This is our fourth annual STAT Madness, a bracket-style tournament to find the best innovations in science and medicine.

The second round of voting begins Monday, March 9 at 12 a.m. EDT and is open until Sunday, March 15 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

U.S. laboratory equipment maker Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. agreed to buy Qiagen NV, a Dutch maker of tests for diseases including cancer and the new coronavirus, for about 9 billion euros ($10 billion) in the biggest health-care acquisition so far this year.

Investors will get 39 euros in cash for every Qiagen share, Thermo Fisher said Tuesday. That’s 23% higher than Monday’s closing price. Qiagen also sells products for food and forensic testing. Bloomberg earlier reported the companies were nearing a deal after reviving discussions that broke off late last year.

As the world scrambles to monitor and contain the COVID-19 outbreak, drug companies are racing to develop or repurpose treatments to combat the potential pandemic. The death toll continues to climb. The first U.S. death associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus was reported in Washington state February 29. As of March 2, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University, 3,048 people in 11 countries had died worldwide, nearly all of them (96% or 2,914) in China.

Image: Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Roman Tkachenko

Tomorrow and every day, we recognize the hashtag#RareDisease community on behalf of the Innate Pharma team. We do what we do because of you. hashtag#RareDiseaseDay hashtag#WRDD hashtag#HairyCellLeukemia hashtag#cutaneouslymphoma hashtag#SézarySyndrome hashtag#MycosisFungoides

Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms, announced today that it successfully completed a pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its First-In-Human (FIH) Phase I trial and development plans for ITI-1001. The FDA addressed the Company’s questions and provided feedback on key components of the planned IND application for the candidate, ITI-1001, for the treatment of newly diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM).

NEURALY ANNOUNCES FIRST PATIENT DOSED IN PHASE 2 CLINICAL TRIAL OF NLY01 FOR PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Novel Mechanism of Action Inhibits Pathological Activation of Microglial Cells and Prevents Neuronal Cell Death

Neuraly, a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering disease-modifying agents for neurodegenerative disorders, today announced the dosing of the first patient in its Phase 2 clinical trial of NLY01 for Parkinson’s disease.

“Current therapies for Parkinson’s disease provide only temporary symptomatic improvement and fail to slow or halt the relentless progression of the disease,” said Seulki Lee, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Neuraly. “The initiation of this Phase 2 study is an important milestone in the ongoing advancement of NLY01 which we believe has the potential to be a ground-breaking therapy for Parkinson’s patients based on results we have seen to date in preclinical trials.”

The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) has a long history of leading the fight against new, frightening diseases, like Ebola and the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) which is quickly spreading across the globe. Leading public health agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and others believe the COVID-19 virus has the potential to reach pandemic levels as infection numbers rise beyond China’s borders.

Image: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

A Cyber Living Innovation Lab with robotic platforms to evaluate 5G performance and a fleet of driverless cars will provide experiential learning opportunities to students from universities across the region as the anchor of George Mason University’s cybersecurity research expansion, thanks to $2.5 million in funding as part of a statewide initiative.

As one of the largest healthcare tech deals in 2020, Thermo Fisher is buying coronavirus diagnostics company Qiagen NV for €9 billion. QIAGEN is considered a leading global provider of molecular diagnostics and sample preparation technologies. The deal has been approved by the boards of directors at both companies as well as the managing board of QIAGEN.

What is Crab Pot?

The Crab Pot Pitch Competition is Southern Maryland’s premier pitch competition for entrepreneurs with cutting edge, disruptive and innovative technologies. Made popular by television shows like ABC’s “Shark Tank,” pitch contests provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to present their ideas to a panel of judges or investors in front of an audience.

Crab Pot provides an opportunity for the community to celebrate the efforts of local entrepreneurs and innovators. Audience members get to see what entrepreneurs in Southern Maryland are up to. Crab Pot provides an opportunity for the community to celebrate the efforts of local entrepreneurs and innovators. Audience members get to see what entrepreneurs in Southern Maryland are up to. Entrepreneurs get to practice their pitches and win cash prizes. This year will be the 6th annual competition!

As part of the government-wide effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in U.S. communities, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated a broad agency announcement (BAA) to focus specifically on products to diagnose, prevent or treat coronavirus infections.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), issued the BAA, BAA-18-100-SOL-00003-Amendment 13, to solicit proposals for advanced development and licensure of COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines, or medicines such as therapeutics or antivirals.

“Amid the expanding global outbreak of COVID-19, Americans need diagnostics, vaccines, and medicines to mitigate the potential impact of this virus”, said BARDA Director Rick Bright, Ph.D. “To accelerate the availability of these lifesaving tools, BARDA took an important step today to request proposals for development of COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines, or therapeutics, many of which will be developed using existing platform technologies to permit rapid development.”

