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Oct 12 2026
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From Crab Trap Winner to Neurotechnology Platform: Maureen Mulvihill on Actuated Medical’s Next Chapter

By BioTalk with Rich Bendis Podcast, News

In this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, Maureen L. Mulvihill, Ph.D., Founder, President, and CEO of Actuated Medical, discusses the company’s 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition win and its work advancing medical device innovation from central Pennsylvania.

Maureen shares how Actuated Medical grew from a focus on improving patient outcomes through innovative motion into a company with more than $50 million in non-dilutive funding, 43 patents, 9 FDA 510(k) clearances, and FDA-registered, ISO 13485-certified manufacturing infrastructure.

Rich and Maureen also discuss the TubeClear system, Actuated Medical’s first FDA-cleared device, including the story of the first patient it helped at Walter Reed, and how that experience shaped the company’s mission.

Listen now via your favorite podcast platform:
Apple: https://apple.co/4zreBZp
Spotify: https://bit.ly/4B1u0RK
iHeart Podcasts: https://ihr.fm/47JO4e2
Amazon Podcasts: https://amzn.to/47MQngi
YouTube Music Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4s0mWRd
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/4dzY0Ky

The episode also explores NeuralGlider® Precision Brain Access and Deep Brain Therapy Delivery Platform, including how earlier work in tissue penetration led to brain implant technology, DARPA-supported commercialization, global research use, and the company’s next steps toward clinical applications.

Maureen also shares what comes next for Actuated Medical, including its focus on NeuroGlider, upcoming visibility at the MedTech Conference in Boston, and her advice to entrepreneurs building medical device companies: persistence matters.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.

Maureen L. Mulvihill, Ph.D., is Founder, President, and CEO of Actuated Medical, a medical device company advancing the NeuralGlider® Precision Brain Access and Deep Brain Therapy Delivery Platform for neurotechnology, brain therapeutics, and longevity-related medicine. Under her leadership, Actuated Medical has secured more than $50 million in non-dilutive funding, developed a portfolio of 43 patents, achieved 9 FDA 510(k) clearances, and earned two SBA Tibbetts Awards recognizing excellence in commercialization. Dr. Mulvihill serves on the Board of Directors of AdvaMed, the AdvaMed Accel Board, the Life Sciences Pennsylvania Board of Directors, chairs the Industrial Advisory Board for the Penn State Center for Biodevices, and serves on the Kish Bank Regional Advisory Board. She has received more than 35 entrepreneurship and leadership awards, including being named 2020 Life Sciences Pennsylvania CEO of the Year and leading Actuated Medical to First Place in the 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition. She earned her Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University.

Oct 08 2026
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Maryland’s Quantum Moment: Turning Research Leadership into Life Science Commercialization

By News

From September 23–25, more than 2,000 leaders from industry, government, academia, investment, and research gathered in College Park, Maryland, for the 2026 Quantum World Congress. Held at The Hotel at the University of Maryland, the three-day event brought the global quantum community directly into one of the country’s most concentrated quantum ecosystems.


The University of Maryland served as the Congress’s Lead Academic Partner, while platinum sponsors included Atom Computing, Classiq, D-Wave, IBM, Infleqtion, IonQ, Microsoft, and Quantinuum. For Maryland, the location was meaningful. College Park and the surrounding BioHealth Capital Region are home to major quantum research programs, federal assets, emerging companies, and industry leaders including IonQ, creating a foundation few regions can match.

For BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), the Congress also reinforced an opportunity that extends beyond quantum computing itself: bringing Maryland’s strengths in quantum together with one of the region’s other major competitive advantages, life sciences.

BHI President and CEO Rich Bendis participated in a Maryland-Canada roundtable that included Maryland Secretary of Commerce Harry Coker, Canadian Deputy Ambassador to the United States Nadia Theodore, IonQ leaders, researchers, commercialization leaders, and other participants from the U.S. and Canada. The Congress also featured IonQ Chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi, underscoring IonQ’s central role in College Park’s quantum ecosystem. Bendis also serves on Maryland’s Life Sciences Advisory Board and is involved in the LSAB Ad-Hoc Quantum Commercialization Committee, which is examining how Maryland can translate its quantum assets into commercial life science opportunities.

