Maryland companies raised $181.4 million from venture capitalists in the third quarter, a 435 percent increase from the year before.

There were 13 deals involving Maryland companies in the period, according to the PwC/CB Insights MoneyTree Report released Wednesday. That's two more deals than in the third quarter last year and three fewer than in the second quarter.

Diabetics who have been pricking their fingers for years finally have another option. Freestyle Libre is a small patch that can be easily applied to the upper-arm. With a simple scan, the sensor can read your glucose levels, no needles or blood necessary.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. EBS announced that it completed the acquisition of FDA-licensed smallpox vaccine's business of Sanofi SNY - ACAM2000.  The company paid an upfront payment of $97.5 million and $20 million in milestone payments. The deal also includes a potential milestone payment of up to $7.5 million, tied to the achievement of remaining regulatory

Emma started work as a massage therapist at NovaHealth TCM Clinic yesterday.

Emma - short for Expert Manipulative Massage Automation - is a robotic massager, developed by a team of researchers, engineers and programmers at AiTreat, a start-up incubated by Nanyang Technological University (NTU). It is particularly good for neck and knee massages.

Academic research is often full of ideas that can form the foundation of startups.

So institutions like the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Johns Hopkins are putting considerable effort to help launch young companies that license that research in a way that can bring acclaim and dollars. But just about everyone still thinks we need more CEOs and scientists working together.

The Northern Virginia health giant's new partnership will give consumers a glimpse into their DNA.

Global demand for fish is growing quickly, but many species are already severely overfished, leaving scientists and industry experts searching for ways to more safely and efficiently farm fish. In response, two UMBC research teams are developing revolutionary innovations for off-shore fish farming, to help mitigate the risks of disease and escapes in captive fish populations. Both recently received extremely competitive awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pursue their work further.

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission (Commission) approved funding for four awards totaling $1,060,000. With the robust activity in stem cell research in Maryland, the Commission approved the first of two rounds of applications this year for the Validation and Commercialization Programs to accelerate getting solutions to patients.

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (Pink Sheets: OSIR), a leading regenerative medicine company focused on developing and marketing products for wound care, orthopedics, and sports medicine, announced today that a new peer reviewed manuscript entitled “Placental Membranes for Management of Refractory Cutaneous Sinus Tracts of Surgical Origin: A Pilot Study” has been published in The Journal of the American College of Clinical Wound Specialists and is available online.

The Richard A. Henson Foundation, Inc. today reaffirmed its commitment to Salisbury University, announcing a $2.5 million gift for SU’s Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology.

A pioneer in the commuter aviation industry, Henson endowed the school bearing his name with another multi-million-dollar donation in 1987. This latest marks the 30th anniversary of that initial commitment.

The credibility of stem cell research is at risk because of charlatans and dodgy clinics peddling unproven cures for diseases, according to a group of eminent scientists in the field.

Circulomics, a Baltimore, MD-based biotechnology startup, received two SBIR grants totaling over $1.7M.

The company will use the funds to develop new applications of its Nanobind DNA/RNA extraction technology.

[THE INVESTOR] In the age of “digital health care,” high-tech wearables, cutting-edge medical devices and integrated apps combined with major breakthroughs in data computing and analytics capabilities are set to pave new frontiers in the health care sector.

A new academic enterprise, born of a partnership between the University of Washington and China’s Tsinghua University -- and seeded with $40 million in funding from Microsoft -- welcomed its first class of master’s students this fall.

Gene therapy is at the forefront of preventative and therapeutic technologies targeting diseases that have no other cures. Join us as two leading gene therapy experts, Drs. Karen Kozarsky and Lynne Fahey McGrath, discuss different types of gene therapy, advanced programs, and the associated unique regulatory challenges.

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals $RYTM became the latest biotech to tap into a buoyant market, raising $120 million in an IPO that went over the range at $17 a share. And they can add substantially to that if the underwriters pick up another million shares on the table.

We know from following the Rise of the Rest that D.C. isn’t in the top three for metros venture capital investments, but a new study said it makes the top 10.

The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced today the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) Request for Proposals (RFP) for FY2018.

TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, awarded four recipients more than $1 million for stem cell research for validation and commercialization of products. LifeSprout and RoosterBio received awards totaling $600,000 to help commercialize products based on stem cell technology.

Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures is expanding its entrepreneurship and incubation services for university students.

What happens to startups when they’ve outgrown coworking, but aren’t ready a whole office suite? There’s an incubator for that.

Accelspace is #dctech’s latest incubator, aimed at high-growth, mid-level, startups. Currently the incubator has offices in downtown D.C. and Crystal City.

The University of Maryland will receive a $219.5 million donation from the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation created by the late contracting titan James Clark.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced that it has been awarded a contract valued at up to approximately $25 million by the U.S. Department of State to supply TROBIGARD™ (Atropine Sulfate [2mg]/Obidoxime Chloride [220mg]) auto-injector, a drug and device combination product for emergency use in the event of nerve agent or organophosphate poisoning. Trobigard is designed for intramuscular self- or buddy-administration of atropine sulfate and obidoxime chloride for pre-hospital intervention.  

A digital health report from Rock Health showed that women-led companies and geographic diversity continued to build in the third quarter. In the three months through September 30, of the 84 companies that raised $1.2 billion, 16 percent were led by women.

When it comes to high-tech startups, we hear a lot about the so-called “rise of the rest.” As the nation’s leading centers of high-tech industry—places like the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Boston, and Seattle—have become increasingly expensive to live in, the argument goes, talented techies, entrepreneurs, and startups are moving to less expensive places like Portland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Nashville, Las Vegas, and others.

Qiagen has announced that its manufacturing and supply chain for consumables and other products for forensic and human identity testing has been certified by Bureau Veritas, a leading inspection agency, as meeting the latest international standards for products used in forensic testing.

Despite the jurisdictional posturing in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. over a possible Amazon headquarters, a new FBI building or a national football stadium, the recent joint trade mission to Canada by their respective leaders — along with efforts such as the Greater Washington Board of Trade holding its summit at the Pendry Hotel in Baltimore — all augur well for better regional cooperation.

BioMarker Strategies, LLC today announced that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded the Company a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for development of a pathway-based companion diagnostic test to identify patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who are most likely to respond to treatment with cetuximab. The grant will provide $299,000 in research support.

WellDoc®, a leading digital health company, announced today the appointment of Laurel Pickering, president and CEO of Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH), as the Company’s new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Ms. Pickering selected WellDoc as her next opportunity after spending nearly 25 years at the helm of NEBGH, an employer-led coalition of healthcare leaders and other stakeholders. Ms. Pickering will join the WellDoc team in October.

Three prominent Chinese executives discuss the progress of local companies in drug innovation and the evolving regulatory environment.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of raxibacumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax, from GSK (LSE:GSK) (NYSE:GSK). With the acquisition, Emergent also plans to assume responsibility for a multi-year contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), valued at up to approximately $130 million to supply the product to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) through November 2019. The completion of the acquisition follows the satisfaction or waiver by the parties, as applicable, of all closing conditions, including expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act), as amended.

Effective September 26, 2017, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE) appointed each of Dorman Followwill and David Lemus as an independent director of the Company.

The MIDC and ScienceAbroad, the organization of Israeli scientists abroad, jointly present a revealing program on the bio-tech entrepreneurial ecosystem of Israel and how it created “The Startup Nation,” featuring prominent Israeli scientific and entrepreneurial leaders.

Wednesday, Nov. 1st 5:30-7:30 p.m., Hosted by LifeBridge Health, Baltimore, MD

Thursday, Nov. 2nd 5:30-7:30 p.m., Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, MD

When: October 25, 2017 7:30 AM - 12 PM

Where: MITRE 7525 Colshire Drive McLean, VA 22102 United States

The Technology Showcase emphasizes the National Capital area's culture of technology innovation and leadership. The conference also highlights Washington's unique competitive advantage for commercial technology companies: access to policy-makers, government technology buyers, and national security services.

Health Canada has approved the probiotic Visbiome as a Natural Health Product for treating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in adults and children aged older than 5 years, the manufacturer announced.