Matan Companies announces today plans to transform its Milestone Business Park into a vibrant and collaborative life sciences destination known as Milestone Innovation Park. The key component of the evolution is the addition of 532,000 square feet of best-in-class biomanufacturing and life science research space in three, brand new facilities. This highly sought-after location sits along the I-270 Biotech Corridor with prominent visibility on I-270 at Father Hurley Boulevard in Germantown, MD., centrally located between NIH in Bethesda and Fort Detrick in Frederick. Just 20 miles northwest of Downtown Washington D.C., the site offers easy access to points north and south via I-270 and points east via the Intercounty Connector (ICC). Once complete Milestone Innovation Park will be one the largest, science-based destinations in the BioHealth region at over 1.2 million square feet.

Novavax is aiming to seek Emergency Use Authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine NVX-CoV2373 later this spring. If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives it the green light, the Maryland-based company could see revenue of approximately $1.8 billion in sales by the end of the year.

Data and analytics company GlobalData pegged the potential revenue for Novavax based on a potential authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies across the globe. The revenue stream from the vaccine is expected to continue well past the close of business for 2021. GlobalData forecast Novavax’s vaccine will generate $33.3 billion from expected authorization this spring through 2027. A peak forecast of $7.2 billion is expected in 2027 alone, according to the report.

The five health care-focused cohort members were selected from a pool of 120 applicants.

Image: LifeBridge Health and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield have partnered to launch a new incubator for health startups, called 1501 Health CAREFIRST/LIFEBRIDGE

The University of Maryland will house an incubator for quantum computing startups, offering access to high-quality internet and connections with potential customers, the school announced last week.

The university will spend $25 million to create the Quantum Startup Foundry, according to a press release. The $25 million comes from state investment and from the university’s Discovery Fund. The program will include a physical space for the startups on the school’s College Park campus, including offices and labs.

Infectious disease therapies have been awarded the highest number of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants over the last 20 years, according to GlobalData’s Pharmaceutical Intelligence Center’s deals database. The Covid-19 pandemic shed light on the importance of funding for drug development in this crucial therapy area. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programmes encourage innovation and technological development from small businesses with a focus on commercialisation. These programmes allocate hundreds of grants each year for infectious disease commercialisation, especially at crucial early stages of development.

Background: Advancements in biotechnology are recognized as one of the most important scientific achievements of the 20th Century. The emergence of biotechnology profoundly impacted the health of the world, and the economic vitality of regions where bio clusters and bioresearch parks grew. This article explores some of the historical and policy implications undergirding this development in the United States and the importance of alignment of life science research activity, public policies, and leadership to build place-based communities of biotechnology innovation.

Montgomery County, Maryland, was a leader in biotechnology before COVID-19 hit, ranking among the highest in the nation for the number of life sciences companies, and the pandemic has only fueled the industry’s growth.

That means more high-paying jobs and demand for research and laboratory-suitable real estate.

Image: TCR² Therapeutics’ future lab space will be built in Rockville, Maryland. (Courtesy JLL)

April 23, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) - Connected DMV, a cross-sector regional non-profit committed to solving complex economic and social challenges in Greater Washington, today announced two new members to its executive team. Former Obama Administration Commerce Department official Matt Erskine has been named Chief Strategy Officer and former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation officer Sarah Bauder has been named Vice President of Development and Workforce Initiatives. The organization also announced key milestones reached over the past year.

This half-day workshop, led by Jim Greenwood of Greenwood Consulting Group will cover one of the most important but least appreciated aspects of the SBIR/STTR programs, the cost proposal. There are many rules and regs hiding behind the cost proposal, and they will tend to bite you if you don’t get a handle on them. And if you don’t know how to set up your cost proposal, or don’t appropriately track expenses (especially labor) when you get the SBIR/STTR award, you will lose money. Come learn the terminology and concepts, and how to estimate your own indirect (aka overhead or F&A) rate and how to request and justify a profit/fee as part of the budget. Jim will meet with attendees for one-on-one sessions a week following this event and details on this consulting will be provided to workshop attendees.

UpSurge Baltimore will aim to bolster existing efforts to support and scale local startups, and also develop new strategies for attracting additional companies, talent and capital to the city.