“We have a goal to make Maryland the BioHealth Quantum Commercialization Capital of the World,” said Bendis.

That goal is closely aligned with BHI’s broader work to help define how the BioHealth Capital Region can move from research strength to companies, products, capital, jobs, and impact. BHI has been working with partners to frame the region’s quantum-biohealth opportunity around areas such as quantum sensing, diagnostics and early detection, imaging, drug discovery, computational biology, AI-enabled life sciences, federal health missions, and commercialization pathways.

The discussions at Quantum World Congress highlighted both the scale of Maryland’s opportunity and the growing competition surrounding it. States including Tennessee, Ohio, and Florida are developing quantum strategies and pursuing partnerships with major industry participants. Countries and international regions are doing the same. Companies such as IonQ are increasingly working across multiple states and markets as governments compete for investment, talent, research partnerships, and future commercial activity.

Maryland and the BioHealth Capital Region already possess many of the pieces needed to compete. UMD has decades of quantum research experience and more than 350 researchers working across quantum-related disciplines. College Park is home to IonQ and Quantum Catalyzer, or Q-Cat, which was created to help translate promising quantum technologies into new companies. The region also benefits from proximity to NIH, FDA, NIST, federal laboratories, defense and national security assets, major research universities, investors, and one of the nation’s strongest life science clusters.

Capital of Quantum adds another important layer. The five-year, $1 billion public-private initiative is helping organize the region’s quantum ecosystem around research, commercialization, workforce development, federal collaboration, infrastructure, and industry growth. For the BioHealth Capital Region, the question is how to connect that quantum momentum to biohealth use cases where the region can lead.

That is where commercialization becomes essential. Research strength alone will not determine which regions win. The winners will be the places that can connect science, intellectual property, experienced entrepreneurs, early-stage capital, industry demand, federal funding, and market strategy.

Quantum Catalyzer provides one early example of what this can look like. Based in College Park’s Discovery District, Q-Cat demonstrates how quantum sensing technologies can be productized, how IP can be created, how companies can be formed, and how industry and government demand can be connected to emerging quantum capabilities.

Discussions during the Congress pointed to opportunities in quantum sensing, regenerative medicine, computational biology, drug development, imaging, diagnostics, and other life science applications. They also underscored the need for commercialization expertise, early-stage capital, industry partnerships, and experienced talent capable of translating quantum research into products and companies.

International collaboration could play an important role as well. The Maryland-Canada roundtable identified potential areas where complementary life science and quantum capabilities could be brought together. Existing relationships between IonQ and Canadian organizations such as CCRM provide one model for exploring how quantum technologies could support new approaches in regenerative medicine and other areas.

The message coming out of Quantum World Congress was encouraging, but it also carried urgency.

Maryland and the BioHealth Capital Region have the research, companies, talent, federal connections, and life science infrastructure to establish a differentiated global position at the intersection of quantum and biohealth. Other regions are moving quickly, however, and leadership will depend on turning those assets into a coordinated commercialization strategy.

The opportunity is no longer theoretical. The next step is building the strategy, partnerships, funding mechanisms, and commercialization infrastructure needed to make this region the place where quantum-enabled life science discoveries move from research to market.

Sep 18 2026
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BHI Seeks a Life Science Business Analyst to Support the NIH SEED Office

By News

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is a Montgomery County innovation intermediary that translates market-relevant research into commercial success by bringing together management, funding, and markets. BHI is now seeking an experienced life science business analyst to support the NIH SEED Office (Seed Entrepreneurial and Economic Development), the National Institutes of Health office that helps academic innovators and early-stage companies move biomedical discoveries toward the market. This role is for an analyst who enjoys working at the intersection of science, business, and capital, and who wants that work to reach companies building the next generation of therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, digital health tools, and research platforms.

The Role

The analyst will provide business landscape analysis and project support on product development, corporate strategy, and private investment for NIH-funded companies. In practice, that means market landscape, technology, and business intelligence research that directly supports SEED’s Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and the office’s broader life science commercialization activities. The analyst will work across the full spectrum of NIH-funded therapy areas and technology modalities rather than a single niche, and will interact regularly with company founders, NIH program staff, and the investor community.

