Biohealth Innovation
This free webinar will feature a fireside chat-style conversation with Dr. Robert Scharpf (Delfi Diagnostics) and Dr. Christie Bergerson (Exponent). Drs. Scharpf and Bergerson will discuss how machine learning and artificial intelligence are impacting biomedical engineering and the wider world of human health.
Rich Bendis (BioHealth Innovation/BioTalk podcast) will facilitate the discussion. View the speaker bios for more information.
The American College of Cardiology is hosting its first Innovation Showcase in partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). They have selected six healthcare start-up companies to present. Each presentation will end with a brief Q&A with our panelists, including BHI Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Renee Arnold, Luis Gutierrez, and Kwame Ulmer. Immediately following the showcase, audience members will have an opportunity to attend breakout sessions with each company and representatives from the NHLBI. Full details (schedule, presenting companies, registration, etc.) are available at: https://www.acc.org/InnovationShowcase.
Marina Massingham, CEO, Aifred Health, and Laurent Waessa, Senior Business Development Advisor, Québec Government Office in New York, join BioTalk to discuss their backgrounds, Ecosystems for Entrepreneurs, and how Quebec can find partnerships in the BioHealth Capital Region
Listen via Apple http://apple.co/3lfW7q5, Google http://bit.ly/3qJm2HP, Spotify http://spoti.fi/30LaoSc, and TuneIn http://bit.ly/30JHq4Z.
When the pandemic hit in full force last March, healthcare organizations had to pivot overnight. What was once impossible became necessary, and what was once unlikely became an everyday occurrence. While this disruption came with growing pains — health organizations faced supply, staff and support shortages for months on end — the World Economic Forum notes that “the industry’s response has vividly demonstrated its resilience and ability to bring innovations to market quickly.”
Novavax reported on March 11 that its COVID-19 vaccine is 96% efficacious in reducing mild, moderate or severe disease. The Maryland-based company joins the handful of manufacturers that have reported encouraging data on a COVID-19 vaccine; three, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals, have already received emergency use authorization for their shots from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The advancement of children’s medical devices in the U.S. continues to significantly lag behind adult devices for many reasons. A dedicated group of public and private sector healthcare leaders are working together to change that trend. In culmination of its first stage of work, the System of Hospitals for Innovation in Pediatrics – Medical Devices (SHIP-MD) initiative recently held a dynamic 3-day public workshop to further develop this groundbreaking public-private partnership, which is currently in its pre-consortium/conceptual phase.
Alexandria Agtech/Climate Innovation Acquisition, a blank check company formed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities targeting agtech and climate innovation, filed on Thursday with the SEC to raise up to $250 million in an initial public offering.
All eyes are on the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Achieving the broad uptake needed to reach population immunity and curb the virus’s spread will require an unprecedented effort among health workers, scientists and stakeholders at every step of the supply chain.
During this 90 min event, experts from organizations central to vaccine development and delivery, regulatory oversight and quality assurance will discuss over the course of two high-level panels what’s needed for the global COVID-19 vaccination campaign, how to build public trust in the quality and effectiveness of vaccines, and how these investments can build better systems for the future.
BIoHealth Capital Region Ranked 4th and metrics improving towards goals of Top 3 by 2023
Charles Dickens’ opening line of A Tale of Two Cities—“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”—was evoked recently by the head of the nation’s largest life sciences real estate owner to describe the past year for the industry served by his real estate investment trust.
“With respect to the industry, 2020 is the ultimate paradox: The worst year of our lives, yet the greatest year ever for the life science industry,” Joel S. Marcus, Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ executive chairman and founder, told analysts February 2 after releasing fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 results. “[There’s] much work to do to rebuild businesses and lives so devastatingly impacted, and I would say, it’s going to take a good part of this decade to do that for many people who’ve been really so devastated.”
After four years of extensive planning, Inova Health System and the University of Virginia School of Medicine this week opened the UVA Inova Campus, welcoming its first class of 36 UVA medical students. An additional 36 students will join the campus next year to complete a full complement of students for two years of clinical training.
The University of Maryland is a powerhouse of discovery, with decades of experience advancing a field that will help define our nation’s—and the world’s—future.
Image: https://quantum.umd.edu/
That’s the path for technology being developed by IonQ. The College Park-based company on Monday made official a deal to merge with special purpose acquisition company dMY Technology Group, Inc. III. When the merger closes and it begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol IONQ, the company is poised to be the first “pure-play” quantum computing company that is publicly traded, leaders said.
Image: Inside IonQ's College Park quantum computing work. (Courtesy photo)
One thing both the Trump and Biden administrations have agreed on is that the U.S. needs to expand domestic manufacturing, and soon.
The pharmaceutical industry in particular has outsourced much of its manufacturing to take advantage of lower costs and more lax environmental laws in other countries. This has left Americans reliant on overseas drugmakers, largely in India and China, and vulnerable to gaps in the supply chain when quality issues or a pandemic halts production.
