Learn How to Get Seed Funding Investment for Your Business from the Government! Improve your Federal Contractor procurement postion from the same program–Small Business Innovation Research Funds (SBIR). Featuring SBIR program managers from leading Federal agencies including DOD, NIH, NCI, NASA, DOE and NSF! Network with the SBIR program managers during an Expo and meet other business owners. Get tips on how to win awards and hear about changes in the agencies’ funding and procurement programs. If you are considering applying for an SBIR grant in 2015, or have already won and need to learn updates directly from SBIR program managers, this event is for you!
Montgomery County Executive, Ike Leggett, has named Sally Sternbach Acting Director for the Department of Economic Development effective January 3, 2015.
Health Canada has accepted US-based Sucampo Pharmaceuticals’ New Drug Submission (NDS) for Amitiza (lubiprostone), 24mcg capsules, to treat chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults and opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults with chronic non-cancer pain.
The pharmaceutical giant Roche has paid an undisclosed price to acquire Bina Technologies, a bioinformatics company. The move sees Roche expand further into the life sciences sector.
On Thursday, January 15, 2015 from 4-6:30 pm there will be an open house for the spring courses in the “Advanced Studies in Technology Transfer” program at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) Graduate School at NIH in the new Classroom & Bookstore complex in NIH Building 10 / B1 level. For the semester beginning on January 26, 2015 there will be 14 courses offered with details available in the new 2014-15 course catalog ( www.faes.org ). The Advanced Studies in Technology Transfer is an open enrollment program with class credits transferable into various university MBA & MS degree programs. The technology transfer classes will be held at the offices of the NIH Office of Technology Transfer in Rockville as well as the NIH main campus in Bethesda.
United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) announced today the signing of an agreement with DEKA Research & Development Corp. for the development of a potential technology breakthrough in the subcutaneous delivery of Remodulin® (treprostinil) Injection to patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) via a pre-filled semi-disposable pump system.
SHUTTLE Pharmaceuticals, a privately held company, today announced it has been awarded a fast-track Phase I/II contract #HHSN261201400013C by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The $ 1.62 million contract will fund the initial development of IPdR (5-iodo-2-pyrimidinone-2-deoxyribose), a prodrug of the radiation sensitizer IUdR (5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine). The contract is to determine the scientific merit, feasibility and potential for commercialization of oral IPdR for use as a radiation sensitizer for the treatment of rectal cancers. The NIH contract provides funds to cover a portion of the costs for initiating a Phase I trial in GI cancers and development of companion diagnostics for analyzing clinical specimens from Phase I patients.
Roche Holding AG said US health regulators have approved its Ebola test for emergency use in response to the world’s worst outbreak of the disease in West Africa.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Roche’s LightMix Ebola Zaire rRT-PCR Test for use on patients with signs and symptoms of Ebola Zaire virus infection, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement.
Two-thirds of a wide variety of cancer kinds are largely rooted in undesirable genetic luck and not simply the benefits of traits passed down from parents or risk components like smoking or diet program, according to a new study. Random mutations in DNA are largely accountable for the majority of cancers in humans, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Outgoing D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray gave the city’s tech scene some love as one of his final acts, signing a somewhat controversial tax cut into law. The capital gains tax on returns from investments in certain tech companies was lowered to 3 percent.
Here are a few thoughts on the cut from techs I spoke with…
Anne Arundel County’s economic development chief took to LinkedIn in search of a new executive director of the Chesapeake Innovation Center — and he’s dangling a big carrot.
Robert L. Hannon, president and CEO of Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp., is spreading the word that he’s looking for an executive director for the agency’s technology incubator who has a background in small-business/technology development, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and five years professional work experience. The position’s salary will range from $110,000 to $130,000, with an estimated benefits
The CMS Innovation Center paid $2.6 billion through September to hospitals, doctors and others through nearly two dozen programs that tested new ways to deliver healthcare and pay for it.
Biotechnology will have a strong year in 2015, but it can’t get any better than 2014, biotech investor G. Steven Burrill says in his annual year-end report.