Responsibilities

The analyst will conduct life science business intelligence and landscape analysis, covering competitive positioning, product development, and intellectual property, for early-stage companies developing technologies across NIH-funded therapy areas and modalities. This work draws on BHI’s commercial data sources, including GlobalData and PitchBook, together with NIH-provided grant data from RePORTER and QVR. Deliverables are defined and produced on agreed turnaround times: company background packages that support pitch coaching, tracking of NIH-funded company commercialization events such as acquisitions, partnerships, investments, and regulatory milestones, emerging-indication trend overviews, clinical-development landscapes by technology type, and multi-region market-opportunity analyses.

Beyond discrete deliverables, the analyst will analyze technical, business, and financial data using existing datasets or by creating and combining new ones, and will own a standing, regularly refreshed portfolio dashboard that tracks metrics and outcomes across SEED programs and supported portfolio companies for SEED and BHI leadership. The role also supports NIH-wide academic entrepreneurship and product development programs and participates in NIH and inter-agency working groups or committees as requested.

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree is required; a master’s degree or PhD in business, life sciences, biomedical sciences, or a related quantitative field is preferred. Candidates should have at least 10 years of professional experience as a financial, market, or business intelligence analyst, including life science or biomedical industry experience, along with knowledge of product development and commercialization milestones and the product lifecycle. Relevant backgrounds include market opportunity and competitive landscape assessment, financial modeling, or life sciences business consulting. Working knowledge of GlobalData and PitchBook is required; familiarity with NIH’s RePORTER and QVR grant-data systems is expected or will be acquired quickly. Experience with additional business intelligence or investment databases such as Clarivate, Crunchbase, or CB Insights is a plus.

BHI is looking for broad awareness of the life science sector and healthcare innovation across all therapy areas and modalities, including therapeutics, devices, digital health, research tools, software, and consumer health. The successful candidate will liaise and manage projects effectively with internal and external stakeholders in both the investor and business community and the technical and scientific community; will bring strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities; will be comfortable in a fast-paced, changing environment and communicating across highly matrixed organizations; and will have excellent presentation skills and the ability to prepare high-quality, thorough, and concise analyses.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to Lynne Brisbane, V.P. Finance, HR and Operations, at jobs@biohealthinnovation.org. BHI is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. More information about the NIH SEED Office is available at https://seed.nih.gov/.

Sep 17 2026
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2026 BioHealth Capital Region Week Recap: Growing the BioHealth Capital Region of Tomorrow

By News

The 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum brought leaders from industry, academia, government, investment, research institutions, economic development, and entrepreneurship together on September 15 and 16 at U.S. Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland.

Under the 2026 theme, “Growing the BioHealth Capital Region of Tomorrow,” the two-day Forum focused on the people, technologies, infrastructure, capital and partnerships needed to strengthen the region and support its next stage of growth.

The Forum was part of BioHealth Capital Region Week, which continued September 17 with the BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference.

2026 BioHealth Capital Region Week by the Numbers

This year’s participation reflected the strength and reach of the regional ecosystem.

Nearly 1,100 people registered for the BioHealth Capital Region Forum, bringing together leaders from across the region and beyond.

The BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference drew approximately 350 registrants, creating another opportunity for companies, investors and strategic partners to connect.

The Crab Trap Competition received a record 82 applications, highlighting the depth of the emerging company pipeline.

And more than 50 sponsors supported BioHealth Capital Region Week, helping make an event of this size possible while keeping the Forum free for everyone to attend.

Day 1: The Region Today and Where It Goes Next

Welcome Remarks

Rich Bendis, Founder, President and CEO of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), opened the Forum alongside Fouad Atouf, Chief Science Officer at U.S. Pharmacopeia, welcoming attendees and setting the stage for two days focused on the future of the BioHealth Capital Region.

GEN Top 10 BioCluster Update

Alex Philippidis, Senior Business Editor at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, returned to the Forum with the annual GEN Top 10 BioCluster Update.

