BHI Weekly Newsletter Archives

Senseonics is set to raise $41 million to support the anticipated commercialization of implantable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system Eversense. The fundraising attracted the support of major existing shareholders New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Roche.

This is the third Challenge Project which the two organisations have run together.

UTC Cambridge students attended weekly sessions with scientists and business professionals from the MedImmune team to learn about many aspects of a medicine’s discovery and development, including scientific research, manufacturing and regulation. In addition to visiting MedImmune’s state-of-the-art laboratories at Granta Park, students also attended workshops, classes and practical sessions held at UTC Cambridge’s purpose-designed building at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. In addition to gaining exposure to scientific research disciplines, students focused on practical and operational matters such as the importance of team work and collaboration, as well as wider concerns facing patients, government and industry on a global scale.

Saluda Medical has raised $40 million in a round led by a GlaxoSmithKline VC fund. The series D gives Saluda the means to take its spinal cord stimulation (SCS) device through a pivotal trial in the U.S. while commercializing it in Europe and its home country, Australia.

Writing on trends, I frequently profile tech companies that use trends to outperform competitors. But using trends is not restricted to tech companies.

By following trends, since 1998 Alexandria Real Estate Equities has tripled the performance of the NASDAQ, quadrupled returns of the S&P 500, and quintupled the Russell 2000. Alexandria has even outperformed technology stalwart Microsoft, and investment guru Berkshire Hathaway by 230%.

Event is for Post-Docs & Professional Scientists currently working in the Therapeutic Areas of:

• Oncology
• Respiratory, Inflammation & Autoimmunity •Cardiovascular & Metabolic Diseases •Infectious Diseases & Vaccines
• Related scientific disciplines

Event will include music, lawn games, hors d’oeuvres, drinks.

MedImmune fully supports and abides by the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals. MedImmune cannot accommodate or pay for the cost of a spouse or other guest of a healthcare professional. As such, this event is open to invitees only. If you are a prescriber and/or a Federal, State, or Institution employee, you may be subject to laws, regulations, or rules which prohibit, limit, or require the public disclosure of gifts, meals, or items of value you may receive. We ask that you comply with any such laws, regulations, or rules that govern your receipt of gifts, meals, or items of value. Please bring your State License Number (SLN) and National Provider Identifier (NPI) to the event. These will be used for reporting purposes where required by state and federal law (OPEN Payments). You may look up your NPI and SLN at http://www.npinumberlookup.org/.

TP Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on addressing oncology drug resistance, announced today that the company raised $45 million in a Series C financing round. The round was co-led by Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV), OrbiMed Advisors, LLC, and S.R. One, Limited, and joined by existing investors Cormorant Asset Management and SV Tech Ventures. In conjunction with the financing, Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D., CFA, General Partner at OrbiMed, Hongbo Lu, Ph.D., Partner at LAV, and Simeon J. George, M.D., Partner at S.R. One, joined the company’s Board of Directors.

GlaxoSmithKline, once the largest real estate owner in Research Triangle Park, has sold what’s left of its once-sprawling RTP campus and will lease back a small portion of the property where 3,000 employees and contractors work.

The deal, involving 20 buildings, was announced late Friday by Los Angeles-based Parmer Innovation Centers, which purchased the property, and by CBRE, a Los Angeles-based real-estate advisory that represented GSK in the real estate sale. The sale price was not disclosed.

This inaugural event will showcase technologies being developed at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda and Frederick, and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) to encourage startup formation, technology licensing, and collaborations. It will introduce the local scientific community to the regional technology development stakeholders and highlight available resources.

Prospective investors, established companies, interested stakeholders, and those looking to commercialize technologies are invited and encouraged to attend. The day will feature short technology summaries by NCI and FNLCR innovators, as well as presentations from regional stakeholders involved with technology development and commercialization. An interactive poster session by innovators and technology ambassadors will concurrently occur.

The purpose of the administrative supplement is to provide support for NIH-funded investigators to participate in an entrepreneurship training course, the Concept to Clinic: Commercializing Innovation (C3i) Program. The C3i Program is designed to provide medical device innovators with the specialized business frameworks and essential tools for successful translation of biomedical technologies from the lab (concept) to the market (clinic). Through this program, the NIH fosters the development and commercialization of early-stage biomedical technologies by engaging investigators who are interested in better understanding the value of their innovation in addressing an unmet market need. The curriculum and customized mentoring provided by the C3i Program are intended to guide investigators as they assess the commercial viability and potential business opportunity for their innovation. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIH Scientific/Research staff for more information about the program before applying.

Check-out our dynamic line-up of speakers and their panels:

RISE OF MEDICAL CENTERS AS “INNOVATION DISTRICTS”

Panelists will discuss the new real estate drivers around the medical campus planning and the physical design and programs that will change the way healthcare research and practice are delivered. Panel speakers include:

Inova Health System and University of Virginia are kicking off their new partnership with $450,000 in seed money to fund nine joint research projects geared toward better predicting, preventing and treating disease.

Senator Bill Frist, MD, is among the country’s most important healthcare leaders. He is a partner at Nashville-based Frist Cressey Ventures, a heart/lung transplant surgeon and a serial entrepreneur. He’s also the former US Senate Majority Leader and has had a ring-side seat at the development of Nashville’s healthcare startup scene, which is now one of the most mature in the country.

University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher’s efforts to hotwire the region’s fledgling life sciences industry is getting a spark from a new seed capital fund targeted to helping develop new medications.

The Pittsburgh Revolution Fund is soliciting $200 million, which will be made available in the form of investments in drug research teams with the idea of spinning out companies, said Bill Newlin, chairman, Newlin Investment Co., a seed-stage investment firm in Sewickley.

ABOUT THE USDD: Every six months, the University Startups Demo Day engages with universities to accept 200 of their best university startups to be scored by a Corporate Selection Committee consisting of Fortune 500 companies. These double-curated startups by academia and industry represent the very top startups coming out of American universities that are industry aligned. The University IP Into University Startups (IP2Startups) program provide Fortune 500 companies an effective way to identify university technologies that correspond to business unit needs that can be licensed or commercialized by university startups. Our Investor Roadshow program provides funding for select Demo Day companies that develop towards corporate milestones over 2-7 years from the IP2Start and Demo Day programs.

IP2Startups and USDD Corporate Selection Committee Pool Includes: Air Products – Specialized Chemicals | Astra Zeneca – Pharmaceuticals | Barilla – Food Processing | BASF – Diversified Chemicals | BMW – Auto & Truck Manufacturers | Dassault Systemes – Software & Programming | DuPont – Chemicals | Eastman Chemical Company – Specialized Chemicals | Eli Lilly and Co. – Pharmaceuticals | Evonik – Specialty chemicals | Faurecia – Automotive parts manufacturing | GlaxoSmithKline – Pharmaceuticals | Hyundai – Auto & Truck Manufacturers | IBM – Computer Services | Johnson & Johnson – Medical Equipment & Supplies | Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of J&J – Pharmaceuticals | M Ventures (Merck KGaA) – Healthcare, Life Sciences, Performance Materials | Medline – Medical and Surgical Supplies | Pepsico – Beverages and Foods | Pfizer – Pharmaceuticals | SABIC – Chemicals | Saint-Gobain – Construction Materials | Sanofi – Pharmaceuticals | Schlumberger – Oil Services & Equipment | Sony – Consumer Electronics | The J.M. Smucker Company – Food Processing | Unilever – Household/Personal Care | Western Digital Capital – Computer Storage Devices

Pappas Capital, a life science venture capital firm, announced today that its new fund, Pappas Ventures V, recently invested in OrphoMed, a clinical stage company that is developing best-in-class therapies for treatment of inadequately-controlled gastrointestinal disorders. The investment in OrphoMed is the first investment by the new Pappas Ventures fund.

Maryland’s governor is putting new economic development energy into creating life sciences and cybersecurity startups.

To kick off the Governor’s Business Summit in Baltimore this morning, Gov. Larry Hogan provided some details on Excel Maryland. It’s a new initiative that’s seeking to bring together government, university and the tech community to develop a new strategy to grow startups.

Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels will co-chair the steering committee for a new statewide economic development strategy initiative focused on accelerating growth in the life sciences and cybersecurity industries in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced today.

Baltimore biotech firm, PathSensors, announced that its CEO, Ted Olsen, joined with other leaders of the Maryland Biohealth community in developing and issuing recommendations to grow Maryland’s biohealth industry and position the state as a globally recognized Top 3 U.S. BioHealth Innovation Hub by 2023.

Silver Spring drugmaker United Therapeutics Corp. extended an exclusive license with drug giant Eli Lilly & Co. to cover its pulmonary hypertension drug Adcirca, which will lose part of its patent protection later this year.