“The unprecedented IPO (initial public offering) and M&A (mergers and acquisitions) activity this year will make 2014 one for the record books and unlikely to ever be surpassed,” Burrill said.
With 41 novel drug approvals under the regulators’ belts last year, 2014 represented an 18-year high for the Food and Drug Administration – including a record number of okayed meds for orphan diseases, the Associated Press says…
A new business incubator in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor will cater to startup companies launched through universities.
The Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology in January is opening a 4,300-square-foot incubator in its offices at the Christopher Columbus Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Campus Technology is looking for innovative colleges and universities that have deployed unique technology solutions to campus challenges.
Nominations are now open for our tenth annual Campus Technology Innovators Awards, recognizing institutions, technology project leaders and vendor partners that have used technology in new ways to support teaching, learning, administration and operations. The deadline for entries is Feb. 17.
Finding funds for early stage companies has always been a great challenge. In past venture financing cycles, it’s been the gap between the first venture financing (Series A) and the growth capital or mezzanine financing that many emerging companies were unable to bridge. This gap, called the “valley of death,” was attributed to a number of factors, but that valley of death has shifted in important ways in the recent past.
U.S. drug approvals in 2014 hit their highest level in 18 years and recommendations in Europe also came at a rapid rate, driven by expensive new treatments for cancer and rare diseases.
U.S. News & World Report is pleased to announce the 2014 STEM Leadership Hall of Fame, honored during the U.S. News STEM Solutions conference. In choosing the honorees, U.S. News sought out leaders who, among other things, have achieved measurable results in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields; challenged established processes and conventional wisdom; inspired a shared vision; and motivated legions of aspiring STEM professionals.
Governmental agencies face a wide spectrum of challenges in creating mHealth apps, ranging from a changing development culture to potential litigious issues, revealed a new report published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Last spring Laura Murphy, then 28 years old, went to a doctor to find out if a harmless flap of skin she had always had on the back of her neck was caused by a genetic mutation. Once upon a time, maybe five years ago, physicians would have focused on just that one question. But today doctors tend to run tests that pick up mutations underlying a range of hereditary conditions. Murphy learned not only that a genetic defect was indeed responsible for the flap but also that she had another inherited genetic mutation.
Ah, the elevator pitch. A favorite tool of the networking masses. A rite of passage of sorts. You’ve heard the scenario: you step into an elevator and go up one floor. The elevator doors open and in walks the client of your dreams. They start some small talk and ask, “What do you do?” and you’ve got the rest of the elevator ride to respond. How do you answer that in 20 seconds in such a way that gets them interested? The answer is simple. You need an elevator pitch for your elevator pitch.
In 2014, wearable health tracking devices continued to get more creative, going far beyond simple fitness tracking. The K-Goal, a “Fitbit for your vagina,” promised to help women do kegel exercises correctly, while the Emotiv EEG headset offered the prospect of mental acuity, measured by a device that tracks the brain’s concentration.
The year in biotechnology began with a landmark event. A decade after the first human genome was decoded at a cost of about $3 billion, the sequencing-machine company Illumina, of San Diego, introduced a new model, the Hyseq X-10, that can do it for around $1,000 per genome.
Medical technology developer Medtronic, Inc. recently completed an application submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the pre-market approval of their SynchroMed II implantable drug infusion system, which includes a new catheter design. The system is intended to be used by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients for the intravenous delivery of the drug Remodulin (treprostinil), which is being developed by the United Therapeutics Corporation.
Imagine, a quick pinprick on the sidelines of a football game that could tell athletes whether they’ve concussed. Arizona startup BioDirection is developing a point-of-care device that diagnoses minor brain injury quickly – in 60 to 90 seconds – with just a single drop of blood.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
Learn How to Get Seed Funding Investment for Your Business from the Government! Improve your Federal Contractor procurement postion from the same program–Small Business Innovation Research Funds (SBIR). Featuring SBIR program managers from leading Federal agencies including DOD, NIH, NCI, NASA, DOE and NSF! Network with the SBIR program managers during an Expo and meet other business owners. Get tips on how to win awards and hear about changes in the agencies’ funding and procurement programs. If you are considering applying for an SBIR grant in 2015, or have already won and need to learn updates directly from SBIR program managers, this event is for you!
BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a Montgomery County innovation intermediary which translates market-relevant research into commercial success by bringing together among other things management, funding, and markets, is seeking an experienced life science professional with entrepreneurial experience to serve as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR).
The EIR will lead in the evaluation of early-stage technologies and corporations with a priority focus on those associated with Funding Partners and those that best fit with the strategic direction as set by BHI’s CEO and Director of EIR Programs. The EIR will perform any reasonable task which will forward the goals of BHI.
A new business incubator in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor will cater to startup companies launched through universities.
The Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology in January is opening a 4,300-square-foot incubator in its offices at the Christopher Columbus Center in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
Tao Yu, a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, talks about his internship with Biohealth Innovation, through the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Biomedical Careers Initiative (BCI).
Biotechnology will have a strong year in 2015, but it can’t get any better than 2014, biotech investor G. Steven Burrill says in his annual year-end report.
“The unprecedented IPO (initial public offering) and M&A (mergers and acquisitions) activity this year will make 2014 one for the record books and unlikely to ever be surpassed,” Burrill said.
Marriott International Inc. is launching a restaurant incubator competition, hoping to tap the world’s growing cadre of food and beverage entrepreneurs to bring a new level of cool to its hotels.
The Bethesda hotel giant bills the competition, called Canvas, as a “global concept lab for food and beverage ideas.” The winners will get up to $50,000 each and six months to operate and prove their concepts.
In a world’s first, a double-amputee, with arms missing at shoulder level, received two prostheses, each of which he is able to control intuitively with his mind and manipulate different joints to control a total of 30 degrees of motion.
The system installed at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory relies on surgically connecting electrodes to existing nerves that used to lead to the different part of the arm and hand.
In 2014, wearable health tracking devices continued to get more creative, going far beyond simple fitness tracking. The K-Goal, a “Fitbit for your vagina,” promised to help women do kegel exercises correctly, while the Emotiv EEG headset offered the prospect of mental acuity, measured by a device that tracks the brain’s concentration.
The year in biotechnology began with a landmark event. A decade after the first human genome was decoded at a cost of about $3 billion, the sequencing-machine company Illumina, of San Diego, introduced a new model, the Hyseq X-10, that can do it for around $1,000 per genome.
Faced with diminishing returns on R&D investments, large pharmaceutical companies are searching for innovative ways to successfully identify, develop, and market products with financial viability. Yet small discovery companies and biotechs continue to outpace large pharma in the approval of NMEs (new molecular entities).
Rampaging animal spirits have given birth to a biotechnology unicorn. It’s apt that a stellar year for initial public offerings in the sector will be capped by its biggest float ever. Juno Therapeutics is a year old and revenue free, but its cancer fighting technology is hot. At nearly a $2 billion valuation, the company shows capitalism’s ability to catalyze investors’ hopes and resources.
Whether a startup makes or breaks depends on if you have the right people on the team. How can you know? During my start-up journey as an early employee of an online education startup, co-founder of a social enterprise, and sole founder of my health technology company, ClickMedix, I’ve been through and witnessed the birth, growth, decline, and eventual end of startups.
Medical technology developer Medtronic, Inc. recently completed an application submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the pre-market approval of their SynchroMed II implantable drug infusion system, which includes a new catheter design. The system is intended to be used by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients for the intravenous delivery of the drug Remodulin (treprostinil), which is being developed by the United Therapeutics Corporation.
Amgen Inc. announced an agreement Monday to become a sponsor of LabCentral, a biotech incubator in Cambridge, Mass.
The Thousand Oaks pharmaceutical company can nominate up to two biotech startups a year for residence in LabCentral’s facilities. The lab has 28,000 square feet and can house 28 early stage companies. Other sponsors of the project include Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, MIT and Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
Evolva Holding SA (“Evolva”, SIX: EVE) today announced that Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (“Emergent”, NYSE: EBS) has acquired Evolva’s anti-bacterial programme, the EV-035 series. The lead compound in the EV-035 series is the broad-spectrum antibiotic GC-072, which is being developed with US government biodefense funding. For Evolva, this transaction is worth up to USD 70.5 million plus royalties.