The BioHealth Capital Region again ranked among the Top 3 U.S. Biopharma Clusters, marking the fourth consecutive year the region has held a Top 3 position. The update provided a national view of how the region compares across research, talent, companies, funding, and other factors that shape leading life sciences ecosystems.

BioHealth Capital Region Update

Pete Briskman, Executive Managing Director at JLL, followed with the annual BioHealth Capital Region Update, sharing a look at market conditions, development trends, and the broader forces affecting companies, institutions, and communities across the region.

Philippidis and Briskman then came together for a Q&A, connecting the national BioCluster rankings with what is happening on the ground throughout the BioHealth Capital Region.

EY Keynote: The Race for Growth: How Competition, Capital and Innovation Are Reshaping Life Sciences

Subin Baral, EY-Parthenon Global Life Sciences Deals Leader, delivered the Day 1 keynote.

His remarks looked at a changing life sciences environment in which access to capital, differentiated science, strategic partnerships, and execution are increasingly shaping how companies grow and compete.

The BioHealth Capital Region as the Nation’s Standard-Setter

Moderator: Amanda Cowley, Executive Vice President, Programs, Regional Operations & Strategy and Chief Growth Officer, USP

Panelists:

  • Rebecca Bradford, Senior Vice President, ATCC Federal Solutions
  • Sheng Lin-Gibson, Chief, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, NIST
  • Laurie Locascio, President and CEO, ANSI
  • Diane McCarthy, Vice President, Global Biologics, U.S. Pharmacopeia

The panel highlighted a major strength of the BioHealth Capital Region that extends beyond company formation and biomedical research. The region is also home to institutions that help establish the standards, measurements, and quality systems supporting life sciences nationally and internationally.

Securing the Future of the U.S. Medicine Supply: Investments in Onshoring and Innovative Production of Medicines in the Capital Region

Moderator: Betsy Baer, Senior Resiliency Center Business Development Director, USP

Panelists:

  • Karina Barao, Policy and External Affairs Advisor, National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology
  • Stanley Kwok, Director in Biologics Product Development, AstraZeneca
  • Andrew Maygar, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Capra Biosciences

The conversation examined onshoring, advanced manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and the investment required to expand U.S. medicine production, including the role the BioHealth Capital Region can play in strengthening domestic capacity.

Biotech in the BioHealth Capital Region

Moderator: John Newby, CEO, Virginia Bio

Panelists:

  • Eric Arocho, Associate Vice President and Site Head, Eli Lilly and Company
  • Tshaka Cunningham, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Director of Research & Development, Polaris Genomics Inc.
  • Timothy Dec, Senior Vice President of Finance, Supernus Pharmaceuticals
  • Dan Wygal, Vice President, U.S. Corporate & Government Affairs, AstraZeneca

The panel focused on what helps biotech companies start, stay, expand, and invest in the BioHealth Capital Region, along with the challenges the ecosystem must continue to address to support future growth.

Computational Health

Moderator: Matt Cimino, Senior Manager, Business Development, Life Sciences, Maryland Department of Commerce

Panelists:

  • Harry Coker, Secretary, Maryland Department of Commerce
  • Rozalina McCoy, Associate Professor and Vice Chief of Clinical Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Eric Van Gieson, CEO, Epoch Epigenetic
  • Rose Wang, Founder and CEO, 1104Health

The panel explored how AI, data, and computational technologies are influencing research, clinical care, company development, and decision-making across health and life sciences.

The Infrastructure Behind the BioHealth Capital Region: Design, Financing, Construction and Demand

Moderator: Brian Darmody, Chief Strategy Officer, Association of University Research Parks

Panelists:

  • Stephen Blair, Principal and Science & Technology Practice Leader, CannonDesign
  • Matt Brady, President, Scheer Partners
  • Mark VanderZyl, Director, Connect Labs Baltimore, Wexford Science & Technology

The discussion focused on the physical infrastructure behind a growing biohealth ecosystem, including laboratory and innovation space, financing, construction and how future development can respond to changing demand from companies and researchers.

Rich Bendis closed Day 1 before attendees moved into the evening networking reception.

