Biohealth Innovation
I was in Washington D.C. today at the State of the Net conference, listening to conversations about internet governance, Bitcoin, broadband metrics and privacy. And despite the fact that this an event about technology I’ve never felt so out of place.
It’s not just because everyone around me is wearing a suit. Here a few differences between political conferences and tech conferences; some of which are humorous, but others that are worth learning from.
The Mid-Atlantic area is full of outstanding leaders and innovative companies, but only a chosen few will receive a coveted TCM Industry Award. Our winners develop technologies that save lives, keep the country safe, and consistently perform beyond expectations. Play a part in helping us choose our next class of winners! Nominate now!
The nominations process is easier than ever this year. We will be accepting nominations in 7 categories from any company or individual that has done business in the Mid-Atlantic region during 2013, and you don't have to be a TCM member to submit.
There are 7 prestigious award categories including:
Visit our secure online site to nominate a firm or individual. It only takes a few minutes! The deadline to submit is Friday, February 28, 2014.
Remember, talking about a great leader or remarkable company won't make a difference, but nominating them will! Nominate now!
The effort to focus the post O'Malley era in Maryland on developing private sector businesses and jobs got a big boost Friday from the unprecedented joint agenda of House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. It's encouraging that the two top leaders in the General Assembly are both focused on the issue at the same time that most of the candidates for governor next year are talking about the same thing and private sector advocacy groups like the Greater Baltimore Committee are pursuing similar efforts. But what is more intriguing is the nature of the ideas Messrs. Busch and Miller are putting forward.
Too often, the debate about whether Maryland is business friendly goes no farther than a glance at the Tax Foundation's reports on the state and local tax structure, as if the only choices are a Maryland heavily oriented toward government or one that radically slashes taxes and regulation. The truth is that there are other models for success, and the one that best suits Maryland's strengths is a strategy that leverages our great advantages in intellectual capital to produce jobs in high-tech fields like biotechnology and cyber security. The Miller/Busch proposal recognizes that through tax credits to attract superstars from the private sector to academia, build the cyber security industry and encourage business formation in the areas directly surrounding institutions like Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland.
The head of a state-funded business accelerator on Monday said Kansas will soon be recognized worldwide as a place to bring bioscience businesses.
"Our mission is for Kansas to become a global destination for bioscience. That is closer to a reality today than many realize," said Duane Cantrell, chief executive officer of the Kansas Bioscience Authority.
Johns Hopkins Medicine is joining with a company in Saudi Arabia to form a health care company.
The Baltimore medical institution said it and Saudi Aramco, an energy and chemical company with a health care arm, will open the Johns Hopkins Saudi Aramco Healthcare Company Feb. 1.
In a little more than two months, about 1,000 people will flock to Cole Field House, but the occasion won’t have anything to do with basketball.
From April 4 to 6, this university’s first-ever Major League Hacking-sanctioned hackathon will take place in the form of a 36-hour marathon competition called Bitcamp.
Event director Shariq Hashme said he expects anywhere from 750 to 1,250 participants from more than 100 universities, with more than 100 of those participants hailing from this university.
Six startup companies have been selected to participate in AccelerateBaltimore's 2014 program.
The accelerator program is run by the Emerging Technology Centers (ETC) and the Abell Foundation. Each company receives $25,000 in seed funding, office space and mentorship resources. The program runs for 13 weeks.
On a recent press tour of New Jersey I was introduced to PTC Therapeutics, a fascinating company that is developing ribosomal readthrough drugs for several indications.
What I find so interesting about this company and their technology is that it is a sort of magic bullet. Drugs that can modulate ribosomal activity can potentially treat hundreds of diseases (indeed, PTC told me that they are looking at thousands of diseases).
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Commonwealth Fund have concluded that electronic health record systems and other digital tools are likely to curb the demand for physicians in the future.
Based on their analysis of recent trends in digital health care and a review of the scientific literature, the authors conclude that patients’ future use of physician services will change dramatically as electronic health records and consumer e-health “apps” proliferate. The findings appear in the issue of the journal Health Affairs.
