The former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, tells Reuters that in his new role as a venture capitalist, he is interested in supporting companies examining new antibiotics.
“I’m very interested in finding opportunities in the anti-infective space, particularly around multi-drug resistant organisms,” Gottlieb tells Reuters. “Anti-infectives have been unloved for a very long time. There’s a huge clinical need.”
GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 31, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NexImmune, a clinical stage immunotherapy company developing novel T cell therapies, received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance for the company’s first cellular therapy product. NEXI-001 is being developed for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with relapsed disease after an allogeneic hematopoietic cellular transplant (allo-HCT).
Scott Carmer, NexImmune’s President and CEO, commented “we are excited to initiate clinical trials with NEXI-001, and to provide these patients with a promising new treatment option. NEXI-001 is a product that is meaningfully differentiated from other cellular therapies in that it contains multiple populations of antigen specific endogenous T cells with enhanced anti-tumor properties. Because of this, we are hopeful NEXI-001 will address key limitations observed with other cellular immunotherapies; specifically, tumor escape through single target down-regulation and tumor relapse due to diminished T cell persistence.”
The biotech company is developing a cell therapy that could help patients who have suffered a heart attack. It’s the latest company led by medtech entrepreneur Bill Niland. NeoProgen, a Baltimore-based company led by medtech entrepreneur Bill Niland, raised $1.5 million in seed funding as it develops a cell therapy for patients following a heart attack.
The round featured an all-Maryland lineup of investors: The University System of Maryland’s Momentum Fund, which contributed $245,000; TEDCO; and UM Ventures, which is the commercialization arm of the University of Maryland.
Like his earlier venture, Harpoon Medical, NeoProgen has origins in research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. That’s where Dr. Sunjay Kaushal, a leading pediatric cardiac surgeon, found that a specific kind of stem cells are extremely effective in regenerating muscle tissue in the heart.
To cap off the TEDCO Entrepreneur Expo, there was a special ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) to the state of Maryland.
Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz did the honors of conferring the Secretary’s Citation to the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) on behalf of the citizens of the state for selecting College Park as the home of its HQ2.
We are excited to welcome back Brian Darmody and grateful to have the of Association of University Research Parks (AURP)’s HQ2. in the University of Maryland’s very own research park, the Discovery District.
AstraZeneca and BioHealth Innovations, Inc is hosting the semi-annual Bio Networking event on November 6th from 3pm-5pm at the AstraZeneca Campus in Gaithersburg, MD. Come to this FREE event, which will bring together biotech professionals from Maryland, DC, and Virginia (the BioHealth Capital Region). You never know who you will meet and what you can achieve together!
Please register to confirm your attendance. Although the event is free, registration is REQUIRED. Please contact admin@taylormadeexperience.com with any questions.
Michael Lenardo, M.D., Chief, Molecular Development of the Immune System Section NIAID/DIR, joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss his work at NIH, his recent election to the National Academy of Medicine, and advice for fellow scientists
Listen now on Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/2Ws6L0v, Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/2WupsAq, and TuneIn http://bit.ly/2Pve2ex
Michael Lenardo attended the Johns Hopkins University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences in 1977. He then attended Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. and obtained his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1981. He carried out clinical and research training at the University of Iowa from 1981-1985. He was then a Research Fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with an adjunct appointment at Harvard Medical School. During this time, he carried out molecular biology research under the mentorship of Nobel laureates David Baltimore and Philip Sharp. He was then appointed Section Chief in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health from 1989 to the present, directing research on T-lymphocyte regulation, HIV-1, and genetic diseases of the immune system. He has served on the editorial boards for the European Journal of Immunology, the Journal of Experimental Medicine, Science magazine, and Biology Direct. He is an Adjunct Professor of Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University. He has founded or co-founded several joint research programs including the NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Biomedical Research Scholars, the NIH-University of Pennsylvania Immunology Program, the NIH-Marshall Scholars, the NIH-Rhodes Scholars, the National M.D./Ph.D. partnership program, and the NIH-Institut Pasteur Infectious Disease and Immunology Program.
Dr. Lenardo has published over 200 scholarly works and holds a number of medical patents. He discovered the propriocidal mechanism of immune regulation and his work has defined several genetic diseases of the immune system including the Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome, Caspase-8 deficiency syndrome, and X-linked magnesium deficiency with EBV and neoplasia (XMEN) disease. He is currently the Director of the Clinical Genomics Program and Chief of the Molecular Development of the Immune System Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. Among his honors and awards, he is Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.), conferred by Queen Elizabeth II, March, 2006 and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Medicine.