Day 2: Quantum, Commercialization, Talent and Investment

Opening Remarks and Fireside Chat on Quantum in BioHealth

Day 2 kicked off with a Fireside Chat on Quantum in BioHealth, moderated by Rich Bendis, Founder, President, and CEO of BioHealth Innovation, Inc.

He was joined by:

  • Cameron Chehreh, Vice President of Engineering and CTO, IonQ
  • Travis McCready, Head of Industries, Leasing Advisory, JLL

The conversation looked at where quantum technology is headed, what emerging capabilities could mean for life sciences and healthcare, and how the BioHealth Capital Region can position itself as quantum and biohealth continue to converge.

Quantum in BioHealth: From Infrastructure to Research Impact

Moderator: Matt Cimino, Senior Manager, Business Development, Life Sciences, Maryland Department of Commerce

Panelists:

  • Matt Keesan, Vice President and GM, Quantum Platform, IonQ
  • Wolfgang Losert, MPower Professor of Physics, University of Maryland
  • Geetha Senthil, Deputy Director, Office of Special Initiatives, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health
  • Amanda Stein, CEO, Quantum Catalyzer

The discussion moved from quantum infrastructure to potential research and life sciences applications, connecting emerging capabilities with translational science, partnerships, and future commercialization opportunities.

Universities and Innovation Districts Driving the Region Forward

Moderator: Tatiana Litvin-Vechnyak, Ph.D., Vice President, Office of Technology Commercialization, Georgetown University

Panelists:

  • Amy Adams, Executive Director, Institute for Biohealth Innovation, George Mason University
  • Norman Beauchamp, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, Georgetown University Medical Center
  • Noah Olson, Vice President of Innovation, Enterprise and Expansion, Delaware Prosperity Partnership
  • Patrick O’Shea, Vice President and Chief Research Officer, University of Maryland, College Park and Baltimore enterprise

The panel examined how universities, commercialization programs, innovation districts and economic development organizations can connect research, talent, entrepreneurship and physical infrastructure to create stronger pathways from discovery to company formation and growth.

Bridging the BioHealth Commercialization Talent Gap

Moderator: Donna Edmonds, CEO, BRAINBox Solutions Inc.

Panelists:

  • Liz Doerr, Partner and Co-Founder, Sandbox
  • Sam Gussman-Toh, Small Business Program Portfolio Manager, ARPA-H
  • Luis Gutierrez, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, BioHealth Innovation, Inc.
  • Caron Trumbo, Vice President of Operations, Virginia Bio

The conversation examined how universities, startups, and early-stage companies can access leadership, fractional C-suite support, workforce talent, and commercialization expertise as they work to move discoveries toward viable products and companies.

Turning Breakthrough Medical Innovation into Impact for Military and Civilian Markets

Moderator: Liz Powell, Founder and CEO, G2G Consulting

Panelists:

  • Deborah Hemingway, Managing Partner, Ecphora Capital
  • Benjamin Holmes, CEO and Founder, Nanochon
  • Retired Commander Chris Steele, Chief of Strategy and Business Development, MTEC
  • David Stewart, COO, Theradaptive

The panel looked at how companies can navigate funding, partnerships, product development and commercialization when technologies have applications across both military health and civilian healthcare markets.

2026 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition

The afternoon then shifted to the 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition, bringing six finalists to the stage from a record field of 82 applicants.

Actuated Medical, Inc. of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, was named the 2026 Crab Trap winner.

Maureen L. Mulvihill, Ph.D., President, CEO, and Co-Founder, presented the company’s NeuralGlider® platform, a precision brain access and deep brain therapy delivery technology.

As the winner, Actuated Medical received $15,000 from VIPC and BioHealth Innovation, Inc., $10,000 in IT and cybersecurity services from Info Pathways, and $10,000 in CRO services from Noble Life Sciences.

Building a Thriving BioHealth Economy Through Investment Funding and Public-Private Partnerships

Moderator: Rich Bendis, President and CEO, BioHealth Innovation, Inc.

