Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra today announced the formal establishment of the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as an independent entity within the National Institutes of Health and the appointment of Adam H. Russell, D.Phil., as acting deputy director. Currently, Dr. Russell is the Chief Scientist at University of Maryland's Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). He spent more than a decade as a Program Manager, first at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and then at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Dr. Russell will begin his new role in June.

COLUMBIA, Md. (May 25, 2022)—TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today it will receive up to $50 million from Governor Hogan’s small business relief plan that was approved for funding from the United States Treasury Department’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). TEDCO will allocate the funds into four existing programs targeting technology-based Maryland businesses and entrepreneurs.

“We want to express our thanks to our colleagues at DHCD for their leadership on getting us to this point,” said TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall. “And this point is about investing in individuals and communities that are underrepresented in our innovation ecosystem, while also creating additional funds for TEDCO to invest in firms that will start and scale in Maryland – generating a more equitable future.”

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM (PDT), Wednesday, June 15, 2022 ・ Upper Level, Session Room 6D

Longevity tech is one of the fastest-growing yet relatively underserved markets worldwide. Forty percent of today’s older adults self-identify as early adopters of new technology, making the field ripe for innovation. To meet the needs of older consumers, we must understand their needs and behaviors, develop strategies designed to target them, and provide capital to seed technological innovations. Non-profit foundations and accelerators, such as AARP and its Innovation Labs, play a critical role helping entrepreneurs understand, optimize, and test longevity innovations

Quantum World Congress is the first-ever gathering of its kind – connecting the world’s quantum ecosystem, including the brightest researchers, innovators, technology developers, legislators, and industry experts – to accelerate the value of the growing quantum industry.

First, there was Delta. Then Omicron. Now, it’s the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1. And, public health officials are keeping a close watch on the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. These waves of cases, caused by infections with new variants, have characterized the COVID-19 pandemic. But how can public health officials know which variants are likely to cause large numbers of cases and which will not take hold in the population?

COLUMBIA, Md. (May 25, 2022)—TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today it will receive up to $50 million from Governor Hogan’s small business relief plan that was approved for funding from the United States Treasury Department’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). TEDCO will allocate the funds into four existing programs targeting technology-based Maryland businesses and entrepreneurs.

First approval of a dry powder inhaler for treatment of PAH and PH-ILD

DPI device represents a convenient option for administration of treprostinil therapy

Commercial launch activities underway; patient availability expected in June 2022

SILVER SPRING, Md. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR), a public benefit corporation, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tyvaso DPI™ (treprostinil) inhalation powder for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; WHO Group 1) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD; WHO Group 3) to improve exercise ability. Tyvaso DPI represents a new formulation and inhalation device for inhaled treprostinil and is the only dry powder inhaler approved by the FDA for use in PAH and PH-ILD.

Legal & General Capital and U.S.-based real estate developer Ancora establish landmark 50:50 partnership as LGC internationalizes its platform to drive shareholder value

London, England, UK and Durham, NC | May 25, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Legal & General Capital (LGC) today announced that it has formed a 50:50 partnership with U.S.-based real estate developer Ancora to create a real estate platform dedicated to driving life science, research and technology growth across the U.S. The deal will see Legal & General Capital investing an initial $500 million of seed capital to form a new company, Ancora L&G, LLC. Operating under the name Ancora, the business’ geographic focus will sit predominantly within emerging regional markets in the U.S. where early mover advantages are available.

Hemafuse is the Solution

There is an urgent need for blood in Ukraine. With donor blood in short supply, Hemafuse can meet this need. It is a simple, handheld device that enables surgeons to capture and reuse a trauma patient's own blood. Hemafuse is completely mechanical and can be used regardless of infrastructure. For more information visit Sisu Global's website.

Image: https://fundrazr.com

Female-founded companies account for less than one-fourth of venture funding recipients in every U.S. state with a startup scene. But they’re a lot closer to the top of the spectrum in some states, and much nearer to the bottom in others.