Did you take the step to go across the border with your organization? Or do you want to find out how you can reach international markets in the Life Sciences & Health sector? Let us tell you which support networks can help you and learn from best practices, tips & tricks.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS @ Washington, DC: We did it! Persevering through a time of great challenge and change, today we’re happy to share that we’ve opened our doors in a thriving ecosystem, to entrepreneurs, early-stage companies and the life sciences community.

For the second consecutive year, a team of Johns Hopkins students from the Carey Business School took top prize at the annual MIT Sloan Operations Simulation Competition, held April 17-19 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A second Carey team captured third place.

The competition was the 16th of a global contest attracting participants from top business schools.

RICHMOND, Va. -- The pandemic has created an ongoing need for pediatric medicine and two organizations have partnered to tackle the issue. Founder of Phlow Corporation, Eric Edwards, M.D., PhD., and Kurt Newman M.D., President and CEO of the Children’s National Hospital share their insight as well as the mission and objective of the coalition. For more information, visit the website of the Children’s Hospital Coalition.

AM&AA brings back the world of middle-market mergers and acquisitions live and in-person this summer in Dallas, Texas!

Network with hundreds of decision-makers, including M&A advisors, capital providers, and investment bankers. Whether you’re on the buy or sell side, you won’t want to miss this must-attend industry event that will yield new deal connections and results.

ROCKVILLE, Md. & CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc., (“ITI”), a privately-held clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms, announced today a worldwide license and development collaboration agreement with Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: LCTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell transplants for serious medical conditions. The collaboration will generate a novel product candidate derived from Lineage’s investigational allogeneic VAC cancer immunotherapy platform and targeting a proprietary Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA) construct provided by ITI, for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Lineage and ITI will collaborate in the manufacturing and clinical development of a novel VAC product candidate. Following the full development and delivery of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) VAC product material, ITI will assume full and independent clinical and commercial responsibility and further advancement of the program. Under the terms of the agreement, Lineage will be entitled to an upfront payment of $2 million paid in the first year and development and commercial milestones totaling $67 million across multiple indications. Lineage also will be eligible to receive royalties up to 10% on future product sales.

A Virginia Beach biotech accelerator program announced more than five years ago as a way to attract a booming, high-salary industry to the area has completed lab construction and is finally looking for tenants.

The VABeachBio Accelerator finished construction in February and is now accepting lease applications. The 5,700-sqaure-foot office and lab space is in the Convergence II office near the intersection of Independence Boulevard and Interstate 264.

Image: https://www.pilotonline.com

Collaboration to use Gain’s proprietary Site-Directed Enzyme Enhancement Therapy (SEE-Tx™) computational platform technology to identify new and previously difficult-to-drug oncology targets

BETHESDA, Md., April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GANX) (“Gain”) today announced a multi-target collaboration agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) to discover new product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Gain will use its proprietary SEE-Tx computational platform technology to identify new sites on target proteins for potential use in oncology. SEE-Tx applies a proprietary computational algorithm and supercomputer processing to the published 3D structure of proteins to discover new binding sites with the ability to modulate protein function. The intended output is newly-discovered targets or target protein interactions that can then be drugged for therapeutic benefit to intervene on protein misfolding.

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The purpose of this event is to bring Technology Transfer leaders, policy makers, thought leaders, and innovators in the Technology Transfer field together to discuss and exchange ideas on how to best qualify and quantify the impact of Technology Transfer on the stakeholders it serves.

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellphire Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing next-generation platelet-based hemostatic therapeutics for application across multiple medical indications, announced today that Michael Gaffney has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Gaffney brings deep health sector insight, extensive operational experience, and proven strategy and capital markets expertise to Cellphire. He will also join the Company's board.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize a strategic partnership to help build a stronger local relationship between federal labs and Montgomery County’s private sector, particularly small businesses.

COLUMBIA, Md. (April 20, 2021)—TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today its Seed Fund invested $200K in TargetDocs, a Maryland-based technology startup. TEDCO’s Seed investment is part of an $850K funding round, which includes University System of Maryland Momentum Fund (Momentum Fund), the Hustle Fund, New Age Capital, Debut Capital, Dingman Center Angels, and Gaingels.