Facing record-high volatility and market uncertainty, one biotech is scheduled for the week ahead.

Formed by New Enterprise Associate's orphan drug accelerator Cydan, genetic disorder biotech Imara (IMRA) plans to raise $76 million at a $301 million market cap. The Boston-based company's sole candidate IMR-687 is a once-a-day therapy targeting sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia by inhibiting PDE9. It is expected to begin a Phase 2b trial in the 1H20. While there is significant unmet medical need for both disorders, it is a crowded space, with three products approved in 2019.

PASADENA, Calif. and NEW YORK, March 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first, longest-tenured and pioneering owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, and its executive chairman and founder, Joel S. Marcus, were honored to receive the 2020 Navy SEAL Foundation Patriot Award. This recognition highlights Alexandria's contributions to our nation and unwavering support for the Naval Special Warfare community, as well as its embodiment of the values that epitomize the SEAL community. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and retired U.S. Navy Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski presented the prestigious award to Mr. Marcus yesterday evening during the Navy SEAL Foundation's 12th annual New York City Benefit Dinner celebrating the Foundation's 20th anniversary.

With more than 378 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and more than 15 associated deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is actively monitoring, and trying to contain, the transmission of the disease, called COVID-19. 

In some cases, depending on risk level, the CDC may ask individuals or families to self-quarantine or remain in isolation. Here's a look at what that means and tips for implementing such measures.

If you’ve been on the web to learn more about the latest pandemic, chances are you’ve stumbled upon at least one or two coronavirus dashboards. These are the landing pages for interactive maps and visuals that show where the virus has spread, as well as numbers on the latest in infection rates and deaths, breakdowns of what countries are suffering from new cases and what regions are likely seeing new outbreaks, and much more.

Image: UPCODE ACADEMY

The Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) is proud to announce the winners of the 2020 MEDA Awards. The 2020 awards, sponsored by Miles & Stockbridge P.C., recognize the exceptional people, programs and projects that bring economic prosperity to Maryland.

“We’d like to thank all who submitted a nomination for recognizing such deserving programs, projects and individuals, and our awards judges for their hard work determining the winners,” says Pamela Ruff, MEDA executive director. “The 2020 winners exemplify the Maryland communities that are going above and beyond when it comes to economic expansion and prosperity.”

CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE:CVM) announces that it is developing an immunotherapy with the potential to treat the COVID-19 coronavirus using its patented LEAPS peptide technology. The LEAPS peptides will utilize conserved regions of coronavirus proteins to stimulate protective cell mediated T cell responses and reduce viral load. The LEAPS peptide technology can be used to construct immunotherapeutic peptides that exhibit both antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Consequently, these products not only target the virus infection against which they are directed, but also elicit the appropriate protective response(s) against it.

Who runs the healthcare world? Women make 80% of all buying decisions and make up over 70% of the healthcare workforce—yet in 2020 we still do not have an equal voice in the ranks of leadership.

Diversity is also an issue when it comes to venture capital. Female entrepreneurs continue to struggle to raise as much capital as their male counterparts. Although capital investment in all-female founding teams hit an all time high of $3.3 billion in 2019, it represented only 2.8% of capital invested across the entire U.S. startup ecosystem.

Join JLABS for an evening panel discussion as we tackle these issues, and discuss avenues for capital, while forging a path forward for two of the most prohibitive factors at play: a lack of a robust network of female mentors and lack of investment dollars in female-led startups. 

We would like to invite you to join leading companies from the Northern Powerhouse region of England for a morning of presentations and networking. The delegation is visiting the Capital Region to help build relationships with key decision makers and build close trade and collaboration ties.

Over the past year, the Maryland Department of Commerce has continued to foster business growth throughout the state, by simplifying the process of starting a business, prioritizing customer service, and investing in our innovative companies.

During fiscal year 2019, the department provided financial assistance to 167 different economic development projects statewide, from Kite Pharma in Frederick to Smithfield Foods in Cecil County, bringing in a total capital expenditure of $630.5 million. More than 70 of these projects fell under the small, minority, and women-owned business category, according to the recently released annual report. 

“Philadelphia was an innovation and investment backwater,” but Ajay Raju says it’s headed for venture capital’s mainstream, and he’s personally setting up the partnerships to make it happen, pledges the real estate finance lawyer and chairman of the law firm Dilworth Paxson.

Image: ANDREW THAYER / FILE PHOTOGRAPH

Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office has suggested making the Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) tax credit refundable, which would eliminate the portion of the tax credit going to tax brokers and increase the funding available to target businesses. Other proposed changes would strengthen the applicant review process and expand data collection to improve program accountability. 

