Researchers at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, have identified five immune response markers that, collectively, were able to distinguish between those COVID-19 patients who convalesced from the infection, and those who didn’t survive the disease. The researchers used a systems serology technique to generate a detailed profile of SARS-Co-2-specific humoral—antibody generating—responses in hospitalized patients, which they validated in a second patient cohort. The findings indicated that individuals who survived COVID-19 infection and those who died exhibited antibody responses that were primarily directed against different SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

Image: NIH

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Shreis Scalene Therapeutics LLC (SSTx), a MD-USA-based medical device company will fast-track the manufacture and distribution of the CE-marked (EU-Class 1) Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon (SHYCOCAN) under US FDA 'Enforcement Policy for Sterilizers, Disinfectant Devices, and Air Purifiers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency."

Image: SHYCOCAN Devices

With so much attention on COVID-19 treatment and vaccine developments, life science laboratories are getting more notice.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE:ARE) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) based in Pasadena, California. It’s the largest landlord in the US for laboratories and related offices.

Its top companies by rent revenues include Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY), Celgene, Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), Merck (NYSE:MRK)—which we own in Profitable Investing—Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), Novartis (NYSE:NVS), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY).

The University of Maryland School of Medicine and about 30 other U.S. centers have begun recruiting thousands of volunteers living in COVID-19 hot spots to join the nation’s most advanced trial for a vaccine against the disease.

The vaccine was developed by the Massachusetts biotech company Moderna along with the National Institutes of Health. It is among several vaccines to reach a Phase 3 trial globally but was the first one announced under Operation Warp Speed, the federal program to quickly identify, produce and distribute 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. and OSAKA, Japan, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a late stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK), today announced a partnership for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of NVX‑CoV2373, Novavax’ COVID‑19 vaccine candidate, in Japan. NVX‑CoV2373 is a stable, prefusion protein made using Novavax’ recombinant protein nanoparticle technology and includes Novavax’ proprietary Matrix‑M™ adjuvant. Takeda will receive funding from the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) to support the technology transfer, establishment of infrastructure and scale-up of manufacturing. Takeda anticipates the capacity to manufacture over 250 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per year1.

The Johns Hopkins University on Thursday reversed plans to bring undergraduate students back for in-person classes, housing, or activities, urging them to stay away from Baltimore for the fall semester. Employees, the campus said, should expect to work from home through the end of the year.

Image: COURTESY OF JOHNS HOPKINS U.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmes today announced that three corporate vice presidents have been promoted. Dr. Traci Clemons has been named chief research officer, Marian Ewell is now chief scientific innovation officer, and Jennifer Hester is the company's chief human resources officer. These are all newly created positions for the company.

Image: Dr. Traci Clemons

The year 2020 began with great promise and opportunity for the Aug. 6 guest of the weekly web-based program, Virtual Face to Face with Dr. Bruce Jarrell. After tearful goodbyes here at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), the University System of Maryland (USM) embraced former president Jay A. Perman, MD, as its new chancellor on Jan. 6.

Image: https://www.umaryland.edu

Johns Hopkins University became the latest school to announce that it will be conducting classes for the upcoming fall semester virtually, one of the many institutions of higher education to forgo in-person learning as the coronavirus pandemic rages.

This follows the spring 2020 semester that was moved online during the onset of the virus. 

Image: https://thehill.com

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GSK today launched a national campaign to help increase low rates of vaccination among older adults. The campaign, Brought to You By Vaccines, will educate adults ages 50 and older about the value of vaccines and the urgent need to talk to their healthcare provider or pharmacist about the recommended vaccines they need or may have recently missed.

GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adaptive Phage Therapeutics (APT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded to provide an effective therapeutic response to the global rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogenic bacteria, today announced Mayo Clinic has committed $1.75M as a lead investor in a $7 million convertible note financing round.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) awarded Johns Hopkins researchers $35 million for clinical trials to test a convalescent blood plasma outpatient treatment to fight COVID-19.

Download an A to Z business guide that offers federal, state and local resources to help your Montgomery County business succeed. The newly expanded, 14-page MCEDC Business Resource Guide. Find funding, training, talent, support for women and diverse businesses and more—a handy guide to use and share.

