Drug targets are like fashion items. When a trendsetter proves one is worth spending money on, a lot of followers pile in. That’s no knock on drug developers, necessarily: When a new target shows some promise, it’s good to have lots of researchers with different ideas and approaches trying to find a drug to hit it. In the last few years, many of those researchers from the academic and industry camps who traditionally wouldn’t work together are joining forces.

Enter drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), which has tried various schemes to make its research groups more biotech-like, including the spin-out of an immunology team into a separate biotech company. That company, Tempero Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, MA, has teamed up with two academic labs to go after one of the most intriguing targets in immune disease, the IL-17 pathway, and a paper they published recently has caught the eyes of their peers.

Ready to put an end to a devastating disease, Maryland-based biotechnology company Sanaria launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to eliminate the threat of malaria. The company is aiming to raise $250k to develop of SporoBot, a robot that will dissect mosquito salivary glands and to accelerate vaccine development.

Malaria is a vector borne disease that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. During the bite, it regurgitates parasitic protozoa Plasmodium falciparum. This is then embedded in the host’s liver until it matures and releases its progeny. It then destroys the host’s red cells and ultimately kills the host.

Digital health is a popular business these days, but it’s also a tricky one.

In theory, remote monitoring and engagement products have the potential to drive long-term cost savings, but robust data is lacking and consumer adoption so far has been relatively low.

During the Spring 2014 Maryland legislative session, the Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credits were increased by $2M to $12M. The electronic queue for these credits will take place on July 1, 2014. To participate in this queue, companies must register by submitting their complete application (form A1/A2/A3 and form B) to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) Tax Incentives Group between June 2nd and June 27th.

Companies seeking to confirm their QMBC (Qualified Maryland Biotechnology Company) status prior to June 2nd may do so by submitting their company's information (form B) to DBED between May 19th and May 30th.

Join us at another BioBuzz event with Sponsor The UMD Biotechnology Research and Education Program (BREP) on May 21st from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. at American Tap Room in Rockville, MD. .This location is a short walk from the Metro in the Rockville Town Center. We're capping the registration at 120 people, so make sure you sign up today!

The Government Contracting Institute, sponsored by TargetGov and bwtech@UMBC, introduces a new class covering the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The class, called “How the SBIR/STTR Program Can Help Grow Your Business” will be held at bwtech@UMBC’s South Campus on May 27, 2014. Representatives from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be an integral part of the class instruction.

The SBIR/STTR programs promote small business innovation and profitability while simultaneously meeting the government’s research and development needs. Every year, small businesses receive millions of dollars in SBIR/STTR funds for research, development and commercialization purposes. This course will provide attendees with an overview of the SBIR/STTR programs; funding sources and eligibility requirements; best practices in SBIR/STTR proposals writing, involvement, and commercialization; and a discussion of how to protect your company’s legal interests in either program.

Genome pioneer J. Craig Venter is teaming up with a unit of United Therapeutics to develop pig lungs that have been genetically altered to be compatible with humans, a feat that, if successful, could address the urgent need for transplant organs for people with end-stage lung disease.

Venter's privately held company Synthetic Genomics said it has entered a multiyear deal with United Therapeutics' Lung Biotechnology to develop the so-called humanised pig organs.

The Maryland Science Center's newly expanded and re-imagined space, SciLab , is now open, providing a unique, popular and hands-on laboratory science simulation for visitors. The 2,000-square-foot expansion was partially funded by a $100,000 contribution from BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) BDX +1.01% , a leading global medical technology company. SciLab's expansion includes a classroom space, new investigation stations and additional laboratory gear that enhance educational opportunities for visitors and local school groups.

Visitors to SciLab will don lab coats, wear safety glasses and experiment with dozens of lab tools at large investigation stations to explore scientific wonders including chemical composition analysis, DNA extraction, optical illusions and the inner workings of the human body. "SciLab Scientists" will use test tubes, pipettes, beakers and microscopes while measuring, mixing, stirring and observing their way to testing a hypothesis.

Nearly 30 business incubators throughout Maryland are fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs, breaking down barriers to entry and introducing new talent to investors.

For the past 14 years, organizers of the Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards have honored the most promising startups emerging from the State’s incubators. From among 22 finalists, this year’s category winners will be announced at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore on June 10, the competition announced Wednesday.

The Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters , the world's leading provider of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, honored Amplimmune, Inc. and Medimmune for their work in pharmaceutical Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), and Isis Pharmaceuticals and Biogen Idec for biopharmaceutical licensing with the Allicense 2014 Breakthrough Award for Deal of the Year .

