BioHealth Innovation Weekly for June 13, 2023

Trouble Viewing This Email: Click Here

June 13, 2023

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

citybiz: American Gene Technologies Launches New Spinoff Company “Addimmune” to Focus Exclusively on Development of HIV Cure

Addimmune will build upon the success of American Gene Technologies Phase 1 HIV clinical trial, accelerating the clinical development with dedicated investment and singular focus on HIV.

American Gene Technologies, a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Rockville, Maryland, is launching a new company — Addimmune — to continue to develop gene and cell therapy technologies to cure HIV. Addimmune will focus solely on advancing an HIV cure, building upon more than a decade of work by AGT that led to a successful Phase 1 HIV gene and cell therapy clinical trial.

Addimmune aims to create tremendous benefits for HIV patients, payers, and the public. Its gene therapy technology has the power to transform millions of lives. The new company’s name represents a fusion of two fundamental concepts: using gene and cell therapy to add new capacity to the human T cell to create an improved immune system to fight HIV.

TEDCO Invests SSBCI Funding into Hememics Biotechnologies, Inc.

Maryland biotech company revolutionizing point-of-care testing for viruses and environmental toxins

COLUMBIA, Md. (June 7, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a $500,000 State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) investment into Hememics Biotechnologies, Inc., a biotechnology company. The investment came through TEDCO’s Venture Funds.

"I am extremely proud of what the company has achieved," said John Warden, Jr., CEO and co-founder of Hememics Biotechnologies, Inc. "We have generated favorable results from more than 100,000 biosensor tests in the past nine months. The new funding will allow us to put the final touches on our product, and continue to develop early commercial customers."
Hememics Biotechnologies, Inc., based in Gaithersburg, Md., is using graphene monolayer biosensors to revolutionize point-of-care testing for viruses and environmental toxins. The HemBox™, a cellphone-sized reader and chip platform, allows users to test for multiple viruses and toxins from samples as diverse as soil, water, saliva and blood.

University of Maryland's Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI) signs MOU with Korean Regulatory Science Center

On Monday, June 5, 2023, members of the University of Maryland's Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI) met with Korean Regulatory Science Center (KRSC) members Dr. In-sook Park and Mi-rim Baek. Dr. Kyenghee Kwon, a representative from Dongguk University, was also in attendance. The meeting was hosted by Dr. Jim Polli, M-CERSI Co-Director, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in the School of Pharmacy building.

"It is an exciting endeavor to work with the Korean Regulatory Science Center and its universities," said Dr. Bill Bentley, M-CERSI Co-Director. "I am delighted to see M-CERSI's success inspire others."

At the meeting, the KRSC expressed interest in sending students to participate in UMB’s Master of Science and Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Science, in addition to learning more about the projects, financials, and activities of M-CERSI to learn how to run a similar organization in Korea.

The KRSC team plans to host their own version of M-CERSI's America Got Regulatory Science Talent Competition in July, with eight universities and colleges participating. The KRSC competition, open to undergraduate students, has more than 17 teams formed already. The goals of the competition are to spread positive regulatory science awareness and encourage the next generation of scientists.

Click here to read more.

PQE Group sets the pace for new FemTech related services, empowering new development of therapies in the clinical space

Recently recognized as a Great Place to Work in the US for the second consecutive year, PQE Group, the woman-owned global consulting company, announces its mission towards innovation in the development of therapies for women’s health challenges.

A year after the foundation of GQC, an internal start-up of the Group focused on medical cannabis therapy solutions, Gilda D’Incerti - CEO and Founder of the company – is now dedicating her interest to FemTech (Female Technology) and the so-called SHEconomy: these primary market trends forecast tremendous growth in terms of profit and growth in the next decade, accelerating drug development for women’s health and well-being.

TEDCO signs partnership intermediary agreement with the National Cancer Institute Technology Transfer Center

New agreement will allow more collaboration to advance technology and life sciences innovations across the state

COLUMBIA, Md. (June 7, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced the signing of a Partner Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with the National Cancer Institute Technology Transfer Center (NCI TTC).

“NCI and TEDCO have collaborated for more than a decade on a variety of initiatives to bring the latest advancements in cancer research and technology to the public through Maryland businesses. These collaborations have helped create a thriving innovation ecosystem that benefits both patients and the economy,” said Tom Stackhouse, PhD, director, NCI TTC.
This agreement will codify the relationship between NCI and TEDCO, allowing the two organizations to help promote and foster more opportunities for Maryland’s life sciences community to work together with NCI on cooperative research.

TEDCO Announces an SSBCI Investment into Nanocrine

Maryland biotechnology company creating methods for more efficient and reliable research

COLUMBIA, Md. (June 8, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) investment of $300,000 into Nanocrine, a biotechnology company.

“Without a steady and reliable foundation, research can be unreliable and unpredictable,” said Patrick Calhoun, president and chief science officer of Nanocrine. “Unfortunately, this is where many researchers are when studying living cells; many surfaces that cells interact with are uncharacterized or not made with appropriate lab-specific protocols—Nanocrine is working to change this and advance the scientific research and exploration of living cells.”

OPEN CHALLENGE - BLUE KNIGHT QuickPitch: Activating for the Future

Recent global disease outbreaks have had devastating impacts, triggering a renewed emphasis on preparation for potential known and unknown health threats. By proactively enhancing preparedness against emerging pathogens, we aim to minimize the scale of future outbreaks, protect vulnerable populations, and ultimately safeguard our health security.

To that end, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, together with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), is proud to launch the BLUE KNIGHT™ QuickPitch: Activating for the Future. Innovators are invited to submit potentially ground-breaking ideas or technologies that aim to enhance preparedness toward future known and unknown health threats, including emerging pathogens.

Up to 10 innovator(s) with the best potential solution will earn the opportunity to pitch to a panel of industry experts including Johnson & Johnson and BARDA leadership at JLABS @ Washington, DC on August 29. ** In addition, applicants may be invited to join Blue Knight through residency at the hub at JLABS @ Washington, DC, based on their applications and/or presentations.

**No travel costs will be reimbursed for applicants to attend live pitch event in Washington, DC.

For more information on this challenge, click here.