Image: Ronald T. Piervincenzi - Source: United States Pharmacopeia
Gaithersburg, MD, Feb. 22, 2021 – Cartesian Therapeutics, a fully integrated, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering mRNA-engineered cell therapy in and beyond oncology, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2a clinical trial of its mRNA chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, Descartes-11, in patients with newly diagnosed, high-risk multiple myeloma. Based upon the company’s research and analysis, this program is understood to be the first RNA-engineered cell therapy to enter clinical development for a frontline cancer. Descartes-11 is the third product candidate to be evaluated in clinical trials resulting from Cartesian’s RNA Armory℠ engineering platform.
Improving access to venture capital for life science entrepreneurs and emerging biopharma companies in the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) is a top priority. However, elevating the region’s funding profile is not the only type of access undergoing a transformation in recent years.
Image: https://biobuzz.io
There's an old joke about economists that I've always liked. A junior professor goes to his senior colleague with a brilliant new idea. The older man dismisses it. "That may be fine in practice," he sniffs, "but it will never work in theory."
Economists are like that, at least many of them. They don't like to have reality intrude on their abstractions. One of the best examples has to do with mobility. Years ago, I read an article by a prominent economist downplaying the problem of a small-town factory that spews out pollution. What's the big deal, he asked. There must be another town nearby without a soot-belching factory. The residents of the first town could just move over there. Pretty soon the polluter would get the idea.
“5 Questions With…” is a weekly BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people in the BioHealth Capital Region to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated. March is WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH and BioBuzz will celebrate by featuring Women in the BioHealth industry all month, especially in “5 Questions With…”. This week we continue the series with Destinie Burgan, Upstream Supervisor of Manufacturing, Emergent BioSolutions.
Image: https://biobuzz.io
The program, first conceived in 2016, puts the Charlottesville institution in Greater Washington and creates a new talent pool for the Falls Church-based organization.
Image: The Claude Moore Health Education and Research Center, part of the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, houses medical school classrooms and offices for curriculum, student affairs and faculty affairs. COURTESY INOVA HEALTH SYSTEM
Astrategic alliance has a new name — Verge — and a new vision of acting as the front door for an innovation economy that stretches from Lynchburg to the New River Valley.
Formed last year, the alliance is a joint mission of the Valleys Innovation Council, the Roanoke-Blacksburg Technology Council and the Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program, known as RAMP.
At a virtual news conference Monday, organizers said the unified strength of the three organizations will help solidify connections and better leverage emerging opportunities for the region’s technologists, innovators and entrepreneurs.
A Rockville, Maryland-based startup bringing AI and computer vision tools to pediatric health received nearly $1 million for R&D in a grant from the National Science Foundation.
The Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award, which is for $982,500, will help Pediametrix as it continues to develop SoftSpot, a digital cranial measurement tool.
PediaMetrix was founded in 2018 by Dr. Fereshteh Aalamifar, who earned her Ph.D. at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University, and a group of scientists and entrepreneurs who are alumni of Johns Hopkins, Harvard University and Princeton University.
Image: Dr. Fereshteh Aalamifar is CEO of PediaMetrix. (Courtesy photo)
Are you a biohealth company with innovative technology seeking funds to advance your commercialization activities? Do not miss a unique opportunity to discuss your innovation research and commercialization plans directly with Program Officers from NSF, NIH and its individual institutes (NCI, NIA, NIAID, NIDA, NHLBI) and the University of Maryland MIPS. Learn how to write compelling Research Aims and Commercialization Plans, current areas of focus for nondilutive funding resources, additional government resources, and best industry strategies to support your firm’s growth. Confirmed speakers/partnering meeting participants include:
Register (no fee) today! www.tinyurl.com/2021SBIR Questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NOTE: Different institutes are available to meet at different times during the March 17-19th period.
You will be able to request meetings once you have registered and received the partnering log-in.
Partnering meeting slots now are full with more than 450 1:1 partnering meetings requested with Program Officers from NSF, NIH and its individual institutes (NCI, NIA, NIAID, NIDA, NHLBI) and the University of Maryland MIPS. Do not miss the opportunity to hear from these program leaders. Learn how to write compelling Research Aims and Commercialization Plans, current areas of focus for nondilutive funding resources, additional government resources, and best industry strategies to support your firm’s growth. Confirmed speakers/partnering meeting participants include:
Register (no fee) today! www.tinyurl.com/2021SBIR Questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NOTE: Different institutes are available to meet at different times during the March 17-19th period.
You will be able to request meetings once you have registered and received the partnering log-in.
