BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives Archives - Page 30 of 65

Aug 29 2019

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368th Edition – August 27, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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August 27, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

BHI Immediate Job Opening: Analyst

BHI is looking to add to our team! We have a new opening for an Analyst. Our analysts assist in the evaluation of early-stage technologies and provide strategic planning and operational support for start-up companies. They support the BHI organization by strategically managing and providing information, intelligence and insights that drive critical business decisions. For details on this exciting role and information on how to apply click here.

BioHealth Innovation would like to welcome John Newby, the new CEO of VirginiaBio

BHI is looking forward to working and partnering with you. We also want to thank his predecessor, Jeff Gallagher, for his 7 years of service. Thank you for your work to help build the BioHealth Capital Region and its efforts to become the Top 3 by 2023.

You can follow along with VirginiaBio at:
Http://www.vabio.org
Twitter.com/vabio
https://www.linkedin.com/company/virginia-biotechnology-association/

The big trends in pediatric healthcare innovation from Children’s National Health System’s Dr. Kolaleh Eskandanian

Kolaleh Eskandanian, PhD, is the vice president and chief innovation officer of Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C.

Here, Dr. Eskandanian outlines the big cybersecurity challenges and how she expects her role as the chief innovation officer at Children’s National to evolve over the next few years.

New Campaign Focuses on Fighting Superbugs

Leading scientists, public policy experts, and biotech industry leaders joined forces today to launch “Working to Fight AMR,” a coalition working to raise public awareness of the growing threat posed by antimicrobial resistance. Working to Fight AMR will also advocate for policies that catalyze the creation of new medicines.

Protenus raises $17M in Series C funding round – Technical.ly Baltimore

Healthcare analytics compliance company Protenus raised $17 million in new funding, its leadership announced this week.

The Series C round was led by LTP, which focuses on investments in health IT and services companies. Also participating in the round were Kaiser Permanente Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Arthur Ventures, Lionbird and Providence Ventures.

Aperiomics closes Series A round led by VentureSouth – Washington Business Journal

This round nearly doubles the Sterling company’s funding raised to date.

REGENXBIO Announces New License Agreement with Pfizer for the Treatment of Friedreich’s Ataxia Using NAV® AAV9 Vector

REGENXBIO Inc. (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 announced it entered into a license agreement with Pfizer Inc.

Kite’s CAR-T manufacturing gets another boost with new Maryland facility

With an FDA approval for its pricey CAR-T therapy Yescarta under its belt and more treatments in the pipeline, Gilead’s Kite Pharma was on the hunt for a new manufacturing site to fuel those hopes. The company found it in Maryland.

This Maryland nonprofit created 3 mobile labs from old shipping containers – Technical.ly Baltimore

Shipping containers are continuing to prove their worth outside of transportation. From serving as a community-connecting space to an urban farm, one organization is now bringing them into education as mobile laboratories.

Frederick stem cell firm RoosterBio raising $22 million in funding – Baltimore Business Journal

The company plans to double its employee count in the next two years.

NIH Awards $940K to Johns Hopkins-Led Team for Extracellular Vesicle Research | GenomeWeb

The National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute has awarded an international group led by Johns Hopkins University researchers a $940,000 grant to study extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can be used to diagnose disease, track disease status, and potentially deliver therapies.

National Leaders in the Life Science Industry – under one roof. Healing the world. We welcome you to join us -Women Building Bio 2019

Inova Center for Personalized Health, Fairfax You’re invited to spend the day with innovative entrepreneurs, professionals and industry leaders. Discover opportunities to help you navigate through a rapidly evolving modern industry & gain access to cutting edge technologies and tools.

Innovation Districts, Part 2: Interview with Brian Darmody, CEO of the Association of University Research Parks – Information and thought leadership on this dynamic market!

This article is the second in a 4-part series. Part 1 offered background on innovation districts—what they are, where they’re located, how colleges and universities relate, how P3s relate, etc. Part 3 will look at why schools might want to and might not want to consider pursuing an innovation district. Part 4 will feature an interview with Dr. Jane Talkington, scholar of innovation districts for higher ed.

What is the difference between research parks and innovation districts?

Darmody: The terms are somewhat interchangeable, but essentially, innovation districts generally are more urban in nature with mixed-use amenities, whereas traditional research parks grew up around universities and are in rural, suburban, and urban areas, such as Boston and Austin, but also Lincoln, Nebraska, and Champaign, Illinois. When it comes down to it, though, they share a base concept: Schools and other anchor institutions are trying to build space-placed entities, and corporations come to the university for things like talent.

Maryland Tops List of States Where People Treat Themselves the Most

Treat yourself is a movement among millennials. But it’s something that literally any age group can enjoy. These days with so much negative news, Americans are proactively looking for moments of happiness to boost their moods.

Whether you’re getting a mani-pedi, playing your favorite mobile games, lounging at the pool, or visiting your favorite restaurant, there’s positive health benefits associated with giving yourself a bit of “me time.”

The mobile gaming experts at Fort Mason Games— the female run mobile gaming company that creates games designed to help people relax, destress, and socialize— know how important it is to do something nice for yourself once in a while.

That’s why they commissioned a national survey to find out what Americans think about these occasional respites from routine. Mobile gaming is just one of the ways people choose to treat themselves regularly, taking time to do something special just for themselves!

Here’s some of the ways Americans treat themselves:

WASHINGTON, COLORADO, MARYLAND ARE THE TOP 3 INDULGING STATES. With 93% of Washingtonians (the state, not the district) saying they treat themselves the most, it tops the list– though Colorado (91%) and Maryland (90%) are hot on their heels.

IBBR Request for Proposals (RFP): GMP Biomanufacturing Facility Available – Rockville, Maryland, USA | Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research

The Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) is interested in proposals to lease a biomanufacturing facility configured to produce biologicals under cGMP conditions in compliance with FDA requirements for phase I/II clinical trials. The facility is also equipped to perform process development research, pre-clinical manufacturing for material necessary to conduct IND-enabling toxicology studies, Proof of Concept (POC) studies, and process demonstration in advance of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) manufacturing. IBBR is a joint research enterprise between the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Hopkins Spinout Graybug Vision Secures $80 million of Additional Funding to Advance its Potentially Transformative Retina and Glaucoma Clinical Programs – Graybug Vision

Graybug Vision, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing potentially transformative long-acting therapies for ocular diseases including wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), today announced the securing of an $80 million Series C financing.

Virginia Beach entrepreneur program selects two new startups – The Virginian-Pilot

A legal services company and a network analytics firm have been selected as the two latest participants in the Virginia Beach Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, economic development officials announced Aug. 5.

What the Top 10 Biopharma CEOs Are Making

The record-high surge of initial public offerings (IPOs) in biopharma last year was especially good news for CEOs of many of those newly public companies.

New Mayo Clinic Building To House Life-Saving Lung Transplant Technology, Innovation Hub | WJCT NEWS

Thursday marks the grand opening of Mayo Clinic’s new Discovery and Innovation Building, home to a pioneering technology that will increase the number of lungs available for transplant as well as a new hub for Northeast Florida’s entrepreneurs to get together, share ideas, develop new products and services, and create new companies.

Precision medicine: 5 things you need to know

The future of healthcare is precision medicine—with the potential to revolutionise healthcare and move from a one-size-fits-all approach to an individualised one, precision medicine is viewed as an emblem of a new age.

LSIPR has discovered the top things you must consider when looking to protect your inventions in the US and/or Europe, plus one issue which matters wherever you are in the world.

University of Maryland leases space from JBG near Amazon’s HQ2 – Washington Business Journal

Maryland’s flagship university hopes to forge ties with HQ2.

Aug 22 2019

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367th Edition – August 20, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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August 20, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Emergent BioSolutions’ New President and CEO, Bob Kramer, joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk

Bob Kramer joins BioTalk to discuss his history with Emergent, his vision for the company, and Emergent’s commitment to the BioHealth Capital Region. Mr. Kramer serves as president and CEO and as a member of the Board of Directors. He was appointed as CEO and as director effective April 2019 and has served as president since March 2018. Mr. Kramer also served as chief operating officer from March 2018 to March 2019. Prior to this, Mr. Kramer served as executive vice president and chief financial officer from September 2012. Mr. Kramer first joined Emergent in 1999 as its CFO. From 1999 until his retirement in 2010, he held various executive positions with the last being president of Emergent Biodefense Operations Lansing. Mr. Kramer returned to the company in 2011 as the interim head of the biosciences division, and then as interim executive vice president, corporate services division. Prior to joining Emergent in 1999, Mr. Kramer held various financial management positions at Pharmacia Corporation, which subsequently merged with the Upjohn Company in 1995 and eventually became part of Pfizer Inc. Mr. Kramer serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Kramer received an M.B.A. from Western Kentucky University and a B.S. in industrial management from Clemson University.

iTunes (https://apple.co/2P2fYfO), Google (http://bit.ly/2KKg47H), and TuneIn (http://bit.ly/2LPtYab).

Floreo just raised millions to help children with autism through VR – Washington Business Journal

Floreo started raising capital earlier this year to get its product in the hands of more users.

