Biohealth Innovation - 461st Edition, June 21, 2021

BioHealth Innovation

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June 21, 2021

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

You’re invited to 2021 BioHealth Capital Region Virtual Forum

This event is free for executive-level biotech leaders and is presented by the Association of University Research Parks, AstraZeneca, BioHealth Innovation, BRAINBox Solutions, Inc, Children’s National Hospital, Emergent BioSolutions, George Mason University, JLABS, Maryland Department of Commerce, and Virginia Bio. Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC set the bar high for biotech innovation. So please join us for our 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow. We hope you’re able to join us!

Monday, September 13, 2021 8:00 AM 2021 BioHealth Capital Region Virtual Forum

Baltimore's Protenus raises $21 million Series D round - Baltimore Business Journal

"The Protenus team is excited to continue to scale and set a high standard for how health systems ensure compliance," CEO Nick Culbertson said in a statement.

Image: Nick Culbertson, CEO of Fells Point-based Protenus. ERIC STOCKLIN

5 Questions about Andy Eckert, BioHealth Nomad · BioBuzz

“5 Questions With…” is a weekly BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people in the BioHealth Capital Region and Greater Philadelphia to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated.

Well, we decided to shake things up. Instead of publishing an interview-style “5 Questions With…” featuring one of our community members, we asked our community “5 Questions About” our very own Andy Eckert.

Veralox Therapeutics Announces Closing Of $16.6 Million Series A Financing And Announces New Board Members

FREDERICK, Md., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Veralox Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics that treat the underlying pathologies of diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced the closing of a $16.6 million Series A financing. The round was led by Hatteras Venture Partners with participation from Genesys Capital, Point Field Partners and Alexandria Venture Investments as well as support from previous Veralox investors including Sanofi Ventures, JDRF T1D Fund, Maryland Momentum Fund, VTC Innovation Fund and TEDCO. The Company also announced that Ben Scruggs, PhD, principal at Hatteras Venture Partners, and Jamie Stiff, MBA, managing director at Genesys Capital, will join the Veralox Therapeutics board of directors.

Children’s National among US News’s Best Children’s Hospitals | WTOP

A D.C. hospital has once again scored well in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s best children’s hospitals.

And the one ranked second-best overall is just a few hours away.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ranked second in the annual U.S. News Honor Roll, with D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital not far behind at seventh overall.

Dr. Kurt Newman, the president and CEO of Children’s National, noted that it marks the fifth year in a row that Children’s National has been ranked among the top 10 nationwide.

Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures Boosts Maryland Life Sciences · BioBuzz

Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) has had a significant impact on the Maryland life sciences ecosystem since its founding in 2014, assisting with hundreds of licensed therapeutics in development and backing nearly 200 startups that have collectively nearly $3 billion in venture capital funding, 30% of which has remained in the state.

MIMETAS - Seeking Operations Manager - Immediate Opening

Starting immediately, the Dutch biotech company Mimetas is looking for an Operations Manager for its office in Gaithersburg,MD, USA. In this new role, you will work together with the Scientific and Commercial teams in the US, and our Finance and Logistics teams in the Netherlands. You will manage the operational and financial aspects of our two US subsidiaries and play a role in the growth of our company in the US. Do you have experience as an Operations Manager with analytical and financial skills, and do you want to work in an international environment? Then join our dynamic and fast-paced team now!

Click here to learn more.

Laboratory Technician - RNA Therapeutics Development in Gaithersburg, Maryland | BioBuzz Job Board

Starting immediately, miRecule, Inc. is looking for a Laboratory Technician to join its rapidly growing team in Gaithersburg, MD on the development of next generation RNA therapeutics to treat cancer and other diseases.