More people are starting businesses out of opportunity than out of necessity; the percentage of immigrant entrepreneurs is at a two-decade high. However, new businesses are creating fewer jobs than they did a generation ago.

The complex life cycle of a biotechnology product, pharmaceutical or medical device demands a broad range of legal expertise across many practice specialties. From intellectual property protection to corporate and regulatory advice, the leading law firms in the life sciences space combine sophisticated legal counsel with deep scientific knowledge.

Pharmaceutical giant Bayer has opened applications for its Grant4Apps programme. Geared to connect health start-ups with industry experts and help the best talents to thrive within the digital healthcare universe, the programme will offer start-ups an opportunity to become part of an economically inclusive market where innovation is not only encouraged but appreciated as a catalyst for expanding both economic and social growth, says Bayer.

We recently joined leaders from across the biomedical ecosystem at the White House to discuss how to best support biomedical innovation that improves human health and creates jobs and opportunity for economic growth. We discussed the unique role of National Institutes of Health-funded academic research in understanding the biology of human disease, and the irreplaceable role of the biotech industry in translating these basic science discoveries into breakthrough therapies for serious human diseases.

Partners HealthCare’s fund to advance innovations made at its hospitals has closed on the last $24.5 million of its most recent funding round.

Thursday, June 01, 2017 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center 

5701 Marinelli Road 

Rockville, MD 20850

Sponsors

Award: AstraZeneca/MedImmune, BDO, BioMarker Strategies, Houlihan Lokey, JLL, PwC, UBS Financial Services Inc. and VWR

Gold: Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), CDW, Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., Immunomic Therapeutics, Iron Bow Technologies, Montgomery College, Novavax, Pillsbury, Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., and Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Silver: Glass Jacobson

STEM Scholarship Sponsor: Alexandria Real Estate Equities

The 2017 Industry Awards Celebration will be our 29th year of recognizing the companies and individuals in the Washington, DC region who make a difference. The Tech Council ignites the power of three by bringing together a trio of industries that are accelerating our local ecosystem—technology, life sciences, and healthcare/health IT. It’s our mission to make this region a top three innovation economy by 2023, so we’re redefining what’s possible and helping to shape the future through ideation, collaboration, and innovation. Join us in celebrating the veteran companies and startups, the CEOs and CFOs who are lighting the way and inspiring us all.

The Annual Women Spanning the Globe Leadership Conference features an impressive line- up of speakers and topics designed to enhance the life and careers of international business women. Attendees will leave with a fresh perspective, new ideas, best practices to implement, new friends, and the feeling that you are part of an International Professional Sisterhood.

“A Celebration of Professional Women’s Journeys – Navigating Career, Family and the World”.

When: Tuesday, June 6, 2017

9am – 3:30pm

Where: American Visionary Art Museum

800 Key Highway

Baltimore, MD 21231

Cost: $175 – Non Member; $125 – Member

Entrepreneurs in healthcare and life science ventures must master the art of communication to all stakeholders in order to enhance their chance of success.Some of these skills are intuitive, some are learned, but all are essential in order to build a cohesive and collaborative team that will succeed in bringing your innovation to life! Join us at the next SoPE event and take home some pearls from the experts in this field.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today held a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Dr. Rick Bright, director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, Emergent’s president and chief executive officer, to mark the formal opening of the company’s newly expanded Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) at its Bayview Campus in Baltimore. The facility is one of three centers designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide advanced development and manufacturing of medical countermeasures to support the U.S. government’s national security and public health emergency needs.

Collaboration across academia, government, non-profits, and the biopharmaceutical industry fosters innovation and groundbreaking discoveries in science and research. During the 2017 BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) Forum held at our Gaithersburg, Maryland campus, world-renowned speakers and local leaders convened to showcase the benefits of continued collaboration that can help us prevent, treat, and find cures for deadly diseases.

Smithers Avanza, a contract research organization supporting the pharmaceutical industry, announced that its Bioanalytical Services Division has completed the second expansion of its bioanalytical laboratory in the last two years. The expansion doubles the size of the Gaithersburg, Maryland lab, which now offers 15,000 square feet of space, and continues the trend of growth in support of client demand for services. Smithers Avanza plans to celebrate the completed expansion with clients, employees and community friends with an Open House.

Immunomic Therapeutics negotiated an exclusive license to Annias Immunotherapeutics’ platform covering technology for targeting cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens in cancer. The CMV immunotherapy platform was developed by John H. Sampson, M.D., Ph.D., and Duane A. Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., at Duke University and licensed to Annias. Immunomic will combine the CMV platform with its own nucleic acid-based immunotherapy LAMP-Vax™ technology as a potential treatment for cancers that express CMV, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Financial details of the licensing agreement were not disclosed

The Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) announced that its 2017 Woman of the Year is Bahija Jallal, PhD, executive vice president, AstraZeneca, and head of MedImmune. MedImmune is the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca.

Yes, we’re still going to have networking with a few drinks and snacks as usual!

Join us on May 18th in the back lot at Johns Hopkins Montgomery County campus to explore local biotech careers w/ Employers who have open jobs, and two great workforce training organizations that can help you advance your career – Worksource Montgomery & BioTrain. As an added bonus you get to explore the brand new Mobile Exploration Lab (MXLab).

Even if you’re happy with your current position and aren’t looking for something new. Spend some time with your peers and friends to network along with seeing what these organizations have to offer.

Come by for the whole event or just a part of it. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Awards Recognize Achievements by Current Clients and Graduates of Maryland Incubators

Twenty-one of the State’s leading incubator companies have been selected as finalists for the 2017 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards. The team from BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is proud to recognize that four of these companies are currenting operating out of either the BHI managed Rockville Innovation Center or the Germantown Innovation Center. Leverege, LLC., and Seraxis, Inc. are located at the Germantown Innovation Center. ReveraGen BioPharma, Inc., and Speak Agent, Inc. reside at the Rockville Innovation Center.

“These four companies are a strong representation of the cross-section of growing technology enterprises in Montgomery County from Biotechnology to IoT and EdTech.” said Ethan Byler, BHI Managing Director. Congratulations to all the finalists from both the Germantown Innovation Center and the Rockville Innovation Center. The recognition is a testament of their success.”

• Leverege, LLC. is a systems integrator and end-to-end solutions provider that offers a simulation-centric IoT platform that reduces time to market, lowers costs, and results in better IoT services for customers.
• ReveraGen BioPharma, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
• Seraxis Inc. is a privately-owned Biotechnology company working to provide a cure for the devastating disease of diabetes.
• Speak Agent, Inc. is an education company delivering game-based learning resources that can be customized to fit the exact academic vocabulary needs of learners.

Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced today that it has completed an asset purchase of Remedy Pharmaceuticals’ Phase 3 candidate, CIRARA™ (intravenous glyburide). The target indication for CIRARA is large hemispheric infarction (LHI), a severe form of ischemic stroke where brain swelling (cerebral edema) often leads to a disproportionately large share of stroke-related morbidity and mortality. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted CIRARA Orphan Drug Designation for severe cerebral edema in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The FDA has also granted CIRARA Fast Track designation.

Montgomery College is hosting a STEM Student Research Conference on its Germantown campus on Thursday, May 17, 2017, from 3:00-7:00 pm. The complete schedule is attached here, but I wanted to make you aware of the opportunity to hear Dr. Rebecca Goldin, our keynote speaker. Dr. Rebecca Goldin is a professor of mathematics at George Mason University and the Director of STATS, a program of Sense About Science USA aiming to support journalists’ quantitative and statistical understanding. Her one-hour presentation, which will be about the (mis)use of statistics in the media, begins at 3:00 pm, is free, and is open to the public. Please plan on joining us if your schedule will allow. – Margaret Latimer, VPP Germantown Campus, Collegwide STEM Unit

Conference Schedule:

Keynote Address 3 to 4 p.m., BE 151

Student Research Presentations ~ 4:15 to 5:15 p.m., BE Conference Center

Dinner, Awards Ceremony, and Panel Discussion ~ 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. RSVP required for dinner only: Tonya.Baker@montgomerycollege.edu

Keynote Address Statistics in the Media: Should You Believe Them? News accounts of science and scientific ideas are filled with numbers and implicit advice. They also tell a story. Do violent video games lead to violence? Does being overweight put one at risk for dementia? Can brain scans read our minds? Does chocolate make us smarter?

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission (Commission) approved funding for 29 awards for a total of $8,533,987. These awards will be distributed between 6 different research institutes and 6 companies and will address over 20 different diseases and conditions. “The high level of work that our stem cell researchers and companies are performing is a testament to Maryland’s status as a national leader in the life sciences industry,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Our administration’s commitment to this and other lifesaving therapies is in line with the Commission’s work to accelerate the path to develop cures for all.”