(Rockville, MD, February 25, 2020) Researchers at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) recently received $850K from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance our understanding of how fungi like powdery mildew infect plants including food source crops, and how plants fight back. IBBR Fellow Dr. Shunyuan Xiao (Professor, Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland College of Agriculture & Natural Resources) is the principal investigator on the award.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. and MANCHESTER, N.H., Feb. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) and DEKA Research & Development Corp. today announced receipt of an additional 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) related to the Unity Subcutaneous Delivery System for Remodulin® (treprostinil) Injection, also referred to as the Remunity™ pump, enabling United Therapeutics to launch the system using drug reservoirs that have been prefilled by specialty pharmacies.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX), a late-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced progress in its efforts to develop a novel vaccine to protect against coronavirus disease COVID-19. Novavax has produced and is currently assessing multiple nanoparticle vaccine candidates in animal models prior to identifying an optimal candidate for human testing, which is expected to begin by the end of spring 2020.

Todd Haim(TH): I began working on small business grant programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) more than 10 years ago when I joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow. After 9 years at NCI, I was asked to lead the launch of a new Office of Small Business Research (OSBR) at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA’s OSBR was created just over 1 year ago. It serves as the main coordinating office for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants that are awarded to companies working on solutions to address aging and aging-related diseases.

Image: https://blog.lifesciencenation.com

BALTIMORE, Feb. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Capsulomics, Inc., a Baltimore-based molecular diagnostics company whose mission is to detect and prevent cancer through earlier detection, today announced a research partnership with Johns Hopkins University, funded by a 5-year, $3.7 Million NIH Academic-Industrial Partnership grant, to conduct an important clinical research study to detect esophageal cancer and its precancerous precursor condition, Barrett's esophagus (BE).

Alex Triantis, dean of the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, says a new $25 million gift from the school’s namesake foundation will go toward accelerating the transformation of the MBA curriculum into a much more healthcare-oriented experience, among other uses. Carey photo

At Johns Hopkins University, nearly a quarter of the Carey Business School’s full-time faculty study or teach in health-related fields. About 38% of current full-time MBA students and 35% of part-time MBA students focus on health-related areas of study.

Image: https://poetsandquants.com

Congratulations to Sonavex, Inc. CEO David Narrow on being selected as an Innovation Leader at Emerging Medtech Summit 2020.

More: https://lnkd.in/e3Z8fUv

The map allows you to see which parts of the world are impacted the most by it.

A chart is placed to the left of the map showing the number of confirmed cases for specific countries, states, and cities.

Two charts are placed to the right of the map.

Image: https://www.arcgis.com/

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arcellx today announced that the first patient has been dosed with its engineered T cell therapy utilizing a novel deimmunized synthetic binding domain in the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. This first-in-human Phase 1 trial is the first in a series of clinical trials planned for efficient, stepwise development of the Arcellx ARC-T + sparX cell therapy platform, with BCMA as an initial target.

Judy Costello is the Managing Director of Economic Development for BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI). A longtime supporter of the region’s entrepreneur and start-up communities, Judy Costello joined BioHealth Innovation in August 2017. Prior to that she served as Director of the Maryland Department of Commerce's Office of BioHealth and Life Sciences and Deputy Director of the department's BioMaryland Center. She previously worked for fifteen years for the Business Alliance organizing venture pitch forums, entrepreneur bootcamps, tech transfer showcases, educational seminars, and other programs connecting entrepreneurs, faculty innovators, students, and industry leaders in Maryland, DC and Virginia with each other and with those providing funding and other resources to young companies.

If you have been in fundraising mode anytime in the past 2-3 years and have gotten any term sheets with terms that were either outrageous or draconian, we want to hear from you. BHI Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ethel Rubin is working on a future blog post and would like to hear from you. Email here at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and share your term sheet stories today. Any information shared will be de-identified before adding to her post and you name/company will be kept confidential.

By Ethel Rubin

Opportunities abound for every investor looking for deal flow. Conversely, there have never been so many opportunities for entrepreneurs to pitch, network and mingle with investors. No matter what space you are in – fintech, biotech, edtech, cleantech, medtech – the world of investor showcases is exploding. Nevertheless, whatever the stage of your technology, there is nothing like a “warm” introduction and a few surefire ways of getting investors to take a look at you:

Most companies would admit that they miss more often than they hit when it comes to talent.

McKinsey & Company recently cited three rather stunning stats about talent: (1) 82% of Fortune 500 companies don’t believe they recruit highly talented people; (2) Of companies that do believe they recruit great talent, only 7% believe they can retain it; (3) and only 23% of managers and senior executives that deal with talent-related issues believe their current strategies actually work.