The winners were announced Tuesday, April 29, after a public vote at 2014 Allicense , a prominent event connecting business development, licensing, and merger and acquisition (M&A) professionals throughout pharma, biotech and finance to discuss industry-wide challenges and collaborate on creating a roadmap for the future of pharmaceutical development. The annual award honors the top global deals in two categories: M&A and Biopharmaceutical Licensing. Five contenders in each category were nominated by Thomson Reuters deals analysts after a thorough analysis of information in Thomson Reuters Recap —the premier analysis tool for biopharmaceutical business deal making—and other criteria that examined hundreds of deals negotiated throughout 2013.

Top Story: QMBC Determinations for the Maryland Biotech Investment — Incentive Tax Credits (BIITC) Begin May 19th; Line-up July 1st

The electronic line-up for the next round of Maryland Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credits (BIITC) will take place July 1, 2014.  To participate in this queue, companies must register by submitting their completed application (Form A and Form B) to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) Tax Incentives Group between June 2nd and June 27th.   

Companies seeking to confirm their QMBC (Qualified Maryland Biotechnology Company) status prior to June 2nd may do so by submitting their company's information (Form B) to DBED's Tax Incentives Group between May 19th and May 30th.  

Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, College Park are among the nation’s best engineering schools.

Johns Hopkins ranks 17th and the University of Maryland 24th, according to Business Insider.

The report is the third in an annual series briefing Congress on the results of legislative language in the America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2010 that encourages the use of prize competitions by federal agencies to spur innovation.

In the private sector, such competitions have occasionally become major spectacles, such as the 1927 Orteig Prize that led to Charles Lindbergh’s trans-Atlantic flight and the $10-million prize a decade ago for the successful launch of a commercial spacecraft. But in the arena of federally sponsored science, and especially as it concerns the basic research done at universities, the uses appear more limited, such as tackling logistical roadblocks or developing web applications.

When Ron Daniels took the stage in a fourth floor auditorium inside the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in East Baltimore, he was staring down a veritable Who’s Who of Baltimore city’s tech community: startup founders, the presidents and operators of incubators, people at the helm of deep-pocketed foundations and tech company investors.

It was April 30, Demo Day for DreamIt Health Baltimore, when nine health IT startups would graduate from a four-month accelerator program backed, in part, by the Johns Hopkins University. And Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins, had one message for the startups’ founders anxiously awaiting their turn to present their companies to the crowd of at least 100.

Foluke Tuakli hopped on a bicycle and weaved around her classroom at the University of Maryland, College Park, acting out the problems that cyclists encounter on the road. "I'm turning, I'm turning," she shrieked as the bike wobbled.

The demonstration was part of a student pitch for a bicycle GPS app in a freshman entrepreneurship class in the honors college. Other student groups had their own pitches: a new type of sustainable drinking fountain where water is squirted directly into the mouth, a Third World slum development project, and a day care center that emphasizes healthful eating habits.

The University of Maryland and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) will host the first national symposium to discuss biosimilar therapeutics on June 13, 2014, at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research in Rockville, Md., university officials announce today.

The event, " Emerging Strategies for the Production and Characterization of Biosimilars ," kicks off the first annual UMD/NIST Biomanufacturing Technology Summit, which pulls together company, government and academic thought leaders from around the world each year to discuss strategies, trends and issues in biotechnology products and manufacturing.

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:

NIH Guide Notices:

• NOT-OD-14-085: Transition Plans for Reporting Sex/Gender, Race, and Ethnicity Information in Non-Competing Type 5 Progress Reports
• NOT-OD-14-086: NIH Launching New System and Procedures for Reporting Sex/Gender, Race, and Ethnicity Information to the NIH
• NOT-OD-14-087: Notice of Change in Eligibility for RFA-OD-14-005 "NIH Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) Awards (U01)"
• NOT-OD-14-088: Notice of Clarification of Career (K) Award Eligibility
• NOT-HL-14-223: Request for Information (RFI): Strategic Planning for Asthma Research 
• NOT-NS-14-029: Notice of NINDS Participation in NOT-HL-14-222 "Request for Information (RFI): Opportunities to Advance Clinical and Epidemiologic Research to Facilitate Aging in Place utilizing In-Home Monitoring "

Please note that most links to RFAs, PAs, and Guide Notices will take you to the NIH Web site. RFPs will take you to FedBizOpps. Links to RFPs will not work past their proposal receipt date. Archived versions of RFPs posted on FedBizOpps can be found on the FedBizOpps site using the FedBizOpps search function. Under “Document to Search,” select Archived Documents.

Two University of Maryland graduates have designed The Micro, a consumer-friendly, sub-$300 3D printer, and are quickly staging one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of all-time to produce it, hauling in $3.3 million with more than 10,000 backers.

The Micro raced past its $50,000 goal in just 11 minutes and hit the $1 million mark in 25 hours, faster than the Pebble watch, which took 28 hours.