US venture capital fund of funds Greenspring has hit $595m for its latest flagship fundraise, AltAssets can reveal.

The firm has registered the amount for Greenspring Global Partners VIII across a string of affiliated vehicles according to filings made with the US securities regulator.

Five proposals submitted this spring to Johns Hopkins’ Idea Lab crowdsourcing website will receive funding by virtue of garnering the most support in online voting.

Funding will be awarded to a health care innovation conference that expands upon the popular MedHacks event, a science-themed summer camp for Baltimore fifth-graders, and a place for students to get free food left over from events, among other creative concepts.

The Inova Health System and the University of Virginia announced today that they have awarded $450,000 to nine UVA-Inova joint research teams for projects focused on how to better predict, prevent and treat disease. In the fall of 2016, Inova and UVA announced a comprehensive research and education partnership to accelerate joint discovery and the application of translational medical research. The seed grant awards mark the first of many joint research collaborations. UVA’s Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia, which facilitates translational health research across UVA, and Inova’s Translational Medicine Institute, are helping support these research projects.

What’s the definition of “doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result?” If you said “a good idea,” you might want to consider a career in politics.

Many in Congress want to impose price controls on medicines that result from federally funded research. We’ve tried this before, and it nearly brought medical research and development to a halt.

During the 2017 FLC national meeting in San Antonio, Texas, the FLC held its annual elections for open positions to serve on the Executive Board and as regional officers. While absentee ballots were available from March 24 – April 18, onsite voting took place April 25 – 26 and was open to Consortium Representatives whose memberships are registered with the Consortium Recording Secretary.

The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Summer Forum Tysons Corner – June 13, 2017

“The Best Networking Event in the MidAtlantic.”

This will be our 24th consecutive SOLD OUT event over the last 6 years!

Over 70% of previous attendees surveyed say that CONNECTpreneur is the “Number One” tech and investor event in the Mid-Atlantic region!

DCInno calls CONNECTpreneur “The Best Networking Event in DC” and a “NETWORKING JACKPOT” of the Region’s TOP Entrepreneurs, Business Leaders, CXOs, Angels, and VCs.

This UNIQUE EVENT is like NONE OTHER in our region, because of the high quality of our attendees, speakers and presenters.

And YES, the networking is unprecedented!

Pharmaceuticals and life sciences companies are experiencing a wave of competing challenges as part of what could be called the New Health Economy. They include consolidation among providers, especially hospitals, intended to produce efficiency gains; the changing demands and expectations of patients, who seek a greater role in their own care; increasing cost pressures from payors leading to calls for pricing reform; and the declining autonomy of the individual physician as rule-based, protocol-driven care becomes ascendant. The resulting healthcare system will focus increasingly on paying for the value rather than the volume of medical care; in other words, it will be a more consumer-facing industry.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) today published the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for its 2017 Regional Innovations Strategies (RIS) program. The application period will close June 23, 2017.

The $17 million being made available through the RIS NOFA will help to spur innovation capacity-building activities in regions across the nation. Under this competition, EDA is seeking applications for two separate funding opportunities: the i6 Challenge and the Seed Fund Support (SFS) Grant competition.

Thursday, June 01, 2017 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center 

5701 Marinelli Road 

Rockville, MD 20850

Sponsors

Award: AstraZeneca/MedImmune, BDO, BioMarker Strategies, Houlihan Lokey, JLL, PwC, UBS Financial Services Inc. and VWR

Gold: Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), CDW, Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., Immunomic Therapeutics, Iron Bow Technologies, Montgomery College, Novavax, Pillsbury, Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., and Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Silver: Glass Jacobson

STEM Scholarship Sponsor: Alexandria Real Estate Equities

The 2017 Industry Awards Celebration will be our 29th year of recognizing the companies and individuals in the Washington, DC region who make a difference. The Tech Council ignites the power of three by bringing together a trio of industries that are accelerating our local ecosystem—technology, life sciences, and healthcare/health IT. It’s our mission to make this region a top three innovation economy by 2023, so we’re redefining what’s possible and helping to shape the future through ideation, collaboration, and innovation. Join us in celebrating the veteran companies and startups, the CEOs and CFOs who are lighting the way and inspiring us all.

For more information, please visit www.TCMIAC.com

**If you are an MTC member but do not have member login information, contact Emily Pool at emily@mdtechcouncil.com to register

Awards Recognize Achievements by Current Clients and Graduates of Maryland Incubators

Twenty-one of the State’s leading incubator companies have been selected as finalists for the 2017 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards. The team from BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is proud to recognize that four of these companies are currenting operating out of either the BHI managed Rockville Innovation Center or the Germantown Innovation Center. Leverege, LLC., and Seraxis, Inc. are located at the Germantown Innovation Center. ReveraGen BioPharma, Inc., and Speak Agent, Inc. reside at the Rockville Innovation Center.

“These four companies are a strong representation of the cross-section of growing technology enterprises in Montgomery County from Biotechnology to IoT and EdTech.” said Ethan Byler, BHI Managing Director. Congratulations to all the finalists from both the Germantown Innovation Center and the Rockville Innovation Center. The recognition is a testament of their success.”

• Leverege, LLC. is a systems integrator and end-to-end solutions provider that offers a simulation-centric IoT platform that reduces time to market, lowers costs, and results in better IoT services for customers.
• ReveraGen BioPharma, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
• Seraxis Inc. is a privately-owned Biotechnology company working to provide a cure for the devastating disease of diabetes.
• Speak Agent, Inc. is an education company delivering game-based learning resources that can be customized to fit the exact academic vocabulary needs of learners.

QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced the formation of a joint venture with Maccura Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a leading in vitro diagnostics (IVD) company in China. The joint venture, named MAQGEN plans to accelerate local adaptations, development and commercialization of the GeneReader NGS System in the rapidly growing clinical and clinical research markets in China. QIAGEN’s GeneReader NGS System is the world’s first complete Sample to Insight solution and makes the benefits of next-generation sequencing (NGS) accessible to any laboratory.

Pieris today announced a strategic collaboration in respiratory diseases with AstraZeneca to develop novel inhaled drugs that leverage Pieris’ Anticalin® platform, including its lead preclinical drug candidate, PRS-060.

Anticalin molecules are engineered proteins which can mimic antibodies by binding to sites either on other proteins or on small molecules. They are smaller than monoclonal antibodies, offering the potential of direct delivery to the lung.

AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) and its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to Imfinzi (durvalumab). Imfinzi is indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or whose disease has progressed within 12 months of receiving platinum-containing chemotherapy before (neoadjuvant) or after (adjuvant) surgery. Imfinzi is approved under the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway, based on tumour response rate and durability of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

Silver Spring-based United Therapeutics Corp. has been clear about its ambitions to build an unlimited supply of certain transplantable organs.

Now, founder Martine Rothblatt said the company’s new multiyear collaboration with a 3-D bioprinting company, announced Wednesday, takes it a big step toward that goal.

Tired of seeing most of the $1 billion-plus it raised for startup funding leave the state, Johns Hopkins University has opened a new state-of-the-art technology incubation hub, part of a $65 million expansion project.

Sisu Global Health got more recognition for its device that recycles blood for use during surgery, winning the First Mile Innovation Challenge.

The competition, which was run by the Consortium of Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech), GE Sustainable Healthcare Solutions and MGH Global Health, sought applications from around the world that address health hardships in low and middle income countries. About 80 companies from 16 countries applied, according to an announcement.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017, 01:00pm – 04:00pm

The Department of Homeland Security’s program to fortify the cybersecurity of government networks and systems.

Join the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI) for the May 17th NCCoE Speaker Series and hear from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Branch Chief at the Cybersecurity Assurance Branch, Mr. Martin Stanley, who will discuss and demonstrate the DHS and NCCoE generic Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) instance. Mr. Stanley will then moderate a panel of government and industry experts to discuss the benefits of how a solution like CDM can benefit any enterprise.

Topic: Continuous Diagnostics & Mitigation

Event Format: Keynote Speaker followed by a panel discussion and concluding with a networking reception.

Note: This program will be offered with the option to attend in-person or to tune in remotely via webinar.

Webcast: registration is required to view the webcast of this event. You will receive a link to the live stream in your order confirmation email from Eventbrite, so please make sure to save this information.

Cost: Free to attend (registration required).