Panelists:

  • Danny Chavez, Vice President of Business Development, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation
  • Rebecca “Becky” Fisher, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Program Management, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
  • Sam Gussman-Toh, Small Business Program Portfolio Manager, ARPA-H
  • Tami Howie, Deputy Associate Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
  • Matt McMahon, Director of SEED, National Institutes of Health

The final conversation brought together federal funding, economic development and commercialization perspectives to look at how companies can access resources, build partnerships, attract investment and grow within the region. The published program had originally listed Howie, McMahon, Smith and Gussman-Toh alongside Bendis as moderator.

Closing Remarks

Rich Bendis and Ron Piervincenzi, CEO of U.S. Pharmacopeia, closed the two-day Forum before attendees moved into the final networking reception and a live performance by the USP House Band, the Impurities!

Also in Attendance: The Next Generation of BioHealth Leaders

Also in attendance at the 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Forum was a group of students from the Georgetown University Biotechnology Program, representing the next generation of biotechnology and biohealth professionals.

The students bring diverse backgrounds, scientific curiosity, and a shared interest in innovation. Georgetown’s Biotechnology Program combines science, business, entrepreneurship and hands-on industry experience, preparing students to translate scientific advances into meaningful impact across biotechnology, healthcare and society.

Having students in the room alongside industry executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and public-sector leaders is an important part of building the future of the BioHealth Capital Region. We were glad to welcome the Georgetown group to this year’s Forum and give them an opportunity to connect directly with the people and organizations shaping the region today.

The Investment Conference Continues the Conversation

BioHealth Capital Region Week continued on September 17 with the BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference, bringing companies, investors, and strategic partners together for a full day focused on introductions, conversations, and potential opportunities to work together.

The morning also marked the return of the Quick-Pitch Session in the U.S. Pharmacopeia Auditorium.

A total of 20 companies took the stage for seven-minute introductions, giving the audience a quick look at their technologies, businesses, and plans for growth. Each presentation was followed by a few questions from the crowd, providing an opportunity for companies to introduce themselves to a wider audience before conversations continued throughout the Investment Conference.

The Quick-Pitch Session complemented the day’s one-on-one meetings, giving investors and other attendees another way to discover companies, make connections, and identify follow-up opportunities.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

An event of this size does not happen without the organizations that choose to support it.

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. is grateful to the more than 50 sponsors who helped make the 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Forum and BioHealth Capital Region Week possible.

Their support helps bring together entrepreneurs, researchers, executives, investors, government leaders, universities, economic development organizations, and ecosystem partners from across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and beyond.

It also allows BHI to keep the BioHealth Capital Region Forum free for everyone to attend.

That accessibility is an important part of BioHealth Capital Region Week. Emerging companies, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, government leaders, and other members of the ecosystem can participate, build relationships, and be part of the conversation without a registration fee determining who gets to be in the room.

Thank you to every organization represented on this year’s sponsor graphic for investing in the region and helping make an event of this scale possible.

Sep 16 2026
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Actuated Medical Wins 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition

By News

Actuated Medical, Inc. of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, has been named the winner of the 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition, following a live pitch on September 16 during BioHealth Capital Region Week at U.S. Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland.

Maureen L. Mulvihill, Ph.D., President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Actuated Medical, presented the company’s NeuralGlider® platform, a precision brain access and deep brain therapy delivery technology designed to improve the placement of increasingly small and sophisticated neurological devices and therapies.

The company’s pitch focused on a growing challenge in neurotechnology. As brain therapies use smaller probes and cannulas, accurately reaching the intended target can become more difficult. Actuated Medical is developing NeuralGlider for applications including DBS and SEEG electrode placement, brain-computer interfaces, next-generation brain implants, and longer-term CNS biologics and gene therapy delivery.

Actuated Medical entered the competition with substantial technical and commercial progress already behind it, including more than $18 million in NIH SBIR and DARPA non-dilutive funding, 15 issued U.S. and international patents with additional patents pending, use in more than 41 global brain research labs, and more than $500,000 in early preclinical brain research sales.

As the 2026 Crab Trap winner, Actuated Medical received a prize package totaling $35,000 in cash and services:

  • $15,000 from VIPC and BioHealth Innovation, Inc.
  • $10,000 in IT and cybersecurity services from Info Pathways
  • $10,000 in CRO services from Noble Life Sciences

Actuated Medical was selected from a record 82 Crab Trap applications and a group of six finalists representing four U.S. states and France.