That was the finding from a state-by-state analysis of funding over the past three years to companies with at least one female founder. We focused on 25 states that collectively account for  over 95 percent of total U.S. funding rounds.

Image: https://news.crunchbase.com

After making striking advancements in HIV and COVID-19 research, Virongy, a biotechnology company in Prince William County, Virginia, has set its sight on tackling even more viruses. With millions of people being afflicted by viral illnesses worldwide each year, Virongy’s objective addresses an ever-increasing market need.

“Our goal is to create advanced diagnostics so that doctors can promptly prescribe treatments to patients,” said Brian Hetrick, chief scientific officer of Virongy.

After making striking advancements in HIV and COVID-19 research, Virongy, a biotechnology company in Prince William County, Virginia, has set its sight on tackling even more viruses. With millions of people being afflicted by viral illnesses worldwide each year, Virongy’s objective addresses an ever-increasing market need.

“Our goal is to create advanced diagnostics so that doctors can promptly prescribe treatments to patients,” said Brian Hetrick, chief scientific officer of Virongy.

Image: Photo by Amy Adams/Institute for Biohealth Innovation

The U.S. Department of the Treasury awarded the first batch of funding awards for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a program designed to increase access to capital for traditionally underserved small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The new, expanded SSBCI provides nearly $10 billion to states, the District of Columbia, territories, and Tribal governments to promote entrepreneurship, especially in traditionally underserved communities. SSBCI funding is expected to catalyze up to $10 of private investment for every $1 of SSBCI capital funding. State governments filed plans with the Treasury on using their SSBCI allocation to provide funding to small businesses.

United Therapeutics announced on Tuesday that it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its therapeutic Tyvaso DPI.

Tyvaso DPI marks the first approval of a dry powder inhaler for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD).

TEDCO’s strategic plan, The Time, Talent, and Treasure Imperative for Maryland’s Ecosystem (T3IME), seizes this moment to build upon past successes and move forward differently than we have in the past. Specifically, we must scale significantly, and expand the type of resources over the next ten years (FY23-FY33). We must ensure that in this growth, we expand and include those that have been historically excluded.  We will achieve this not only with market-based fiscal returns but also by curating, investing, and growing to scale enterprises that drive societal change for our citizens and the world.

Image: https://www.tedcomd.com

The GW TCO SBIR Matching Fund will help startups collaborate with GW researchers to develop innovations licensed from GW.

The first awards will be available in summer 2022. Applications from startups will be considered on a rolling basis and may now be submitted.

The GW TCO SBIR Matching Fund will provide up to $100K per award for internal GW research. It will match 2:1 the amount of research the applicant company has sponsored at GW in the last 2 years. Also included in the match are amounts the company is providing to GW as a subaward on a Phase I SBIR or STTR, which started in the last 2 years. The maximum award is $100,000. The scope of work is to further develop a technology licensed from GW TCO. Up to 2 GW TCO SBIR Matching Funds will be provided per fiscal year.

Image: https://commercialization.gwu.edu

Y Combinator, one of the biggest startup incubator in the world, has issued an unprecedented stark warning to their startup founders.

“No one can predict how bad the economy will get, but things don’t look good,” it said, before ordering entrepreneurs to tighten their belt, lean up, and try to just survive for the next two years without any further funds.

Image: Y Combinator's Paul Graham addressing startup founders, 2020

These free 1:1 virtual sessions are an opportunity to discuss your company with experts in diagnostics, therapeutics, digital health and medical devices. If you’re a growth-stage biohealth company looking for unbiased advice on your pitch deck, commercialization strategy, evidence development or entrepreneurial challenges, our EIRs can help.

To sign-up for any of the EIR dates in 2022, please follow this link.