Today, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed into law a measure aimed at providing additional support to Maryland small biotechnology companies. Senate Bill 226 sponsored by Senator Roger Manno, and House Bill 373 sponsored by Delegate Darryl Barnes will support Maryland small and innovative biotech companies by amending the Biotechnology Investor Incentive Tax Credit (BIITC) definition of a Qualified Maryland Biotechnology to allow investment in companies that have been in business no longer than 12 years and in active business for up to 15 years if completing the process of regulatory approval. The BIITC Extension has been a legislative priority of BioFactura and the Small Biotechnology Business Coalition, and our Coalition has worked closely with Delegate Barnes and Senator Manno on this legislation.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed more than 200 bills Thursday afternoon, including one that will present the University of Maryland with $1.5 million a year to establish a new Maryland Energy Innovation Institute on the campus.

The Maryland Clean Energy Center and the University of Maryland Energy Research Center collaborated to work out the details of the initiative, which aims to increase job opportunities and protect the environment by commercializing environmentally-friendly technology statewide, according to Eric Wachsman, director of the Energy Research Center and the Institute.

MSBDFA promotes the viability and expansion of businesses owned by economically and socially disadvantaged entrepreneurs.

MSBDFA uses include working capital, supplies and materials, machinery and equipment acquisition, land acquisition or real estate improvements. Other uses include the purchase of an existing franchise, construction or renovation and franchise fees or obtaining bid, performance and payment bonds for contracts, which receive the majority of their funding from federal, state or local government.

ByteGrid Holdings LLC, which is dedicated to providing the most secure and compliant hosting solutions available, has been awarded “FedRAMP Ready” status by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).

“We are pleased to announce this achievement as we continue to add to our capability in delivering a highly secure and regulatory compliant set of products and services to our customers. This is just one more example of ByteGrid’s commitment to serving our customers’ requirements and going the extra mile in protecting their systems and data,” said Michael Duckett, Bytegrid CEO.

This isn’t Brian Loew’s first run at Internet success.

During the thick of the dot-com mania 20 years ago, Loew and some friends built an online publishing company called Worldweb.net. It had 150 employees and $15 million in revenue but, like many start-ups from the era, it never posted a profit.

June 13, 2017 – 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and County Conference Center 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda, MD 20852

Tuesday, June 13 MCCC 58th Annual Dinner honoring Dr. Martine Rothblatt and United Therapeutics as the Visionary of the Year United Therapeutics Corporation is a bio-tech company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening conditions. They have five approved products on the market today and are in relentless pursuit of “medicines for life”®. Their overarching commitment to environmental sustainability is reflected in their new corporate office facility in Silver Spring. This seven-story, 108,000-sq.-ft., cutting-edge collaborative workspace aims to inspire people think out of today’s box and into the realm of tomorrow.

EY today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 Award in the Maryland Region. The awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. These business leaders were selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala on June 28, 2017 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

Sitting around a table before class, Shane Yeager talked about one of his two startups.

“Short Clips is a technology service where brands and agencies can take their media files — videos, audio, photos — put them into our platform, and then within 24 hours, get a professionally cut 15-second to one-minute video,” he said.

Medicine is a field slow to adopt an innovation; after all, you are dealing with people’s lives and there is a very high bar for discarding old ways. That said, a huge percentage of the medical community will agree that tradition has often hampered the adoption of new technologies that can significantly improve communication, collaboration, and community.

Look out Silicon Valley, there’s a new innovation hotbed in town.

For the second year in a row, Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN) has won the coveted #1 ranking at the Angel Capital Association’s annual ACA Summit in San Francisco.

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced an agreement to feature Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)-funded early-stage biomedical companies in an Innovation Zone at the 2017 BIO International Convention. The Innovation Zone companies, focused on drug discovery, diagnostics and other therapeutic platform technologies, will have dedicated exhibit space and participate in BIO’s One-on-One Partnering™ system. Select companies will make 15-minute company presentations in the BIO Business Forum.

Immigration advocates claim that about half of the most lucrative startups in America were founded by immigrants. But it’s complicated for a foreigner to start a company in America — there’s no such thing as a startup visa.

That’s why some entrepreneurs are “hacking the system” through a workaround that started as an experiment in Massachusetts and has expanded to five other states.

VentureApp, a professional chat platform, today announced VentureMap New York City, an interactive network visualization of the city’s tech ecosystem, in partnership with RRE Ventures. The map displays 3,043 investments into tech startups by angel investors, venture capitalists, incubators, accelerators, and more.

Healthcare companies (device manufacturers, payors, and providers, among others) have long relied on technology as a core utility—for tracking R&D efforts and patient information, scheduling payments and services, launching new care options, and generally keeping the lights on.

If there was any doubt that a Republican-led Congress might give a strong boost to federal science spending, the Trump administration probably sealed the deal.

With its call in March for a mammoth $6-billion cut in the annual budget of the National Institutes of Health, the administration appears to have done more than anything else to energize the science community and supportive lawmakers, advocates said.

Epigenomics AG (FSE: ECX; OTCQX: EPGNY) (“Epigenomics” or “Company”), Cathay Fortune International Company Limited (“CFIC”) and Blitz F16-83 GmbH (in the future Summit Hero Holding GmbH, “Bidder”), a subsidiary of CFIC, have tonight entered into a business combination agreement (“BCA”) regarding the takeover of Epigenomics by the Bidder. Other than by CFIC, the Bidder will also be indirectly owned by the currently largest shareholder of Epigenomics, Biochain, the strategic partner of Epigenomics and a subsidiary of Team Curis Group.

The lupus treatment landscape could soon welcome an entrant if a first-in-class anti-interferon monoclonal antibody (mAb) continues to hit clinical-trial targets. AstraZeneca and its biologics R&D branch, MedImmune, are developing anifrolumab, an investigational monoclonal antibody that blocks type 1 interferons to treat moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

BeneVir Biopharm, Inc., a biotechnology company developing oncolytic immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent No. 9,623,059, entitled “Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus and Therapeutic Uses Thereof”, covering the composition of matter for Stealth-1H, BeneVir’s lead oncolytic immunotherapy, as well as other platform assets. BeneVir is a portfolio company within Pansend Life Sciences, a subsidiary of HC2 Holdings, Inc. (NYSE MKT: HCHC)

Local business leaders, elected officials, scientists and scholars attended the 2017 BioHealth Capital Region Forum at the campus of MedImmune in Gaithersburg on April 19 and 20th. The forum focuses on the biotechnology cluster in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., which is working collaboratively to become a top three biotech hub in the United States by 2023.

Out of five startup companies selected to present in front of a panel of industry leaders at the 2017 BioHealth Capital Region Forum, LifeSprout was chosen to have the most commercial potential at the 2nd Annual Crab Trap Competition.This year the event was moderated by BHI President & CEO, Rich Bendis. Judges included industry leaders from Verily Life Systems, Roche, Inova Strategic Investments, New Enterprise Associates, AstraZeneca, and Blu Venture Investors. LifeSprout impressed judges with a presentation by Kevin Colbert, Director of Operations, on their next-generation of synthetic soft tissue substitutes for aesthetic and reconstructive medicine. Their first-in-class bioresorbable, nanofiber-hydrogel composites are formulated to match the stiffness of native soft tissues without compromising their porosity.  LifeSprout is a Johns Hopkins University startup.

“This was an exceptionally strong group of participants, and LifeSprout along with the other finalists should be proud of their accomplishments.” said Richard Bendis, BHI President & CEO. “I would like to thank all the participants in addition to our judges and sponsors who helped make this competition possible.”

Founded by BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) and MedImmune in 2016, the Crab Trap Competition focuses on companies in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, healthcare services, e-health, mobile health, electronic medical records, health informatics, and biohealth cyber security. The grand prize this year is $10,000, incubation space in either Prince William County, VA or Montgomery Country, MD, and business mentoring.

Caption: From left to right: Ethan Byler (BHI), Mark Fitzgerald (Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati), Kevin Colbert (LifeSprout/Johns Hopkins), Rich Bendis (Moderator/BHI)

Sisu Global Health got more recognition for its device that recycles blood for use during surgery, winning the First Mile Innovation Challenge.

The competition, which was run by the Consortium of Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech), GE Sustainable Healthcare Solutions and MGH Global Health, sought applications from around the world that address health hardships in low and middle income countries. About 80 companies from 16 countries applied, according to an announcement.

The Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board (LSAB) was created by the legislature in 2007 to assist in maintaining Maryland’s preeminence in the life sciences industry. Comprised of 18 members, the Board includes the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce, a representative designated by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), and 16 members appointed by the Governor.

VLP Therapeutics, LLC. (“VLP”), a biotechnology company focusing on the research and development of therapeutic and preventative vaccines and antibody agents, today announced that it successfully received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the composition of matter patent to cover immune checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 inserted alphavirus VLP. The patent will be issued on May 2nd. The patent protects key composition of matter of VLP’s proprietary i-α virus like particles platform technology, and the pharmaceutical composition and vaccine for use in the treatment of cancer. Utilizing the platform technology covered by this patent and other patent estates, VLP is currently focused on developing preventative and therapeutic cancer vaccines as well as next generation of targeted antibody agents.