Click here to download.

The study found the candidate elicits “robust antibody responses” and is well-tolerated, the company said Tuesday.

Image: Novavax is advancing a Covid-19 vaccine candidate through clinical trials. COURTESY NOVAVAX

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 20/20 GeneSystems, Inc. is proud to announce that in partnership with Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, the largest hospital in Taiwan, it has won the 2020 Taipei Biotech "Technology Transfer Cooperation Award" Gold Medal Award, the Oscar in the biotechnology industry, for its OneTest an artificial intelligence (AI) powered blood test that can assist in the early detection of many common cancers.

The Frederick Innovative Technology Center business incubator and accelerator, or FITCI, as it is better known, has been a linchpin for the Frederick, Maryland life science ecosystem for more than 15 years. BioHealth Capital Region signature companies like RoosterBio, Inc., BioFactura, Theradaptive, KempBio (now Kemp Proteins), and Bridgepath Scientific all made their start at FITCI. 

Image: https://biobuzz.io

Today the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced a collaboration with Longwood Fund, a biotech-focused venture capital firm, to accelerate innovative therapies for cystic fibrosis. Together, Longwood and the CF Foundation are dedicating resources to advance projects with transformative potential and incentivize early stage companies to prioritize CF drug discovery and development. The Foundation has committed $20 million to the collaboration as part of its Path to a Cure.

The Covid-19 Pandemic vividly demonstrates the need for rethinking ways to manufacture biological materials and create sustainable medical product supply lines for the United States. New program funding, new regulatory schemes and new community engagement are all solutions as we witness the renaissance of life science manufacturing in the US from Delaware to Alabama to California. Join a discussion of best bio and pharma manufacturing practices, public policies and programs to help the US respond to the Covid-19 Pandemic and create a more resilient manufacturing infrastructure.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) (the “Company”) announced today that it intends to offer $400 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes with an expected maturity date of August 2028 (the “Notes”). The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by all of the Company’s direct and indirect subsidiaries that guarantee debt under its credit facilities. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to repay the $353 million outstanding under its $600 million revolving credit facility with the remainder to be used for general corporate purposes.

Pfizer’s disclosure last week that it may reverse plans to in-shore manufacturing facilities and science jobs to the United States is just the tip of the iceberg of the problems we’ll face if President Trump implements his executive order to implement foreign reference pricing to determine drug prices under Medicare.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX), a late-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced Phase 1 data from its Phase 1/2 randomized, observer-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of its COVID‑19 vaccine with and without Matrix‑M™ adjuvant in healthy adults 18-59 years of age. NVX‑CoV2373, the Company’s recombinant COVID-19 vaccine candidate adjuvanted with Matrix-M, was generally well-tolerated and elicited robust antibody responses numerically superior to that seen in human convalescent sera. The data have been submitted for peer-review to a scientific journal and to an online preprint server at medRxiv.org.

The two co-founders behind TruGenomix have a vision for helping veterans and others who might be prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A new partnership with Sanford Health will help them work toward this vision.

Charles Cathlin serves as chief executive officer, and Tshaka Cunningham, Ph.D., is chief scientific officer of their small, veteran-owned precision behavioral health company based in Maryland.

Each year, the FNIH recognizes outstanding achievements by a promising young scientist in biomedical research by bestowing the Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences, a $100,000 award. The prize is made possible by a generous gift from philanthropist Ann Lurie.

The awardee is selected by a jury of six distinguished biomedical researchers including:

Telemedicine is having its moment. Over the last few months, millions of people have relied on video or telephone calls to talk to their doctors. But as the pandemic moves across the United States, and eventually recedes in some places, how long will the moment last?

REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX), a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company seeking to improve lives through the curative potential of gene therapy based on its proprietary NAV® Technology Platform, today reported positive one year data from patients in Cohorts 4 and 5 of the Phase I/IIa trial of RGX-314 for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). The Company plans to initiate a pivotal program for subretinal delivery of RGX-314 in patients with wet AMD by the end of 2020. In addition, REGENXBIO today announced that a Phase II trial of RGX-314 for the treatment of wet AMD delivered to the suprachoroidal space (AAVIATE) is active and expected to enroll patients in the third quarter of 2020.

