Date: Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 9:30am-5:00pm

Location: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Conference Center, 1111 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20004-2541

National Brain Tumor Society is bringing together brain tumor researchers and industry executives to discuss how to move research from bench to bedside.

• Biophrama executives and VC investors will share their criteria for investment and licensing of academic research.
• Panelists include:
  
  • Lauren Abrey
    Global Development Team Lead, Genetech/Roche
  • Neil Exter
    Partner, Third Rock
  • Brian Gallagher
    Partner, SROne
  • Michael Glutch
    Managing Director, Medimmune Ventures
  • Perry Nisen
    Senior VP of Science Transactions, Pfizer
• Nation Brain Tumor Society-funded researchers will present brain tumor drug candidates ready for early stage investment and/or licensing.

On April 2, BHI invited a team of NIH Office of Technology Transfer interns working with BHI EIR Todd Chappell for a Social Meeting. Also in attendance were two guest speakers. Bart Kus, Senior Manager of Portfolio Management MedImmune, spoke about his career track from the lab into business development. Errol Levy, EU Diplomat (Research and Innovation Counsellor) for the European Commission talked about opportunities in Europe and the upcoming Destination Europe Conference on April 11 in DC. It was a great event for all who attended.

Growlers was “abuzz” on March 20 with a large and diverse gathering of biotech professionals attending the monthly BioBuzz networking event. BHI CEO Rich Bendis welcomed the crowd and talked about the latest happenings at BHI. According to Andrew Eckert, “We received a lot of positive feedback on the location and found a number of folks were interested in speaking to somebody from BHI. I’m pretty confident this was one of the largest, if not THE largest turnout ever for a BioBuzz event.”

BioBuzz is working to build a stronger community by bringing the biotech workforce out of the labs to culture relationships, instead of just cells.

Biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced today it plans to create a research and development center in Gaithersburg, adding 300 jobs at MedImmune’s current location.

MedImmune’s director of corporate public relations, Tracy Rossin, said no new buildings are planned at this point. Biotech company MedImmune, which is owned by AstraZeneca, currently houses AstraZeneca’s biologics programs, geared toward the creation of vaccines and medications.

Aronson’s Technology Industry Services Group is partnering with Rich Bendis and BioHealth Innovation (BHI) to help transform Central Maryland into a leading biohealth entrepreneurial and commercialization region.

“The central Maryland region is home to research organizations, government agencies, universities and companies with extensive biohealth experience and capabilities,” remarked Alan Langelli, Senior Manager in Aronson’s Technology Industry Services Group.  He continued, “Aronson is very excited about the opportunity to partner with BHI and support its goal of helping Central Maryland become a leading biohealth entrepreneurial and commercialization region.”

The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (EAGB) and BioHealth Innovation (BHI) in collaboration with the Baltimore Business Journal are proud to announce the publication of the Central Maryland BioHealth Entrepreneur’s Resource and Financing Guide.

This Guide will be a compendium of resources to BioHealth innovators and entrepreneurs working to start and grow new companies in the region. A wealth of resources exists in Maryland to support emerging BioHealth companies, however, they are not always readily accessible or captured in one place. The Guide will compile information on financial resources, university facilities and programs, economic development programs, and existing federal laboratory facilities and programs and how to work with them.

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Central Maryland, announced today the formation of its Commercial Relevance Advisory Board (CRAB). Members of the CRAB represent diverse business and academic organizations from throughout the region, such as venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, Ernst & Young, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the University of Maryland (UMD), Johns Hopkins University, and leading biotechnology companies.

The CRAB will assist BHI in evaluating market-relevant research and product development opportunities as well as help determine the commercial applicability of emerging entrepreneurs, companies and their science or technology. BHI will utilize feedback from CRAB members as part of its due diligence process for establishing formal client relationships and potentially future investments.

The young Leiden-based biotech company Mimetas has closed an agreement with a regional development company from the state of Maryland, USA. Biohealth Innovation Inc., in which regional governments, universities and companies collaborate, will assist in setting up a US branch to find customers and business partners for Mimetas in the USA.

Richard Bendis will be a speaker at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference which takes place from March 8-17 in Austin, Texas. SXSW is a set of film, interactive, and music festivals which occur every year in March. Mr. Bendis will be speaking on March 9th at a session titled "Entrepreneurs in Residence: Not Just for VCs." In his presentation, Richard will introduce the BioHealth Innovation, Inc. EIR program and speak about some of the commercialization challenges being addressed creatively by the biohealth community in Maryland.

Richard Bendis will speak at the Translational Research Forum during the 2013 BIO International Convention in Chicago. During the forum, speakers will address issues with current translational research models, explore new funding and collaboration opportunities, evaluate how to apply them to federal, academic, and private institutions. The session will take place Monday, April 22, from 4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.

More Information

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Central Maryland, announced today the appointment of GenVec, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Cynthia L. Collins to its Board of Directors. BHI also announced that BHI Founding Board Member Jerry Parrott, formerly with Human Genome Sciences, has stepped down from his board seat but will continue to remain active on BHI's Commercial Relevance Advisory Board.

"Cindy's addition to the BHI Board of Directors provides us with access to and perspective from another talented biopharma leader from this region," said Scott Carmer, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. Chairman of the Board and Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations at MedImmune. "Her tremendous depth and breadth of experience across the industry, particularly with regard to diagnostics as well as therapeutic areas ranging from antivirals to oncology, will be an asset to the companies we work with who are seeking to commercialize biohealth innovations.

Lets collaborate on building a vibrant biotech (or any other) community! Nice chestnut, but how does one design a community that functions across industries, geographies, support organizations, academic institutions and federal labs, each with very different missions and views of their (and others’) roles? How do you find a shared vision for these variant groups, one that drives growth for the greater region and doesn’t cause the players for fight over each opportunity as if it is the last scrap of possibility we’ll see? How do you prevent such a vision from becoming another dusty whitepaper, where behaviors weren’t aligned to make it happen?  I had a chance to discuss how such a collaboration should be designed with Rich Bendis, President & CEO of BioHealth Innovation (BHI), an organization which spans from Rockville to Baltimore.

In partnership with BHI, the SBIR Resource Center(R) is offering a daylong seminar on How To Win SBIR Awards(SM) - at all federal agencies - with a primary emphasis on the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This event incorporates ALL of the necessary strategic planning, persuasive proposal writing, project planning/management and Federal project cost-accounting strategies to make your application successful. Walk away with a deep understanding of what it takes to win and an ability to customize SBIR/STTR win strategies for specific projects. Get equipped to evoke positive responses in SBIR/STTR proposal evaluators (very different from all other programs).

WHEN: Tuesday, 5 March 2013, 8:30am – 6:00pm (45 min. lunch break)

WHERE: Rockville Economic Development, Inc.95 Monroe Street - Rockville, MD 20850
(short walk from Rockville Metro Sta.)
301-315-8096 (location phone)

REGISTRATION: or call 410-315-8101 OR email the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Class limited to 18-20 participants

TUITION: $325 ($375 after February 25) -- satisfaction assured or tuition is returned

DISCOUNT: BioHealth Innovation may underwrite $175 of the tuition for select biohealth companies through its Commercial Relevance Program.
To inquire about the discount, Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In this newsletter we proudly present the new Chairman of the Advisory Board: Richard Bendis.

With his expertise on innovation strategy The Technopolicy Network intends to strengthen
its position as the global leading network on Science Based Regional Development and Science Based Incubation. In his article he will give you several insights in the opportunities that lie ahead of us.

This is the time to pay tribute to the achievements of our founding Chairman, Prof. Roger Stough. With his advice and support Prof. Stough made The Technopolicy Network to what it now is. In his article he looks back on the growth of The Technopolicy Network over the past decade.

On January 24th, 2013 BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) recognized Jerry Parrott, formerly with Human Genome Sciences, for his contributions as a BHI Founding Board member. He served on the board from 2011 to 2013 and will continue to remain active on BHI's Commercial Relevance Advisory Board (CRAB). We thank Jerry for his service and look forward to a long lasting relationship.

BioHealth Innovation Inc., a nonprofit that seeks to commercialize technology in the biotech and healthcare fields, could open an accelerator for health information technology startups this year.