BioHealth Innovation also thanks the five other finalists who took the stage and shared their companies, technologies and commercialization plans:

  • Aidar Health, Columbia, Maryland, developer of MouthLab, an FDA-cleared handheld platform for rapid collection of multiple clinical-grade vital signs.
  • Cortexx Medical Intelligence, Paris, France, developer of AI-enabled clinical decision software for spine-surgery planning and patient selection.
  • Lisen Imprinting Diagnostics, Wilmington, Delaware, developing cancer diagnostics based on Loss of Imprinting biomarkers and artificial intelligence.
  • Liquet Medical, Glen Allen, Virginia, developer of the Versus Catheter for pulmonary embolism treatment with continuous pulmonary-artery pressure monitoring.
  • Phycin, Frederick, Maryland, developing engineered bFGF growth factors for bioprocessing, regenerative medicine, wound healing and tissue-repair applications.

The finalists presented before judges Matthew Miessau of Epidarex Capital, Brett Shealy of J.P. Morgan, Teddy Gresser of TEDCO, John Newby of Virginia Bio, Tien Wong of Opus8, Tai Mai of VIPC and Ethel Rubin of BioHealth Innovation. BioHealth Innovation President and CEO Rich Bendis served as moderator.

The competition evaluated companies across product and technical strategy, business strategy, leadership, financials and overall presentation. Each finalist had seven minutes to pitch followed by three minutes of questions from the judges.

Actuated Medical is now focused on moving NeuralGlider toward clinical use. Its presentation outlined a $10 million Series A to support clinical optimization, studies and FDA 510(k) activities, building on a platform the company says has already been developed and validated.

Sep 13 2026
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From Bavaria to BioHealth: BioM’s Ralf Huss on Building a Global Biotech Cluster

By BioTalk with Rich Bendis Podcast, News

In this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, Ralf Huss, MD, PhD, Managing Director and CEO of BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH and spokesperson for the Bavarian Biotechnology Cluster, joins the conversation to discuss Bavaria’s biotechnology ecosystem and BioM’s role in moving science toward commercialization.

Ralf introduces BioM, the organization supporting biotech development in Munich and Bavaria for nearly 30 years, and shares how the cluster helps founders move from research ideas to company formation. The conversation touches on mentoring, boot camps, investor connections, entrepreneur-in-residence support, startup training, and physical incubation.

Listen now via your favorite podcast platform:
Apple: https://apple.co/4r9uzV7
Spotify: https://bit.ly/4cJvxS3
iHeart: https://ihr.fm/4gQHFDh
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4r9TtDW
YouTube: https://bit.ly/4r9b1Ah
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/3USac2L

Rich and Ralf also discuss the MAxL incubator, the m4 Award, and BioM’s work with more than 250 startups. Ralf shares his perspective on what early-stage teams need most, why strong science alone is not enough, and how business leadership, IP, financing, market need, and the right commercialization path all play a role.

The episode also explores emerging opportunities in biotech and medicine, including AI, digital medicine, quantum computing, nanotechnology, regenerative medicine, tech bio, and the growing convergence of biology, engineering, and advanced technologies. Ralf also discusses why international collaboration matters for regional biotech clusters and how Bavarian companies are thinking about U.S. partnerships, investors, market access, and connections to ecosystems like the BioHealth Capital Region.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.

Ralf Huss, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist, surgical pathologist, biotechnology executive, entrepreneur, and innovation leader with more than three decades of experience across academia, pharmaceutical research, biotechnology, digital pathology, regenerative medicine, and artificial intelligence in healthcare. He currently serves as Managing Director and CEO of BioM, the organization responsible for the development of the Bavarian Biotechnology Cluster, one of Europe’s leading life science ecosystems. Throughout his career, he has held leadership positions in multinational pharmaceutical companies, venture-backed biotechnology firms, international academic research and medical centers, and innovation organizations, with a particular focus on translational medicine, cell and gene therapy, digital medicine, and AI-driven diagnostics. He has been awarded numerous honors and published more than 180 peer-reviewed articles, books, and book chapters.

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