Primary care physicians' adoption of electronic health records increased significantly between 2009 and 2012, but there continues to be a "digital divide" between large and small physician practices, according to a new study by the Commonwealth Fund, FierceHealthIT reports.
Study Findings
The study found that EHR adoption by primary care physicians increased from 46% in 2009 to 69% in 2012 (Hall, FierceHealthIT, 1/26).
Using tiny biodegradable particles to disrupt the body’s normal immune response after a heart attack could help save patients from tissue damage and certain long-term health problems that often follow. Researchers have shown that injecting such particles into mice within 24 hours of a heart attack not only significantly reduces tissue damage, but also results in those mice having stronger cardiac function 30 days later. The inventors of the new technology now plan to pursue human trials.
Much of the tissue damage that results from a heart attack is the result of inflammation, the body’s natural response to harmful stimuli such as damaged muscle. But in the case of a heart attack, these immune cells do more harm than good, explains Daniel Getts, inventor of the new therapy and chief scientific officer of Cour Pharmaceutical Development. The system’s weaponry is “fairly generic,” he says. While the toxic compounds that the immune cells secrete can be beneficial in defending the body against an infection, they also cause tissue damage. This phenomenon occurs not only after heart attacks, but also in a range of other diseases, including West Nile Virus, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Image Courtesy of thampapon1 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Investing in activities that support the creation and expansion of high-growth companies and jobs is at the forefront of technology-based economic development (TBED). TBED fosters a climate where new and existing companies that develop technology and continuously innovate will thrive. Understanding the trends that are affecting and influencing TBED can help guide investment priorities for practitioners and policymakers across the nation.
A slow yet stable national economic recovery gave rise to many new initiatives across states and regions with a shift toward targeted and refined investments in the high-tech economy for quicker returns – a continued trend from 2012.
Millennial Media Inc. founder Paul Palmieri has stepped down as chairman and CEO of the publicly traded Baltimore mobile advertising firm, effective immediately.
He will join venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates as a venture adviser focused on technology out of its Chevy Chase office.
Threat and opportunities are two sides of the same coin here. While cancer is one of the biggest threats the healthcare sector is witnessing today, it has also thrown open a number of investment opportunities.
Cancer detection and treatment focused companies attracted almost $17 million from VC ( venture capital) investors during 2013. Norwest led the charge, which deployed $11 million in the cancer-focused medical devices maker Perfint Healthcare and $4 million in cancer-focused diagnostics chain Nueclear Healthcare. Cancer-focused drug development firm Invictus Oncology attracted $1.9 million from Aarin Capital and Navam Capital.
Earlier this month, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), a trade association representing the U.S. venture capital industry, released the results of its MoneyTree Report on venture funding for 2013. The report, which is prepared by NVCA and PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP using data from Thomson Reuters, indicates that venture capitalists invested $29.4 billion in 3,995 deals in 2013, which constituted a 7% increase in dollars and a 4% increase in deals over the prior year (see chart below, which shows total venture funding from 2004 to 2013; data from MoneyTree Reports).
A Baltimore company's medical device that aims to reduce dialysis treatment complications was among two winners of an inaugural bioscience challenge.
Baltimore-based Hemova Medical and Arizona-based MyFuelUp were the winning companies Jan. 24 in the BioAccel Solutions Challenge in Phoenix, a contest that first identified four unmet medical needs before seeking out startups that could help solve the problem. MyFuelUp is an app that provides healthy meal plans.
Srinagar: Jammu Kashmir Innovators Forum (JKIF) is making a device that would measure glucose from the skin without taking any blood sample.
Jammu & Kashmir Innovators Forum, sole Forum from the state, which works for inventions, researches and innovations Saturday announced that it is testing a prototype of a device that would help the people with diabetes to manage this disease.
The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) has selected the University of Maryland Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (EIP) as the first-place winner for an Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education award in the Outstanding Specialty Entrepreneurship Program category, university officials announced today.
A joint initiative of the The Honors College and A. James Clark School of Engineering's Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), EIP is a two-year, living-learning program for freshman and sophomore honors students that fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, creates a sense of community and cooperation, and develops ethical and innovative leaders.
