Partnering with other pharma companies and academic institutions has been a cornerstone strategy for Eli Lilly and Company for close to a hundred years. One of the first major collaborations in the industry occurred in the 1920s when Lilly partnered with Frederick Banting and Charles Best from the University of Toronto. Banting and Best discovered insulin, and Lilly used its resources to develop and commercialize it. Today millions of people continue to benefit from the result of that successful collaboration.

BioMarker Strategies, LLC, today announced the appointment of Samuel Broder, M.D., as Chairman of its Scientific Advisory Board and his election as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.

“We are privileged to bring a leader of Dr. Broder’s distinction and scientific experience back to our Company. His record of accomplishment in internal medicine and oncology are well known, and we look forward to benefiting from his scientific and strategic insight in the years ahead,” said Jerry Parrott, President and CEO, BioMarker Strategies. “I am particularly pleased that Dr. Broder has agreed to take on the important role of Chairman of our Scientific Advisory Board. We expect to announce the members of our newly constituted SAB in the near future.”

MedImmune and the University of Cambridge today said they have launched a new five-year, multiproject collaboration with the school’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB) focused on research in biopharmaceutical development including cell engineering. The value of the collaboration was not disclosed.

QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced the commercial launch of its QIAGEN Clinical Insight® (QCI™) bioinformatics content and software platform for clinical testing labs to interpret and report on genomic variants identified in next-generation sequencing (NGS). The first two supported applications for the bioinformatics platform are in oncology, for somatic and hereditary cancer testing. QIAGEN will demonstrate the QCI software at the upcoming ClinGen/DECIPHER Meeting (May 27-28, Washington D.C.), ASCO Annual Meeting (May 29-June 2, Chicago), and European Society of Human Genetics Conference (June 6-9, Glasgow).

ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. (PLI)(otcqx:PFSCF) ("ProMetic" or the "Corporation") announced today that it has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of Emergent BioSolutions' ("Emergent") plasma collection center located in Winnipeg, Canada. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

Emergent's plasma collection center is an FDA and Health Canada licensed plasma collection facility. The plasma collection center is conveniently located in close proximity to the existing Emergent Winnipeg based cGMP manufacturing facility, which was recently announced as providing ProMetic with up to 250,000 liters of annual plasma processing capacity. The plasma collection center will start operating under ProMetic's ownership upon granting of the regulatory licenses, in ProMetic's name, by the requisite regulatory authorities. All existing center employees will then transition to be employed by ProMetic.

Technology Digest Inc., an information technology consulting and product development firm, has made its new home at Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus.

The firm is the brainchild of Sarah Iranpour, a first-generation immigrant to the United States from Iran. Iranpour spent years working for others in the IT field. When her son went to college, she decided to “go after my dream developing something substantial for health and medical.”

New Enterprise Associates is planing on making a $5 million investment in Speedinvest’s newly launched second fund. NEA is anticipating that it will provide $50 million in follow-on funding for Speedinvest’s portfolio companies. Speedinvest’s second fund will focus on backing European startups.

Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory has been the hidden mastermind behind some of the nation’s most influential technologies for 73 years.

Now the Howard County institution is going deeper into the medical world, while maintaining its foothold in national security and space exploration projects.

Forest City-New East Baltimore Partnership, a joint venture between Forest City Enterprises, Inc. and Presidential Partners LLC, is building a new innovation hub for life sciences in East Baltimore, just north of the Johns Hopkins medical campus. The project is called 1812 Ashland Avenue and is expected to cost $65.6 million.

Ground was broken on Friday, May 15. The new laboratory and office building will have seven levels and about 168,000 square feet of space. It will be the newest addition to the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins and part of the 88-acre East Baltimore Development Inc. renewal area, which is also developed by Forest City-New East Baltimore Partnership.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is proud to announce the 2015 Tibbetts Awards to 23 small businesses, six individuals, and - for the first time - three supporting organizations for their exemplary roles in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

The 2015 Tibbetts Award recipients will be formally honored in Washington, DC, on June 15 during a White House ceremony featuring keynote speaker Cady Coleman, accomplished scientist and NASA Astronaut noted for her six-month expedition to the International Space Station. Tibbetts Awardees will also be honored at the June 16 kickoff of the National SBIR/STTR Conference where thousands of the best and brightest in the innovation ecosystem convene annually.

