity or supply is never a reason medicines are delayed in reaching patients,” said Mike Shafer, president, Thermo Fisher’s pharma services business. “Our offering can provide solutions at all points along the pathway to commercialization, whether it’s an emerging biotech working on vaccine for a novel virus or a high-volume pharmaceutical manufacturer delivering necessary drugs at scale.”

TERLING, Va., March 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Aperiomics, a biotechnology company deploying advanced technologies to identify the root causes of infectious disease, announced today it is now offering a test for the novel coronavirus.

Aperiomics’ Xplore-COVID-19™ test is available nationwide today and the company has already begun taking orders for the test. With the ability to process up to 1000 coronavirus tests per week, Aperiomics can provide test results within 48 to 72 hours of receiving a sample. The tests, which can be ordered for patients at a cost of $250 per sample, utilize a PCR technique designed to identify specific genetic markers within the coronavirus using samples obtained via throat swabs. This test utilizes existing sample collection, DNA extraction, and PCR identification technologies.

As more cases of COVID-19 are being reported and leaders seek tests and treatments, biotech companies are stepping up efforts to develop new tests and treatments.

That includes Maryland, where life sciences companies are working on vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. They’re also seeking to share what they’re working on and offer up resources: On Friday, Maryland Life Sciences is putting together a call with more than 15 companies where they’ll look to connect and share needs.

Cargo ships are huge polluters—in 2015, as they traveled the ocean delivering everything from smartphones to bananas, they emitted more than 200 million metric tons of CO2, roughly as much as the entire country of Vietnam. Unlike cars, which can easily be replaced with electric versions, ships are harder to decarbonize. But a relatively simple intervention from a new type of underwater robot can help significantly shrink emissions.

Image: Semcon – https://www.fastcompany.com

Executive Director of the Universities at Shady Grove, Stewart L. Edelstein, Ph.D., joins BioTalk to discuss his career, USG, and its role in the BioHealth Capital Region

Dr. Stewart Edelstein joined the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) as Executive Director in 2002 and in 2007 was named to the dual title of Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the University System of Maryland (USM).

USG is a regional campus of USM that offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs from nine partner universities. During Dr. Edelstein’s tenure, USG expanded its number of participating universities, as well as the breadth and depth of its academic programs, and enrollment has grown significantly, to more than 3,000 students. The campus’s capacity for future enrollment growth has doubled with the recent opening of a new Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Education Facility, which is expanding degree and certification offerings in healthcare, engineering, biosciences, computer science and other areas.