It should come as no surprise that the University of Maryland has once again received an honorable accolade for its commitment to innovation. The College Park school has been dubbed the top most underrated public school for tech entrepreneurship by StartEngine, the state of Maryland has been named the top state for innovation and entrepreneurship, proving that UMD is chock full of talented individuals, and now UMD has been recognized with a national award for excellence in entrepreneurship education.
Announced Thursday, the United States Association for Small Business Entrepreneurship chose the UMD Entrepreneurship Innovation Program as the first place winner for an Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education Award in the Outstanding Specialty Entrepreneurship Program category.
Remember the news of Rockville-based Human Genome Sciences Inc. getting scooped up by London-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC back in mid-2012?
The acquisition news was reported internationally, but the aftermath of the $3 billion buyout is not as widely known.
Johns Hopkins University will share in a $20 million award from GE and the National Football League to improve diagnosis and treatment for concussions, which has become a major focus as more is learned about the lasting effects of mild traumatic brain injury.
The grants aim to benefit professional football players, who have been seeking compensation for their injuries and means to reduce problems. The grants also will benefit the community as a whole, officials said. Each grant recipient will receive $300,000.
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today the pricing of its offering of $215 million aggregate principal amount of 2.875% Convertible Senior Notes due 2021 (the “Notes”) in a private placement to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which was upsized from the previously announced $200 million offering. Emergent also granted the initial purchasers an option to purchase up to an additional $35 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes.
Emergent intends to use a majority of the net proceeds from the offering to finance the acquisition of Cangene Corporation, announced in December 2013. The company intends to use any remaining net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.
I am clearly on a digital health kick, blog-wise, as I look back on my last few posts. Having spent time at both CES and the JP Morgan Healthcare conference, where digital health was a hot topic, it seems that the subsector is definitely having its day in the sun. I was particularly honored to be named among the 2013 “Top 50 in Digital Health” by a group comprised of Rock Health, Goldman Sachs, Silicon Valley Bank, and Fenwick & West. There are some pretty smart people on the list with me and it is very gratifying to be in such great company (nice article about the list by Wade Roush at Xconomy can be read HERE).
On the other hand, I was feeling a little inadequate being on the list without my own digital health start-up to show for it. I mean, hey, there I am among the actual innovators who dreamed up such cool companies as MC10, Evolent, Pokitdok, Athena Health, and a host of others with only my investment checkbook and blog to show for it. Given that it is the year of the wearables, as anyone who went to CES could readily attest, and that the entrepreneurs in that sector were well represented in the Top 50 list (FitBit’s James Park, Misfit Wearables’ Sonny Vu, etc), I have decided to throw my own hat (wrist?) in the ring on this sector.
The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC), whose mission is to bolster technology transfer (T2) among federal labs, agencies, and academic institutions, will hold it’s 2014 National Meeting in Rockville, Maryland from April 21 – 23, 2014 at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel.
Included among the hundreds expected in attendance are, federal and industry technology transfer (T2) professionals, patent attorneys, licensing professionals, and scientists, along with other members of the FLC community. In sticking with the mission of the FLC and striving to simultaneously meet the needs of our nation’s progressive industry, this year’s FLC National Meeting is centered on the theme of accelerating innovation for economic impact.
National health organizations are constantly updating the treatment guidelines doctors are expected to follow. These guidelines come to hospitals and doctors daily and must be manually added to the hospital’s electronic record-keeping system. It’s drudgery, and at one time was the domain of Noah Weiner while working at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
That work led him to ask a question that has sparked many an entrepreneurial venture: “There must be a better way to do this.”
Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels explains how the institution is pushing harder to commercialize research and build resources for startups in Baltimore.
If you have a sneaking suspicion that your passwords are bad, we have some upsetting news: They probably are.
Luckily, SplashData is here to help you change your lazy ways with its annual list of the worst online passwords.
I mean, we wear computers on our faces now. Using "password" as your password just seems out of place in a world where you can wear computers on your face, doesn't it? We should know better by now. Looking at SplashData's findings, it's pretty incredible to learn that many of us don't.