Johns Hopkins scientists raise $137M megaround for a trio of spinouts looking to tackle Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and fibrosis – Endpoints News

A US/Ko re an hy brid biotech run by a group of sci en tists out of Johns Hop kins just scored a megaround of $137.1 mil lion, with plans to ad vance a slate of ex per i men tal drugs held at its 3 sub sidiary op er a tions.

IBBR Collaborates with Integrated BioTherapeutics to Advance a Novel Approach to Treating Infectious Disease

Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) Fellow Dr. Daniel Nelson (Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park) is working on an innovative approach to treating bacterial disease in collaboration with Dr. Rajan Adhikari, Assistant Director of Bacteriology at Integrated BioTherapeutics (IBT), and George Mason University’s Dr. Ramin Hakami (Associate Professor, School of Systems Biology and National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases). The group recently received a $3M Phase II STTR award from the National Institutes of Health that will fund advancement of their novel immunotherapeutic into non-human primates, as well as optimization of a cell line for biomanufacturing the drug.

George Washington University, Barings strike 8-figure deal for Giapreza – Washington Business Journal

George Washington University just sold a portion of its royalty rights for a drug developed in its school of medicine, scoring a game-changing cash infusion it plans to reinvest in research and commercialization.

Three Richmond-area startups join forces to improve health care

Three health care-related startups based in the Richmond area have merged their operations with the goal of providing better preventative and personalized medical diagnostics.

The merger brings together Salveo Diagnostics, ImmunArray and Nudge, in what leaders of the three businesses describe as a combination “greater than the sum of its parts.”

Virginia Bio Names John Newby CEO | Business Wire

Virginia Bio, the statewide non-profit trade association for the life science industry, today announces that John L. Newby II is named CEO, effective August 5, 2019.

Tweet this Newby will be leaving his current role as the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS), where he leads an 850-member Agency located across 50 Virginia locations, delivering employment, education, benefits, behavioral health and long term health care services to Virginia’s Reservists, Guardsmen, transitioning service members and 725,000 veterans.

The Future Of Life Science And Tech Innovation Is In Clusters

With technological advancement occurring at an increasingly breakneck pace, it’s natural the number of life science and technology innovation clusters is growing as well. These clusters result from the increasing recognition that innovators do not perform at their best in widely dispersed buildings. Instead, they gain most from highly specialized facilities and collaborative ecosystems that foster cross-fertilization of ideas.

Children’s National Extends Deadline for $150K NICU Pitch Competition

Innovators and startup companies with devices designed to improve neonatal or NICU care now have a one-week extension until Aug. 19, 2019 to apply for the $150K “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition funded by the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI).

Johns Hopkins, United Therapeutics launch postdoctoral fellowship in computational medicine | Hub

Johns Hopkins University and biotech company United Therapeutics Corporation have teamed up to create a new postdoctoral fellowship in the emerging field of computational medicine.

TEDCO elects four new board execs amid internal reorganization – Baltimore Business Journal

The state-backed tech group is also in the midst of finding a new CEO to replace George Davis, who left in July.

Special Invitation from Kinexum to Targeting Metabesity 2019 in October in Washington, DC

Targeting Metabesity 2019, co-chaired by Kinexum Executive Chairman Zan Fleming and Stanford Professor Larry Steinman (a co-discoverer of Tysabri), will take place October 15-16, 2019, at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC, see https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/targeting-metabesity-2019-thomas-seoh/.

Emerging science over the past couple decades suggests that many chronic diseases of aging (including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and the aging process itself) have common metabolic roots, and thus may be susceptible to common solutions. We believe we are at a similar stage to the cusp of the moonshot, or the human genome project, where the science is accumulating, but alignment of policy and socioeconomic factors may be needed, in order to enable and facilitate the translation of such science into material, accessible gains in public health.

The ‘Dragon’ Targets U.S. Biopharma Lead

Perhaps the report on China’s strategy for eclipsing the U.S. lead in biopharma from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) resonated so strongly with me because of several articles in The Wall Street Journal. Taken together, they present a sobering picture of what we’re up against.

Opportunity Zones: An EDA Priority

EDA is encouraging its economic development partners to think of Opportunity Zone investment as a new arrow in their quiver to not only enhance ROI for business interests, but also to encourage the public/private partnerships needed to drive private investment to distressed areas.

Top 10 Companies Leveraging Gene Editing in 2019

Bayer made much of its desire to establish a cell therapy pipeline on August 8 when it announced it would shell out up to $600 million to acquire full control of BlueRock Therapeutics. But the deal is just the latest example of growing interest by biopharma giants in applying gene editing toward new treatments.

Lilly Launches Innovation Challenge to Transform IBD Care Through Digital Health –

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is launching an open innovation challenge to encourage individuals and teams across the U.S. to identify and submit pioneering digital health solutions aimed at transforming inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care. The challenge, “Transforming IBD Care: Better disease monitoring, management, and care for people with inflammatory bowel disease” focuses on innovation in IBD monitoring, condition management or care enhancements.

Venture capital investment in AI and mental health startups surges in Q2: report | FierceHealthcare

Investment in healthcare artificial intelligence startups and companies focused on mental health and wellness soared in the second quarter as both sectors hit funding highs, according to a new report.

Multiple Interferons, Including IFNB1, May Play a Role in SLE – The Rheumatologist

Through gene analysis, researchers have found different types of interferons in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) tissues and cells, such as skin and synovium. The analysis, which probed 2,000 gene expression datasets from SLE patients, specifically investigated modules of genes derived from the downstream interferon gene signature. It found enriched downstream interferon signatures that were predominately from IFNB1. These interferon signatures were higher when compared with the expression of downstream interferon signatures in kidneys with lupus nephritis, according to the study, published April 23 in Nature Communications Biology.1

Aug 22 2019

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366th Edition – August 13, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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August 13, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

BioHealth Innovation’s Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Dr. Ethel Rubin, joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss her career, joining BHI, and her work with the NIH

For the first time, a BioTalk look inside BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) with Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) Dr. Ethel Rubin

Dr. Ethel Rubin leads a venture team that helps prepare and connect lifescience companies with capital, ensuring strategies that hit valuation inflection points, achieve strategic goals, and prepare for a product launch. She has previously held corporate leadership roles in global clinical strategy and medical affairs at Medtronic, plc, was Chief Scientific Officer of BioFortis, Inc. (acquired by Quintiles-Quest JV) and CSA Medical, Inc., is President of life sciences business development advisory firm Innovative BioStrategies, LLC, and a venture partner at various funds. She has over 25 products in the marketplace garnering 9 figure sales revenue, was instrumental in multiple M&As, partnerships & collaborations, and advises hundreds of CEOs in preparation for seed to series B financing each year. Ethel has held board seats at tech incubators and numerous business and clinical Advisory boards. Dr. Rubin earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry and a certificate in corporate governance for Board of Directors service from The George Washington University School of Business.

Listen now on iTunes (https://apple.co/318CzZv), Google (http://bit.ly/30WiQfg), and TuneIn (http://bit.ly/2LPtYab).

From Dimitri Gagianas Dimitri Gagianas, Analyst Intern at BioHealth Innovation, Inc.

Thank you to BioHealth Innovation, Inc. for this incredible experience. I learned so much from these brilliant minds, and look forward to an ongoing relationship.

Save the Date: BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference October 15 + 16

By invitation only: For questions email BHI@BioHealthInnovation.org

Gaithersburg, MD

RoosterBio Raises $15M in Initial Series B Round – FinSMEs

RoosterBio, Inc., a Frederick, MD-based human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (hMSC) biomanufacturing company, raised in excess of $15m in an initial Series B financing.

The round was led by Dynamk Capital, with participation from existing and new investors. The Series B final round is expected to close with additional investors by the end of August, totaling approximately $22m raised.

A new report found Maryland has the fastest internet in the U.S. – Technical.ly Baltimore

This just in: Maryland’s internet is the least likely to cut out right at the juicy scene in ‘The Bachelor’. According to web service provider assessment group Highspeedinternet.com, Maryland has the fastest internet speed in the country.

Phase II or PhaseIIB awardees: SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program

Applications Due September 5

The Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program is now open and accepting applications for the September 5th NIH SBIR/STTR receipt date. NHLBI will accept applications via PAR-19-333, PAR-19-334, and PAR-19-335 from small businesses that have had an active NHLBI SBIR or STTR Phase II or Phase IIB award within the last 36 months.

This opportunity provides up to $300,000 (PAR-19-334) or $500,000 (PAR-19-333, PAR-19-335) to support technical assistance and later stage research and development (R&D) not typically supported through Phase II or Phase IIB grants or contracts including:

Independent replication of key studies
Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies
Clinical studies, manufacturing costs
Regulatory assistance

Contact NHLBI Small Business Program Coordinator Mike Pieck (NHLBI_SBIR@mail.nih.gov) with questions.

The United States Of Venture Capital: The Most Active VC In Each State – 2019

Our map shows the top VC investing in tech companies in each state, from 500 Startups in California to Lerer Hippeau in New York.

