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BioHealth Innovation, Inc. Partner Company Developing Novel Non-Viral Gene Therapies for Treatment of Vascular Diseases.

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, July 25, 2017 – Artgen, Inc. is pleased to expand its collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore to advance its preclinical program for ART-101 under the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program. The proposal for “Novel targeted imaging applications for PAD” will be supported by a matching contribution from Artgen under the terms of the MIPS award guidelines.

“It has been a very positive experience to partner with Artgen, Inc. and University of Maryland, Baltimore. This initiative supports the overall mission of BHI to advance and foster innovation and company startups within the Maryland region.” said Rich Bendis, BHI President & CEO. “Companies like Artgen are building the next generation of the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR), and we’re looking forward to supporting their continued success.”

MIPS promotes the development and commercialization of products and processes through industry/university research partnerships. MIPS provides matching funds to help Maryland companies pay for the university research. Projects are initiated by the companies to meet their own research and development goals.

Emergent BioSolutions has agreed to acquire GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) anthrax monoclonal antibody, raxibacumab, for around $96m.

Raxibacumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody, which secured approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax due to Bacillus anthracis.

Lentigen Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, announced today its acquisition of immunotherapy start-up Living Pharma, Inc. Eduardo Davila, PhD, Living Pharma Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, who is also a faculty member of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), along with Koji Tamada, MD, PhD, UMSOM, invented Living Pharma’s anti-tag-chimeric antigen receptor (AT-CAR™) technology.

A startup that spun out of research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine was acquired 18 months after forming.

In a deal announced this week, Living Pharma was acquired by Lentigen Technology Inc., a Gaithersburg-based subsidiary of Miltenyi Biotec GmbH. Terms were not disclosed.

GSK announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new subcutaneous formulation of Benlysta (belimumab) for the treatment of adult patients with active, autoantibody-positive SLE who are receiving standard therapy. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is the most common form of lupus, a chronic, incurable autoimmune disease producing autoantibodies that can attack almost any system in the body. The approval marks the first subcutaneous self-injection treatment option for patients with SLE.

VLP Therapeutics, LLC (“VLP”), a biotechnology company focusing on the research and development of therapeutic and preventative vaccines and antibody agents, today announced the appointment of Jacob Licht as Chief Operating Officer. 

OpGen, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPGN) announces the closing of its previously announced public offering of 18,164,195 units at $0.40 per unit, and 6,835,805 pre-funded units at $0.39 per pre-funded unit, raising gross proceeds of approximately $10 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital and product development, particularly development of its rapid antibiotic resistance diagnostic product, and repayment of all outstanding bridge financing notes.

OMNITEC Solutions, Inc.’s Health Services Division will continue and expand their support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Archive (NDA) with a $38 Million firm-fixed-price contract award.

Since 2008, OMNITEC has supported the NIMH making the NDA the model for data sharing and computational science infrastructure at the NIH. Initially created to support 11 autism grants, the NDA now supports and shares data in mental health and substance use from over 800 projects, representing a public and private investment of $1.5 Billion.

An Annapolis firm focused on building medical devices to monitor heart disease has raised $1.5 million to help bring its first product to market.

Vixiar Medical Inc., a spinout of Johns Hopkins, is developing non-invasive devices and systems for monitoring cardiopulmonary diseases. Its seed round included investors from the U.S. Asia and Europe. Local investors include the Abell Foundation and Maryland Technology Development Corp. The company is based on technology licensed from Hopkins and invented by cardiologist Dr. Harry Silber.

The BIO International Convention is the industry conference for those in or doing business with the biotech industry. MCEDC’s Lynne Stein Benzion, Director of Business Retention and Expansion, is a veteran of several BIO conferences and offered her reflections on this year’s event, which took place June 19-22 in San Diego and drew more than 16,000 industry leaders from 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 73 countries.

The 2017 American Small Business Cybersecurity Xchange on October 12th will bring together cybersecurity thought leaders from government and industry and executives from small and edium-sized businesses (SMB) in a unique one-of-a-kind event. Cyber Crime Expert and Author Kevin Poulsen will give a keynote addressing this year’s theme, Preparing for Current and Emerging Threats. Designed exclusively for SMBs, the conference establishes a trusted forum for insights and action where attendees come to:

• Gain insights about current and emerging cybersecurity threats to their organizations
• Learn about new and upcoming regulatory, legislative, and supply chain requirements for cybersecurity
• Hear from government and industry experts about best practices and solutions to improve SMB cybersecurity
• Network with other SMB executives to promote information sharing and collaboration
• Learn about available cybersecurity tools and resources

SBIR Program Contract Solicitation

PHS 2018-1

Deadline October 20, 2017, 5:00PM ET

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute invites small business concerns to submit research proposals under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Contract Solicitation. Firms with the capability to conduct research and development (R&D) in any of the health-related topic areas below and to commercialize the results of that R&D, are encouraged to participate.