The number of people age 65 and older in the United States is expected to almost double by 2050, a shift that is expected to drastically alter the nation's racial makeup and pressure its economy, two government reports released on Tuesday said.

Those older U.S. residents are expected grow from 43 million in 2012 to nearly 84 million over the next four decades as the baby boomer generation ages, the Census Bureau said in its latest estimate.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a contract to researchers at The Johns Hopkins University to launch a new center devoted to developing innovative ways to identify and track influenza viruses worldwide.

One top goal is to rapidly identify new influenza virus strains that may emerge as the next seasonal influenza or global pandemic that could threaten public health.

Michael Spinosa overflows with enthusiasm about the team that helped his Columbia company figure out new strategies for growth — at no charge.

That might not sound like economic development, if your conception of it is multimillion-dollar incentives to tempt big employers to move in. The assistance Spinosa got is a different approach with the same goal: more jobs.

Novavax Inc. believes it has created a vaccine against the Middle East Respiratory Virus, or MERS, which has been causing pandemic concerns.

The Gaithersburg biotech, working with University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers, said their vaccine candidate blocked MERS infections in laboratory studies. It is based on a platform for a vaccine candidate that is said to protect against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS; both MERS and SARS are coronaviruses.

Emocha, one of nine graduates of the first class of startups from the DreamIt Health Baltimore accelerator, announced at Demo Day on April 30 that it’s opening an investment round this summer.

The mobile health platform is already being used in three separate pilot programs to allow physicians and clinicians based at health organizations to monitor patients’ symptoms, recovery and rehabilitation from a variety of diseases via smartphone.

QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that its artus C. difficile QS-RGQ MDx Kit has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to qualitatively detect Clostridium difficile, a widespread healthcare-associated infection (HAI). In addition, the FDA has granted 510(k) regulatory clearance for the QIAsymphony RGQ MDx system, QIAGEN’s flagship automation platform that is transforming laboratory workflows and driving dissemination of molecular diagnostics. The U.S. milestone for QIAGEN’s global rollout of its sample-to-result automation platform, together with the FDA clearance of the first in a portfolio of tests for HAI infections, supports the expected growth in QIAsymphony placements globally to more than 1,250 by year-end 2014 and 1,500 by year-end 2015.

“Our QIAsymphony RGQ platform is revolutionizing laboratory workflows with flexible, efficient automation from sample to result – and the U.S. clearance affirms that we are well on track with our targets for this important growth driver,” said Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer. “QIAGEN is now positioned to rapidly expand the menu of standardized, regulator-approved diagnostic kits running on QIAsymphony. Our FDA cleared artus C. difficile QS-RGQ MDx Kit provides reliable detection of both the Toxin A and Toxin B of the infection. artus C. difficile QS-RGQ MDx Kit is the first test of our planned HAI portfolio in the United States. As we continue to deliver on a deep pipeline for infectious diseases and personalized healthcare diagnostics, the growing menu adds value for customers and patients by allowing consolidation of more tests on this platform.”

The rising prevalence of smartphones and mobile phones has made their use as a way to help people manage their health more viable. So much so that the National Institutes of Health has started an mhealth grants program and is looking for submissions.

It plans to offer awards of up to $500,000. Self management of chronic conditions and improving patient-provider communications are among the sought-after areas. It begins accepting applications today through May.

Economic Gardening initiatives, including the Advance Maryland program, are gaining momentum across the State, but to understand the origin of the term, one must first look to Littleton, Colorado.

In the late 1980s, with the closing of a major missile manufacturing plant, the Denver suburb faced thousands of layoffs. Town leaders were left with two thoughts: What to do next and how to be less vulnerable in the future?

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:
NIH Guide Notices:

• NOT-OD-14-082: Clarifications to the NIH and AHRQ Policy for Application Submission [Posted 04/29/2014]
• NOT-OD-14-083: Register Today for the 2014 NIH Regional Seminar on Program Funding and Grants Administration in Baltimore, MD [Posted 04/29/2014]
• NOT-OD-14-084: NIH Updating Grant Closeout Policies and Procedures to Align with New HHS Requirements [Posted 04/29/2014]
• NOT-HL-14-222: Request for Information (RFI): Opportunities to Advance Clinical and Epidemiologic Research to Facilitate Aging in Place utilizing In-Home Monitoring [Posted 04/29/2014]
• NOT-GM-14-112: Request for Information: Current Clinical Questions in Post Resuscitation Hypothermia [Posted 04/18/2014]
• NOT-OD-14-081: Notice of NIH Improving the Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) Module for Submission of Financial Conflict of Interest Reports to the NIH Beginning on April 25, 2014 [Posted 04/18/2014]
• NOT-OD-14-080: Notice of NIH HeLa Genome Sequence Data Submission and Access Policy [Posted 04/18/2014]
• NOT-OD-14-079: NIH Will Open the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) for All Type 5 Non-SNAP Progress Reports on April 25, 2014 [Posted 04/18/2014]
• NOT-OD-14-074: NIH and AHRQ Announce Updated Policy for Application Submission 

The Cyber Incubator@bwtech of Baltimore, Md., has been named a finalist for the National Business Incubation Association’s 2014 Dinah Adkins Incubator of the Year award in the technology focus category. The winner of the prestigious award will be announced May 20 at NBIA’s 28th International Conference on Business Incubation in New Orleans.

