The University System of Maryland Board of Regents voted on Friday to approve the construction of a new engineering facility on the University of Maryland's campus.

Shepherd University has created a new nonprofit organization with a mission of helping facilitate research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. On January 24, the Internal Revenue Service approved the Shepherd Entrepreneurship and Research Corporation’s (SERC) status as a 501(c)(3).

By StartUp Health’s reckoning, New York City was the second most active city for health tech dealflow in 2017 with $1 billion invested across 63 deals. San Francisco had nearly twice the number of deals and more than three times the amount, but the closest to New York was Boston with 29.

The company overcame early funding challenges with the help of influential backing.

The University System of Maryland (USM) has selected NextStep Robotics, a startup company that has developed a personalized robotic therapy to help relieve discomforts of “foot drop” syndrome in recovering stroke patients, as recipient of the second investment from the recently established Maryland Momentum Fund.

NextStep Robotics, a US-based medical device manufacturer based on research at several Maryland institutions, has raised $750,000 in funding from investors including the Maryland Momentum Fund.

GlycoMimetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GLYC) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the Haemato Oncology Foundation for Adults in the Netherlands (HOVON) groupto initiate clinical trial startup activities. In the planned clinical trial, HOVON researchers will evaluate GlycoMimetics’ drug candidate, GMI-1271, in adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) but who cannot tolerate intensive chemotherapy, as well as in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with a high risk of leukemia. The HOVON Central Office has already approved a protocol concept, and this agreement enables HOVON to commit staff to the planned trial in order to finalize the protocol, start regulatory and ethics reviews, and begin development of the database. Separately, GlycoMimetics said it plans to announce the design details for its company-sponsored Phase 3 trial in relapsed/refractory AML patients as part of its fourth-quarter and year-end 2017 earnings call scheduled for March 6, 2018.

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American:RNN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative, targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Zhejiang Haichang Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Haichang), to develop RX-0201 (Archexin®) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer.

eNeura, a Baltimore-based company that makes a device to treat migraines, closed a Series D investment round.

When: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM EST

Where: Bar Louie 150 Gibbs St Rockville, MD 20850

Join BioBuzz and sponsor BioIT Solutions in Rockville at  Bar Louie on February 13th, 2018 from 5 - 7pm. Only a 5 minute walk from the Rockville Metro, please join us for this exciting event. BioIT Solutions offers a range of services from enterprise systems built on their 1Platform4® Suite for advanced computational, workflow, and data management systems to IT strategy, architecture and management consulting. The 1Platform4® Suite consists of a software foundation on which various highly configurable modules are assembled and tailored to each client's specifications and needs.

Orgenesis Inc., (OTCQB:ORGS), a service and research company in the field of the regenerative medicine industry with a focus on cell therapy development and manufacturing for advanced medicinal products, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Adva Biotechnology Ltd., an innovator of enhanced bioprocessing solutions, for the development of an automated culturing system for use in the provision of contract manufacturing services, as well as Orgenesis’s therapeutic development.  This system has the potential to enable cost-efficient and automated manufacturing for autologous cell therapies.

On Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, the Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI), is holding simultaneous walks or races in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Washington, D.C.

Dovetailing off our Top 27 Venture Players report, we’ve put together the 19 largest AEC and real estate venture rounds of the past year. There were plenty of surprises.

Imagine instead of a pill, a doctor prescribes a game for a child with attention deficit disorder. Or imagine patients dealing with substance abuse being prescribed assessments they can do via a mobile device to track progress.

The University System of Maryland (USM) has selected NextStep Robotics, a start-up company that has developed a personalized robotic therapy to help relieve discomforts of “foot drop” syndrome in recovering stroke patients. The robotic therapy is based on research in the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) School of Medicine, Baltimore Veterans (VA) Affairs Medical Center, and University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) A. James Clark College of Engineering, as recipient of the second investment from the recently established Maryland Momentum Fund.

Mid-Atlantic Angels, LLC (MAA) approaches its 2018 programming in an environment of economic optimism that leverages the economic upsurge of 2017. With the strengthening economy and accompanying confidence, angel investment is expected to surge and contribute to the growth of a vibrant regional economic landscape. The aim is to help create successful businesses while generating a return on investment for MAA member investors. In addition to scheduling a full slate of five Capital Cycles for 2018 in which entrepreneurial companies pitch for capital, MAA is adding more investor members, has lined up a valuable series of investor/entrepreneur workshops, has established a cadre of loyal sponsor organizations, is increasing its outreach to investment and entrepreneurial oriented organizations in the Frederick region, and is expanding its Board to better meet the needs of MAA and its communities.

Top life science companies perform cutting-edge research and make transformational discoveries throughout the County from the I-270 corridor of Gaithersburg and Germantown to White Oak. Add in the federal presence of the NIH and FDA, along with top talent, and tap into our strong momentum for BioHealth success. The business models vary yet our companies have important assets in common: a commitment to diversity of people, places and ideas and a spirit of innovation. Meet some of our impressive CEOs and company heads that showcase life science excellence in the County in our Think Success video series.