The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute ("ARMI") is focused on empowering the U.S. regenerative medicine industry to bring new life-saving products to market by lowering the barriers to manufacturing. Our goal is to improve lives by restoring or replacing the function of damaged cells, tissues, and organs for patients. BioFabUSA's mission is to develop a highly diverse, competitive, capable and innovative cell, tissue, and organ ecosystem that ensures a low-cost and high-quality domestic healthcare system, and domestic leadership in the biofabrication industrial base.

If I asked you, “Where in the United States is biotechnology innovation occurring at a record pace, what states or cities come to mind? You probably thought of Boston, San Francisco, or even New York immediately.

These are not bad guesses, but what if I told you that the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Virginia (DMV) region is one of the country’s best places to engage in the biotechnology sector?

Image:  Courtesy of the National Cancer Institute (via Unsplash)

Working with rats, neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins University have pinpointed a mechanism in the brain responsible for a common type of age-related memory loss. The work, published in Current Biology, sheds light on the workings of aging brains and may deepen our understanding of Alzheimer's disease and similar disorders in humans.

Image: https://hub.jhu.edu

Life sciences in New York City is poised for growth, but industry leaders said that will only be assured if developers build enough spaces for startups of all sizes. Unless the city can accommodate life sciences companies in their earlier years, when they need less space, experts warn NYC could lose talent to rival life sciences hubs.

Image: Bisnow/Ellie Meyer
Outshine Properties' Bill Hunter, New York Economic Development Corp.'s Susan Rosenthal, Hunter Roberts Construction Group's Brian Aronne, Nan Fung Life Sciences' Matt Powers and SGA's Brooks Slocum.

Dr. John Mumm explains the Diakine™ platform developed by Deka Biosciences.

Sisu Global is a 2022 TiE50 Winner! TiE50 is TiE Silicon Valley's premier annual awards program, contested by thousands of early to mid-stage startups worldwide.

"Sisu Global is grateful to be a part of the TiE50 community this year. We are looking forward to the opportunity of working together and our expansion into India." President & Co-founder, Gillian Henker

Visit the link in the comments below to learn more about TiE50.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is a critical pillar of the U.S. public health system and a beacon of guidance for healthcare best practices across the globe. This has never been more evident than during the COVID-19 crisis.

A lesser-known NIH facet is its long and productive history of technology transfer success.

Linshom is First to Deliver an Operating-Room-Quality Respiratory Profile to Patient Bedside for Continuous, Predictive Respiratory Monitoring (CPRM)

Baltimore, Md. (April 27, 2022) – Linshom (“to breathe”), a Maryland-based startup developing a respiratory monitoring system, closed a $1.5 million Series A funding round with investment from the Maryland Momentum Fund and current investors.

The Linshom Respiratory Sensor and Monitor is the first predictive, continuous respiratory monitoring system able to practically reach the patients’ bedside. Severe respiratory events can begin to cause brain damage only three minutes after breathing ceases. While critical care patients are continuously monitored for respiratory function, patients on general care floors are not monitored as closely, but are still at risk for serious respiratory complications. The Linshom Respiratory System bridges that gap, helping clinicians respond more quickly to severe respiratory-related events.

May 16, 2022 (Columbia, Md.)—The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission announced it will grant $7,067,409 in award funding to innovative research that will strengthen and advance stem cell treatments and technologies in Maryland. Awardees submitted proposals to the Commission in response to its Request for Applications (RFAs) for its second round of funding cycle in 2022.

Recipients include 24 scientists accelerating research at Johns Hopkins University, Britecyte, Inc., RenOVAte Biosciences, Inc., RoosterBio, Inc., and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

What is a pre-IND? Why have a pre-IND? What goes into preparing for a pre-IND? And, what documents are required? All of these questions and more will be answered in this webinar presented by Dr. Carmella Moody, a regulatory affairs specialist at RTI International. Dr. Carmella Moody brings her expertise in regulatory affairs and the development of small molecules to the Catalyze program, where she serves as a technical project lead. In this 1-hour webinar, Dr. Moody will explain the process of preparing and approaching an effective pre-IND meeting, but also what to expect from FDA feedback and how to incorporate it into your project to ultimately save time and money.