This invitation-only event is free for executive level biotech leaders and is presented by BioHealth Innovation, Virginia Bio, Children’s National Health System, Johns Hopkins University, JPMorgan, Maryland Department of Commerce, George Mason University, University System of Maryland, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and AstraZeneca.

The BioHealth Capital Region—Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC—sets the bar high for biotech innovation. So please join us for our 6th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow.

For more information about our speakers and event schedule, please visit www.biohealthcapital.com/forum-2020

#BHCRForum20

Jennifer Butler, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Innate Pharma US Inc. joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss her career, bringing Innate from France to the US, and goals.

Listen now on Apple https://apple.co/3i30Bxs, Google https://bit.ly/2PkUw2U, Spotify https://spoti.fi/31gDh8n, TuneIn https://bit.ly/3fqn7i3, and YouTube Audio https://bit.ly/3kgU9ou.

Jennifer Butler was appointed Executive Vice President and General Manager of Innate Pharma US Inc. in March 2019.

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the question of why tests that detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are not faster, better, and cheaper in this country still remains. Despite an incredibly complicated answer, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that they are going to help some companies work to develop their technologies, with the hope of getting over this roadblock. The program will give $248.7 million to seven biomedical diagnostic companies. The money is intended to support a range of new lab-based and point-of-care tests that, they hope, could significantly increase the number, type, and availability of tests by millions per week as early as September 2020.

Rita Colwell is perhaps best known for her research on the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae. But the designation of pioneer is a label befitting Colwell for far-reaching contributions to many other areas, including her decades-long fight against sexism in a male-dominated field.

Colwell’s unique perspective on sexism in science is now able to be explored in her book, A Lab of One’s Own: One Woman’s Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science, which will be released on August 4th.

“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. This edition features Jamie Lacey-Moreira, Principal and Founder, PressComm PR, LLC.

FREDERICK, Md., July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- BioFactura, Inc. today announced a $1 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract awarded by the Joint Science & Technology Office—Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO-CBD) of the Department of Defense (DoD). The goal of this project is to develop, optimize, and scale-up a highly efficient mammalian cell culture-based bioprocess suitable to meet surge requirement needs for rapid manufacture of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutic against the Marburg virus (MARV) biothreat.

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Johns Hopkins Hospital ranked no. 3 among the nation’s best hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The Best Hospitals List was released Tuesday with The Mayo Clinic earning the no. 1 overall ranking this year, followed by Cleveland Clinic at no. 2 out of 4,500 hospitals.

U.S. News & World Report also ranked 12 specialties at Hopkins among the top 10 in the country. Ear, Nose, and Throat, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, and Rheumatology ranked no. 1.

COLUMBIA, Md., July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced today the appointments of Michael Hauser as the Managing Director of Investments and Terry Rauh as the Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer.

"Michael and Terry bring many years of leadership experience to fill these critical roles at TEDCO," said Troy LeMaile-Stovall, TEDCO's incoming CEO and executive director. "Leveraging their extensive knowledge of the Maryland business and innovation ecosystem, we're looking forward to the impact they will make in fostering TEDCO's mission."

Image: Michael Hauser, TEDCO

Charlottesville, Va., July 28, 2020 – HemoShear Therapeutics, a clinical stage company developing treatments for rare metabolic disorders, has received Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for HST5040, a once-daily oral small molecule drug being developed to treat methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) and propionic acidemia (PA).  

In June, HemoShear received clearance from the FDA for its Investigational New Drug application to conduct a phase 2 clinical study of HST5040 in patients with MMA and PA. MMA and PA are rare genetic disorders caused by the deficiency of certain enzymes required to metabolize amino acids.

Regina E. Dugan is chief executive of Wellcome Leap, a nonprofit that seeks breakthroughs in human health. From 2009 to 2012, she served as director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The global pandemic is a hinge in history. Hundreds of thousands of lives lost globally; trillions in economic damage. It is as if the 1918 flu and the 1929 crash happened in the same year. It is the kind of event that alters the course of history so much that we measure time by it: before the pandemic — and after. It is a Sputnik moment.

Image: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969. (Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP)