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A group of UC Berkeley students launched what they call the first-ever student-run health tech incubator Thursday at the office of Downtown Berkeley’s Skydeck, which fosters campus startups.

The incubator, Catalyst@Berkeley, aims to provide a framework for students to bring viable prototypes to the market and open doors of entrepreneurship to undergraduate students interested in health care innovation.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first of an eagerly awaited new class of cancer drugs that unleashes the body’s immune system to fight tumors.

The drug, which Merck will sell under the name Keytruda, was approved for patients with advanced melanoma who have exhausted other therapies.

When British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline announced in October 2012 that it planned to make detailed data from its clinical trials widely available to researchers outside its own walls, the scientific community was stunned. For a company that spends $6.5 billion a year on research and development, it was a sharp turn away from the system of data secrecy that had made it one of the world’s largest drug companies, with 2013 sales of $43.6 billion. 

The announcement came a few months after the company pled guilty to misdemeanor charges in the U.S. that it had marketed drugs for unapproved uses, based on improperly reported clinical trial data, and failed to report safety data on another drug later shown to raise the risk of heart attacks. Given the timing, many wondered if GSK’s move was more about rehabilitating its image than embracing data transparency.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland is seeking a dynamic, innovative and accomplished biomedical/biotechnology executive with demonstrated scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to provide strategic vision and leadership for the Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination (OTAC). The OTAC is charged with developing, implementing and leading translational research programs that create recognizable commercial value for discoveries and innovations during their gestational stages and facilitating their ultimate translation into new diagnostics, devices, therapeutics and tools. The Office is also charged with identifying emerging areas of translational opportunities, serving as a focal point for extramural researchers for information on NHLBI-wide small business technology development opportunities.

The OTAC Director is an expert in entrepreneurism and technology advancement with the vision and unique skill set required to recognize commercial value in very early stage technologies, guide their scientific and business oriented risk-mitigating development and the capital acquisition activities required for their ultimate customer/patient deployment. These skills, gained through experience in both the academic research and the start-up/small business or industry sector, will provide the OTAC Director the capability to oversee and effectively manage existing NHLBI translational research technology development programs and the development of new programs and initiatives required to identify and advance innovations and technology platforms for research, diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention of cardiovascular, lung, blood and sleep disorders.

SAVE THE DATE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014

The MCCC Business Awards Dinner Committee and Chair of the Board Lisa Cines, CPA of Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP invite you to join in the celebration of those who make our economy and community thrive. This annual sold-out event attracts 700+ guests including award winners, sponsors, business leaders, elected and government officials and the media.  Join us for a great evening of Meaningful Connections, Commerce and Celebration.

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced nearly $750,000 in Proof of Concept grants to Washington state for-profit and non-profit organizations to promote translation of health-related technologies from the laboratory to the commercial marketplace. Also announced was nearly $56,000 in supplemental funding to an existing grant to increase the commercial potential of a drug to protect hearing in patients taking certain antibiotics. (See Backgrounder Information.)

The LSDF Board of Trustees selected the awardees following review of proposals for scientific and technical merit, commercial potential, and health and economic benefits to Washington.

Are you an entrepreneur ready to pitch your company? Register for your chance to film a three-minute video pitch to be seen online by VCs and angel investors and be voted on by fans around Maryland!

The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce have partnered to host Montgomery County’s Pitch Across Maryland stops on October 1, 2014. Applications for the Montgomery County Pitch stops are due September 15!

Friday, November 14, 2014

Encounter the hottest trends and innovations in Health IT as well as investment at the “eHealth Venture Summit”. This event at the MEDICA Health IT Forum showcases new companies, offers valuable insights and shall foster strategic partnerships and investment opportunities crucial to bringing innovative products to market. The event will feature seasoned industry experts from leading companies and funding specialists. The conference is jointly organized by Prof. Talya Miron-Shatz, CEO of CureMyWay, and a faculty member at the Ono Academic College, and Dr. Stefan Becker of the Institute for Drug Safety, University Hospital Essen.

GETTING IDEAS TO PATIENTS: THE SOPE FOUNDATION CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

To provide SoPE members with educational programs, events and more, we need your support. The SoPE Foundation has started a crowdfunding* campaign —Getting Ideas to Patients—to raise $250,000 by the end of 2014 for educational programs and events. The SoPE Foundation is the sole funder for these activities, such as the Blakely Visiting Lectureship Series named posthumously for one of our co-founders, and support for biomedical and health innovators applying for the Innovation Scholars Program. SoPE’s operates on a low-cost membership model to encourage enrollment. With your financial contribution, we will have the funding to do what we set out to do. Every little bit helps, and every larger bit moves us closer to our goal.