Co-located in Rockville and in Baltimore, BioHealth wants the accelerator to serve entrepreneurs and small businesses in central Maryland. Upon board approval, the organization plans to identify a location by the first quarter of this year and have it operational by the fourth quarter.  

“We are evaluating it. We believe there is a need for one. We know there is interest,” BioHealth President and CEO Richard Bendis says. 

MIMETAS is a Dutch microfluidics company focusing on high-throughput organ-on-a-chip systems for predictive toxicology testing, efficacy screening and personalized therapy.

BHI will support MIMETAS by assisting in establishing a MIMETAS US-based subsidiary, aiding in the application for US- and Maryland-based grants (e.g. SBIR, TEDCO), and identifying potential collaborators and partnerships.

This partnership is important in further expanding Maryland's connections internationally and expanding Maryland's biohealth sector.

On December 19th, 2012, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. hosted an appreciation event for the 30+ commercialization consultants that are working closely with BHI's Entrepreneur-in-Residence Todd Chappell at the NIH Office of Technology Transfer to identify novel research and technologies. With the help of these consultants, Todd has been able to identify a multitude of interesting endeavors which BHI will now help push to the next stage of commercialization. We hope that the coming year will bring even more opportunities for post-docs to work closely with BHI in shaping the future of Maryland's biotechnology industry!

Income from invention royalties at the University of Minnesota and University of Iowa has plummeted faster the past two years than at all but a handful of U.S. research institutions, an analysis of royalties data shows.

Of universities that earned more than $2 million in royalties in 2009, the University of Minnesota saw the biggest drop in revenue over the next two years, Association of University Technology Managers data show.

Minnesota lost $75 million in licensing revenue from 2009 to 2011. An expiring anti-AIDS drug patent dropped its income last year to $10 million. Iowa's royalties plummeted from $43 million in 2009 to $6 million last year, also because of a single expired drug patent.

Dust off your business plan and sharpen up your elevator pitch. The deadline for the InvestMaryland Challenge is just a month away.

The Department of Business and Economic Development had received 95 entries for the business competition as of noon Wednesday.

The Challenge will award three $100,000 prizes to the top companies in life sciences, information technology and an open, general category.

On November 19, 2012, members of a Korean delegation from Chungbuk Technopark visited BioHealth Innovation (BHI). Central to the visit was an introduction to Chungbuk Technopark, a non-profit government funded economic development effort which strives to stimulate growth among Korean technology companies. Ethan Byler, Director, Innovation Programs at BHI followed the delegation’s presentation with an overview of BHI.

Photo: L to R: L to R: Il Minn, PhD, Faculty, Johns Hopkins University; Amanda Wilson, Operations Manager, BioHealth Innovation, Inc.; Hyeong-nyeon Kim, Bio Industry Team, Bio Valley Promotion Group; Yong Kook Shin, PhD, Director, Chungbuk Technopark Bio Center; Ethan Byler, Director, Innovation Programs, BioHealth Innovation, Inc; and Youn-Ho Shin, PhD, Industry Planning Team, Chungbuk Technopark Policy Planning Agency

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. and Rich Bendis were recently featured in the “Why Rockville” ad campaign which runs in The Gazette of Politics and Business. This campaign is sponsored by Capital Bank and serves to introduce the businesses and business owners that are located in Rockville.

Slowly but surely, Maryland is changing its image from a state primarily focused on research to one where scientists can put their ideas into actual commercial products, executives and public officials said during a first-time conference on technology transfer in Rockville.

“There has been a transformation,” said Richard Bendis, president and CEO of BioHealth Innovation, a private-public partnership focusing on helping commercialize life sciences innovations in Central Maryland.

BioHealth Innovation Inc. is adding staff and office space to expand its operations in central Maryland.

The Rockville-based organization has created a new position, director of innovation programs, to lead the organization’s effort to help Maryland companies get a greater share of federal funding intended for near-commercialization projects. BioHealth Innovation is a public-private nonprofit organization that helps biohealth companies access funding to commercialize research and connects research outlets with the biotech industry.

Innovation and creation are at the heart of the biotech industry and close to the heart of international business development consultant Richard A. Bendis.

