Leslie Ford Weber, director of the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus, has been elected chair-elect of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.

Weber, who is also director of campus, government and community affairs in Montgomery County for the university and Suburban Hospital, previously served the Chamber as vice chair of the legislative affairs committee and will continue in that role as chair-elect. Before that, she was vice chair of the economic development committee.

FULL-TIME POSITION:

Job Summary: BioFactura is seeking highly motivated applicants with an entrepreneurial spirit for an open position in our biosimilar development programs. We are looking for qualified candidates with a masters or doctoral degree in the life sciences with highly relevant skills and bench experience. The selected candidate will participate in the development and validation of various biosimilar product assays. In this position, the candidate will be responsible for planning, conducting, execution and analysis of experiments using various techniques in protein analysis. Relevant skills include HPLC/U-HPLC (HILIC, RP, SEC, CEX, AEX, affinity), capillary electrophoresis (CE), mass spec, SDS-PAGE, IEF, ELISA, qPCR. Knowledge of protein purification methods and process development/scale-up is a plus. Knowledge of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) including analytical method qualification/validation and current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) are desired. Experience in the preparation and delivery of oral and written presentations as well as participation in the preparation and submission of grants and/or manuscripts for publication are a plus. Excellent communication skills and the ability to analyze and interpret data, design appropriately controlled experiments independently, and maintain up-to-date laboratory notebooks are a must. This is an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience with an innovative, small, young Biotech company and build a career in the biopharmaceutical industry. Candidates should feel comfortable working in a high risk/potential high reward environment and able to work overtime and weekends as project needs are determined.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Masters/Doctoral degree in life sciences
• Hands on experience in protein analytics (3-5 years)• Excellent time management and proven ability to complete projects on time
• Excellent level of initiative and quest for knowledge
• Must be organized and self motivated
• Must have excellent communication and writing skills
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Powerpoint etc.)
• Must love to learn!

Benefits: BioFactura offers a competitive salary and benefit plan including health insurance (medical, dental & prescription) and a retirement plan with employer match.

Contact: Darryl Sampey, Ph.D.President and CEOBioFactura, Inc.8435 Progress Drive, Suite ZFrederick, MD 21701Cell: 240-620-3566Office: 301-315-8002www.biofactura.comdsampey@biofactura.com

The University of Maryland seeks a dynamic, forward-thinking individual to lead the newly-renamed Office of Innovation and Commercialization (OIC). The OIC is charged with cultivation, assessment, protection, and commercialization of intellectual property and other transferrable knowledge (frameworks, methods, copyrights, etc.) generated at the University. The OIC is an integral component of UM Ventures – College Park which has a mission to help drive economic and social impact from University research and discoveries through corporate partnering and entrepreneurial activities.

The Director leads and manages the OIC, overseeing personnel, budgets, and all aspects of intellectual property cultivation, assessment, protection, and commercialization. The Director establishes and implements strategies to maximize the social and economic impact of University research and discoveries through OIC’s commercialization efforts and its support of related entrepreneurial endeavors. The Director is responsible for developing and meeting annual OIC licensing goals and acts as primary point of contact and steward to resolve problems and issues affecting intellectual property and licensing at all levels within the University.

emocha Mobile Health, a Baltimore-based startup company focused on medication adherence, today announced that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research award by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Through the NIH Fast-Track mechanism, the Phase 1 award will total $225,000, with an additional $1.5 million for Phase 2 granted upon achieving milestones. The project will demonstrate the feasibility of video directly observed therapy for patients undergoing the initiation phase of buprenorphine treatment through office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) programs. Outcomes of interest will include adherence, retention in care, measures of illicit opioid use and abstinence, and medication diversi

Funding and Research Opportunities

The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:

Notices

• Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) Predoctoral Stipends, Training Related Expenses, Institutional Allowance, and Tuition/Fees Effective for Fiscal Year 2017
• (NOT-OD-17-072) National Institutes of Health
• Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Researchers (LRP-CR)
• (NOT-OD-17-077) National Institutes of Health
• Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Pediatric Research (LRP-PR)
• (NOT-OD-17-078) National Institutes of Health
• Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Contraception and Infertility Research (LRP-CIR)
• (NOT-OD-17-079) National Institutes of Health
• Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (LRP-HDR)
• (NOT-OD-17-080) National Institutes of Health
• Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (LRP-IDB)
• (NOT-OD-17-081) National Institutes of Health
• Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance
• (NOT-OD-17-083) National Institutes of Health
• Notice of NIDCR's Withdrawal from Participation in PAR-16-242 "Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01)"
• (NOT-DE-17-010)
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
• Notice of NIDCR's Withdrawal from Participation in PA-16-040 "Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants (EBRG) (R21)"
• (NOT-DE-17-011)
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
• Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Point of Care Technologies Research Network Centers (U54)
• (NOT-EB-17-004)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Heart, Lung, and Blood Co-morbiditieS Implementation Models in People Living with HIV (HLB SIMPLe) (U01)
• (NOT-HL-17-520)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Heart, Lung, and Blood Co-morbiditieS Implementation Models in People Living with HIV Data Coordinating Center (HLB SIMPLe DCC) (U24)
• (NOT-HL-17-521)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Notice on Upcoming Webinar for RFA-HL-18-007 "ImPlementation REsearCh to DEvelop interventions for People Living with HIV (PRECluDE) (U01)"
• (NOT-HL-17-524)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• The NIH Common Fund Regenerative Medicine Program (RMP) Announces the Opportunity to Collaborate with the Stem Cell Translation Laboratory (SCTL) at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
• (NOT-RM-17-030)
• NIH Roadmap Initiatives
• Notice Announcing Funding Opportunity Issued for the NIH Data Commons Pilot Phase
• (NOT-RM-17-031)
• NIH Roadmap Initiatives

New Enterprise Associates, Venrock, and Pelion Venture Partners—all early investors in Internet company Cloudflare—are now ponying up $100 million to fund startups that build applications atop Cloudflare's technology, which speeds up web site performance and offers security to web applications. Cloudflare products handle an estimated 10% of the world's web requests. If you click on a browser button, theres a good chance Cloudflare is expediting the response.

