BioHealth Innovation Weekly for April 1, 2025

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April 01, 2025

Solaxa Announces Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 27B

Bethesda, MD — March 28, 2025 – Solaxa Inc., a biopharmaceutical public benefit corporation focused on rare neurological conditions, has announced plans to conduct a registrational clinical trial evaluating its investigational therapy, SLX-100, for spinocerebellar ataxia type 27B (SCA27B).

This pivotal-powered study will be funded in part by a $7.3 million dollar grant awarded to Dr. Susan Perlman, MD, at the University of California, Los Angeles by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. Solaxa will serve as the regulatory sponsor of the trial and partner with leading ataxia centers of excellence. Additional clinical trial sites will be announced later this year.

There are currently no FDA approved therapies for SCA27B, a rare hereditary ataxia. “We are thrilled to move one step closer to impacting the lives of people living with SCA27B,” said Christian Walker, CEO & Founder of Solaxa.

BIO survey: Tariffs threaten innovation, access to cures

U.S. tariffs on imports could increase the cost of biotechnology operations, threatening innovation that helps patients, according to a survey of biotech firms by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

Nearly 90% of U.S. biotech companies rely on imported components for at least half of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved products, and they say tariffs would hurt their business, the survey of BIO member companies found.

“This survey demonstrates the far-reaching and potentially damaging impacts of the proposed tariffs on our biotechnology industry, on biomedical research and on patients,” said BIO President & CEO John F. Crowley.

Maryland Commerce: Japanese quantum company lays down roots in Maryland

NanoQT, a Tokyo-based quantum computing company, recently announced its expansion into Maryland, with the intent to strengthen the company’s research and development capabilities and commercialization in the U.S.

The move follows the company’s participation in Maryland’s Global Gateway program, which incentivizes foreign companies to “soft land” in the U.S., offering affordable office spaces at Maryland incubators as well as access to advisors and other resources. As a Global Gateway participant, NanoQT took up residency at the Quantum Startup Foundry incubator on the University of Maryland campus, where the company will maintain its presence.

RAPPNEWS: George Mason University celebrates $107M life sciences and engineering building in Manassas

Emily Seymour | InsideNoVa Mar 28, 2025 - George Mason University held the grand opening of its new life sciences and engineering building in Manassas on Thursday, celebrating the addition to its Science and Technology Campus.

The $107 million project supports the university’s growing need for specialized instructional labs, classrooms and support spaces for students, officials said. The building has classrooms and more than 30 different lab spaces for teaching, design and fabrication, offering hands-on learning for students across a number of disciplines.

University leaders celebrated the opening Thursday, joined by local leaders, including Virginia Del. Luke Torian, Del. Ian Lovejoy, Del. Briana Sewell, state Sen. Danica Roem and several members of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

The Frederick News-Post: Leidos loses contract to operate Frederick cancer research lab at Fort Detrick

Gabrielle Lewis, The Frederick News-Post, Md. - Thu, January 23, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST - Leidos Biomedical Research, a federal contractor that has managed the National Cancer Institute's Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research for about 30 years, has lost the chance to continue in that role.

The National Institutes of Health, the U.S.'s medical research agency, awarded an operation contract of $89 billion for the lab to the Alliance for Advancing Biomedical Research on Jan. 17.

The contract may potentially last for 25 years, as reported by the business publication GovCon Wire.

Leidos Biomedical, formerly known as SAIC-Frederick and a subsidiary of the company Leidos, was first awarded a contract to manage the lab's day-to-day operations in 1995. The contract was renewed for another 10 years in 2008.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), which owns the lab, had started looking for other entities to potentially manage the facility in 2015, but the search was suspended in 2016.

Leidos spokesperson Brandon Ver Velde wrote in an email Thursday that the company has been proud to support the NCI and the Frederick National Laboratory's mission.

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Secretome Therapeutics Begins First Trial of STM-01 for Heart Failure

PLANO, Texas & BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Secretome Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies derived from neonatal cardiac progenitor cells (nCPC), today announced dosing of the first patient in its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating STM-01 as a treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

This is the first-ever clinical study of an allogeneic, off-the-shelf stem cell therapy in HFpEF, a leading cause of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality worldwide. An estimated 6.7 million adults in the U.S. are affected by heart failure, with HFpEF comprising at least half of these cases.