More than 160 entrepreneurs attended last week’s BHI Virtual Non-Dilutive Funding Workshop with 1:1 Partnering cohosted by BioHealth Innovation and Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC). Attendees learned about funding opportunities, resources and best practices from program officers at NIH, NSF and the University of Maryland, and also about additional resources and tips for winning applications from experts at MCEDC, the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland Department of Commerce, and BioHealth Innovation. More than 460 partnering meetings were requested. Many took place during the event last week, and others will happen in the near future. Most of the panelists have agreed to share their presentations and panel recordings. These will be available through BHI within the next two weeks. BHI would like to thank the participants who took the time to prepare, present, and/or partner at the event. They include:
Register (no fee) today! www.tinyurl.com/2021SBIR Questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NOTE: Different institutes are available to meet at different times during the March 17-19th period.
You will be able to request meetings once you have registered and received the partnering log-in.
Dr. Dipanjan Pan and Phil Robilotto of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, join BioTalk to discuss RNA Disease Diagnostics, UM Ventures, and the commercialization of new medical technologies
Listen via Apple http://apple.co/3bsUsda, Google http://bit.ly/38l26Vd , Spotify http://spoti.fi/38kp9zu, and TuneIN http://bit.ly/2MVFqDp.
The 6-year-old company will merge with a blank-check firm to go public.
The federal lab system is an enormous $50 billion-plus enterprise of internal research and development taking place in federal facilities across the United States. As other governments around the world, including China, pour billions of dollars into government labs and research parks focused on advanced technologies, it is imperative that we use all aspects of country’s own innovation ecosystem in the most creative ways possible, including our federal labs.
GSK Biologicals and its affiliate GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health (GVGH) are currently working on two vaccine projects. The first is to prevent Group A Streptococcus infections, commonly known as Strep Throat, which is a major reason for antibiotic prescriptions and cause of immune-mediated diseases.
The second project GSK is working is a vaccine to prevent infections caused by Salmonella enterica, which cause Invasive nontyphoidal salmonellosis (iNTS) disease and typhoid fever, major causes of death among children and significant health challenges primarily in sub-Saharan African countries.
Despite recent challenges, venture capital firms are still seeking out investment opportunities across the country. Since our last analysis of most active VCs in October 2020, we've seen shake-ups across 9 states. Our graphic maps out the most active VC investor in every US state.
Although startups based in California, New York, and Massachusetts have traditionally accounted for the majority of VC tech investment in the US, VCs are spurring other hotbeds of innovation across the country.
Image: https://www.cbinsights.com
The National Institutes of Health funds what it calls extramural research in a wide variety of fields. Our guest has for many years worked to ensure that small enterprises got their share of the grants. Now she’s the recipient of a Tibbets Award from the Small Business Administration for advancing the Small Business Technology Transfer and Small Business Innovation Research programs. For more, the director of the Office of Clinical Policy and Programs at the FDA., Dr. Jodi Black, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodi_Black#/media/File:Jodi_Black.jpg
BioHealth Capital Fund - AlphaMaven Video PitchBook
They are joining a program that plans to expand in the D.C. region with a new leader.
Image: Melinda Gates' incubation and investment firm, Pivotal Ventures, is funding a new initiative at the University of Maryland and George Mason University to draw more women to their tech degree programs. THE NEW YORK TIMES/KYLE JOHNSON
As the U.S. makes headway in its coronavirus vaccination campaign, Emergent BioSolutions CEO Bob Kramer appeared on CNBC Wednesday to explain his company’s role in manufacturing doses.
The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based contractor last year landed a multi-year deal to be the domestic producer of the Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, whose single-dose shot was cleared for use in the U.S. over the weekend. It also has a multi-year contract production contract for a vaccine developed by a British-Swedish biopharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca.
Image: https://www.cnbc.com/ - From Video
HILDEN, Germany & GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) has launched its QIAsphere cloud-based platform that will allow labs and QIAstat-Dx users to monitor tests and instrument status remotely 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
QIAsphere sets new standards for syndromic testing digital health, providing users with remote visibility of their testing routine. It can monitor a nearly unlimited number of instruments, providing visibility of testing routine across different hospitals or satellite labs. The continuous connectivity to QIAGEN service reduces systems downtime and enabling fast and accurate syndromic testing. Digital diagnostics and remote analytics will be crucial to bring syndromic testing closer to patients in the coming years.
Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Hospital, Virginia Tech and Johnson & Johnson Innovation have partnered to launch a new healthcare technology and research innovation campus, according to a March 1 news release.
The Children's National Research & Innovation Campus will feature research into new pediatric medical treatments and technologies as well as a life sciences incubator for about 50 startups across the pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and health tech sectors.
SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations are accelerating across the U.S. with approximately 66 million first doses having been administered as of February 25th, representing 13.6% of the country, according to NPR. The vaccination effort received another boost with the Food and Drug Administration’s recent Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) single-dose vaccine.
Image: https://biobuzz.io