Bendis, 65, has devoted almost 40 years to helping enterprises grow, in both the public and private sector.

Most recently, Bendis was named CEO of the new regional effort to foster commercialization of federal and university laboratory innovations and increase access to early-stage funding for biotechs. BioHealth Innovation of Rockville is a nonprofit private-public partnership that leverages the resources of several biotechs and research institutions, including the University System of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region.

Maryland-based BioHealth Innovation Inc. announced today that its board of directors has named former Interim CEO Richard Bendis the organization's first president and chief executive officer.

Bendis (pictured here) serves as a venture capital investment manager with NEST-TN LLC, a Nashville-based VC fund that the state has certified as a TNInvestco fund.

A Montgomery County Council committee recommended on Monday to contribute $250,000 this fiscal year to a public-private partnership — BioHealth Innovation — that is trying to boost the life sciences industry.

The county’s biosciences task force recommended forming the local nonprofit public-private partnership, among other suggestions, three years ago. Besides the $250,000 supplemental increase by the county in fiscal 2012, the partnership seeks $1.25 million from the county during the following three fiscal years.

The expenditure still needs the approval of the full council — which could come as soon as next week — after the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee lent its approval.

The arduous task of converting laboratory research into a promising startup biotechnology company has many laborers. And a fledgling group out of Montgomery County wants to add private-sector employers’ names to the list.

As the Business Journal’s Scott Dance reported last week, BioHealth Innovation Inc. wants to recruit private businesses to help biotech entrepreneurs take the science out of a university lab and into an office park. The tactic, the group’s leaders say, has worked elsewhere, and already, BioHealth Innovation has the backing of such venerable biotechs as Human Genome Sciences and MedImmune.

A Montgomery County nonprofit is planning to extend to Baltimore its mission of translating laboratory research into startup companies.

Where it differs from previous efforts is its plan to get its drive from the private sector, rather than from government or universities. Organizers of Rockville-based BioHealth Innovation Inc. want to help entrepreneurs root out business ideas in federal and university labs, help fund those ventures and build an accelerator in which they can grow in response to market demand.

A Montgomery County-based nonprofit is planning to extend to Baltimore its mission of translating laboratory research into startup companies.

Where it differs from previous efforts is that it plans to get its drive from the private sector, rather than from government or universities. Organizers of BioHealth Innovation Inc. have plans for entrepreneurs to root out business ideas in federal and university labs and build an accelerator in which they can grow in response to market demand.

Montgomery County, Human Genome Sciences Inc., MedImmune, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland and Adventist HealthCare are all putting up funding for a regional biotech partnership — the most concrete step yet in a long-deferred mission to connect the region’s life sciences sector to itself.

Officials have been quietly laying the groundwork for BioHealth Innovation Inc. (BHI) since 2009, although its goals are far older. The regional nonprofit is envisioned as a sort of intermediary between biotech, academia, government and investors — with the hopes of multiplying life sciences investment, commercializing more scientific discoveries, and linking scientific and business talent, among other goals.

Among the plans for BHI's first five years: increasing the region's bio investment to $150 million annually.

TaiRx, Inc and BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) announced today the formation of TaiRx US, a new joint venture.  The mission of the new company is to develop therapeutics and precision medicine diagnostics focused on the Nodal protein, a critical mediator of aggressive cancer progression and treatment resistance.

TaiRx, Inc and BHI have formed TaiRx US, which will be based in Rockville (Montgomery County), Maryland, to develop and commercialize a unique monoclonal antibody with the potential to reverse drug resistance in various tumor types. The company is also working to develop a companion diagnostic to accurately identify those patients who can best benefit from the therapy.

MedImmune Sr. Director, Partnering & Strategy filling role previously held by Emergent BioSolutions CEO, Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved the appointment of MedImmune Sr. Director, Partnering & Strategy, Jarrod Borkat as new Vice Chairman. MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, is a Founding Partner of BHI and continues to be a leader in building the BioHealth Capital Region. BHI would like to thank Emergent BioSolutions CEO, Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, for his service as Vice Chairman. He will remain as a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Abdun-Nabi also previously served as chairman of the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board (LSAB) and currently serves on Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s Excel Board.