Orthopedic Technology Innovation For Kids – Covering the specialized field of orthopedic product development and manufacturing

While medical device innovation is quite active—at the university level, within incubators, and even in the R&D labs of established firms—there is a substantial lack of products being developed for younger patients. Since pediatric devices have a limited patient base due to most children being relatively healthy (of course, a positive factor), it’s not a focus for a great number of companies as it does not offer the promise of a substantial financial return.

Understanding Baltimore’s Pre-Seed Funding Gap – Baltimore’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem – Medium

Everyone knows how important funding is for starting a venture, whether you are building a small business or high-growth tech startup. The capital needs of a venture change along with the venture’s stage — early-stage ventures might need help with product development costs, while established companies may need funding to expand to a new location or market segment.

Open House August 22nd For Fall 2019 Technology Transfer Courses at FAES Graduate School at NIH

On Thursday, August 22nd from 4-6:00 pm there will be an open house for the fall courses in the “Advanced Studies in Technology Transfer” program at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) Graduate School at NIH in the FAES Academic Center in NIH Building 10 in Bethesda, MD. For the semester beginning on Monday, September 9th there will be 9 courses available for the program given in either Rockville or Bethesda:

TECH 495 – The FDA, Science, Health Policy and Regulation in an Uncertain Environment
TECH 513A – Introduction to Technology Transfer – Issues & Processes
TECH 521 – Tools for Technology Transfer Managers–Handling Intellectual Property, Collaborations, and Agreements
TECH 565 – Biomedical Business Development for Scientists
TECH 567 — International Strategic Partnering and Business Development
TECH 575 – Accounting and IP Valuation for Non-Accountants
TECH 583 — Patent Research for Non-Legal Practitioners
TECH 588 – FDA Regulatory Strategy in Medical Product Development
TECH 607 – Capstone Course in Technology Transfer
PHAR 328 – FDA Perspective on Drug Development

More details can be found in the new 2019-20 course catalog (www.faes.org) with online registration for classes available. The Advanced Studies in Technology Transfer is an open enrollment program with class credits transferable into various graduate degree programs at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Graduate School and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

Technology Transfer Scholarships

FAES offers a limited number of partial tuition-remission scholarships for self-funding students. For deadlines and details on how to apply visit https://faes.org/tuition-and-funding .

Also as Department Chair, I’m happy to assist with any questions you might have about the program or individual courses.

VitusVet gets investment from Nationwide Insurance – Technical.ly Baltimore

Canton-based VitusVet, which built a health IT platform for vets, received investment from Nationwide Insurance as the company’s team continues to grow.

Facility Logix Welcomes Two New Associate Project Managers to Bolster Project Teams – Facility Logix

Facility Logix, a leading life science consulting firm, has hired two new Associate Project Managers: Jocaro L. Dodd and Wayne Mitchell. The new Associate Project Managers will be instrumental in addressing the facility-related needs of the firm’s Owner’s Representation and Project Management clients.

How Biotech Startup Funding Will Change in the Next 10 Years

Back when YC was getting started about 10 years ago, Paul Graham wrote some essays that predicted the way startup fundraising would change in the next decade – accurately, it turns out. Paul Graham predicted that there would be way more startups, that they’d be cheaper to start, that new kinds of investors would fund them, that founders would be more technical, and that founders would keep control of their companies. All of those seem to have come true.

The AngelMD Thesis to Investing in Therapeutic Startups

Rising drug prices and ever-increasing costs are two of the most debated subjects in healthcare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) predicts (PDF link) that we will see 6.1 percent annual prescription drug cost increases until at least 2027. CMS expects healthcare spending as a whole to grow by 5.7 percent per year for the same timeframe.

Two New Ebola Treatments Prove Highly Effective in Congo Epidemic – The New York Times

The therapies saved roughly 90 percent of the patients who received them early in the course of infection. Doctors hope patients will seek out the cures, ending the outbreak.

Scientists Successfully Turn Breast Cancer Cells Into Fat to Stop Them From Spreading

Researchers have been able to coax human breast cancer cells to turn into fat cells in a new proof-of-concept study in mice.

To achieve this feat, the team exploited a weird pathway that metastasising cancer cells have; their results are just a first step, but it’s a truly promising approach.

Bayer to Acquire BlueRock Therapeutics for Up-to-$600M, with Cell Therapy Pipeline in Mind

Bayer said today it has agreed to acquire BlueRock Therapeutics for up to $600 million in a deal designed to catapult the buyer into leadership in cell therapies, nearly three years after joining with healthcare investment firm Versant Ventures to launch the company.

First-half healthcare investment and deal flow reach record highs – MedCity News

The amount of deals and dollars invested in healthcare is hitting near record highs for the first half of 2019 with $26.9 billion poured into healthcare companies over 2,258 deals around the world, according to CB Insights’ Global Healthcare Report.

That represents a slight uptick from the first half of 2018 where $26.5 billion was invested over 2,223 deals.

Top 10 Young Companies in the Money, January–July 2019

The growing number of private biopharma and diagnostic/therapeutic technology company financings completed in recent months masks an overall year-over-year decrease in the total value of those deals.

Aug 06 2019

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365th Edition – August 6, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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August 6, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Emergent BioSolutions Announces Exercise by BARDA of the First Contract Option, Valued at $261 Million, to Procure Doses of AV7909 Anthrax Vaccine Candidate for the Strategic National Stockpile | Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has exercised its first contract option valued at $261 million to procure doses of AV7909 (anthrax vaccine adsorbed with adjuvant) for delivery into the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) over 12 months. This contract option was exercised under the company’s 2016 development and procurement contract with BARDA, valued at up to $1.5 billion, that includes a five-year base period of performance to develop AV7909 for post-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease and to deliver an initial three million doses to the SNS, as well as contract options for procurement of up to an additional 50 million doses. This exercise of the contract option through a modification is the first such option for procurement of doses to follow the initial deliveries of doses under the base contract.

Anne Lindblad, President & CEO Emmes | CEO’s You Should Know | HOT 99.5

Anne Lindblad, PhD, joined Emmes in 1982 as a Biostatistician and currently serves as the President and CEO of the company. She has supported clinical research throughout her career, serving as Principal Investigator of projects spanning diverse disease areas, including neurology, ophthalmology, oncology, dialysis, transplantation, speech and hearing, and dentistry.

Q & A with Brian Darmody–Growing a Maryland research business | The Business Monthly

What’s it like having two high-profile jobs at once? Ask Brian Darmody, who’s been serving the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) since 1982 and long ago ascended to the position of associate vice president. Darmody recently accepted a new position as CEO with the Association of University Research Park (AURP), which will keep him in the local focus as he works toward retiring from UMCP at the end of 2019 – while continuing to work out of the Discovery District at UMCP and pursue new challenges.

RegenxBio partners with Pfizer, Neurimmune in separate deals – Washington Business Journal

The gene therapy company has made three distinct moves over the past week that reinforce its intention to get products to market after a decade in business.

Precision For Medicine Launches Biospecimen Solutions Offering With Acquisition Of ProMedDx And GLAS

Precision for Medicine, part of Precision Medicine Group, announced it has acquired leading biospecimen providers ProMedDx and GLAS, significantly expanding its capabilities and expertise in the biospecimen solutions space. With the acquisitions, Precision now offers an unmatched level of scientific understanding, high-quality specimen solutions, and global scale.

Kite Pharma founder’s venture capital firm closes new $600M fund – MedCity News

A venture capital firm formed by a founder of one of the first companies to win Food and Drug Administration approval for a cell therapy for cancer closed a new fund worth more than half of $1 billion.

Global VC Firm NEA Makes First-Ever Israeli MedTech Investment In Magenta Medical | News Brief

Magenta Medical, the heart failure solutions developer based on proprietary miniaturized blood pump technology announced they have raised funds Monday in a round led by global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA.)

University System of Maryland Names Claire Broido Johnson Managing Director of the Maryland Momentum Fund – University of Maryland, Baltimore

The University System of Maryland (USM) has named Claire Broido Johnson, MBA, as Managing Director of the Maryland Momentum Fund (MMF), a $10 million investment fund that supports early-stage companies affiliated with USM institutions. She joins the USM this week.

gel-e Inc., announces Breakthrough Status Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first internal-use flowable device

gel-e is developing a line of advanced hemostatic and wound treatment products that address unmet needs from the operating room to the backyard. Following previous clearances for topical and external use of its platform technology (see http://www.gel-e.co/news.html), the Company is now expanding its label to include use for internal and surgical applications. The first product, now on an accelerated path as a Breakthrough Device, is an expanding injectable hemostat, Life Foam™. Life Foam can rapidly provide temporary control of bleeding from non-compressible abdominal wounds that are not amenable to tourniquet application in trauma and battlefield conditions. As the tradename suggests, this product is designed to save the lives of those injured in battle, or that are the victims of traumatic accidents or even terrorist attacks.

Johns Hopkins University Wins Grant to Grow Regional Digital Health Resources and Companies

The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded more than $600,000 to a division of Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday to increase economic development in the region’s digital health field.

