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The University of Maryland has launched an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test site in southern Maryland. With support from the University System of Maryland, the site will bring together leaders in academia, industry and government to accelerate UAS research.

Based in St. Mary’s County, a few miles from Naval Air Warfare Center Aviation Division at Patuxent River and the Naval Air Systems Command headquarters, the UMD UAS test site has been set up as a catalyst for research and development, according to its sponsors.

Anne Wojcicki bounds into a conference room in Mountain View, California, straight from a five-mile ride from home on an elliptical bike. The 40-year-old cofounder and CEO of the consumer genetic testing firm 23andMe is breathless, and not just because of the workout. On this warm day in mid-June, Wojcicki is “super-excited” about an announcement scheduled for two days hence: the Food and Drug Administration has agreed to review a health-related genetic report the company wants to make available to customers. 

ATCC, the premier global biological materials resource and standards organization, announced today that it has received ISO 13485:2003 certification for the development, manufacture, and distribution of standards, controls, reagents and in vitro diagnostic test kits.

Every day researchers in life science, medical diagnostics, applied sciences, and clinical drug development leverage ATCC’s expansive collection of cell lines, microorganisms, cellular and microbial panels, genomic and synthetic nucleic acids, biological products, and associated derivatives to generate quality research and reproducible results. ISO 13485 enhances ATCC’s existing Quality Management Program as an ISO 9001:2008 certified and ISO 17025:2005 and ISO Guide 34:2009 accredited organization.

IT deal flow remained steady in 2Q. About $17 billion of PE capital was invested through 89 transactions, with both figures in line with previous quarters. The software segment of the industry is particularly active, with 2014 on pace to surpass the annual deal flow totals of any year following the financial crisis. Software has become industry-agnostic in some respects, as everything from colleges to hospitals to industrial conglomerates have incorporated software solutions into their operating models. For PE investors, software providers offer strong recurring revenue streams and also boast greater add-on potential for platforms.

Rockville-based electronic prescription software service provider DrFirst on Wednesday announced $10 million in debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank.

The health IT company has expanded its products over the years to include software in medication management, adherence and care coordination. The company said the financing will go toward product development and an anticipated international expansion in the next year.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. EBS -1.39% today announced that it has submitted a Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Anthrax Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human) [AIGIV] as part of a development contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). AIGIV, which was acquired in the Cangene acquisition completed earlier this year, is being developed as an intravenous therapeutic treatment for inhalation anthrax.

“This accomplishment is a testament to the diligent work of our employees within the recently acquired Cangene operations and their years of successful collaboration and partnering with the U.S. government,” said Adam Havey, executive vice president and president biodefense division at Emergent BioSolutions. “We commend BARDA for their steadfast commitment to advancing this key anthrax countermeasure program and remain dedicated to supporting their mission to protect our civilian and military population.”

Getting a shot is only a few seconds of discomfort, but that’s the first line of defense against an infectious disease.

It’s a process Emergent Biosolutions in Lansing knows well, as the only company that produces a licensed anthrax vaccine.

“Phase one is safety, phase two is selection and dose ranging, phase three we try to evaluate does it really work do we get the immune response we want,” said President of the Biodefense Division at Emergent Adam Havey.

The National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter) is accepting proposals for its Pathways to Innovation Program.  

The Pathways to Innovation Program is designed to help institutions fully incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship into undergraduate engineering education. The program is run by Epicenter, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and directed by Stanford University and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA).

A study conducted by the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore Foundation (EAGB) to estimate Baltimore Gas and Electric’s (BGE) economic contributions to the region in 2013 found that its operations generated a total economic impact of $3.81 billion of output and supported 8,686 jobs. This resulted from the company’s direct effect, the effect of companies that provide services to BGE and the effect of employees of both BGE and the service companies.  BGE’s activities contribute more than 2 percent of the entire economic output of the BGE service area in central Maryland.

“We are proud to be able to support our partners in their goal of measuring and understanding their importance to the region’s workforce and economy,” said Tom Sadowski, President and CEO of the EAGB. “Our Chief Market Analyst, Patrick Dougherty, did a tremendous job of assessing and articulating the impact of BGE’s economic contributions to the region.”

Public health officials have just one tactic to battle the unrelenting Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa — quarantine — but as the disease continues to spread, scientists in Maryland are among those close to discovering other weapons.

Baltimore companies Profectus BioSciences and Paragon Bioservices, as well as researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick in Frederick and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, have been part of efforts that have shown a handful of Ebola vaccine candidates are effective in monkeys.