Largest Venture Capital Investors in Greater D.C. - Washington Business Journal

Image: https://www.bizjournals.com

U.S.-listed shares of GlaxoSmithKline GSK, 0.12% were down 1.4% in trading on Thursday after the Food and Drug Administration said it had granted accelerated approval to the company's endometrial cancer treatment. The immunotherapy, which was called dostarlimab and is now named Jemperli, is approved to treat patients with severe forms of this kind of cancer who have a genetic feature known as dMMR.

Amid the international effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maccura Biotechnology, headquartered in the city of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province, is still able to keep up with changing demands. The Maryland Department of Commerce first met with the well-established, global diagnostics company in 2018 with the help of the Maryland Center China.

BETHESDA, Md., April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GANX) (“Gain”) today announced a multi-target collaboration agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) to discover new product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Gain will use its proprietary SEE-Tx computational platform technology to identify new sites on target proteins for potential use in oncology. SEE-Tx applies a proprietary computational algorithm and supercomputer processing to the published 3D structure of proteins to discover new binding sites with the ability to modulate protein function. The intended output is newly-discovered targets or target protein interactions that can then be drugged for therapeutic benefit to intervene on protein misfolding.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — United Therapeutics has applied for a priority review voucher and submitted a new drug application to the United States Food and Drug Administration, the company announced this week.  The drug, Tyvaso DPI™, is a novel dry powder inhalation formulation of treprostinil, and, if approved, will be used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The company estimates there are about 30,000 treatable patients in the United States, according to a statement.

Each quarter we bring you an update from our Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS Portfolio of companies across our 13 sites, from San Diego to Shanghai. Beyond news of our companies milestones, we also report on the diversity of our JLABS Portfolio leadership as we seek to reflect the patients we serve.

Meanwhile, we look ahead this spring and beyond to the first companies moving into our JLABS @ Washington, DC site, built in collaboration with Children's National Hospital and BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority). You can always find our latest stats and companies via our JLABS Portfolio Navigator.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NexImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: NEXI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to immunotherapy designed to orchestrate a targeted immune response by directing the function of antigen-specific T cells, today announced that Chad Rubin has been appointed to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs. Mr. Rubin will be responsible for all corporate communications, along with involvement in investor and capital markets activities. He joins NexImmune with more than 20 years of experience in investor relations, investment banking and capital markets within the biotechnology sector.

NEW YORK – Qiagen said on Tuesday that it has received a CE-IVD mark for its Artus SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit for high-throughput PCR-based COVID-19 testing.

The kit is now commercially available in the EU and other markets accepting the CE-IVD mark, and Qiagen has submitted an Emergency Use Authorization application for the assay to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The Quantum Startup Foundry (QSF) at the University of Maryland brings together the resources needed—physical and virtual—to support entrepreneurs and startups in accelerating quantum technologies’ time to market. QSF will bring entrepreneurs together with industry and government customers, investors, technical mentors, leading-edge research and IP, and quantum-specific infrastructure (equipment, tools, facilities). Located in the Washington, DC metro area, QSF offers the perfect landing and launch spot for quantum companies.

A group of top lawmakers of both parties in both chambers of Congress on Wednesday reintroduced legislation that aims to spend $110 billion on vital technologies to sustain American leadership and spur competitiveness against China.

The draft bill, known as the Endless Frontier Act, championed by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., is matched by a companion bill in the House by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.

The Matan Cos. will add biotech manufacturing and research space to one of its existing office campuses in Germantown to meet the surge in demand from local life sciences firms.

The new construction is slated for the Milestone Business Park, located just off Interstate 270 at the Father Hurley Boulevard exit, the Frederick-based developer told the Washington Business Journal. Matan plans to add three new buildings totaling 532,000 square feet, constructing them on some of the site’s ample parking lots and rebranding the campus as “Milestone Innovation Park.”

Image: Matan Cos. plans to add three new biotech-focused manufacturing and research buildings at its Milestone office park in Germantown. HIGH ROCK STUDIOS

Did you miss our 3-day Workshop featuring experts from NIH, HHS, NCI, NSF, USAMRDC, NIA, MTech, BHI, and others? Videos and Slide decks are now available by visiting http://www.biohealthinnovation.org/events/sbir-workshop-documents today.