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a public-private partnership and innovation intermediary is seeking an energetic and motivated life science professional for the role of an Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) with product development experience and subject matter expertise in the fields of neurology and neuroscience. The EIR will reside within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and will also support intramural and extramural initiatives on an as needed basis.

The EIR program was established at BioHealth Innovation to:

• Retain and bring entrepreneurial talent to the Maryland ecosystem
• Connect resources including institutions, technology assets, people and capital within Maryland that include federal institutions, labs, academic institutions, small businesses, disease foundations and the investor community
• Build/support sustainable life science startups that will add value within the healthcare system and also build upon the existing infrastructure

The EIR will work with BHI leadership to ensure that the activities and outcomes are aligned with BHIs strategic focus.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM (EDT)

Tech Transfer Speakers Series Free monthly program offered through the Gateway to Innovation: Montgomery Welcome Center for Federal and Academic Tech Transfer. For more information and additional calendar items, please visit TechTransferConnection.com. Engage with others in the tech transfer field by joining the Gateway to Innovation LinkedIn Group. Brought to you by: Montgomery County...

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2015 8:30 am - Institute for Bioscience & Biotechnology Research (IBBR)

Manufacturing Science Analytics: Predictors of Biotherapeutic Product Quality

Industrial, federal, and academic researchers will gather to discuss the current trends in process modeling and its relation to the biotherapeutic "fingerprint." On Thursday, June 25, 2015 at 8:30 am join the thought-leaders, policy-makers, and creators of biosimilars as we present current trends, ideas, and predictions.

The Emerging Leaders (EL) Program provides rising leaders with the skills and connections essential to professional success and effective community leadership. Through eight monthly interactive sessions, participants will gain unique exposure to the issues, resources and key players impacting Montgomery County, while strengthening their professional skill sets.

If you experience any difficulty creating an account or filling out the application, please contact Carol Ippolito carol.ippoito@leadermont.org or 301-881-3333

In the 21st century, health care innovation is happening at lightning speed. From the mapping of the human genome to the rise of personalized medicines that are linked to advances in molecular medicine, we have seen constant breakthroughs that are changing the face of disease treatment, management, and cures. Health research is moving quickly, but the federal drug and device approval apparatus is in many ways the relic of another era. We have dedicated scientists and bold leaders at agencies like the NIH and the FDA, but when our laws don’t keep pace with innovation, we all lose.

If we want to save more lives and keep this country the leader in medical innovation, we have to make sure there’s not a major gap between the science of cures and the way we regulate these therapies.

Boston-based venture capital firm SV Life Sciences is working on its sixth fund, with a fundraising target of $400 million, according to a Form D filing on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s website. The firm invests in biotech, medical devices, health IT and healthcare services.

At Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) we are looking for innovative ways to improve the lives of our nation’s service members, veterans and their families by advancing excellence in psychological health and traumatic brain injury prevention and care. Join our Mental Health and TBI Care Challenge starting May 4 to share your idea on how to fill gaps in care and improve the well-being of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Awards recognize best practices in university-based economic development

The University Economic Development Association (UEDA) is currently seeking applications for its annual Awards of Excellence program, which recognizes cutting edge university-based economic development initiatives from across the country. The Awards of Excellence Program spotlights higher education institutions and their partners who are transforming their campuses and communities into engines of economic prosperity through creative initiatives in five categories:

Funding: Biotechnology Investor Incentive Tax Credit (BIITC)

Maryland’s Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit (BIITC), created to assist the state’s early stage life sciences companies raise funding, is one of the most generous programs of its kind in the country. The program provides refundable income tax credits equal to 50% of an eligible investment to investors in qualified Maryland biotechnology companies (QMBCs). Although recipient companies must be based in Maryland, investors from outside the State (including outside the U.S) are encouraged.

Investments from $25,000 to $500,000 per individual investor are eligible, with a company limit of 15% of the annual budgeted credit amount ($1,800,000 of credit per company in FY2016 [July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016]). To date, 75 companies have taken advantage of the program, receiving $69M in credits and later $450M+ in follow on investment.