For Charles Li, locating his office at the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus is like coming home.

Li received his MBA from the Carey Business School in 2014 and took the majority of his classes at the Rockville campus. Three years later, when presented with the opportunity to open a business office in Maryland, he chose JHU MCC. He likes the campus library and the proximity to his house.

Cerecor Inc. (NASDAQ: CERC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments to make a difference in the lives of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, today announced topline clinical results from a small, proof-of-concept clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (“NIMH”) of the National Institutes of Health. This was a Phase 2 trial of CERC-501, a potent and selective oral kappa opioid receptor (“KOR”) antagonist, in treatment resistant depression (“TRD”) conducted under the leadership of Dr. Maurizio Fava of Massachusetts General Hospital (“MGH”).

Silver Spring-based United Therapeutics Corp. has been clear about its ambitions to build an unlimited supply of certain transplantable organs.

Now, founder Martine Rothblatt said the company’s new multiyear collaboration with a 3-D bioprinting company, announced Wednesday, takes it a big step toward that goal.

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCQB: RGRX) (“the Company” or “RegeneRx”), a clinical-stage drug development company focused on tissue protection, repair and regeneration, today announced that its licensee for RGN-137, GtreeBNT Co., Ltd., received a positive response from the U.S. FDA for its Phase 3 clinical trial design for RGN-137 to treat epidermolysis bullosa (“EB”). RGN-137 is a dermal wound healing gel that incorporates Thymosin beta 4 (“Tβ4”) as the active pharmaceutical ingredient. GtreeBNT is planning to enter into the Phase 3 trial in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2017.

PGDx launched in 2010 to bring innovative genetic analyses to cancer researchers, physicians and patients. PGDx uses cutting-edge next-generation sequencing and analysis techniques to identify mutations in patients’ tumors and facilitate the development of personalized treatment plans as well as novel basic science discoveries. In addition, PGDx has developed exciting liquid biopsy technology that uses patient-specific tumor alterations to create a simple blood test that will enable non-invasive tumor detection and monitoring. PGDx is composed of talented individuals with a variety of scientific backgrounds that are dedicated to advancing medicine through genomic technologies.

The Johns Hopkins University announced today the opening of its state-of-the-art innovation hub, FastForward 1812. The 23,000-square-foot space near Johns Hopkins’ flagship hospital and schools of medicine, public health and nursing provides Baltimore’s burgeoning innovation ecosystem and area startups sought-after office, co-working and wet lab space to accommodate a variety of startups.

AstraZeneca today marks a key milestone in its successful move to Cambridge, UK, with the ‘topping out’ of its new, state-of-the-art, strategic R&D centre and global corporate headquarters at the heart of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC). The Company, including its biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, already has 2,000 employees actively engaged in the city’s vibrant scientific, academic, clinical and business community. Occupation of the site will begin in stages in 2018.

The National Institutes of Health will get a $2 billion funding boost over the next five months, under a bipartisan spending deal reached late Sunday night in Congress. The agreement marks a sharp rejection of President Trump’s proposal to cut $1.2 billion from the medical research agency in the current fiscal year.

On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march in Washington, DC, to celebrate and defend science—at a time when many believe that science does, in fact, need defending. President Trump’s budget proposal cuts 31 percent from the Environmental Protection Agency, slashes the Department of Energy’s basic science research program, and zeroes out a program that supports early-stage research into technologies that can reduce our national dependence on fossil fuels. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which spends $32 billion a year on biomedical research — most of which is undertaken in labs at universities and medical schools across the nation — would see a 20 percent cut, bringing the agency’s budget to its lowest level in 15 years. Beyond science, the president’s proposed budget also eliminates the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The region has seen serious spikes in venture capital funding in the last decade — and more of our local firms are benefiting.

Apply for up to $3M to support continued development of your Phase II SBIR or STTR-funded heart, lung, blood, or sleep technology requiring approval or clearance by a Federal regulatory agency. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) SBIR Phase IIB Bridge and Small Market Awards programs aim to de-risk your technology and encourage partnerships between small businesses and investors and strategic partners.

NHLBI small business awardees are eligible to apply for a competing revision to your current award. The Regenerative Medicine Innovation Project (RMIP), will support revision projects that propose solutions to widely recognized issues in the development of safe and effective regenerative medicine therapies.

Awards are anticipated in FY 2017

When California voters approved US$3 billion in funding for stem-cell research in 2004, biologists flocked to the state, and citizens dreamed of cures for Parkinson’s disease and spinal-cord injuries. Now, the pot of money — one of the biggest state investments in science — is running dry before treatments have emerged, raising questions about whether Californians will pour billions more into stem-cell research.

Sonavex, Inc., a privately held medical device company dedicated to improving surgical patient outcomes with point-of-care imaging technologies, announced that it received $3 million in recent financing, including the $2.2M first close of its Series A round. The offering, led by Grey Sky Venture Partners, was recently expanded by another $1.3 million following increased demand from investors. Other participating investors include CRCM Venture Capital, TEDCO, the Abell Foundation, medical device executives, surgeons, and successful business executives.

Greater Washington is so much more than a political “swamp.”

But that’s the label a group of life science companies and nonprofits — led by Gaithersburg-based MedImmune — said Wednesday they are still fighting against as they try to sell the year-old BioHealth Capital Region brand.

Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI), a privately held, Maryland-based biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the winner of their Cancer Discovery Incubator Award, Midissia Therapeutics (Midissia). Midissia is a clinical stage immunotherapy start-up focused on immune intensification.

The Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board (LSAB) today announced a series of strategic recommendations to grow Maryland’s biohealth industry and position the state as a globally recognized Top 3 U.S. BioHealth Innovation Hub by 2023. Maryland is currently one of the most asset-rich states for biohealth in the nation, and is home to top federal agencies, like the National Institutes for Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the National Cancer Institute; key federal research labs and world-class higher education institutions; and a confluence of more than 500 biohealth companies.

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. is launching a $1 million fund to help technology startup firms cover the gap between seed funding and venture capital investments.

When Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan stepped up to address a crowd of more than 1,000 life sciences executives and entrepreneurs on Wednesday, he couldn’t help but take the moment to remember his own brush with their work.

The Biohealth Capital Region Forum continued Thursday in Gaithersburg where guests heard from Senator Chris Van Hollen.    One of the topics of the forum was funding for the biotech industry. Many national health companies are headquartered in Montgomery County and are concerned about federal funding. President Trump’s proposed budget would cut six billion dollars from the National Institute of Health.

Looking for an investment? You’re in luck: Chevy Chase-based venture juggernaut New Enterprise Associates is wrapping up its latest $3 billion fund.

The venture firm has completed a “first close,” which means NEA has finalized its capital commitments and can now make investments. The firm can still raise additional money and will probably conduct a final close in a matter of weeks, according to sources familiar with the company’s fundraising efforts.

Johns Hopkins University – Montgomery County Campus9601 Medical Center DriveRockville, MD 20850

Learn about Bioscience Careers in Montgomery County, meet area businesses looking for talent, and connect to training opportunities to increase your skills! Open to any individual interested in BioCareers. A joint event hosted by Montgomery College, WorkSource Montgomery, MD BioFoundation, and BioBuzz.

Summer R.I.S.E. (Real Interesting Summer Experience) is a locally funded initiative led by WorkSource Montgomery in collaboration with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and other partners, that will provide MCPS rising juniors and seniors with enriching summer career development experiences. Students will participate in career shadowing opportunities that will introduce them to the structures of businesses and industries, the role of technology, and the importance of customer service in every profession. They will also earn a stipend, learn about financial literacy, and participate in both online and in person professionalism trainings to help prepare them for college and career.

Portable retinal imager developer Vasoptic Medical raised $1.5 million in a new round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing posted last week.

The Baltimore, Md.-based company is developing a portable retinal imaging device designed to capture physiological information from the retinal microvasculature.

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, announced today the appointment of Tom Polen, 43, as president of BD, effective immediately. In his new role, Mr. Polen will oversee all of BD’s operating segments – the Medical and Life Sciences segments, as well as the new Interventional segment, which will include the C. R. Bard, Inc. (NYSE: BCR) businesses following the close of BD’s acquisition of Bard, which was also announced today. Mr. Polen, currently executive vice president and president of the BD Medical Segment, will continue to report to Vince Forlenza, who remains chairman and CEO of BD.

U.S. medical equipment supplier Becton Dickinson and Co will acquire C R Bard Inc, in a $24 billion cash-and-stock deal, adding Bard’s devices to its portfolio in the high-growth sectors of oncology and surgery, both companies said on Sunday.