VitusVet gets investment from Nationwide Insurance – Technical.ly Baltimore

Canton-based VitusVet, which built a health IT platform for vets, received investment from Nationwide Insurance as the company’s team continues to grow.

VCU Entrepreneurs Hit the Accelerator Trail to Get Their NICU Device to Market

Joshna Seelam is closing in on her target.

The VCU graduate student is one of three members of Kilo Medical Solutions, a Richmond medical device startup that’s getting ever closer to launch.

4Business: Benchmarking to Be the Best for Business

County Executive Marc Elrich and Council Vice President Sidney Katz are embarking on a multi-pronged joint initiative: 4Business – Benchmarking to Be the Best for Business.

The objective is to engage the local business community in a grassroots campaign to assist businesses to locate, grow and prosper in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation – Maryland is excited to be attending Site Selectors Guild Fall Forum

Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation – Maryland is excited to be attending Site Selectors Guild Fall Forum this September 9-11th in Dallas! We’re looking forward to connecting with Guild members to tell them about all the great business assets Montgomery County has to offer! hashtag#SSG hashtag#econdev hashtag#siteselection hashtag#Dallas

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Ranked #3 Nationally by U.S. News

The Johns Hopkins Hospital is once again ranked #3 in the nation out of more than 4,600 hospitals reviewed for U.S. News & World Report’s 2019–20 Best Hospitals list, which was released today.

GSK and Pfizer officially merge healthcare businesses | WRAL TechWire

GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer have finally closed on a multibillion-dollar merger that combined their consumer healthcare businesses, creating the world’s largest over-the-counter business.

The pharmaceutical giants — which own household names like Advil and Tums — announced the joint venture back in December 2018.

Roche extends $4.3B Spark tender offer yet again. What are watchdogs so worried about? | FiercePharma

You might have lost count of how many times Roche has extended the tender offer period for shares of Spark Therapeutics. As of Wednesday, it’s five. And once again, regulatory delays are part of the problem.

Maryland ranks #7 for identity theft rates in America.

Was your credit card unexpectedly rejected? Or have you spotted unfamiliar charges on your bank statement? These are just a couple signs of potential identity theft. (Source: Federal Trade Commission)

Once you realize your identity has been compromised, you need to act fast. But don’t panic; this guide will walk you through each step you need to take to be sure you recover as quickly as possible.

Mayo to announce new med-accelerator partnership with Boston Scientific | MPR News

Mayo Clinic and medical device giant Boston Scientific are slated to announce a new med-tech accelerator Monday.

The collaboration will be located in One Discovery Square, a new building in Rochester adjacent to Mayo Clinic that’s meant to attract medical technology startups.

Jul 31 2019

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364th Edition – July 30, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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July 30, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

MaxCyte Founder, President and CEO Doug Doerfler joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk

MaxCyte Founder, President and CEO Doug Doerfler joins BioTalk to discuss his history and the growth of the company. He also shares advice for entrepreneurs

Mr. Doerfler has more than 35 years of experience in the discovery, development, commercialization and international financing of biotechnology products and companies. He was a founder of MaxCyte in July 1998. Previously, Mr. Doerfler was President, CEO and a Director of Immunicon Corporation, a cell-based therapy and diagnostics company. He also held various executive positions with Life Technologies, Inc.(now Thermo Fisher Scientific). Mr. Doerfler plays an active role as a life sciences industry advocate, serving as Chair Emeritus of the MTC and on the executive committee of BIO.

Listen now on iTunes (https://apple.co/318CzZv), Google (http://bit.ly/30WiQfg), and TuneIn (http://bit.ly/2LPtYab).

Children’s National 7th Annual Pediatric Device Innovation Symposium features $150K NICU pitch competition and explores clinical trial process

The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Health System announces its 7th Annual Pediatric Device Innovation Symposium is slated for Sunday, Sept. 22 in Boston, Mass., featuring a $150K medical device competition focused on innovations for neonatal and NICU care. Following the theme “Pediatric Device Clinical Trials: Forging a Better Path,” this year’s symposium explores the pediatric device clinical trial process, including progress insights, current challenges and potential solutions.

Emmes Honored for Workplace Excellence | Emmes

Emmes today announced that it has received a Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval from Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE). This is the fifth consecutive year the company has received the AWE Workplace Excellence award.

gel-e Inc., announces Breakthrough Status Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first internal-use flowable device

BrainScope Surpasses Primary Endpoints in Multi-Year Department of Defense-Funded Validation Study for New Concussion Assessment Capability — BrainScope

BrainScope announced today that it has successfully completed a nearly five year, $9.9 million U.S. Department of Defense research contract supporting the development and validation of an objective marker of the presence and severity of concussion. In a large blinded validation study, the system demonstrated its ability to help clinicians assess concussion at the time of injury, reflect severity of injury, and aid in their assessment of readiness to return to activity. BrainScope extended the work performed under this Department of Defense contract to include adolescents funded through private investment from BrainScope and a second award from the NFL-GE Head Health Challenge I.

George Mason University breast cancer treatment patent licensed by Targeted Pharmaceuticals | EurekAlert! Science News

A patent granted to George Mason University Research Foundation Inc., which describes a novel treatment method for pre-invasive breast cancer, has been exclusively licensed to Targeted Pharmaceuticals LLC, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on utilizing cannabinoids for the treatment of oncology and central nervous system disorders.

Johns Hopkins University Wins Grant to Grow Regional Digital Health Resources and Companies

The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded more than $600,000 to a division of Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday to increase economic development in the region’s digital health field.

MaxCyte Adds Vice President, Non-Clinical and Translational Studies, to Support Advancement of Programs from Its CARMA™ Platform

MaxCyte, the global clinical-stage cell-based therapies and life sciences company, announced today that it has appointed Dr. Dhana Chinnasamy, a 20+-year expert in the research and translation of gene and immunotherapies, as its Vice President, Non-Clinical and Translational Studies. In her new role, Dr. Chinnasamy will oversee all non-clinical and translational activities for MaxCyte’s CARMA platform working closely with the clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, and business development teams in support of MaxCyte’s clinical-stage therapeutic development.

Biotech Startups On the Rise in Frederick, Maryland · BioBuzz

Frederick, Maryland continues to be a hotbed for biotech and a destination of choice for many new startups. The last few years have seen one-time startups like RoosterBio, Inc., BioFactura, Inc. and Akonni Biosystems thrive and grow within the Frederick life science support ecosystem.

How to Build a Leadership Team that Attracts Venture Capital · BioBuzz

If you attended any of the events, conferences and panel discussions in the BioHealth Capital Region this year you probably would have picked up on a consistent theme. Whether it was at the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter’s MAST Showcase, the BioHealth Capital Region Forum held at AstraZeneca in April or the more recent NCI Tech Transfer Showcase, talent and capital were hot button topics discussed intensely during the sessions, over lunch and while networking at each event.

Some shifts in venture capital financing of biopharma companies appear underway

Venture capital fundraising this year by biopharma startups is on course to fall behind last year, though it will be above the figure for 2017. But the biggest story may be where that funding is going.

AUTM – Egypt Tech Transfer Partnership and Information Exchange

AUTM – #Egypt tech transfer partnership and information exchange co-sponsored by the USDA continues this week with stops this week at #Maryland TEDCO and BioHealth Innovation, Inc. in the BioHealth Capital Region

College of Science – George Mason University Patent with Applications to Breast Cancer Treatment Licensed by Targeted Pharmaceuticals, a Cannabinoid-Based Drug Discovery Company

Baltimore area needs a regional economic development strategy – Baltimore Sun

In the last five to 10 years, it would seem as though Baltimore is finally emerging (at least economically) — from its slow, multi-decade decline. But if you’re a resident of one of the city’s poorer neighborhoods, you might not know it.

Red Wine Compound for Treating Depression and Anxiety?

A nice, relaxing glass of Bordeaux or Cabernet might easily seem like the perfect treatment for an anxious or slightly depressed state. Though, the alcohol might lead one down a slippery path rather quickly. Instead, investigators at the University of Buffalo (UB) and Xuzhou Medical University in China have decided to focus their attention on the widely studied plant compound—found in considerably higher levels in red wine than most other plants—called resveratrol. This phenolic compound has been studied for several decades, in connection with reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease and for the treatment of cancer, with mixed results. Yet now, researchers found new evidence of resveratrol displaying anti-stress effects by blocking the expression of an enzyme related to the control of stress in the brain.

‘Browning’ white fat cells opens new avenue to obesity prevention – Horizon Magazine Blog

Scientists are getting closer to understanding how to turn the body’s energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat cells, opening up hopes that fat deposits could one day be deliberately manipulated to prevent obesity and related health conditions.

New Brunswick’s Venn Innovation receives $475,000 from federal government | BetaKit

Venn Innovation, a non-profit Moncton-based incubator established to connect New Brunswick’s tech ecosystem, has received approximately $475,000 from the federal government in the form of a grant.

Jul 23 2019

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363rd Edition – July 23, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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July 23, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

BHI Job Opportunity: Accounting and Operations Assistant

This position reports to the Director of Finance, Human Resources and Operations. The Accounting and Operations Assistant assists all team members in all aspects of accounting, onboarding, HR benefits, and general operations, in coordination with the Director of Finance, HR, and Operations.