Join WIB–Capital Region on February 21, 2018 for a panel discussion with industry experts that will help demystify venture capital funding in the biotech space.

Maryland Technology Development Corp. made new seed investments in five Maryland startup companies, totaling $600,000.

TEDCO has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in young, growing companies across the state. The state-backed organization has 137 active investments through its seed fund.

BHI is working with several regional partners to cultivate local biohealth research talent and help those with interest and qualifications transition to industry.

In February, BHI is co-hosting with NCI, and WorkSource Montgomery two PostDoc-Industry Connections Happy Hours enabling NCI postdocs and others at NIH to learn more about local opportunities in the region's biohealth industry. Industry participants are invited to attend these complimentary networking receptions and share their thoughts regarding career paths and opportunities in the field.

Registration is free but limited. RSVPs are required.
Please RSVP using the following links:

2/15 - 6-8:00 p.m. - Waverly Street Gallery, Bethesda - RSVP here
2/20 - 5-7:00 p.m. - JHU Montgomery Campus, Rockville - RSVP here

Save the date: 6/20 - Industry Postdoc Hiring Event - NCI Rockville Campus

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.?

Who:  BioHealth Industry Hiring Managers/HR Executives

What:  Luncheon meeting where you will have the opportunity to:

• Provide feedback on a preliminary assessment of regional biohealth hiring needs
• Offer input on a proposed compensation survey, 
• Learn of local resources to assist you in your recruiting and training activities,
• Ensure you are among the first to receive copies of the Hiring Needs, and Compensation Survey reports to be published later this Spring.
• Network with peers

When:  February 13th, 12:00-2:00 p.m. 

Where:  Universities of Shady Grove (USG) 

Hosts:    BioHealth Innovation, NCI, WorkSource Montgomery, UMBC, USG 

RSVP's are required. Click HERE to RSVP.

*Due to limited space, this event is for Hiring Managers/industry HR staff only (recruiters/vendors/other excluded). This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

China’s increasing zeal for improving biotechnology and medical services is music to the ears of the British government after two venture capital firms received 8 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion) in funding commitments from mainland investors during Prime Minister Theresa May’s three-day visit last week.

AOL cofounder Steve Case is returning to Baltimore in a couple of weeks in a new event series designed to help entrepreneurs.

In covering the D.C. innovation economy comes the inevitable: funding news. Trust us, there’s a lot of it floating around the D.C. metro area, and we cover it everyday in our daily newsletter, The Beat. Here’s a roundup of all of the major funding news from the region in January: 

Qiagen has agreed to a $191 million deal to acquire STAT-Dx. The takeover will give Qiagen control of a pipeline of assay panels designed to diagnose infections affecting the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. 

Venture backed companies can address a large market quickly, and therefore payoff investors sooner than other businesses.

While a couple of glasses of wine can help clear the mind after a busy day, new research shows that it may actually help clean the mind as well. The new study, which appears in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that low levels of alcohol consumption tamp down inflammation and helps the brain clear away toxins, including those associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

OpGen announced today that it has priced its public offering of approximately 3.7 million units of common stock and common warrants at $3.25 per unit.

Amazon made an announcement Tuesday that sent shockwaves through the health care industry and caused insurers’ stocks to plummet: The technology company is joining Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to create an independent health care organization that will serve their employees.

Qiagen will acquire Spanish biotech STAT-Dx for up to €153M – more than 3 times the total funding it has raised so far – to produce fast and effective diagnostic tests for infections and cancer.

One Week Left to Apply!!

Deadline: Friday, February 9, 2018, 5pm

We are looking for the best university startups from schools around the world! 

Over $1 million in Prizes! 42 startup teams will be invited to compete in front of hundreds of investors. 

Join the more than 200 startups that have been successfully launched after competing at the RBPC and raised more than $1.7 billion!

Competition Dates: April 5-7, 2018

Rice University, HoustonJones Graduate School of Business

Global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) today announced that Jeff Immelt has joined the firm as Venture Partner. Immelt, who recently retired from his role as Chairman and CEO of GE after 16 years at the helm of the 125-year-old company, is widely regarded as one of the world's most innovative and capable business leaders. His extensive domain and company-building expertise are closely aligned with NEA's core sectors of focus, and he will work closely with technology and healthcare companies across the firm's portfolio in this new role.

A new oncology company spun out of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is raising up to $40.5 million to develop its platform of anticancer therapies.

The U.Va. Licensing and Ventures group is offering funding to three local health and technology startups. 

20/20 GeneSystems, Inc. finalized its first equity crowdfunding campaign this week with gross proceeds of $1.07 million, the maximum amount permitted under current SEC rules pursuant to Regulation CF. In so doing, the company became only the second medical technology firm to reach this maximum. 20/20 is now listed as one of the "Top 20 Regulation Crowdfunding Campaigns of All Time" by Crowdfund Capital Advisors. The campaign was posted on First Democracy VC, a joint venture between Indiegogo and MicroVentures and was assisted by marketing firm Enventys Partners.