The NIH is the premier biomedical research center for the world. Its 27 Institutes and Centers employ approximately 18,000 employees doing a vast array of jobs, all supporting efforts for a healthy nation.
The Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination (OTAC) in the Division of Extramural Research Activities (DERA), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is seeking outstanding candidates for the Health Scientist Administrator (Business Development Specialist) position. The OTAC is charged with accelerating the translation of basic discoveries and innovations into new diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics, and facilitating the development of new technologies via Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) initiatives. The Office facilitates identification of emerging areas of translational opportunities and provides functional integration by developing interdependent teams that leverage resources and intellect across the NHLBI, and with other NIH Institutes, agencies, and organizations. The OTAC enhances communication and coordination between existing programs, develops and coordinates strategic initiatives and Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), and identifies and capitalizes on synergies to meet and enhance program goals.
The data is in, and there is no question that 2013 was the most active year for biotechnology initial public offerings since 2000. During the 12 months ended in December, 38 biotech companies debuted on Wall Street, all but two of which were listed on the Nasdaq exchange, according to FactSet, a Norwalk, Conn.-based provider of financial analytics. The performance of the biotech class of 2013 was rather impressive: As a group, the shares of the newly public companies rose 43% through the end of the year.
When I say in Cambridge, I’m speaking figuratively about Medimmune; Babraham, Melbourn and Granta Park could be described as “Cambridge, but in pretty countryside without the traffic problems”. That aside, the story told at the Cambridge Network meeting today was one of our regions great successes. We were privileged to have an insight provided by Jon Green, VP Business Operations, Medimmune and and Dr Paul Varley, VP Science and Collaborations, Biopharmaceutical Development.
It all started with CAT, Cambridge Antibody Technology, back in the 90s. The company was founded on the development of an antibody technology.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has found two leaders from within the agency to spearhead technology and operations in Medicare and Medicaid, naming David Nelson CIO and Tim Love COO.
The two long-time CMS staffers, both former members of the military, replace two other long-time agency leaders and are overseeing the most significant health coverage and regulatory expansions in the agency’s history.
The race for the $1,000 genome has been won.
Biotech firm Illumina sent shockwaves through the biotech industry this week by unveiling a new machine that can sequence a full human genome for $1,000. Until Illumina came along, genome sequencing cost approximately $5,000, which is out of range for many patients.
In 2011, the executives of Savi Technology faced a classic business problem. To cut costs, they needed to close one of their three offices and consolidate their workers in another. Their choices were Mountain View, Calif., home to their hardware engineers; Lexington, Ky., where officials were dangling a wide array of tax breaks if Savi expanded there; and Alexandria, in an office park a stone’s throw from the Capital Beltway.
The company’s engineers warned executives that they would have trouble finding enough similarly skilled employees outside Silicon Valley, especially in the Washington area. The executives decided to ditch California anyway and move their headquarters to Virginia.
A new MRSA test that helps you detect recently emerged strains has earned the Food and Drug Administration's market approval, says manufacturer BD Diagnostics.
The BD MAX MRSA XT Assay is the company's second test that can detect MRSA strains with the mecC gene, but the first that can do so via a nasal swab. The earlier version, released in 2013, could be used only on patients about to undergo surgery.
Researchers and physicians at The Johns Hopkins University will collaborate with Belgian nanoelectronics research center imec to advance silicon applications in health care, beginning with development of a point-of-care device to enable a broad range of clinical tests to be performed outside the laboratory. The collaboration, announced today, will combine the Johns Hopkins clinical and research expertise with imec’s technical capabilities. The two organizations plan to forge strategic ties with additional collaborators across the value chain in the health care and technology sectors.
“Johns Hopkins has always prioritized innovative and transformative research opportunities,” said Landon King, M.D., the David Marine Professor of Medicine and executive vice dean of the school of medicine. “Our new collaboration with imec is such an opportunity, and we very much look forward to leveraging our respective strengths across the university in biomedical and nanotechnology research to improve patient diagnosis and care throughout the world.”