• Devices for Transcatheter Surgery
• Tapered Guidewires for Transcatheter Electrosurgery
• Reagent Development for Small Cell Number ChIC-seq

Noble Life Sciences, a contract research organization (CRO) providing services to support the development of drugs, vaccines, and medical devices, is pleased to announce that it has been granted a renewal of full accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International Council on Accreditation. Noble was first awarded AAALAC full accreditation in October 10, 1989.

Accenture Interactive, Marriott International, and 1776, a leading global incubator and network for startups, today announced the launch of the Travel Experience Incubator, a new program designed to discover and foster startups working on innovative technologies and solutions to improve the travel experience. The incubator will bring together the hospitality industry expertise of one of the world’s most innovative companies, Marriott International, and its official Travel Experience Incubator partner, Accenture Interactive, along with participating startups, to co-create unique and inventive new experiences for travelers.

We all have some preconceived ideas about the nature of entrepreneurialism. But, according to business master himself, Tony Robbins, starting a company or two does not an entrepreneur make. Financial savvy and business acumen may be enough to get a startup off the ground. But it takes a true entrepreneur to see beyond the creation of a project, propel past the daily managerial duties and take the all-important risks to achieve greatness.

The Maryland Department of Commerce has an opportunity for you to soft land in the Hague Security Delta (HSD) — the largest security cluster of Europe — providing you with access to the full EU market.

Benefits of participating in the program:

• Access to shared office space at the HSD Campus — the national innovation centre for security in The Hague — at no cost to you.
• Mentorship from HSD, InnovationQuarter and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce.
• Greater exposure to global partners and opportunities to pursue clients.
• Support in accessing financial resources, engaging strategic partners, and refining business models for market opportunities in the EU region.
• Option to apply for Commerce’s ExportMD program to partially fund your travel and marketing costs.

Richard Mason is head of J&J Innovation for the EMEA region, and identifying and investing in the most promising early-stage drug ideas outside the company is one of his key roles.

This ‘open innovation’ strategy is being pursued by all the big pharma companies – and now it’s simply a matter of who executes best on this approach.

Master of Professional Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship

The University of Maryland’s Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Technology Entrepreneurship educates and empowers students to launch and lead innovative startups and corporate ventures. Our unique experiential learning model incorporates online instruction and coaching, global networking opportunities, and funding opportunities with leading investors. This 100% online offering is a 15-month, part-time program for approximately $20,000.

Live Information Session July 24, at 1 p.m., EST

Since 2013, Shire has been stepping up its strategy to become the world’s leading company for people with rare diseases. McKinsey senior partners Martin Dewhurst and Andy West recently talked with Shire’s CEO, Flemming Ørnskov, about the company’s efforts to transform and the importance of staying three steps ahead of the organization you’re leading. In this interview, part of our Biopharma Frontiers series on how the pharmaceutical industry is evolving and how leaders can adapt, Ørnskov discusses his vision for the future and the critical elements of leadership. An edited transcript of their conversation follows.

Elon Musk just tweeted that his Boring Company tunnel project has received “verbal [government] approval” to build a hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.

Join BioBuzz and sponsor Immunomic Therapeutics to celebrate the move from allergy to oncology application of their proprietary LAMP-Vax™ technology platform. The celebration will be at Bar Louie in the Rockville Town Center on July 27, 2017 from 5 – 7pm. Only a 5 minute walk from the Rockville Metro, please join us for this exciting event.

Thursday, July 27, 2017, 05:30pm – 07:30pm

Enjoy an evening with food, fun and lively conversation at Biotech and Beer. Meet old friends and new colleagues in the life science community. Complimentary admission for any bioscience company employees, and university students and researchers with advanced registration. All others may purchase tickets. Space is limited!

Location : i.Lab at UVA: 621 Nash Dr. Charlottesville, Virginia 22901 United States

Join the newly merged Maryland Tech Council for a casual, fun-filled evening where you can relax, network and celebrate with your community of technology, life science, and business professionals.