NIH is the World’s Largest Early Stage Life Sciences Investor That You Didn’t Know About – NVCA

What is the NIH and how is NIH related to venture capital? Isn’t NIH a government research organization? NIH is widely recognized as the world’s premier biomedical research agency. Few realize that NIH, through its Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, is also the world’s largest early stage life sciences investor. We back over 1000 companies each year with over $1B! Companies that are awarded these much-coveted, non-dilutive awards for product development cannot do it alone. We need private, institutional and venture fund partners to help these companies bring products to market. That is where the investment world comes in.

Maryland VC totals ‘rebound’ with $226M raised in Q2 – Technical.ly Baltimore

Venture funding raised by Maryland companies took a big jump in the second quarter of the year, as companies in the state raised a total of $226 million.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Named 2019 NAIOP Developer of the Year

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first and longest-tenured owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, today announced that it has been selected by NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, as the 2019 Developer of the Year. The award, which is the association’s highest honor, will be presented to Alexandria at a ceremony on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at NAIOP’s CRE.Converge conference in Los Angeles.

BioHealth Innovation Entrepreneur-in-Residence Feedback

Are you a start-up in Maryland, DC or Virginia seeking feedback on your biohealth business idea, pitch deck, or commercialization plan? Schedule your feedback session with BHI EIRs on one of the following dates:

7/24/19 (All slots filled)
9/4/19
10/9/19
11/20/19
1/22/20
2/26/20
3/25/20
4/22/20
5/27/20

(45 minute blocks of time beginning at 9:00 in the morning. If the morning slots are filled, more time will be allotted beginning at 1 p.m.)

These take place at BHI headquarters in Rockville or by videoconference via Zoom.

Pre-registration and forwarding of a power point deck one week before the session is required. Sign up here (“EIR resource” at BHI HQ, Rockville). For questions, more information, or to be added to the wait list, please contact BHI.

IBBR Researchers Awarded $1M from DTRA to Develop Portable Medical Sensors

Researchers at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) recently received $1M from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA, part of the US Department of Defense) to advance their work developing wearable sensors that measure biochemical information to diagnose disease. IBBR Fellow Dr. Gregory Payne (Research Professor, IBBR) is principal investigator on the award.

New initiative helps Johns Hopkins entrepreneurs pay forward and give back | Hub

Since the days of its founding, Johns Hopkins University has encouraged a spirit of innovation among its students and researchers. So it’s no surprise that many alumni go on to start their own companies.

5 questions with Chris Jeschke: Inside the technical decision points that are taking Protenus to scale – Technical.ly Baltimore

Chris Jeschke’s path into the startup world began with an unexpected outreach from an online advertising company. Following eight years at Advertising.com and four years at Booz Allen Hamilton, Jeschke is now CTO of Fells Point-based Protenus and building a team of next generation junior developers.

Some shifts in venture capital financing of biopharma companies appear underway – MedCity News

Best practices in bioscience economic development – Smart Incentives

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) recently released the report Transforming Ideas into Advances: Best Practices in State and Regional Bioscience Economic Development Initiatives. This biennial report provides a good summary of state initiatives serving the industry plus a discussion of new developments by state.

Laws, Leadership and Luck: Why Bayh-Dole Worked But the Federal Circuit Went Off-Course

I recently visited Egypt as part of a team led by the Departments of State and Agriculture, supported by the good folks at the AUTM Foundation. Egypt, like many countries, is looking at our model for integrating research universities into their economy. I was asked to speak about the Bayh-Dole Act and thought it was important to emphasize that there were many factors required beyond enacting a law to reverse an entrenched national policy.

Johns Hopkins starts coding program for working adults – Baltimore Business Journal

The 24-week, part-time program will be geared toward working professionals, who may be looking to pursue new job opportunities in tech.

PwC MoneyTree Report: Insights on venture capital investments in emerging companies

Venture capital-backed companies based in the United States raised a record number of mega-rounds with 64 $100M+ deals this past quarter.

8 Companion Diagnostic Developers Making a Mark | Clinical OMICs – Molecular Diagnostics in Personalized Medicine

If companion diagnostics (CDx) were people, they would be old enough to drink. The first CDx won FDA approval in 1998, when Dako Denmark (since acquired by Agilent Technologies) received authorization to market HercepTest. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was designed to detect human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein overexpression in breast tumors of patients who may benefit from Herceptin (trastuzumab), a targeted therapeutic for certain types of breast cancer marketed by Genentech (now a member of the Roche Group).

Pushing Medical Research Toward Cures – Barron’s

Health care and medical research may attract considerable philanthropic dollars from wealthy individuals, yet many givers question whether their dollars have an impact.

Save your money: Vast majority of dietary supplements don’t improve heart health or put off death | EurekAlert! Science News

In a massive new analysis of findings from 277 clinical trials using 24 different interventions, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have found that almost all vitamin, mineral and other nutrient supplements or diets cannot be linked to longer life or protection from heart disease.

1776 to open North Bethesda location – Washington Business Journal

The new space comes as 1776 shifts in its D.C.-area footprint.

Brain-machine interfaces are getting better and better – and Neuralink’s new brain implant pushes the pace

Elon Musk grabbed a lot of attention with his July 16 announcement that his company Neuralink plans to implant electrodes into the brains of people with paralysis by next year. Their first goal is to create assistive technology to help people who can’t move or are unable to communicate.

The Galien Foundation Debuts 2019 Prix Galien USA Nominees in “Best Biotechnology Product,” “Best Pharmaceutical Product,” and “Best Medical Technology” Categories

The Galien Foundation today announced the 2019 Annual Prix Galien USA Award nominees. Counted among the global health innovation industry’s most prized honors, the Prix Galien Award recognizes outstanding biomedical and medical technology product achievement that improves the human condition.

Telemedicine is catching on among physicians

A new analysis finds that more physicians are gaining telemedicine skills, an industry that’s expected to grow to over $130 billion by 2025. Here’s more from the report:

Top 10 Biopharma IPOs of January–June 2019

After bouncing back last year both in dollars raised and number of deals, the initial public offering (IPO) market was expected to at least approach that success this year.

WIB-Capital Region: Building Your Startup Team

When:Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Join Women In Bio-Capital Region to discuss one of the most important elements of entrepreneurship – how to determine whether to bring start-up team members in-house (and creatively convince them to work for your startup), or utilize vendors and contractors (and vet and manage them). We are excited to present an excellent panel of strong female professionals with diverse expertise in launching and facilitating successful businesses in the biotech space. Our panel will feature: Emily English, Ph.D. and CEO of Gemstone Biotherapeutics; Anne Balduzzi, Director of Advisory Services at TEDCO; and Maria Granovsky, Ph.D., J.D., and founder of Swimming Otter Communications. Dr. Ethel Rubin, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at BioHealth Innovation, Inc. will be our moderator for the evening, helping to highlight the panelists’ inspirational stories and cautionary tales of how to successfully start your own business (typically with little funding). Come prepared to listen, learn, ask questions, and have the opportunity to meet the leading ladies of our entrepreneurship-focused WIB evening. We can’t wait to see you there!

Jul 23 2019

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362nd Edition – July 16, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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July 16, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Amazon reveals the truth on why it nixed NY and chose Virginia for HQ2

How did Virginia manage to snag the biggest economic development prize in recent memory?

Amazon says its abrupt decision in February to pull out of a deal to build part of its giant second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, was not about politics, despite speculation to the contrary. But when opposition in New York grew, Chairman Jeff Bezos and his team decided it only made sense to focus their efforts on the other victor in the HQ2 sweepstakes: Northern Virginia.

Immunomic Therapeutics Appoints Andrew Eisen, M.D., Ph.D. as VP, Clinical Development | Business Wire

Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI), a privately held, Maryland-based biotechnology company, announced today the appointment of Andrew Eisen, M.D., Ph.D. as VP, Clinical Development. Dr. Eisen is a translational medicine and clinical development specialist with over 20 years of experience in the biotech and pharma sectors.

Illumina Establishes First East Coast Location in University of Maryland BioPark

The University of Maryland (UM) BioPark and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, today announced Illumina, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems, as the newest tenant in the UM BioPark’s 801 W. Baltimore St. building. The building is owned by Ventas, Inc., a life sciences real estate investment trust (REIT) and is part of Wexford’s Knowledge Community development at the UM BioPark.

Altimmune to acquire Spitfire Pharma for up to $93M – Washington Business Journal

Maryland biotech Altimmune Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire California drug developer Spitfire Pharma Inc. in a move that sent the local company’s stock skyrocketing Tuesday.

BioHealth Innovation Entrepreneur-in-Residence Feedback

7/24/19
9/4/19
10/9/19
11/20/19
1/22/20
2/26/20
3/25/20
4/22/20
5/27/20

(45 minute blocks of time beginning at 9:00 in the morning. If the morning slots are filled, more time will be allotted beginning at 1 p.m.)

These take place at BHI headquarters in Rockville or by videoconference via Zoom.