Vita Therapeutics CEO & Co-founder Douglas Falk chats with Rich Bendis to discuss his career, their platforms, and moving into the University of Maryland BioPark.

Listen now on Apple https://apple.co/3wwzX8N, Google https://bit.ly/3wxbQag, Spotify https://spoti.fi/3sCZH2t, Amazon https://amzn.to/3G3DLDb, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/3FStLfF.

Douglas Falk, MS is the Co-founder and CEO of Vita Therapeutics, a biotechnology company generating state-of-the-art cellular therapeutics for the treatment of muscular dystrophies and solid tumors. He has experience in healthcare equity research investing as a former Principal at Brown Advisory. He has led direct investment into more than 30 biotechnology companies and is a Board Member of Johns Hopkins University’s Biotech Investment Group.

Click here for the transcript.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Chimerix, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMRX), to acquire Chimerix’s exclusive worldwide rights to TEMBEXA® (brincidofovir), the first antiviral approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for all age groups for the treatment of smallpox. TEMBEXA was approved in June 2021 and is indicated for the treatment of human smallpox disease in adult and pediatric patients, including neonates.

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmes, a global, full-service clinical research organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced that it is providing data, statistical analysis, and project management support for new research that will test the Moderna mRNA vaccine at more than 50 sites in South and East Africa.

The clinical trial, which will include about 15,600 participants, seeks to better understand infection and disease in immunocompromised populations in order to prevent severe COVID-19 and chronic SARS-CoV-2 infections and minimize the risk of transmission.  The study will also address the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine's resistance to the variants that have been detected in South Africa and surrounding countries.

No question about it—2021 was a banner year for initial public offerings.

Nasdaq data indicates 1,033 IPOs last year, more than double 2020’s 471.  As we move further into 2022, the market has slowed considerably. In the first quarter, only 95 companies filed initial public offerings as opposed to 419 in the first quarter of 2021.

Image: https://www.crainsnewyork.com/

MIMETAS, a global leader in Organ-on-a-Chip models and technology and headquartered in the Netherlands (Europe), announces  that it has expanded its license to the HUB Organoid Technology to include all organs. The license covers organoid technology developed by Professor Hans Clevers, a pioneer in adult stem cells.

IndyGeneUS plans to use the grant funding from Johnson & Johnson Innovation to Scale Blockchain-secured Genomic Data Marketplace and Proprietary GenēUS™ Discovery Platform

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IndyGeneUS AI was named an awardee of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Veterans Lead QuickFire Challenge: Innovations by Vets.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, together with Bunker Labs, a national nonprofit organization that aims to equip the military-connected community with the network, tools, and opportunities needed to launch and grow successful businesses, invited U.S. Veteran innovators and military spouses/legal partners to submit potentially ground-breaking ideas in all aspects of human healthcare.

The black-owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SDVOSB), IndyGeneUS AI, pitched their cutting-edge blockchain-encrypted and machine learning-powered bioinformatics "GenēUS™ Discovery Platform" to a panel of judges, which included both Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Bunker Labs executives.

By: Brian Darmody, Chief Strategy Officer, AURP: Building Communities of Innovation

May 10, 2022

Sometime this September, the US Economic and Development Agency (EDA) will announce its Phase 2 awardees for the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge award winners.

Thirty or so lucky jurisdictions from across the U.S will receive between $25M -$100 M in EDA funding, although actual funding levels will be smaller to support projects on a regional basis for an industry cluster. These programs will develop or scale regional economies and devote funding to workforce training and support equitable development, including science parks and accelerators.

Thirty other finalists though will not be winners though as EDA only has funds to support thirty awards, much less the hundreds of jurisdictions from across the U.S. that applied for the program. (Five hundred and twenty-nine applicants were received by the EDA.)