The deal comes two years after Becton Dickinson acquired CareFusion Corp for $12 billion. It is the latest in a string of deals in the medical technology sector, as manufacturers turn to acquisitions to boost profit margins.

When Johns Hopkins oncologist Drew Pardoll first heard about the plans for Saturday’s March for Science in Washington, D.C., he knew immediately that he wanted to rent a bus for the event.

Though an invitation to speak at an academic conference in China will prevent Pardoll—director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy—from attending himself, he personally paid for two buses to transport more than 100 colleagues and their guests to the rally.

G1 Therapeutics, an oncology therapy developer spun out of North Carolina University. has filed for a $115m initial public offering that will provide an exit for MedImmune, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca.

Apply for up to $3M to support continued development of your Phase II SBIR or STTR-funded heart, lung, blood, or sleep technology requiring approval or clearance by a Federal regulatory agency. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) SBIR Phase IIB Bridge and Small Market Awards programs aim to de-risk your technology and encourage partnerships between small businesses and investors and strategic partners.

The DOD SBIR 17.2 and the STTR 17.B Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) have been pre-released on the DOD SBIR/STTR Small Business Portal. You may now view the topics and ask technical questions through SITIS: https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/topics

Evan Savage, one of the organizers of Saturday’s March for Science in Toronto, looks at what’s happening south of the border in the U.S. and is reminded of what Canadian scientists faced under the previous Stephen Harper government, specifically cuts to science funding and the alleged muzzling of government scientists.

The Milken Institute today released a new report ranking more than 200 universities across the United States for their prowess in developing basic research into new technologies, products and companies – a process known as “technology transfer.”

The National Science Foundation has named 24 University of Maryland students as fellows for the foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

The fellowships are awarded to students in STEM fields who pursue research-based masters and doctoral degrees. Fellows receive an annual stipend of $34,000 and $12,000 to offset educational costs such as books and tuition.

The Startup Maryland bus was parked amid the bucolic brick of Johns Hopkins’ Homewood campus for Saturday’s Hatch Innovation Conference.

Along with giving the Hopkins entrepreneurs gathered at the event a chance to pitch on the spiffy in-bus video studio, it was the first stop for the 2017 tour of Maryland’s innovation community.

Mentors, Advisors, and Peers (MAPs) programs offer opportunity for WIB members to meet other women who are in various stages of their career, are on different paths, and have a range of backgrounds, in a professional yet social atmosphere. Through MAPs, members share experiences and give advice on everything from personal challenges to professional topics. With this MAPs networking event, we’re bringing these circles together to network and share best practices. What tactics work for running a successful mentoring group? How do you get the most out of your MAPs group? How do groups grow and change, and do they need to? We look forward to seeing everyone there!

This is a members-only event focused on existing MAPs groups and WIB members who are interested in learning more about MAPs groups.

April 25 @ 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm

BDO and Crowell & Moring are proud to present a networking opportunity and a panel discussion on IP Strategy for the BioPharma Industry. This is a “must attend” event for hearing and discussing the company perspective from companies engaged in drug, vaccine, biologic, or medical device research and product development. IP and the strategy to procure and sustain it is one of the most critical aspects to revenue generation and commercial success. Our panel members are admired veterans in this field and will present intriguing case studies that will emphasize lessons learned and practical solutions to creating a successful IP strategy.

John Kilbourne, professor at Grand Valley State U., in Allendale, Mich., came to the March for Science in Washington, D.C., dressed as Galileo, the founder of modern physics and astronomy who was persecuted for standing by his scientific findings.

The world marks January 11 as the 95th anniversary of the date that insulin was first used in humans to treat diabetes. Since then it would seem that barely a week passes without another device or treatment in the works. According to the Centre for Disease Control, more than 29 million Americans are living with diabetes, and 86 million are living with prediabetes, a serious health condition that increases a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Welcome to the first annual compilation of 50+ Innovation Leaders! AARP and the MedCity News team asked readers to nominate digital health companies, entrepreneurs and initiatives they felt best reflect the wide range of technologies and applications that innovatively support the 50+ population. After reviewing more than 150 submissions and tallying more than 5,000+ votes from MedCity News’s audience, we weren’t disappointed with the results.

The startup landscape in Europe is a prime example of how evolving mindsets, hard work and risk-taking can pay off in the form of economic growth and innovation. Investment in European startups is steadily increasing as new tech hubs take shape across the continent and European-headquartered companies expand internationally.

But as startups celebrate their milestones, we should be aware that rules enabling digital growth are giving startups the right environment to grow.

– Winner to be announced during 2017 BioHealth Capital Region Forum –

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, April 11, 2017 – Five companies have been selected to present in front of a panel of judges consisting of industry leaders during the 2017 BioHealth Capital Region Forum, April 19-20 at the MedImmune campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Founded by BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) and MedImmune in 2016, the Crab Trap Competition focuses on companies in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, healthcare services, e-health, mobile health, electronic medical records, health informatics, and biohealth cyber security. The grand prize this year is $10,000, incubation space in either Prince William County, VA or Montgomery Country, MD, and business mentoring. The 2nd Annual Crab Trap Competition is sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Last year’s winner of the Crab Trap Competition was Sonavex, Inc., a Johns Hopkins University spin-off simplifying point-of-care ultrasound imaging to increase its utility.

You are cordially invited to FastForward 1812 Grand Opening

WHEN: Wednesday, April 26, 20176:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

WHERE: FastForward1812 Ashland AvenueSuite 100Baltimore, MD 21205

PARKING: COMPLIMENTARY SELF PARKING AT ASHLAND GARAGE (CORNER OF ASHLAND AVENUE AND WASHINGTON STREET)

April 13, 2017: All Points, Maryland – Today Startup Maryland announced initial dates and the route for Stage One (April 15 – May 31) of the STRT1UP Road Show, the sixth annual state-wide tour and celebration of entrepreneurship and high-growth innovation-centric startup companies.

Additionally, Startup Maryland is announcing that the first stop on the 2017 tour will be the TCO Labs Hatch Innovation Conference being held on the Homewood Main Campus of Johns Hopkins University from 1:00-5:00pm ET. The event is free and open to the public, however, registration is required. Details and additional information can be found here: http://hatch2017.com/

University of Maryland, Baltimore County defeated nine other finalist teams to win the 2017 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition to become National Champions. The championship was held in San Antonio, Texas, April 13-15, with the top 10 college and university teams from across the nation facing off to protect a network against constant cyber attacks.

The Maryland Tech Council (MTC), Maryland’s largest technology trade association, has announced the finalists for its 29th Annual Industry Awards. Winners will be revealed at a celebration on June 1, 2017 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. The event, which draws more than 800 executives from the technology and life science communities, celebrates individuals and companies that have made a significant impact in their sectors.

April 25 @ 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm

BDO and Crowell & Moring are proud to present a networking opportunity and a panel discussion on IP Strategy for the BioPharma Industry. This is a “must attend” event for hearing and discussing the company perspective from companies engaged in drug, vaccine, biologic, or medical device research and product development. IP and the strategy to procure and sustain it is one of the most critical aspects to revenue generation and commercial success. Our panel members are admired veterans in this field and will present intriguing case studies that will emphasize lessons learned and practical solutions to creating a successful IP strategy.

Located in Rockville town center, ReveraGen is a fast-growing clinical-stage drug development company with a focus on developing therapeutics for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We run under a venture philanthropy model, through collaborations and partnerships with non-profit foundations and government agencies in both the US and the EU. We are currently looking for self-motived professionals to join our young, energetic and diverse team.

Position Open: Project Coordinator

Main Duties:

• Takes responsibility and manages defined projects
• Keeps track of and coordinates projects by follow up on tasks and results, tracking and recordingthe projects’ progress by proper tools and software, and reports deviations back to the VicePresident of Operations.
• Creates, revises and implements standard operating procedures
• Produces information by transcribing, formatting, inputting, editing, retrieving, copying, andtransmitting text, data, and graphics.
• Represents the the Vice President of Operations in the absence of the Vice President ofOperations.
• Protects operations by keeping information confidential.

Strand Life Sciences, a bioinformatics company, introduced liquid biopsy test portfolio called Strand LB that helps in highly sensitive detection of tumour traces from a simple blood draw.

While tumours are usually assessed through invasive biopsies or through radioactive scans, this test will ensure early and precise indication of tumour presence, cancer recurrence, and response to therapy, said the company in a statement.

Inova Health System’s Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI) is betting big on personalized and precision medicine.