JLABS @ Washington, DC Children’s QuickFire Challenge – Challenge | JLABS

In honor of the new JLABS @ Washington, DC – a 32,000 square foot facility located on the new Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC in partnership with Children’s National Health System[1] (“Children’s National”) – Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS announces the JLABS @ Washington, DC Children’s QuickFire Challenge.

Visionaries within the fields of pediatric oncology, pediatric surgery and influenza are invited to submit innovative ideas for a total of up to $150,000 in total grant funding; one year of residency at JLABS @ Washington, DC with the use of a bench, workstation, and access to the JLABS @ Washington, DC community; and mentorship from experts at the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.

TEDCO invests over $1M in seven university-born startups – Baltimore Business Journal

Each of the seven startups received $150,000. To date in fiscal year 2019, $4.22 million in investments have been made through the Maryland Innovation Initiative program.

Research out of Charlottesville Could Lead to Treatment of Chron – WVIR NBC29 Charlottesville News, Sports, and Weather

A tech company in Charlottesville is being recognized for its groundbreaking data that could help treat chronic illnesses.

New research done by AMPEL BioSolutions shows that a blood sample, when paired with its computer coding, can detect disease activity in patients who have lupus or other autoimmune diseases.

Cancer researcher Jim Allison’s career advice for young scientists – Business Insider

For Jim Allison, cancer has always been at the back of his mind. He’d lost many family members to the disease, including his mother when he was young, and is himself a cancer survivor.

Built For Bios Video Trugenomix — MCEDC

TruGenomix Combats PTSD Suicides

How Drones Could Transform Biopharmaceutical Supply Chain Innovation – Global Trade Magazine

Drones have made the news once again. This time, to aid in swift and reliable delivery of life-saving temperature-controlled medications required in emergency situations. A collaboration between Direct Relief, Merck (MSD outside the U.S. and Canada), Softbox, AT&T and Volans-i is pushing the boundaries and capabilities of UAVs- also known as drones, and confirmed a successful fourth pilot proof-of-concept mission was conducted in the Bahamas last week.

WIB-Capital Region: Summer Networking Picnic Brunch

Join Women In Bio-Capital Region for our annual summer networking picnic on Sunday, August 11th, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Our chapter is providing the food and it will be brunch-style, under a lovely pavilion.

This is an open event, so please feel free to bring your family and friends for an opportunity to network and eat good food with your fellow WIB community. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming annual summer networking picnic.

The Netherlands: the most concentrated and innovative biopharmaceutical community in Europe – YouTube

Watch this video on the Dutch biopharmaceutical industry in the Netherlands and get inspired by the Dutch. The perfect location to build your biopharmaceutical business. We open our doors for you!

Genomics leader Illumina is opening a new center at University of Maryland BioPark – Technical.ly Baltimore

A leading genomics company with international reach is opening its first commercial location on the East Coast at Baltimore’s University Maryland BioPark.

Climate Change Is Causing More High-Tide Coastal Flooding : NPR

Sea levels are rising, and that is sending more ocean water into streets, sewers and homes. For people who live and work in coastal communities, that means more otherwise-sunny days disrupted by flooding.

Jul 09 2019

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361st Edition – July 9, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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July 9, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Dr. Amrie Grammer of AMPEL BioSolutions joins host Rich Bendis on BioTalk

AMPEL BioSolutions Co-Founder and COO/CSO, Dr. Amrie Grammer guests on BioTalk to discuss building the Company in Charlottesville, VA, her work and recognition at NIH, and being a leader from the southern part of the BioHealth Capital Region.

Dr. Amrie Grammer is the Majority Owner and Co-Founder of AMPEL BioSolutions, located in downtown Charlottesville Virginia. Amrie is a Translational Immunologist specializing in human Autoimmune Diseases. She trained at UVA (BS Chemistry, MS Pharmacology) before receiving her PhD in Immunology at UTSW Medical Center at Dallas. Amrie was recruited to the NIH to establish the B Cell Biology Group in the Autoimmunity Branch of NIAMS during the human genome sequencing project. She received multiple NIH awards for her work comparing signaling pathways and genes expressed in patients vs healthy individuals, including the prestigious Director’s Award.

Amrie founded AMPEL in 2013 to bring precision medicine to individual patients, especially those suffering from lupus to whom she has dedicated her career. Over the last six years, she has used her knowledge to design and implement a pipeline to predict disease activity and the “right drug for the right patient at the right time”. In addition, top drugs she identified for repositioning into lupus have had positive clinical trials. Amrie is a member of Sigma Xi and Sigma Delta Epsilon. She serves as a Chair of the UVA Alumni Board of the professional Chemistry Fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma. In December 2016, Amrie was elected to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VA Bio). She is also a board member of the University of Virginia Fralin Art Museum (2011-present).

Listen now on Google Play bit.ly/2CzdnA9, iTunes, apple.co/2Arsfze, TuneIn bit.ly/2M60Wmx.

AMPEL BIOSOLUTIONS’ MACHINE LEARNING BREAKTHROUGH PREDICTS CHRONIC DISEASE FLARES FROM A BLOOD SAMPLE

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – AMPEL BioSolutions today announces a breakthrough in precision and personalized medicine that could revolutionize the way doctors treat chronic diseases, like Lupus. Revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Nature’s Scientific Reports, the paper details our breakthrough machine learning approach to predict disease activity from gene data obtained from patient blood samples. The lab test, only a concept for the last few years, is now ready for development for practical use. AMPEL’s initial focus was Lupus, but the test can be used for many autoimmune or inflammatory diseases.

AMPEL’s innovative machine learning approach, which is now ready to be developed as a decision support biomarker blood test could greatly impact health care, by allowing physicians to identify the cause of patient disease symptoms and select appropriate treatment more precisely. The application of our machine learning approach could assist pharmaceutical companies in drug development and clinical trials.

Where Are They Now: Recent Pitch Competition Winners in The BioHealth Capital Region · BioBuzz

At the close of the 2019 BioHealth Capital Region Forum in April, Floreo Inc. was announced as the winner of the BioHealth Innovation’s 4th annual Crab Trap Competition and the $10,000 grand prize provided by WSGR. Floreo, Inc., which is “…using the power of virtual reality to deliver immersive, fun, and affordable lessons for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)…”, was selected by the judges from a group of five finalists.

TEDCO’s Maryland Innovation Initiative Funds $4.22 Million For Start-Ups | TEDCO

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced its recent investments through the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). With the latest round of funding, MII’s funding count for FY19 includes 26 technology assessment grants and seven start-up investments for a total of $4.22 million. True to its technology agnostic funding history, this year the startups ranged from Cleantech to AI and Biotech.

Johns Hopkins Research Focused on Early Stage Bladder Cancer Wins $3.2 Million Federal Grant | Newswise: News for Journalists

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, the Brady Urological Institute, and the Center for Computational Genomics at Johns Hopkins have received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study new treatment options for early-stage bladder cancer.

Are You Using These 5 Tips for Raising Venture Capital · BioBuzz

Access to capital has been an ongoing challenge for biohealth companies in the BioHealth Capital Region (BCHR) and throughout the Mid Atlantic, though recent investment data suggests that capital market access is improving. “PwC/CB Insights ranks the region fourth with $944.07 million in 44 deals and Jones Lang Lasalle tallies $1.1 billion, good enough for third,” stated Rich Bendis, CEO of BioHealth Innovation (BHI), in his keynote speech at the recent The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Technology Transfer Showcase.

HIV Cure Program of American Gene Technologies Adds University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology as New Study Site to Support the Development of a Cell and Gene Therapy for HIV | American Gene Technology

American Gene Technologies (AGT), a leading gene and cell therapy company based in Rockville, MD, selected the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) as a new clinical site for its non-IND study, AGT-CS168, to collect clinical specimens from HIV positive individuals. AGT will use these materials to validate the patient-specific AGT103-T therapeutic manufacturing process. AGT expects AGT103-T will eliminate HIV from the body when infused back into the patient and will decrease or eliminate the need for lifelong antiretroviral treatment.

Bio-Trac receives Maryland Governor’s Citation – Bio-Trac®

On behalf of Bio-Trac, Co-Founder and Director Mark Nardone received a Governor’s Citation for Bio-Trac’s 33 years of service to the scientific community, having provided hands-on training to over 17,000 scientists. At last night’s well attended Stem Cell BioPanel event at the Montgomery College Bioscience Education Center, Mr. Nardone was caught by surprise, not knowing this award was to take place. In a heartfelt address, he mentioned to the audience of scientists that it was exactly the 1 year anniversary of Dr. Roland M Nardone’s passing and how he would have been pleased by the honor but even more so to see a room full of research scientists attending an event to gain knowledge, insight and network among their peers.

MCHB Grand Challenges

Do you have an innovative idea to help solve a health issue affecting moms and kids today? Here’s your chance to make it happen! The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), part of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), invites you to participate in our four prize-awarded Challenges with a total prize purse of $1.5 million. These competitions seek low-cost, scalable, innovative solutions that improve the health of mothers and children across the U.S.