BISNOW: Fueled By A Strong Pipeline, Prince William County Is A Thriving Alternative For Emerging Life Sciences Innovators

March 25, 2025 - John Knowles, Studio B Writer - The BioCapital Region, which includes Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, is one of the top life sciences clusters in the United States.

Prince William County has rapidly emerged as a key player in Northern Virginia’s life sciences sector. The Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism, or PWCDEDT, has been focused on diversifying the economy and leveraging assets like George Mason University’s Science and Technology Campus to attract innovative companies to the region.

PWCDEDT Deputy Director Trevor Johnson said that the county’s life sciences growth can be traced back to its abundant rural land, offering a rare opportunity for expansion in the Greater Washington area.

CoStar: A life sciences field of dreams takes shape with the opening of 4MLK

By Dan Beyers, Katelyn Keiser - CoStar News - March 26, 2025 - If there is a field of dreams in Baltimore these days, it might be 4MLK, the gleaming new eight-story, 250,000-square-foot lab and office building that stands at the gateway of the University of Maryland's life science and technology center, BioPark.

When it is fully leased, 4MLK hopes to house the largest cluster of bioscience companies in the greater Baltimore region, bringing 1,000 jobs to the city and doubling the size of the workforce now employed by nearly three dozen companies at the center. It's an ambition that earned the project a 2025 CoStar Impact Award as judged by real estate professionals in the market.

'Business of Life Sciences and Healthcare for Leaders' Forthcoming from UMD Smith Executive Education

COLLEGE PARK, Md., March 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Registration is open for "Business of Life Sciences and Healthcare for Leaders" (B-LSHC) — an immersive five-day program focused on leadership development and honing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in medical product development presented by Smith Executive Education at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

The in-person program takes place June 23-27, 2025, at Van Munching Hall on UMD's College Park campus and is designed for mid-to-advanced career professionals in the LSHC ecosystem including pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries; health policy; patient advocacy; regulators; investors; and leaders across medical and regulatory fields.

Program sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day "and end with a luminary keynote speaker who will inspire and challenge participants to think outside the box toward the goals of creating innovative solutions for some of our most challenging problems in the LSHC ecosystem," says Wendy Sanhai, PhD, professor of the practice in management and organization for the Smith School and one of the workshop's organizers.

CorVista Health Presents New Data on Non-Invasive Point of Care Testing for Pulmonary Capillary Wedge Pressure (PCWP) Elevation Using Machine Learning

BETHESDA, Md., March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CorVista Health today announced a poster presentation showcasing preliminary results of its machine learning-based algorithm for non-invasively estimating pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) elevation – a key indicator of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The poster titled ‘Point-of-Care Testing for Pulmonary Capillary Wedge Pressure Elevation Using Machine Learning on Non-invasive Signals’ was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25) in Chicago on March 30, 2025.

Currently, PCWP is measured through an invasive right heart catheterization (iRHC) procedure that requires a cardiologist, pulmonologist or intensivist. The CorVista capture device collects non-invasive signals for 3.5 minutes in patients at rest, which could potentially provide an alternative to iRHC in certain patient populations. The data demonstrate how machine learning signal analysis of a symptomatic population may provide a robust, non-invasive alternative to measuring PCWP elevation, potentially making early detection of HFpEF and PH subtypes more accessible.

Elutia Announces GPO Agreement with Advantus Health Partners to Expand Access to EluPro™

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Elutia Inc. (Nasdaq: ELUT) (“Elutia” or the “Company”), a pioneer in drug-eluting biomatrix products, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Advantus Health Partners (“Advantus”), to provide access of Elutia’s EluPro™ Antibiotic Eluting BioEnvelope to Advantus’ core group purchasing organizations (GPO) solutions portfolio.

“Teaming up with Advantus is another major step forward in meeting the strong customer demand for EluPro,” said Dr. Kimberly Mulligan, GM and VP of Elutia’s Cardiovascular Division. “Our pilot launch of EluPro has exceeded our expectations as physicians recognize the unique value that this antibiotic envelope brings in preventing infection for patients that use a cardiac implantable electronic device. Broadening our GPO coverage with Advantus allows us to benefit from their sustainable contracting solutions, making EluPro more widely available to physicians nationwide.”