Much of the talk these days regarding HR technology revolves around big data, wearable devices and bring-your-own-device policies. Such current technological concerns could be mere child’s play compared to cyberconsciousness and how it could alter the workforce of the future. This obscure concept is brought to you courtesy of Martine Rothblatt, an unrelenting force in business.
Learn How to Get Seed Funding Investment for Your Business from the Government! Improve your Federal Contractor procurement postion from the same program–Small Business Innovation Research Funds (SBIR). Featuring SBIR program managers from leading Federal agencies including DOD, NIH, NCI, NASA, DOE and NSF! Network with the SBIR program managers during an Expo and meet other business owners. Get tips on how to win awards and hear about changes in the agencies’ funding and procurement programs. If you are considering applying for an SBIR grant in 2015, or have already won and need to learn updates directly from SBIR program managers, this event is for you!
From Steve Silverman, Directory, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development:
As 2014 draws to a close, I want to sincerely thank our 33,000-plus local businesses for all you do to support the local economy! Montgomery County benefits so much from our diverse, dedicated business community. I also applaud the many support organizations and entities that work with our Department, state and local governments to make sure you succeed.
Shareholders in British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) have approved a planned deal with Switzerland’s Novartis (NOVN.VX), which will see the two pharmaceutical groups trade more than $20 billion (12.7 billion pounds) of assets.
Advaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADXS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer immunotherapies, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to conduct a Phase 1/2 clinical study of ADXS-HPV (ADXS11-001) alone or in combination with MedImmune’s investigational anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, MEDI4736, for the treatment of advanced, recurrent or refractory human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cervical cancer and HPV-associated head and neck cancer. The trial is expected to begin patient enrollment in early 2015.
The Swiss firm, which this week filed a melanoma combination drug for US approval, spent $10bn on research into new products, ahead of rivals such as Novartis, which spent $9.8bn and the $8.2bn spent by Johnson & Johnson (J&J).
Let’s be clear: Martine Rothblatt is just plain more of a lawyer than anybody else in this town.
The 60-year-old grandmother and CEO of United Therapeutics, the Silver Spring-based biotech she founded to help save her younger daughter’s life, banked $38 million last year. It made her the nation’s highest-paid female executive. It also made her the nation’s highest-paid transgendered person, as she had sex reassignment surgery in 1994.
Healthcare workers treating Ebola victims are at a great danger of contracting the disease, as recent events in western Africa have shown. Currently available protective suits tend to require complicated procedures when putting on and taking off, are difficult to breathe in, and obscure the clinician’s face. A team at Johns Hopkins has developed, and just won a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to further perfect, a new protective suit for use when treating highly infectious patients.
Maryland is not waiting for the new year or a new governor to start taking applications for a program intended to boost business development around colleges and universities.
The state is now taking applications for its new Regional Institution Strategic Enterprise Zone program(called the “Rise Zone” program for short). It requires two application stages.
With new articles published in journals every week and scores of labs constantly at work, scientists at this university stay productive.
And a new ranking has found that university researchers live up to that standard — when it comes to science research, this university is one of the most prolific in the world.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded a five-year contract to the Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice Center (JHU EPC) to help the Center continue to promote evidence-informed decision-making in clinical practice and public health policy. JHU EPC was established in 1997 as a charter member of the EPC Program supported by AHRQ’s Effective Healthcare Program (EHC). Today there are a total of 13 EPC’s.
Much like the American Dream, entrepreneurship is a national ideal of the United States representing a belief that prosperity and success can be achieved through hard, tireless work. Developing a technological innovation that will change the world for the better is what it’s all about these days, especially for young people trying to make a name for themselves on college campuses. Students arrive on school grounds driven by two thoughts – fear of failure and desire for success – both of which naturally lead down the road to entrepreneurship.
Another one to file under the Science is Awesome category: Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory has engineered prosthetic arms that can be controlled with the mind.
The University of Maryland is recruiting Ken Ulman to transform College Park into a tech hub for incubators and startups, according to The Washington Post.
