BioHealth Innovation Weekly for October 29, 2024

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October 29, 2024

BioHealth Innovation EIR Luis Gutierrez Moderates Key Life Sciences Panel at DC Start-Up & Technology Week

At Washington, D.C.’s recent Start-Up & Technology Week on October 25th, BioHealth Innovation’s Executive-in-Residence, Luis Gutierrez, led a pivotal panel as part of the life science track sponsored by J-Labs. It was titled “The Quest for Resources: Unlocking Opportunities for Life Sciences Start-Ups.” Panelists included Ashim Subedee (BARDA DRIVe), Amy Adams (George Mason University), Jack Miner (TEDCO), Sara Adams (DMPED), and Deborah Hemingway (Ecphora Capital), all sharing insights on resource maximization in the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR).

Montgomery County Launches $10 Million Fund to Stimulate Job Growth for County-Based Companies in Cybersecurity, Hospitality, Life Sciences and Quantum Computing

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 23, 2024 - Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich today announced the launch of a $10 million Job Creation Fund, a new initiative aimed at driving economic growth and encouraging job creation in the County’s key industries. The program, established by a special appropriation through County Council Resolution 20-491, led by Council President Andrew Friedson, will provide financial incentives of up to $500,000 for businesses that create high-paying jobs in sectors such as advanced technology, life sciences, cybersecurity, hospitality and quantum computing.

Eligible companies can receive $10,000 for each new job created, with increased incentives for businesses located in disadvantaged areas as defined by the County’s Community Equity Index. The fund is designed to build on Montgomery County’s reputation as a hub for innovation and economic opportunity, while also supporting job creation that strengthens the local workforce.

United Therapeutics Corporation Announces the 500th Lung Transplant Utilizing its Centralized Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Service

SILVER SPRING, Md. & JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR), a public benefit corporation, and its subsidiary Lung Bioengineering Inc. (LBE) announced that the 500^th lung transplant utilizing LBE’s centralized ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) service was completed last month. These 500 transplants were the result of evaluating over 800 donated lungs using centralized EVLP since 2014.

The 500th transplant was completed in Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic in Florida. “We are honored to work with United Therapeutics in this important collaboration that continues to increase the number of lungs that can be transplanted and is a significant step forward for transplant patients,” said John Haney, M.D., M.P.H., Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. “Mayo Clinic is committed to using and developing the latest medical advances and innovations that will have tremendous benefits not only for our patients, but other patients at institutions throughout the U.S.”

BioHub Maryland Opens New Biopharma Workforce Training Center in Montgomery County’s Life Sciences Corridor

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioHub Maryland, an initiative to accelerate life sciences in the state, today officially opened a new state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical workforce training center at 9808 Medical Center Drive in Rockville. Maryland Lt. Governor Aruna Miller and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich joined life sciences industry leaders to open the training center on October 24.

Located in one of the nation’s top life sciences hubs, the 8,200-square-foot BioHub Maryland Training and Education Center at Montgomery County unlocks career opportunities for Marylanders and builds the diverse and skilled workforce needed to advance Maryland’s global life sciences leadership.

Children’s National selected to receive $8 million award from ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health to advance device for precision pain measurement

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pain assessment in medicine often relies on imprecise visual rating scales featuring smiling or crying faces, frustrating patients and physicians alike. Children’s National Hospital researchers aim to change this with a new device designed to precisely measure pain, backed by an $8-million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Sprint for Women’s Health.

Sonavex Secures $15M Series A-2 Financing

Baltimore, MD (October 24th, 2024) – Sonavex, Inc., a privately held medical device company with ultrasound technologies that deliver quantitative blood flow and other critical vascular data at the point of care, announced the closing of its $15 million Series A-2 financing. The round attracted several new institutional investors, strong participation from existing shareholders, and industry veterans in vascular and dialysis. New investors include Unorthodox Ventures, GenHenn Capital, JSTAR Capital, Oakwood Circle Ventures, Riptide Ventures and Partners Investment.

New Funding Secured to Support Clinical GMP Manufacturing Expansion at Rise Therapeutics

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rise Therapeutics announced today that it has received funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institute of Health (NIH) to enable infrastructure improvement that will scale GMP production and accelerate quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC), significantly enhancing its biologics drug manufacturing capabilities. This Commercial Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program SBIR award will also support Phase 2 clinical GMP manufacturing to advance Rise Therapeutics' R-3750 program currently completing a Phase 1 proof-of-concept clinical trial in patients suffering from ulcerative colitis.

Frederick's Theradaptive Receives 2024 Best Technology in Spine Award by Orthopedics This Week

FREDERICK, Md., Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Theradaptive, a privately held, clinical stage biologics company developing protein therapeutics for spine, orthopedics, soft tissue repair and targeted immuno-oncology, announced today that OsteoAdapt™ SP has received the Gold Level Award for Best Technology in Spine 2024 by Orthopedics This Week.

BHCR Finalist Chesapeake NeuroTech Among 71 Teams Advanced by NSF in Regional Innovation Engines Competition

The invited teams highlight the broad interest in the NSF Engines program and show great promise in building regional ecosystems that will accelerate breakthrough technologies, leading to economic development.

The U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program announced that 71 teams spanning nearly every state and territory in the nation are advancing to the next stage of the second-ever competition. The program is charting a new frontier for American innovation pursuant to the bipartisan "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022." The teams selected to submit full proposals stand to build upon an inaugural cohort of regions nationwide that are bringing technology-driven economic and workforce development to all parts of the United States. Explore the interactive map.

TEDCO Announces Entrepreneur Expo Panel Focused on Advancing Women-Led Entrepreneurship in Maryland

COLUMBIA, Md., (October 24, 2024) –– TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announces the “Breaking Barriers and Building Futures: The Evolution of Women Entrepreneurs in Maryland” session at the 10^th Entrepreneur Expo, taking place on December 4, 2024, at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel.

The dynamic growth of women-led entrepreneurship in Maryland will take center stage in this insightful panel discussion featuring Jasmine Clemons, director of the Maryland Board of Public Works, Danette Nguyen, managing director of the Maryland Women’s Business Center and Samantha Scott, PhD, CEO and founder of JuneBrain. The conversation will explore the unique challenges women face in today’s business landscape, with a particular focus on access to capital, scaling strategies and the support systems necessary for sustained success.

Biden-Harris Administration announces ARPA-H's Sprint for Women’s Health awards aimed at closing gaps in women’s health research

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), today announced the teams selected by its Sprint for Women’s Health to receive awards. The agency committed over $110 million to fund solutions for health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. This effort will advance the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research and help spur the type of innovation and private sector engagement long needed to improve women’s health. 