He is married to Lesley-Anne Furlong, M.D. and has two sons, Brian and Timothy.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID’s mission is to conduct basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
NIAID has “intramural” (in-house) laboratories in Maryland and Montana, and funds research conducted by scientists at institutions in the United States and throughout the world. NIAID also works closely with partners in academia, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations in multifaceted and multidisciplinary efforts to address emerging health challenges such as the pandemic H1N1/09 virus.
Michael Lenardo, M.D., Chief, Molecular Development of the Immune System Section NIAID/DIR, joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss his work at NIH, his recent election to the National Academy of Medicine, and advice for fellow scientists
Listen now on Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/2Ws6L0v, Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/2WupsAq, and TuneIn http://bit.ly/2Pve2ex
Michael Lenardo attended the Johns Hopkins University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences in 1977. He then attended Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. and obtained his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1981. He carried out clinical and research training at the University of Iowa from 1981-1985. He was then a Research Fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with an adjunct appointment at Harvard Medical School. During this time, he carried out molecular biology research under the mentorship of Nobel laureates David Baltimore and Philip Sharp. He was then appointed Section Chief in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health from 1989 to the present, directing research on T-lymphocyte regulation, HIV-1, and genetic diseases of the immune system. He has served on the editorial boards for the European Journal of Immunology, the Journal of Experimental Medicine, Science magazine, and Biology Direct. He is an Adjunct Professor of Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University. He has founded or co-founded several joint research programs including the NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Biomedical Research Scholars, the NIH-University of Pennsylvania Immunology Program, the NIH-Marshall Scholars, the NIH-Rhodes Scholars, the National M.D./Ph.D. partnership program, and the NIH-Institut Pasteur Infectious Disease and Immunology Program.
Dr. Lenardo has published over 200 scholarly works and holds a number of medical patents. He discovered the propriocidal mechanism of immune regulation and his work has defined several genetic diseases of the immune system including the Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome, Caspase-8 deficiency syndrome, and X-linked magnesium deficiency with EBV and neoplasia (XMEN) disease. He is currently the Director of the Clinical Genomics Program and Chief of the Molecular Development of the Immune System Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. Among his honors and awards, he is Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.), conferred by Queen Elizabeth II, March, 2006 and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Medicine.
He is married to Lesley-Anne Furlong, M.D. and has two sons, Brian and Timothy.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID’s mission is to conduct basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.
NIAID has “intramural” (in-house) laboratories in Maryland and Montana, and funds research conducted by scientists at institutions in the United States and throughout the world. NIAID also works closely with partners in academia, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations in multifaceted and multidisciplinary efforts to address emerging health challenges such as the pandemic H1N1/09 virus.
The second annual Biohealth Capital Region Investment Conference attracted 108 companies and 47 participating investors—both conference records—and has already resulted in an investment deal for Gaithersburg’s MiRecule, an early-stage biotech focused on microRNA-based cancer therapy development.
The conference, which was held at AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg on October 15 and 16, was designed to increase the concentration of venture capital opportunities within the region’s ecosystem. BioHealth Innovation (BHI), J.P. Morgan, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR), Deloitte, AstraZeneca, NIST and The Maryland Department of Commerce all played critical roles in the conference’s success.
On Thursday, November 7, join JLABS @ Washington, DC as representatives from Johnson & Johnson Innovation provide an overview of goals and mission, highlighting how Johnson & Johnson Innovation interacts with the entrepreneurial community through JLABS, JJDC, the Innovation Centers and Janssen Business & Development.
Click here for more information.
Super Angel Investor, Faz Bashi, MD, guests on BioTalk from the BioHealth Capital Region Investor Conference to talk about his background in Immunology/Virology, Venture Investing, and coming to the BioHealth Capital Region.
Listen on Google Podcasts bit.ly/2qR2cRE, Apple Podcasts apple.co/32Ta8A3, and TuneIn bit.ly/2Nip5VJ.
Dr. Faz Bashi, M.D., has a background in Immunology and Virology from UCSF. Faz is the Chair of the Medical Device Screening Committee of Life Science Angels and is an active member of the LSA screening committee for Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals. He is also the Chair of the Angel Capital Association’s Life Sciences Syndication Group, is a member of the Berkeley Angel Network, and was one of the founding members of Healthtech Capital, where he served two years on the Board of Directors.
He is an adjunct professor in the Integrative Health Studies program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Faz is an active advisor to the UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute. He had worked previously at San Mateo Medical Center developing and implementing special clinical projects targeted towards helping those who are under-served, which included projects focused on TeleDermatology, Diabetic Retinopathy, Screening, and advancements in electronic medical records. Faz is an active consultant to Coleman Associates as a Deep Dive expert, and he coaches public health clinics and safety net organizations on improving their workflow processes. He currently serves as an External Advisory Board Member at The Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design.