Ulman, a former Howard County executive who made an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor in November, will announce Monday he is forming a consulting firm called Margrave Strategies. Its first client will be the university’s fundraising arm, according to the report.
A coalition of geneticists and computer programmers calling itself the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health is developing protocols for exchanging DNA information across the Internet. The researchers hope their work could be as important to medical science as HTTP, the protocol created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989, was to the Web.
The FDA offered up an early retrospective of the 2014 year of approvals Friday with a rundown the regulator feels pretty good about. “Our Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has so far approved 35 novel drugs in 2014 compared to 27 in 2013,” FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg wrote on the agency’s FDA Voice blog.
The world of technology is growing at a rapid pace, nothing new, but next year could involve some major cashing in for some health tech industries. With the help of some leading analyst firms, Business Insider put together a list of the trends that are predicted to be really booming next year.
Ebola dominated the news in the second half of the year. Other important news was the debate on maintenance of certification, the first baby born after uterine transplant, and the change in HHS leadership.
Cathal Garvey used to work in cancer research. Now he is the scientific director of IndieBio, a biotech accelerator based in Cork, Ireland which is about to open a branch in San Francisco. Garvey originally studied genetics. “I got into genetics after seeing a documentary about it when it was quite young.” he says.”I had already decided that I was going to be a biologist at an even younger age. And then I thought ‘Oh my God, living things operate on a code.’”
Boards aren’t working. It’s been more than a decade since the first wave of post-Enron regulatory reforms and, despite a host of guidelines from independent watchdogs such as the International Corporate Governance Network, most boards aren’t delivering on their core mission: providing strong oversight and strategic support for management’s efforts to create long-term value.
Nearly every state added jobs in 2014, and 14 states experienced an employment increase of 2 percent or more, according to a Stateline analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Central Maryland, today announced recent highlights of funding achievements for clients, BeneVir Biopharm, Inc., and Perceptive Navigation, LLC. The significant progress poises both companies for clinical and/or commercial advancement in 2015.
BeneVir Biopharm, recently announced that it closed a Series A investment round with Pansend, LLC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of HC2 Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: HCHC). BeneVir is a Maryland-based company founded in 2011. Based on technology developed by New York University, BeneVir is developing an advanced immunotherapeutic platform for the treatment of solid tumors that can both directly kill tumor cells and also activate the human immune system to target tumor metastases and prevent recurrence of tumors. Currently, the company is focused on advancing its lead program into human trials for ovarian, breast, and bladder cancer. BHI’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Ram Aiyar, Ph.D., worked as a member of the BeneVir team to enhance the commercial potential of the company by building novel intellectual property, expanding the therapeutic pipeline and identifying potential development partners.
University System of Maryland Chancellor William E. Kirwan, who announced in the spring his plans to step down, said this week that he will likely remain in his post at least through February as the search continues for his successor.
Pieris AG announced today the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial with PRS-080, an anti-hepcidin Anticalin® therapeutic protein designed to treat anemia. The trial is a placebo-controlled, single ascending dose evaluation of the compound’s safety and tolerability in healthy volunteers. Conducted in Germany, the trial is underway and patients from the first cohort have been dosed.
Bedsores, diabetic ulcers and other chronic wounds cost the U.S. health care system $30 billion a year. Why? At least in part because the primary tool doctors and nurses use to track wounds is a basic ruler.
A ruler can measure the size of a wound, but does little to track other important qualities, such as changes in shape and tissue color. Consider that patients are usually cared for by a rotating team of nurses, who may each interpret a wound’s appearance differently, and it’s easier to see how so much money is spent tending to preventable (or at least treatable) conditions.
When it comes to the biggest investors in Research and Development (R&D) Swiss pharma top dogs Novartis and Roche have defended their positioning among the top ten companies worldwide – according to a recently published EU study.
The University of Maryland is now integrating the Lean LaunchPad® into standard innovation and entrepreneurship courses across all 12 colleges within the University. Over 44 classes have embedded the business model canvas and/or Customer Discovery including a year-long course taken by every single one of its bioengineering majors.