And the Falls Church, Virginia, organization is hiring to ensure that bet pays off. Current openings include clinical researchers and genetics counselors, but they’re also looking for a senior cloud systems engineer, a bioinformatics software engineer and a personalized medicine data architect to support researchers and clinicians.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has pumped $6.25 million into the new Center for Engineering Complex Tissues (CECT), a tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting lab that will be run by Rice University, the University of Maryland, and Wake Forest University starting April 15.

Until the myth of the fountain of youth proves true, regenerative medicine is the best hope we’ve got for fixing failed body parts and, as a result, living longer. Scientists won’t be able to bottle forever. They are, however, working on engineering human cells, tissues, and organs that can repair themselves.

As my syringe presses against the skin and muscle surrounding a patient’s knee joint, I feel a brief resistance. A gentle increase in pressure, though, and the needle pops through, ready to inject the drug. But this isn’t a real patient or syringe – they’re both virtual.

I am taking part in a training simulation created by a London-based firm called FundamentalVR. It allows me to view my patient in virtual reality and perform knee surgery with a stylus that gives haptic feedback, so I can feel the different layers of tissue. The simulation is designed for surgeons who must learn how to properly inject a drug during surgery to provide post-operative pain relief.

Veni Vidi Vici. It translates into English as “I came, I saw, I conquered.” It also happens to be the name chosen by one of the winners of the recently held America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent Competition.

FDA recognizes that young scientists are our future. Now in its fifth year, America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent is one of a number of initiatives FDA supports to encourage young scientists to pursue careers in the rapidly maturing field of regulatory science.

April 27-28, 2017 – Washington, DC

Secure your spot today at the 8th Annual Health Datapalooza, the gathering place for people and organizations creating knowledge from data and pioneering innovations that drive health policy and practice. The Datapalooza takes place April 27-28, 2017 in Washington, D.C.

Join us at this exciting event and gain new knowledge on the use of health data to improve health outcomes, learn about the newest, most innovative and effective uses of health data, and network with peers offering diverse voices and perspectives in the field.

APRIL 27, 2017 TO APRIL 28, 2017

Host: Tech Council of Maryland

Location: Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda,Maryland 20852

Time: 8:00am to 1:00pm

Presented by the Tech Council of Maryland, Bio+Tech17 Conference reflects the changing landscape where life sciences and technology converge by bringing together more than 500 professionals in both fields so that they may meet and forge new partnerships that will lead to great new discoveries. Bio+Tech17 Conference will continue to bring together the life science and technology sectors to meet and leverage the talents of the other to grow their organizations and their industry.

Celebrating 25 years promoting trade and investment between Maryland and Israel

Honoring MIDC Executive Director Barry Bogage with the Hanan Y. Sibel Maryland/Israel Business Leadership Award for 25 years of dedication and professional excellence

Remarks by Governor Larry Hogan and Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer (invited)

MIDC Members $100*

Non-Members $150

Heavy hors d’oeuvres – Dietary Laws Observed

*Higher level members receive complimentary tickets and ad in 25th Anniversary Program Book. You must be a confirmed 2017 member.

Become a 2017 Member and honor Barry Bogage and the MIDC’s 25th Anniversary. All 2017 members will be listed in the 25th Anniversary Program Book. To join the MIDC click here and then register for the 25th.

Proceeds to benefit Maryland/Israel Business Initiatives

For questions about the 25th Anniversary, Ads in the Program Book or 2017 Membership please contact Nancy Boguslaw. All ads for the Program Book must be received no later than March 28th. 2017 Members wanting to be recognized on a special honor roll page need to confirm membership by March 28th.

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a regional innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant bio-health innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland, has been awarded a renewal of its contract to extend and expand its entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) program with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). BHI will place EIRs within the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the NIH Office of the Director and other NIH Institutes and Centers.

The EIR program was established with NIH in 2012 with BHI’s support. The program is set-up to achieve the mission of NIH by applying knowledge gained through discoveries to solutions for patients with unmet clinical needs. EIRs who participate in this program have prior experience maneuvering through multi-disciplinary technical challenges and the business and regulatory environment to deploy new healthcare solutions.

Due to the program’s initial success, the EIR program was expanded in 2015 to include NIH’s associated offices and institutes. The new term extends for an 18-month period from February 2017 through August 2018, with an option to renew for an additional 18 months.

“Expanding and extending our partnership with the federal government’s leading medical research agency is an honor that builds on our work together filling key EIR roles over the last few years,” said Richard Bendis, BHI President and CEO. “We’ve placed some of the most innovative and business-centered minds in biohealth and biotech and will continue to do so as we fill EIR roles that will drive cutting-edge approaches to commercializing medical devices and therapies.”

BHI can retain the services of up to six EIRs as a part of this program with NIH. The EIRs will be assigned to the appropriate facilities, and their task will be to foster collaboration between NIH leadership and the biohealth industry, while providing the agency with industry insights into innovation and commercialization perspectives in research and development. They will also help to guide NIH scientists, academics and small business innovators on best practices.

More information can be found at http://www.biohealthinnovation.org/programs/entrepreneur-in-residence-program.

About BioHealth Innovation, Inc.BioHealth Innovation, Inc., is a regional innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant bio-health innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland. BHI is known for providing commercial assistance to scientists and founders, educating and infusing Maryland’s life science community with new and young entrepreneurs and fueling startups within Central Maryland’s bio-ecosystem by connecting young companies to funding and business resources. Learn more at www.biohealthinnovation.org.

This invitation-only event is free for executive level biotech leaders and is presented by BioHealth Innovation, VirginiaBio, Paragon Bioservices, Inova, University System of Maryland and MedImmune/AstraZeneca. Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC set the bar high for biotech innovation. So please join us for our Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow.

We are excited to bring you an exceptional line up of speakers. The program will feature sessions that focus on Advancing Science and Accelerating Innovation.

The Johns Hopkins University’s newest business incubator, set to open formally at the end of April, adds more office and lab space to spur the school’s ongoing effort to commercialize research.

FastForward 1812, located in the East Baltimore development area at 1812 Ashland Ave., offers a home to startup companies trying to build products that grow out of research at the univeristy or its medical school. It’s also open to other Baltimore-area entrepreneurs.

Redox, the leading integration platform for digital healthcare applications and health systems, announced today that the Intermountain Healthcare Innovation Fund has invested $1 million as a follow-on to the company’s recently announced Series B, bringing the final closing to $10 million. The round was led by RRE Ventures with participation from .406 Ventures, HealthX Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, and Dreamit Ventures.

Student and faculty entrepreneurs have until April 14 to apply for the first round of funding from the University System of Maryland’s new $25 million venture fund.

Located in Rockville town center, ReveraGen is a fast-growing clinical-stage drug development company with a focus on developing therapeutics for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We run under a venture philanthropy model, through collaborations and partnerships with non-profit foundations and government agencies in both the US and the EU. We are currently looking for self-motived professionals to join our young, energetic and diverse team.

Position Open: Project Coordinator

Main Duties:

• Takes responsibility and manages defined projects
• Keeps track of and coordinates projects by follow up on tasks and results, tracking and recordingthe projects’ progress by proper tools and software, and reports deviations back to the VicePresident of Operations.
• Creates, revises and implements standard operating procedures
• Produces information by transcribing, formatting, inputting, editing, retrieving, copying, andtransmitting text, data, and graphics.
• Represents the the Vice President of Operations in the absence of the Vice President ofOperations.
• Protects operations by keeping information confidential.

Requirements:

• Pharmaceutical or clinical research background preferred
• Excellent communication skills (both oral and written)
• B.S. or B.A. Degree required
• Familiar with Microsoft Office software package (Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel)
• Smartsheet knowledge/experience is a plus

WalletHub recently analyzed innovation nationwide to compile a list of the Most Innovative States. Maryland ranks second among the 50 states and Washington D.C. in WalletHub’s report, reinforcing what many in Maryland already know: Innovation thrives here. Here are five reasons why innovation flourishes in Maryland.

Four years into its existence, Cydan Development, New Enterprise Associates’ orphan drug startup accelerator, has notched its first big win. Vtesse, the first company to emerge from Cydan, has been sold in a deal valued at $200 million.

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SCMP), a Rockville, MD-based maker of a drug to treat various bowel conditions, will acquire Vtesse for $170 million in cash and 2,782,678 shares of Sucampo, which closed at $11 apiece on Friday. Vtesse’s shareholders—New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Bay City Capital, Pfizer Venture Investments, and Lundbeckfond Ventures—could also get royalties on sales if Vtesse’s experimental drug, VTS-270, ever reaches the market. The drug candidate is designed to be a potential treatment for the rare genetic condition Niemann-Pick Type C1 disease, which mostly affects children.

Almost four years after the launch of the Ten by Twenty vision plan, Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels today invited the university community to explore a second update on the institution’s progress and share feedback.

