Biohealth Innovation - 528th Edition, October 11, 2022

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October 11, 2022

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Neuroene Therapeutics Wins 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition

Neuroene and Polaris Genomics benefit from increased prizes

Did you miss the 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition? Below we are
sharing a review of the event, participants, judges, and video replays.

Thank you to all the Sponsors and Partners of the event and region this year.

(Winner) Neuroene Therapeutics (watch presentation)

(Montgomery County Winner) , Polaris Genomics (watch presentation)

(Finalist) Kubanda Cryotherapy (watch presentation)

(Finalist) Perfusion Medical (watch presentation)

(Finalist) VPIX Medical (watch presentation)

Click here to read more.

BIO Announces Appointment of Rachel King as Interim CEO | Business Wire

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) – the world’s largest science and public advocacy organization, representing 1,000 members — announced today that Rachel King, co-founder and former CEO of GlycoMimetics, Inc., has agreed to serve as interim President and CEO. King’s appointment follows Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath stepping down as President and CEO to serve as an Advisor to the Executive Committee of the BIO Board of Directors. The organization is searching for a full-time successor.

BioHealth Executive-In-Residence Montgomery County, MD

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) has partnered with Montgomery County, Maryland to support entrepreneurs seeking to commercialize life sciences, digital health, and medical device technologies. The new BHI-County agreement will fund one or more Executives in Residence, dedicated to cultivating the local life sciences ecosystem within Montgomery County.

Background

Over a decade ago, BHI was founded in Rockville, Maryland to coordinate and amplify the county’s existing innovation assets. Since then, our work has expanded to the BioHealth Capital Region (any beyond) by connecting life sciences, biotech and healthcare stakeholders, developing entrepreneurial talent, identifying commercially relevant federal and university technology, and attracting funding for growth-stage companies. BHI’s original goal of raising the BioHealth Capital Region’s life sciences cluster ranking to one of the “Top 3 by 2023” is within reach.

Although Montgomery County’s life sciences cluster has evolved and matured during the past decade, entrepreneurship and commercialization continue to be local priorities as we lead the world in technological advances, while providing economic opportunities locally by translating research into products.

Industry Leaders Share Optimism on the Region’s Life Sciences Economic Outlook Amid Recession Concerns · BioBuzz

It’s no secret that a recession could hit the United States before the year ends. No one knows for sure yet, and many economists believe that the current record high inflation and capital markets distress are symptoms of what could be a substantial economic downturn,

Possible effects have already hit the biotech and life sciences. To discuss how the Biohealth Capital Region would fare out in a potential recession, and whether it can actually avoid one, the I-270 Innovation Labs brought together an outstanding group of regional experts from across key sectors connected to both industries.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

Adaptive Phage Therapeutics Awarded Additional $5 Million from U.S. Defense Health Agency to Support Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis Clinical Trial | Business Wire

GAITHERSBURG, Md--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. (“APT”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing the world’s largest therapeutic phage initiative for treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, today announced that the Defense Health Agency (DHA) has awarded an additional $5 million to support clinical development of APT’s adaptive bacteriophage (“phage”) therapy in treatment of diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO). APT is evaluating safety and efficacy of its precision phage-based therapy in the ongoing Phase 1/2 DANCE™ (DFO Adaptive Novel Care Evaluation) clinical trial.

Image: https://www.businesswire.com

NexImmune Announces Research Collaboration with National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The collaboration will explore EBV and HTLV-1 antigen-specific immune responses in immunological diseases

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NexImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: NEXI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to immunotherapy designed to orchestrate a targeted immune response by directing the function of antigen-specific T cells, today announced a collaboration with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The collaboration will focus on enriching and expanding virus-specific T cell populations and determining their activity against infected human cell lines. The goal of this collaboration is to develop adoptive cell therapies that may benefit patients afflicted with immunological disorders related to these viral infections. Initially, we will focus our efforts on studying Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Human T-cell Leukemia Virus, type 1 (HTLV-1).

Congress reauthorizes the SBIR/STTR Programs | SBIR.gov

WASHINGTON – Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration and voice for America’s 33 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, released the following statement today after the House voted to reauthorize funding for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program:

University of Maryland, Baltimore and Wexford Meeting Critical Demand for Wet Lab Space in Baltimore Region

Doubling the University of Maryland BioPark’s lab space, the two-phase 4MLK development project will represent more than $320 million in total capital investment

BALTIMORE, Maryland, September 22, 2022 — University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, announced today that 4MLK, the newest development project in the University of Maryland BioPark, is slated to move forward, with groundbreaking this fall (2022) and delivering in summer 2024. The 8-story, 250,000-square-foot building, Phase I of a two-phase project representing a $320 million total capital investment, will provide critical wet laboratory space in downtown Baltimore for researchers and companies, flexible lab and office/support space for start-ups, and Class A office space, along with areas for convening and a conference center.

51 “Build to Scale” Grants Totaling $47 Million Awarded to Fuel Innovation and Tech-Based Economic Development

Today, the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded 51 “Build to Scale” grants – totaling $47 million – to organizations that support technology entrepreneurs, catalyze innovation and fuel economic growth. [Read full press release here]

EDA’s “Build to Scale” program provides annual grants that aim to accelerate technology entrepreneurship by increasing inclusive access to support and startup capital. The 2022 awardees will leverage an additional $48 million in matching funds from a variety of private and public sector sources. These EDA investments support advanced manufacturing, bioscience, clean energy and blue economy clusters in regions throughout the United States.

Image: https://content.govdelivery.com/

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Inside greater Richmond's big plan for pharmaceutical manufacturing

The Richmond area is planning a major pharmaceutical manufacturing initiative to build drugs here, restore the nation’s stockpile of essential medicines and to make them more affordably.

The sprawling enterprise has major players, including Virginia Commonwealth University, the cities of Richmond and Petersburg and drug manufacturers Civica, Phlow and AMPAC Fine Chemicals.

Now it has a new pivotal piece: the money.

The initiative, named the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, has received $53 million from the federal government’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Those funds come in addition to $14 million in local donations and $45 million from the state.

The money will help build labs in downtown Richmond and Chesterfield County and manufacturing facilities in Petersburg. Not only will the alliance bring jobs to the area, it will boost national security, said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who came to Richmond on Tuesday to celebrate the budding development.

Click here to read more.