An advanced protective suit for healthcare workers who treat Ebola patients, devised by a Johns Hopkins team, has been selected as a winning design in a global competition aimed at quickly getting new tools into the field to combat this deadly disease.
Recent efforts between the University of Maryland (UMD) and Bethesda-based Weinberg Medical Physics LLC (WMP) have led to a new technique to magnetically deliver drug-carrying particles to hard-to-reach targets. The method has the potential to transform the way deep-tissue tumors and other diseases are treated.
Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 provides increased funding to support American jobs and innovation, including funds for trade and economic development programs, and investment in scientific research and exploration.
Stem cell-derived blood and platelet products have the potential to meet critical medical needs. Remaining challenges exist in both the manufacturing process and additional discovery research. The manufacturing process needs to be made more efficient and cost-effective while assuring the effectiveness and safety of the blood products and enable their commercial viability. RFA-HL-15-022 supports R01 grants to address the basic or early translational research needs whereas RFA-HL-15-029 and RFA-HL-15-030 support small business awards to enable further advances in the manufacturing processes (tools and technologies) to take advantage of the existing knowledge and recent advances in the field to produce safe and functional blood and platelet products at reduced costs.
NHLBI is soliciting applications from small businesses to develop and validate novel in vitro human cell-based tools for predicting the responses of individual patients to cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-directed therapeutics for cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. Proposed research projects are expected to focus on the development of highly innovative cell-based systems that recapitulate a patient-specific CFTR phenotype to create a personalized study platform to examine response to CFTR-directed therapeutics. The models developed must be based on live cells from humans harboring CFTR mutations associated with CF. While the primary goal of this initiative is to promote precision medicine and optimization of treatment at the personal level, it may also yield as a secondary benefit the ability to select appropriate treatments for CF at an earlier age.
ATCC, the premier global biological materials resource and standards organization, and LGC, a leading global producer and distributor of reference materials and proficiency testing (PT) programs, announce a new agreement to provide high-quality proficiency testing programs supporting the food, beverage, animal feed, and pharmaceutical quality control markets in the United States.
Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory says it has experienced record growth for initiatives to move its scientific discoveries into the commercial sector in 2014.
San Diego-based BioMed Realty Trust Inc. has sold a 289,900-square-foot bio-manufacturing facility at 9911 Belward Campus Drive for $322.5 million to private equity firm GI Partners.
The selling price translates into a whopping $1,112 per square foot.
The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:
Notices:
Request for Comments on the Draft NIH Policy on the Use of a Single Institutional Review Board for Multi-Site Research
(NOT-OD-15-026) Office of the Director, NIH
Reminder for the Extramural Scientific Community: Implementation of the Genomic Data Sharing Policy Begins January 25, 2015
(NOT-OD-15-027) Office of the Director, NIH
Notice of Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare Policy on Shared Animal Welfare Concerns
(NOT-OD-15-028) Office of the Director, NIH
NIH Modification to Guidance on Marking Changes in Resubmission Applications
(NOT-OD-15-030) Office of the Director, NIH
Update: New Biographical Sketch Format Required for NIH and AHRQ Grant Applications Submitted for Due Dates on or After May 25, 2015
(NOT-OD-15-032) Office of the Director, NIH
Notice of NHGRI Participation in PA-14-015 “Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Institutional Research Training Grants (Parent T32)” and Establishment of New Training Program in the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetic and Genomic Research
(NOT-HG-15-004)
National Human Genome Research Institute
Notice of Additional Due Date and Correction for RFA-HG-14-005 “Revisions to Add Biomedical Big Data Training to Active Institutional Training Grants (T32)”
(NOT-HG-15-009)
National Human Genome Research Institute
Notice of Change to Instructions for Senior/Key Personnel in the Overall and Project Components of PAR-13-316 “NHLBI Program Project Applications (P01)”
(NOT-HL-14-242)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Request for Information (RFI): Challenges and Opportunities for Exploring and Understanding the Epitranscriptome
(NOT-RM-15-007)
NIH Roadmap Initiatives
Requests for Applications:
Human Cellular Models for Predicting Individual Responses to Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator- Directed Therapeutics (R41)
(RFA-HL-15-026)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): February 9, 2015 and November 9, 2015
Human Cellular Models for Predicting Individual Responses to Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator- Directed Therapeutics (R43/R44)
(RFA-HL-15-027)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): February 9, 2015; November 9, 2015; and November 9, 2016
Sometime soon a slender robot that looks like Casper the ghost and works like Skype on wheels may visit the bedside of an Ebola patient in West Africa, as a doctor nearby instantly transmits data to other researchers over a portable Wi-Fi network.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has for the fourth consecutive time been ranked No 1 among global pharmaceutical companies assessed for their efforts to improve access to medicine in developing countries.