Top 10 M&A Deals of January–June 2019 – GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

Just one week into 2019, the new year got off to the proverbial roaring start for biopharma mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with the announcement of two multi-billion-dollar deals valued at a total $82 billion—one of them among the top 10 of all time.

GSK opens S$130m facilities in Jurong, Companies & Markets – THE BUSINESS TIMES

PHARMACEUTICAL giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) unveiled a new, fully automated continuous manufacturing facility and an expanded production building at its Jurong site on Friday, worth a total of S$130 million.

Dr. Marco Chacón, Founder and Chairman, Paragon Bioservices, and University of Maryland Baltimore Assistant Vice President Industry Alliances, Joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk

Dr. Marco Chacón sits down for a new episode of BioTalk to talk about his Founding of Paragon to its recent sale to Catalent, his current role with the University of Maryland Baltimore, and being a Leader in the BioHealh Capital Region

Marco A. Chacon, Ph.D., is the Assistant Vice President of Industry Alliances at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. As a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive and entrepreneur, Dr. Chacon works with the leadership team at UMB leading special projects to grow the BioPark tenant base and to strengthen the University’s research collaborations with industry.

Dr. Chacon is the Founder and Chairman of Paragon Bioservices, Inc., a Contract Development and GMP Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) located at the University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore. With ~500 employees and 230k square feet of space, Paragon specializes in the development and GMP manufacturing of viral vectors and vaccines.

Jul 02 2019

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360th Edition – July 2, 2019

By admin BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

BioHealth Innovation

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July 2, 2019

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Dr. Marco Chacón, Founder and Chairman, Paragon Bioservices, and University of Maryland Baltimore Assistant Vice President Industry Alliances, Joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk

Dr. Chacon is also the Founder of IRAZU Biodiscovery, a regenerative medicine company seeking to develop therapeutic interventions to induce hypoxia tolerance and neuroprotection as described in experimental models of caloric restriction and hibernation, as well as during the neonatal period in mammals.

Dr. Chacon’s academic interests include control of metabolism, oxygen homeostasis and the regenerative potential of tissues and organs.

Dr. Chacon received a B.S. degree from Youngstown State University and a Ph.D. Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the UMB Foundation and was appointed in 2016 to the Life Sciences Advisory Board by Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr.

Listen now on Google Play bit.ly/2CzdnA9, iTunes, apple.co/2Arsfze, TuneIn bit.ly/2M60Wmx.

A CEO who wants to genetically modify pig organs for human transplant

Sometimes a Eureka moment sparks a breakthrough in innovation; other times it’s a rush to solve a crisis plaguing society — and the ones you love. That was the case for Martine Rothblatt, CEO of United Therapeutics, a Maryland-based company she founded in 1996, and former CEO of GeoStar and creator of SiriusXM Radio.

Continuous Processing Requires a Rethink of Viral Strategies

If biopharma firms want to get the most out of continuous manufacturing, they must rethink their viral safety strategies. Existing strategies work well for batch-mode production, as hard-won experience attests. These strategies, however, are still being adapted to continuous-mode production, where protocols and equipment preferences are in flux.

AstraZeneca’s immunotherapy drug scores key Phase III lung cancer win – MedCity News

The days of Roche having an immunotherapy monopoly on the largest population of small-cell lung cancer patients appear numbered, following the release of data for a competing drug.

Novavax and Catalent Biologics Enter Strategic Partnership: Allowing Catalent Biologics to Expand Gene Therapy Footprint with Acquisition of Novavax’ Manufacturing Assets and Capabilities Nasdaq:NVAX

Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX), a late-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, and Catalent Biologics’ Paragon Gene Therapy unit, the leading viral vector development and manufacturing partner for gene therapies, today announced an arrangement under which Paragon Gene Therapy will assume the leases to two Novavax product development and manufacturing facilities, giving it immediate access to state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, people and space to accelerate the growth of its gene therapy development and manufacturing business.

Child healthcare reimagined in new ACE Kids Act care model

By Dr. Kurt Newman, CEO of Children’s National Health System

We have come a long way in pediatric medicine, but not far enough.

For nearly a decade, the chief executives of the nation’s children’s hospitals and health systems have discussed challenges we face in caring for America’s very sickest children, whose life-threatening diseases and congenital conditions put overwhelming burdens on their families.

Adaptive Biotechnologies set to go public with valuation above $2B in biggest biotech IPO of 2019 – GeekWire

Adaptive Biotechnologies has raised the price for its initial public offering, putting itself in a position to raise more cash than any other biotech IPO this year. The Seattle-based company, which makes technology that can read the genetic information of the human immune system, increased its target price to $18 to $19 per share and could raise as much as $327.5 million from investors, according to a new SEC filing.

Former Walter Reed Campus Undergoes Historic Renovation | Construction Equipment Guide

At the end of November in Washington, D.C., Children’s National Health System began work on a historical renovation construction project that will result in a pediatric research and innovation campus with a focus on pediatric medicine.

University of Maryland is first in the nation to launch degree in medical cannabis science – WJLA

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has launched the nation’s first Master of Science program in medical cannabis science and therapeutics.

The university says the degree will provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to support patients and the medical cannabis industry.

University of Maryland BioPark plans 10-story gateway tower on MLK Blvd. – Baltimore Sun

The University of Maryland, Baltimore plans an ambitious expansion of its BioPark, with a $200 million building that will nearly double the size of the life science hub to the west of the main medical campus downtown.

Arlington Capital Partners Announces the Final Closing of Oversubscribed $1.7 Billion Fund

Arlington Capital Partners (“Arlington” or the “Firm”), a Washington, D.C. area based private equity investment firm focused on government-regulated sectors, today announced that it has successfully raised its latest fund, Arlington Capital Partners V, L.P. (“Fund V” or the “Fund”) with total capital commitments of approximately $1.7 billion – hitting the Fund’s hard cap. The fundraise, which was significantly oversubscribed, successfully reached its final closing in three months from its launch. The Fund sourced capital commitments from a hand-selected, globally diverse group of marquis investors, including public pension funds, corporate pension funds, insurance companies, fund of funds, and foundations.

MOST DYNAMIC METROPOLITANS – JUNE 2019

As the dominant economic geography of America, metropolitan statistical areas largely determine our success as a nation. These groups of counties with a large central core account for 88.6 percent of jobs, 89.1 percent of wages and 90.0 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Further, metropolitan statistical areas account for the bulk of innovation such as research and development and patenting activity. Understanding the mechanisms underpinning the growth of top-performing metropolitan areas, and sharing best practices, could assist other communities in boosting their economic fortunes. The Most Dynamic Metropolitan Index, ranking 379 metropolitan areas, seeks to provide an objective measure of the economic vibrancy of communities where the lion’s share of Americans work and live.

New Report: Health Tech Early Stage Deals Growing Again in First Quarter After Tepid 2018 – Inova Personalized Health Accelerator

Health Tech early stage (below $10 million) investing grew consistently from 2010 – 2017, but then stalled in 2018 showing declining deal count in every quarter over the previous year. At the same time, total capital invested was flat. Was it a correction?

Results from Q1 2019 show the segment is back on the growth track. Deal counts won’t yet match 2016 and 2017 levels, but they will be up from 2018 and capital invested in U.S. early stage health tech is likely to be the highest on record.

AbbVie to buy Botox maker Allergan for $63B – MedCity News

The company that makes Botox is the subject of the latest biopharma mega-deal.

Chicago-based AbbVie said Tuesday it would acquire Ireland-headquartered Allergan for $63 billion, or $78.45 per share, equal to the former’s Monday closing price. The companies said the deal would provide immediate scale and profitability for AbbVie while allowing the company to diversify into new therapeutic areas like aesthetics.

PIC MC Selects Development Team to Build $40 Million Life Sciences Building on Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus – MC News

The Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology (PIC MC) signed a development agreement today to add a state-of-the-art life sciences office building to the Montgomery College Germantown Campus.

19710 Observation Drive, LLC, a joint venture between Rockville-based, South Duvall and Germantown-based Minkoff Development, will build a $40 million facility on a 5.67-acre parcel at 19710 Observation Drive in Germantown. The 120,000 square foot building will include lab, office, manufacturing and distribution space aimed at companies focused on areas such as biotech, life sciences and cybersecurity.

Jun 25 2019

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359th Edition – June 25, 2019

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BioHealth Innovation

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June 25, 2019

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How Viela Bio’s Drug Development Landed $350M in 16 Months

Just 16 months into its existence, a local biotech startup has investors swarming.

Gaithersburg, Md.-based Viela Bio has completed a $75 million Series B funding round, bringing its total raised since launching to more than $350 million.

AstraZeneca to invest $630 million in Korean biohealth sector – Korea Biomedical Review

AstraZeneca said it would invest $630 million into Korea’s biotech and healthcare sector over the next five years.

Leif Johansson, chairman of the British-Swedish drugmaker, announced the plan at the Korea-Sweden Business Summit, attended by President Moon Jae-in, Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven in Stockholm on Friday, local time. The business summit was held as part of President Moon’s state visit.