Big funding deals across a number of industries propelled the D.C. area to one of its best first quarters in recent venture capital memory, setting the stage for a strong 2017.

With the push to encourage researchers to take steps to commercialize their discoveries, there are grants and awards and tech transfer offices and incubators and competitions and…

But receiving money doesn’t automatically mean that a successful business will appear right away. Like all startups, they need to identify the potential market for a product, and come up with a plan.

With the county’s proximity to the nation’s capital and the federal government, combined with our highly educated workforce, Montgomery County is rapidly growing as a global cybersecurity power hub.

The MCEDC board has identified cybersecurity as a target industry, and commissioned a 2017 report called “Building a Cybersecurity Industry in Montgomery County.”

It’s not the current product lineups that matter the most for big pharma companies. It’s their pipelines.

Three big pharma companies boasting the strongest pipelines are Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Novartis (NYSE: NVS), and Roche (NASDAQOTH: RHHBY). Here’s what sets these drugmakers apart from their peers.

Standing to address a crowd of biotech business leaders and health experts at a conference hosted by Virginia’s biotechnology association this week, Inova Center for Personalized Health CEO Todd Stottlemyer began with a question.

Much has been written about the role of the creative economy as a key indicator of economic health. The “rise of the creative class” and “creative clusters” are concepts that inform the larger conversation on cities as the economic drivers of regions. As a result, everyone from academics to governments are increasingly looking for ways to measure the scope and size of the creative economy.

It’s been over a year since Mayor Muriel Bowser broke ground on the new Inclusive Innovation Incubator based on Howard University’s campus, and now the space is getting ready to open its doors.

The incubator which, as the name suggests, aims to host and support diverse entrepreneurs, will officially open to the public with a “Week of Welcome” starting April 17. The week will feature a total of 30 events in the space — everything from coding classes to meetups and even a class on fitness for entrepreneurs. Most events are free and will give the D.C. startup (or would-be startup) community a chance to get a feel for the place.

CSSi LifeSciences™, a trusted partner from discovery to commercialization for biologics and vaccines, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with the Prince William Science Accelerator, the only public-private commercially available wet lab space in Northern Virginia. The partnership promotes the development of new businesses and the retention and expansion of existing businesses within the county’s growing and diverse life sciences community, through CSSi LifeSciences’ technical assistance, regulatory, clinical and commercial assessment for all Prince William Science Accelerator tenants.

Entrepreneurship is a thrilling roller coaster ride. There are highs, but there are also lows. What isn’t talked about enough is the struggle that so many entrepreneurs face pursuing success. How do you navigate through the tough times? Where do you turn?

What do you do when you hit rock bottom?

Scientists and policy-makers have long argued that public investments in science have practical applications. Using data on patents linked to U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants over a 27-year period, we provide a large-scale accounting of linkages between public research investments and subsequent patenting. We find that about 10% of NIH grants generate a patent directly but 30% generate articles that are subsequently cited by patents. Although policy-makers often focus on direct patenting by academic scientists, the bulk of the effect of NIH research on patenting appears to be indirect. We also find no systematic relationship between the “basic” versus “applied” research focus of a grant and its propensity to be cited by a patent.

You’re invited to LM’s greatest event of the year! Join us on Tuesday, June 6 as we present the 2017 graduating Core, Senior and Emerging Leaders classes. Meet the newest community members, interact with our honored Award Recipients and network with key influencers in the region. A delicious dinner and an open bar are included.

No two stem cells are identical, even if they are genetic clones. This stunning diversity is revealed today in an enormous publicly available online catalogue of 3D stem cell images. The visuals were produced using deep learning analyses and cell lines altered with the gene-editing tool CRISPR. And soon the portal will allow researchers to predict variations in cell layouts that may foreshadow cancer and other diseases.

As with many new fields, synthetic biology—which incorporates disparate disciplines like engineering, computer science, biotechnology, and molecular biology—is hard to pin down. But a rough working definition says that it is the application of the principles of engineering to biological systems. Instead of using engineering’s discrete modules of code, transistors, resistors, and capacitors, synthetic biology builds things from sequences of genetic material. The field has remarkable potential and has already been used to aid the production of antimalarial drugs and synthetic flavorings. One researcher used mail-order DNA and a genetic map available online for free to create a live polio virus. The implications could be enormous.

Unicorns pranced all over Twitter Sunday as users celebrated an imaginary holiday for an imaginary creature. But some Twitter folk weren’t in the mood for make-believe.

After all, who needs unicorns when majestic, spear-headed animals actually exist?

The National Cancer Institute has picked the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Campus as the site for a new laboratory building for its epidemiology and genetics researchers.

The planned 70,000-square-foot building will bring together about 134 scientists and employees now working in separate facilities in Gaithersburg and Frederick, about 25 miles apart.

Qiagen said Friday after the close of the market that it has acquired an exclusive worldwide license from Johns Hopkins University for detection of the AR-V7 biomarker in all sample and cell types using nucleic acid tests such as PCR or next-generation sequencing.

As a result, Qiagen will commercialize its research-use-only AdnaTest Prostate Cancer Panel AR-V7 to detect the androgen receptor splice variant 7 from liquid biopsies to investigate resistance to potential drugs for advanced prostate cancer.

Research tools developer Canopy Biosciences announced today that it has exclusively licensed a novel gene-editing technology from Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University.

The technology, called Tunr, involves targeting translation elongation by introducing consecutive adenosine nucleotides — known as polyA tracks — into a gene coding sequence of interest. As described in Nature Communications earlier this year, inserting polyA tracks into the open reading frame of an mRNA will suppress protein expression by decreasing the efficiency of the translation elongation phase leading to diminished production of protein and mRNA destabilization, thereby diminishing mRNA levels.

Doctors can rebuild parts of the body that have been damaged, but they need soft tissue to do it.

Whether it’s facial reconstruction after trauma, a masectomy as a result of breast cancer or something more cosmetic like stopping wrinkles, the person who needs the procedure is typically the one to provide the tissue.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced that it has signed a modification to its contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to manufacture and store bulk drug substance for its botulism antitoxin, BAT® [Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) – (Equine)], valued at approximately $53 million with a five-year period of performance. This modification to the contract will enable future filling and deliveries of final drug product to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). BAT is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic botulism following documented or suspected exposure to botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A, B, C, D, E, F, or G in adults and pediatric patients.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will spend $87.5 million over the next five years to continue a research partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and University of Maryland, College Park and to bring on additional partners, the universities announced Thursday.

Scientists from the participating universities will study high energy astrophysics, gravitational waves, space exploration and planets in the solar system at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, said T. Jane Turner, a professor of physics who runs UMBC’s arm of the program.

A group focused on spurring regional cooperation to boost the economy wants to raise $3 million to $5 million to rebrand Greater Washington and challenge its reputation as an epicenter of politics and gridlock.

The 2030 Group, a consortium of businesses, organizations and executives, will unveil a new video and website Thursday that will serve as a sort of platform for future marketing efforts. Then a call to fund the regionwide branding effort will begin.

Agriculture Innovation to Commercialization (AgI2C) is a new 2017 initiative of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization in agriculture, natural resources, and environmental sustainability. AgI2C will join the University’s innovation network that includes the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship in the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Mtech in the School of Engineering, the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the University’s Office of Technology Commercialization.

Initially, AgI2C will focus on: (a) incubating AGNR undergraduate teams to develop and pitch ideas for products and service, (b) offering an intensive Winter Term course for new graduate students, and (c) developing a learning and doing culture in AGNR academic courses.

2017 AgI2C Undergraduate Ideation Competition

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has partnered with the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship and the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to launch its inaugural Agriculture Innovation to Commercialization competition. Learn more about the competition at http://agnr.umd.edu/agi2c/ideation-competition.

What do Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Mo., Baltimore, Indianapolis, and New Orleans have in common? According to a recent report, they’re the best places to be if you’re a woman in tech.

Roche’s multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus won U.S. approval, putting the potential blockbuster back on track after a brief delay and giving a lift to patients with a form of the disease that until now had no approved treatment.

The drug, also known as ocrelizumab and administered via infusion, becomes the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medicine for the primary progressive form of the neurological disease (PPMS).

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett will participate in a press conference today hosted by WorkSource Montgomery, Inc. in collaboration with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery County Government to announce the Summer R.I.S.E (Really Interesting Summer Experience) program. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, at Kaiser Permanente’s Mid-Atlantic States Regional Administrative Offices on 2101 East Jefferson Street in Rockville.

This new initiative provides MCPS rising juniors and seniors with enriching summer career development experiences through local Montgomery County businesses and nonprofit organizations.

April 27-28, 2017 – Washington, DC