Released on 17th November by the Access to Medicine Foundation, the 2014 Access to Medicine (ATM) Index gives GSK a composite score of 3.3 out of a possible 5, following an in-depth evaluation of company activities in seven areas that are germane to enhancing access to medicine in developing countries.
A rich new Credit Suisse report, “Global Biotechnology – An Outlook for 2015,” was flush with cool data about trends in the biotech industry. The analysis lists out 10 key themes for 2015. Here’s the highlight reel:
Building a biotechnology startup is a lot like getting a private university education: To make progress, you have to get past the high-cost barrier to entry.
First and foremost, biotech requires expensive clinical studies and the use of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.
The U.S. Senate gave final passage on Saturday to an overdue spending bill for the 2015 fiscal year that provides modest increases for research, while holding education spending mostly flat.
As reported in a story earlier this morning, Oregon is preparing to join 15 states that have implemented rules to let businesses raise money through investment crowdfunding.
On October 9, 2014, the Investment Advisory Committee of the SEC issued its much awaited recommendations on the “Accredited Investor” definition of Regulation D of the ’33 Act. This is in response to the SEC’s Request for Comments on the definition of “Accredited Investor” in its release relating to Proposed Rules for Regulation D and Form D, which mainly related to general solicitation (for the full text of that release, see here).
Healthcare giant McKesson Corp. plans an aggressive move into venture capital funding for healthcare technology, expecting to commit several hundred million dollars to the effort over the next five to eight years, and hiring long-time venture capitalist Tom Rodgers as managing director of strategic venture capital operations.
Hospitals are on the hunt for new ideas to transform health care, and some are looking to reality television for inspiration.
Several health care institutions recently have tested TV’s “Shark Tank” approach to seeking out innovation — gathering a panel of pros to hear invention ideas from startups.
This source of strategic partnership offers a synergistic relationship that combines monetary and functional resources, capabilities, and core competencies for the purpose of technology commercialization. Entrepreneurs who are looking to accelerate the growth of their businesses often realize they can capture a greater bang for their buck when they collaborate with CVCs who offer value beyond the dollar.
California has been associated with risk-taking, entrepreneurship and innovation since the Gold Rush. Today, California is still an innovation engine in such varied sectors as agriculture and the Internet. But only one homegrown industry can stake a claim as a leading contributor to our state’s economy and the health of people around the world: the life sciences sector.
Louis Brandeis famously characterized states as laboratories for democracy, but cities could be called labs for innovation or new practices. With far fewer resources than states or the federal government and responsibilities to people on a daily basis, cities have to be scrappy and creative when it comes to delivering services and running their operations.
A flood of new health care IT companies has been pouring into the U.S. health care market. The cause of this torrent: the recognition that as market and regulatory forces alter incentives in health care, IT companies will play a powerful role in combating the overemployment and declining productivity that has plagued this industry and in helping providers improve the quality of care.
How do you turn a genetic disorder into a money-making empire? Grumpy Cat has done it, but is it only acceptable because she is a funny looking feline instead of a human?
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
AstraZeneca became the latest biotechnology company to expand its manufacturing operations in Maryland when the British drugmaker announced plans last month to enlarge a production facility and add 300 workers in Frederick.
Noble Life Sciences (Gaithersburg, MD), a provider of preclinical drug development services, today announced the acquisition of Spring Valley Laboratories (Sykesville, MD), a full service, GLP (Good Laboratory Practice)-compliant, preclinical contract research organization (CRO) for the development of drugs, vaccines, and medical devices.