The Cyber Incubator is located at bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park, adjacent to and affiliated with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The Cyber Incubator’s mission is to provide a unique, innovative approach to business incubation for early-stage cyber security and IT-focused businesses, including women-owned, minority-owned, and small disadvantaged businesses, and to foster economic development for the state of Maryland. When built in 2011, 5 companies occupied the incubator’s 10,000 square foot Class-A office space. Today the incubator houses over 30 companies and consists of an additional 3,000 square foot co-working space called the CyberHive.

Afraid of spiders, needles, or heights? There's an app in development to help remedy that.

Speaking of nascent mobile applications, how about one that manages and tracks patient populations spread out over hundreds or even thousands of miles?

The solutions to many vexing health care issues could reside right in our pockets, according to founders of several IT startup companies that pitched their products on Wednesday at the 2014 DreamIt Health Baltimore Demo Day.

Pfizer Inc. increased its offer for AstraZeneca to $106 billion — but the sweetened bid was immediately rejected.

London-based AstraZeneca, which has its U.S. headquarters in Wilmington, Del., and whose MedImmune unit has operations in Hayward, said in a statement “the financial and other terms described in the proposal are inadequate, substantially undervalue AstraZeneca and are not a basis on which to engage with Pfizer. The large proportion of the consideration payable in Pfizer shares and the tax-driven inversion structure remain unchanged. accordingly, the board has rejected the proposal."

Small Business Innovation Research Funds / Small Business Technology Transfer Research Funds (SBIR/STTR) are the number one technology venture funding for American inventors, start up enterprises, and early stage small businesses. Phase One grants can provide up to $100,000 on average and Phase Two grants can provide up to $750,000 on average depending on the awarding agency. Montgomery County's Business Innovation Network is pleased to announce the kick off of a new SBIR center in Germantown, MD to help Maryland businesses apply for, win, and manage these types of grants. 

Please join us on May 13 for an event featuring an overview of SBIR/STTR. We'll have panelists explain the what, why, and how of the application process. (Economic development professionals, please also attend the afternoon training session. You can register for that event here.)

The MOVE Program is a recently-announced initiative from the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development created to get you to take a serious look at Montgomery County, Maryland and the variety of great commercial office space available to YOUR business right NOW!

We are offering a $4/SF rent subsidy to life sciences, IT, cybersecurity and green technology businesses currently NOT in Montgomery County. The program provides the rent subsidy for year one of the lease when qualified companies sign their FIRST County lease of at least three years for office space between 2,000 and 10,000 rentable square feet. With a one page application, cash up front to the tenant and assistance with any required permits, it’s a truly unique program to benefit YOU.

A better material for the 3D printing of vascular implants, a new technology that makes cloud storage more secure and efficient, and a low-cost, high-energy solid state lithium-ion battery are the University of Maryland 2013 Invention of the Year winners.

The winning inventions were announced at the university's Celebration of Innovation and Partnerships event on April 29, 2014. Also announced was the recipient of the Corporate Connector of the Year Award, Michael Pecht, director and founder of the UMD Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering. This award recognizes a University of Maryland researcher, staff or unit that has achieved significant engagement with the private sector in corporate research, philanthropy, or student support.

MdBio Foundation, Inc. and Montgomery College Germantown are currently accepting applications for FUNdamentals of Biotechnology (formerly the Young Science Explorer's Program), a week long science camp for students entering the 7th and the 8th grades.  

Over the course of one week students will explore the world of science and experience biotechnology first hand. Campers will visit local Maryland STEM companies and use the latest laboratory techniques and equipment to learn about a wide variety of science based careers.  

Each program will run Monday through Friday from 9 AM - 3 PM. The sessions will be held the weeks of July 14th and July 21st at the Montgomery College Germantown Campus. The camper fee is $400 with limited scholarships available. Registration and additional details may be found on Montgomery College's website. 

It's strictly social at Science in the City...no speakers, no agenda! It's the place to nosh and network with other bio-minded folks.

Join us Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 5 pm on the patio, weather permitting.

Don't waste time by standing in line, RSVP today