Job description:

As a Laboratory Technician at miRecule, you will be responsible for supporting antibody development platforms in our lead therapeutic programs. Your responsibilities will include:

Preparation of media and solutions as needed for expression and purification of recombinant antibodies and scFvs
Performing laboratory experiments to improve expression, purification, stability and affinity of recombinant antibodies and scFvs

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Named BIO’s Governor of the Year | BIO

Today, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) presented Maryland Governor Larry Hogan with its 2021 Governor of the Year Award. Governor Hogan received the award virtually at BIO Digital 2021.

With the annual award, BIO honors governors for their leadership in public service, commitment to public health, and dedication to strengthening the biotechnology sector in their state. For over a decade, the long-standing award has recognized governors from across the country and both sides of the aisle.

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hogan

SBA Amends SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, Clarifying Broad Phase III Eligibility For the Successors-In-Interest of Phase II Recipients – Ward & Berry PLLC

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently made important clarifications to its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Policy Directive, giving the industry more certainty about whether and when a successor-in-interest to a Phase I/Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees is eligible for Phase III awards.

Biden administration to invest $3.2 billion for Covid-19 antiviral pills

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced a $3.2 billion plan Thursday to build up the country's supply of drugs to treat Covid-19 and future viral threats.

The plan, called the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, will spur clinical trials and the manufacturing of promising treatments for Covid-19, with the goal of gaining authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for some antivirals and making them available to the public within a year, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

Image: https://www.nbcnews.com - From Video

Time to make essential medicines within the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many problems in American society ranging from public health and racial disparities to economic challenges and supply chain limitations. As was true with many nations around the world, the United States was caught without a detailed plan for dealing with a pandemic. Hospitals were unprepared for the deluge of patients and health care providers did not have access to the supplies they needed to protect themselves. State and national leaders provided mixed cues on how to shut down and when to reopen, and there continue to be sharp partisan differences in how people feel about wearing masks and getting vaccinations.

Saving Lives with Autotransfusion

Join us Sunday, June 27 at 3:45 PM GMT for our next session of Saving Lives with Autotransfusion: Lessons from the Field—a Sisu Global webinar series where clinicians speak about their experience using Hemafuse in surgery and other global health issues.

Bipartisan group aims to harness America’s entrepreneurial spirit in economic recovery, launch 320 new businesses annually

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and U.S. Representatives Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) introduced the Next Generation Entrepreneurship Corps Act to encourage new business and job creation in underserved communities through a competitive fellowship for entrepreneurs. With a six-year investment of $330 million, the bill will identify talented entrepreneurs through a national competition and directly support the creation of 320 new businesses each year.

National Academy of Inventors

This is the annual report published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) on top university patent holders. The Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2020 were compiled using data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Oﬃce (USPTO). The Top 100 highlights the vital role patents play in translating university research and innovation. Published annually by the NAI and IPO since 2013, the report ranks the top 100 universities named as the ﬁrst assignee on utility patents granted by the USPTO during the 2020 calendar year.

Seven Tips for Managing Procrastinators

Studying procrastination used to be a terrific way to avoid doing things I was supposed to be doing. It hasn’t been as much fun for me since one of the things I supposed to be doing was writing this column on how to manage procrastinators. Rats!

One thing I learned before I was distracted from my studies is that about 20 percent of adults identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. That is, they are habitually unable to perform tasks on time, even when there are serious consequences involved. Moreover, reports DePaul University psychology professor Joseph Ferrari, author of Still Procrastinating? The No-Regrets Guide to Getting It Done, the incidence of procrastination is pretty consistent across age cohorts, gender, and nationalities. As yet, procrastination researchers have not identified any “blue zones” — Shangri-las in which people not only live longer, but also never miss a deadline.

Earth's fifth ocean just confirmed | Live Science

The Earth has finally attained popular recognition for its fifth ocean, with a decision by the National Geographic Society to add the Southern Ocean around Antarctica to the four it recognizes already: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans.

Although the designation of the frigid waters around the icy southern continent as a separate ocean has kicked around for almost 100 years and is widely used by scientists, until now it has not had popular backing.