On March 7- 8, 2017, Defined Health convened the 28th annual Cancer Progress meeting in New York City. Since 1985, Cancer Progress has served as a unique forum for an insightful and frank discussion about the scientific progress being made in oncology from the perspectives of clinical, regulatory, commercial, payer, patient advocacy, and investor stakeholders. As a companion piece to the meeting (or a primer for those who were unable to attend), the following summarizes some key takeaways and their implications for those looking to establish or maintain relevance in this fast-paced competitive landscape. Key issues addressed herein include the emerging roles of immuno-oncology (IO) vs. non-IO therapies, collaboration vs. competition, and value vs. unmitigated pricing within the evolving oncology landscape. The report closes with some thoughts about where cancer management may be going based on an assessment of present trends.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced a legislative proposal that would provide $500 million over five years for the life sciences sector, extending the state’s commitment to the biotech and medical technology industry. The money would be used for strategic investments in public infrastructure, research and development, workforce training and education. The proposal includes a $295 million bond authorization to provide capital funding, up to $150 million in job-creating tax incentives, and $55 million for the Investment Fund, which would be provided through the annual consolidated net surplus, the same funding mechanism as the current initiative. The funding will continue to be managed by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) and build on earlier investments. MLSC was charged with implementing the $1 billion, 10-year state-funded initiative that was signed into law by former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in 2008 and expires next year.

Roche has bought Vienna-based diabetes management platform mySugr for an undisclosed price, the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday, joining a crowd of companies expanding app-based digital health services.

Privately held mySugr offers a logbook for mobile devices to help people track their blood sugar, medications and activity levels. It has been working with Roche since 2014 and previously got funding from Roche's Venture Fund.

Along with training artists, MICA is showing more desire to educate students in creating business opportunities with their work.

That’s evident in community facing events, as the Station North arts college now runs a startup competition, and is helping students get space at OpenWorks makerspace.

The next NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Omnibus funding opportunity deadline is September 5, 2017. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) welcomes all investigator-initiated projects within their mission through these funding opportunities:

What if you could really understand what someone wanted? What if by asking the right questions and listening to the words another person uses, you could better understand what they wanted – even before they did? What if you could improve all your relationships?

Improved communication and a deeper understanding of motivation is possible. By learning a repeatable framework, based on language choices that expose unconscious motivation, you can experience being 'heard' and better understand others. Dr. Kristin Backstrom, from the Centers for Motivation, will share insights on how language choices express what drives and motivates individuals, helping you learn how to improve teamwork, reduce conflict, and achieve goals.

Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's best known start-up accelerator, thinks it has found a new type of biotechnology start-up.

Life-sciences companies come with a high risk of failure—often, the science behind a proposed invention isn't entirely proven, and turns out not to work. Because of this risk, the traditional way to fund early-stage life sciences companies is for a landmark East Coast investor, such as Third Rock or Flagship, to take a huge equity stake in the business and replace the founder with a seasoned executive. In exchange, it pumps tens of millions of dollars into the company over many years. It often takes more than a decade to generate a return.

I founded my healthcare technology company, ClickMedix, while I was a graduate student at MIT's Development Ventures class. Our mission is to improve the health of over one billion people. We currently have deployments in 18 countries, and serve more than a quarter million patients - all without investor money. I have been funding my startup by winning business plan competitions and through paying customers. Here are three steps to winning business plan competitions:

The Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania will leave the state to join the executive team at Geisinger Health System.

Karen Murphy, R.N., Ph.D., has been named executive vice president, chief innovation officer and founding director of Geisinger’s Steele Institute for Healthcare Innovation. Her last day with the state is Friday but she won’t start her new job at Geisinger until September.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is by far the principal nonprofit funder of biomedical research in the United States. Consequently, when President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal included deep cuts in funding for the NIH, it sent shock waves through academic medical institutions that benefit from NIH research moneys. Although Congress is unlikely to accommodate this proposal, the suggested cuts raise the question of the role of government in medical innovation.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017, 05:30pm - 06:30pm

Learn about the Maryland Women’s Business Center and other resources to help you start and grow your business. 

Location : 51 Monroe Street, Suite PE-20, Rockville MD 20850-2482

Friday, July 14, 2017, 10:00am - 01:00pm

Understand why you need a strong business plan. Learn how to develop each critical piece of your plan. Workshop includes comprehensive outline and additional resources.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017, 01:00pm

Got a lot of questions about commercialization that you've been saving up? Now's your chance to ask an expert! Elizabeth Smith is an experienced entrepreneur, mentor, and thought leader in the BioHealth Capital Region. In addition to being available at MERL office hours, Elizabeth will be available on the BioHive on July 18th at 1PM EDT to answer your questions about commercialization!

Monday, July 24, 2017, 11:30am - 05:00pm

The Maryland Department of Labor, in consultation with the Maryland Department of Commerce, is excited to announce the return of Maryland Business Works, a highly successful incumbent worker training program. Join Mark Nardone, Director of Bio-Trac, to learn more about how the returning Maryland Business Works Program can support and grow small businesses in Maryland.