Intrexon Signs $100Mm Deal with Surterra Wellness to Advance Commercial Scale Cannabinoid Production

Intrexon has scaled its proprietary yeast fermentation process and is on track to realize production of pure cannabinoids at a target cost of goods of <$1,000/kg. With exclusive global access to Intrexon’s technology for microbial production of cannabinoids, Surterra gains a clear research and development roadmap to:

Surterra Wellness

Immunomic Therapeutics Announces Promotion of Teri Heiland, Ph.D. to Chief Scientific Officer – Immunomic Therapeutics

Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI), a privately held, Maryland-based biotechnology company, announced today the promotion of Teri Heiland, Ph.D. to Chief Scientific Officer. In her new role, Dr. Heiland will oversee all of research and development and will play an integral role in business development and the management of ITI’s existing and future partnerships. Dr. Heiland is a co-founder of ITI and has amassed over two decades of executive leadership experience in the biotechnology and life sciences sector. Dr. Heiland’s focus at ITI stems from her background in DNA vaccine design, optimization and development, which has created a broad pipeline of vaccines in oncology, allergy and animal health and has driven licensing deals for ITI with Astellas and Zenoaq. ITI’s investigational UNITE technology platform has the potential to utilize the body’s natural biochemistry to develop a broad immune response and is currently being employed in a Phase II clinical trial as a cancer immunotherapy.

Qiagen launches one-stop antimicrobial resistance database alongside CDC commitment | FierceBiotech

In the face of growing international concerns over antimicrobial resistance, Qiagen has launched a one-stop shop that compiles publicly available genomic data, scientific literature and phenotypic information on potential superbugs.

Job Opportunity: Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS @ Washington DC.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation is recruiting a Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS @ Washington DC. The goal of Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJI) is to advance transformative healthcare solutions that improve the lives of people around the world and, in so doing, to deliver value to Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”). JJI accomplishes this by catalyzing new science and technology through collaboration and exchange of ideas. This growing team is looking for a colleague inspired to help build and innovate new ways of fostering a productive life-science ecosystem.

This position will be responsible for setting the strategic direction and overseeing all operational activities for JLABS in Washington DC and leading our partnership with Children’s National Health System. This position will also be part of the Global Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS leadership team.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Announces Pricing Of Upsized Public Offering Of 3,850,000 Shares Of Common Stock

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (“Alexandria” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ARE) announced today the pricing of its upsized public offering of 3,850,000 shares of common stock at a price of $145.00 per share in connection with the forward sale agreements described below. The Company also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 577,500 additional shares. The offering is expected to close on or about June 25, 2019, subject to customary closing conditions.

PIC MC Selects Development Team to Build $40 Million Life Sciences Building on Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus – MC News

A Conversation with Katharine Ku, Chief Licensing Advisor at WSGR

Attorneys Vern Norviel and Charles Andres recently sat down with Katharine “Kathy” Ku, WSGR’s new chief licensing advisor, to discuss questions and situations that come up in the licensing process. Kathy is an internationally recognized leader in the field of licensing and technology transfer, and spent almost three decades as the executive director of Stanford University’s Office of Technology Licensing. Kathy’s many accomplishments include implementation of the Cohen-Boyer DNA Cloning licensing program which contributed to the creation of the biotechnology industry, and her work on the document: In the Public Interest: Nine Points to Consider in Licensing University Technology. This document, which provides nine principles that continue to influence and guide university licensing, should be read by any start-up contemplating taking a university license.

Frederick National Labs Attract Entrepreneurs and Collaborators Seeking Leading-Edge Biomedical Technologies · BioBuzz

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) recently hosted the third annual Technology Showcase at The FNLCR’s Advanced Technology Research Center (ATRF) in Frederick, Maryland. The event provided industry thought leaders, inventors and entrepreneurs a platform to network, showcase their technologies, and learn more about the tech transfer process, starting a new business and various fundraising strategies.

Four BIOE Ph.D. Students Awarded NIH Fellowships | Fischell Department of Bioengineering

Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BIOE) Ph.D. students Michelle Bookstaver, John Daristotle, Mary Doolin, and Emily Gosselin were recently named recipients of the Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31) by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Together, their NIH F31 fellowships could total up to $235,000 in funding over two years to support research in vaccine design, sprayable surgical sealants, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and new therapies to treat multiple sclerosis.

Vaccines have reduced the public health threat of many infectious diseases, including polio, measles, mumps, and small pox.

NHLBI Funding & Research Opportunities and Announcements for May 31, 2019

Funding and Research Opportunities

The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest: General Notices

Notice of Information for RFA-HL-20-009, “BLOODSAFE: Research to enhance availability of safe blood for patients with severe anemia and hemorrhagic conditions in low or lower-middle income countries (LLMICs) in Sub-Saharan Africa (UG3/UH3 CT Optional)”(NOT-HL-19-706) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Notice of Information for RFA-HL-20-010, “BLOODSAFE: Research to enhance availability of safe blood for patients with severe anemia and hemorrhagic conditions in low or lower-middle income countries (LLMICs) in Sub-Saharan Africa-DCC (U24 CT Not Allowed)”(NOT-HL-19-707) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

5 questions with Jolene Gurevich, a Venture for America alumna working with University of Maryland startups – Technical.ly Baltimore

Jolene Gurevich was going to be an investment banker on Wall Street. But her roots as a competitive Latin ballroom dancer in New York gave her the inspiration to make a move toward entrepreneurship, and Venture for America provided her a clear path into the startup ecosystem in Baltimore. Now manager of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech Ventures) incubator at the University of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Fund, Gurevich guides the trajectory of scientists-turned-entrepreneurs.

Catalent Acquires BMS Manufacturing Plant in Italy, Expanding Biologics Operations

Catalent is continuing to expand its fast-growing biologics operations, agreeing to acquire Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS)’s oral solid, biologics, and sterile product manufacturing and packaging facility in Anagni, Italy, for an undisclosed price.

NIH releases updated SBIR/STTR success rate data | SSTI

Are you looking to increase the success rate of your state’s SBIR/STTR proposals? If so, a reminder that applications for the Small Business Administration’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program are due next Friday, June 28, at 4 p.m. EDT. This program provides one-year funding to organizations executing programs related to SBIR/STTR outreach, technical assistance, or financial support. As a way to help inform these proposals, SSTI has updated the data from a January Useful Stats article on NIH SBIR/STTR success rates to include the most recent year available, FY 2018.

Women Who Tech Launches Their First Program Focused on HealthTech Innovation | BioSpace

Women Who Tech, one of the largest nonprofit organizations that funds and showcases women-led ventures, today opened the call for applications for the European-leg of its flagship Women Startup Challenge. Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, the Office of the Mayor of Paris, and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, 10 early-stage women-led startups with a focus on healthtech will be selected to compete for a $50,000 grant, equity-free, on October 7th at Paris City Hall, Hôtel de Ville.

Rise in Autism Could Be Linked to Preservative in Processed Foods

Investigators at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have just identified the molecular changes that happen when neuronal stem cells are exposed to high levels of an acid commonly found in processed foods. The research team has taken a step closer to showing the link between the food pregnant women consume and the effects on a fetus’ developing brain. Findings from the new study—which described how high levels of propionic acid (PPA), used to increase the shelf life of packaged foods and inhibit mold in commercially processed cheese and bread, reduce the development of neurons in fetal brains—were published recently in Scientific Reports through an article titled “Propionic Acid Induces Gliosis and Neuro-inflammation through Modulation of PTEN/AKT Pathway in Autism Spectrum Disorder.”

Sanofi, Google Launch “Innovation Lab” Aimed at Drug Discovery

Sanofi will apply Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing capabilities toward developing new drugs, through a collaboration whose value was not disclosed.

The companies said they have agreed to create a virtual Innovation Lab to “radically” transform how future medicines and health services are developed and delivered.

Pfizer to buy Array BioPharma for $11.4B – MedCity News

A large pharmaceutical company is spending more than $11 billion to acquire the maker of two drugs used to treat skin cancer.

New York-based Pfizer said Monday it would acquire Boulder, Colorado-based Array BioPharma for $11.4 billion, or $48 per share.

This Baltimore-based venture capital firm is looking to invest in D.C.-area startups – Technical.ly DC

Baltimore-Md.-based Inner Loop Capital is giving D.C.-area startups a financial boost with this new fund.

CASI Pharmaceuticals Acquires Worldwide Rights To Commercialize anti-CD19 T-cell Therapy

CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASI), a U.S. biopharmaceutical company that is focusing on developing and accelerating the launch of innovative therapeutics and pharmaceutical products in China, the U.S., and throughout the world, announces the signing of a license agreement for exclusive worldwide license and commercialization rights to an autologous anti-CD19 T-cell therapy product (CNCT19) from Juventas Cell Therapy Ltd., a China-based domestic company located in Tianjin City, China. Juventas will continue to develop CNCT19 with CASI’s participation on the program’s steering committee. CASI will be responsible for payment of certain future development milestones and sales royalties.

Minnowtech wins $225,000 SBIR Phase 1 Grant from the NSF – Minnowtech

Minnowtech, LLC, an aquaculture technology company that provides an imaging platform to enable shrimp farmers to measure shrimp abundance to optimize feeding, announced today it has been awarded a $225,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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