The acquisition greatly expands Noble’s services to include GLP regulatory standards, studies in small and large animals, and testing capabilities for vaccines and medical devices. Combined with Noble’s recognized strength conducting studies directed at early-stage products, the acquisition of Spring Valley Laboratories extends the Company’s suite of offerings across the full continuum of preclinical studies from initial product discovery through regulation-compliant studies for submission to FDA and other similar agencies.
“Today, on this stage in the auditorium of Richard Montgomery High School – a magnet school that symbolizes the quality education that is Montgomery County – I stand before you with great humility and excitement about the future as I begin my third term as your County Executive.”
“I have learned throughout my life that families are our “links” to our past, our anchors in the present, and bridges to our future. So, to my family, your love, support and patience have kept me grounded.”
Eyeing the biotech IPO boom earlier this year, Ariosa Diagnostics planned to go public as it battled larger competitors in the prenatal testing field. But the San Jose, CA-based company backed off in late April, and that was its last chance. Multinational healthcare firm Roche has bought Ariosa for an undisclosed amount, the companies announced today.
Tom Telford ’s stomach ached. The New York City teacher had been drinking cup after cup of coffee as he labored to finish year-end grading and coach his high-school baseball team through the playoffs. He worried he might have an ulcer.
BioCity, the Bioscience incubation specialist with locations in the East Midlands (BioCity and Medicity in Nottingham), the North West (BioHub at Alderley Park) and Scotland (BioCity Scotland at Newhouse), has announced a new investment fund, created following a significant contribution by AstraZeneca.
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche Holdings (NASDAQ:RHHBY) recently announced the acquisition of Ariosa Diagnostics, which makes non-invasive prenatal testing equipment. The terms of the deal were not disclosed by Roche in its press release. According to WHO, there are over 200 million pregnancies worldwide annually and prenatal testing to detect Down syndrome is gaining strong traction.
Entrepreneurs on college campuses got another boost Thursday with Boston-area Xfund closing a $100 million fund to bankroll new ideas and support startups it’s backed so far.
A quick note: Nature announced yesterday that it will make all of its articles free to view, read, and annotate online. That applies to the historic science journal (launched in 1869) and to 48 other scientific journals in Macmillan’s Nature Publishing Group (NPG). Other titles include Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine and Nature Physics.
Pieris AG has achieved the fourth milestone payment for its lead Anticalin® program with Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereinafter Daiichi Sankyo; headquartered in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, TSE 4568), triggering an undisclosed payment, the company announced today. This milestone marks in total the sixth milestone achieved for the parties’ two R&D collaborative projects. Specifically, the milestone was the decision by Daiichi Sankyo to initiate a GLP toxicity study in non-human primates. In 2013, Pieris transferred the program to Daiichi Sankyo, which is responsible for further development of the program.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502) today announced its global oncology business unit, headquartered in Cambridge, MA, will be called Takeda Oncology. The creation of Takeda Oncology will improve the company’s ability to meet the unique and urgent needs of cancer patients, their loved ones and health care providers worldwide. Takeda will sustain its long-standing entrepreneurial approach to oncology research and development while expanding its global commercial network and resources as Takeda Oncology. Takeda is retiring the Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company brand, and replacing it with Takeda Oncology to reflect the new global oncology business unit.
Blueprint Health has formed an interdisciplinary group inside and outside of healthcare to develop and assess new healthcare technologies earlier in an effort to reduce risk and to better predict the ROI of solutions earlier, according to a company statement. The Blueprint Health Collective will be totally separate from its New York City-based accelerator.
Governor Terry McAuliffe on Thursday announced a Virginia Bioscience Initiative, kicking off the effort with a public and private sector roundtable discussion on the commercialization of university bioscience research at the State Capitol. University representatives and bio industry leaders joined the Governor, members of his administration and renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Dr. Robert S. Langer for this discussion.
I was asked by the U.S.-UK Fulbright Commission to give a series of lectures in the United Kingdom in 2013 on the topic of diplomacy. This was surprising, as I am even marginally competent in only one domain of diplomacy—the forms of international relations that involve nations working together in fields of medical science and health. So I proposed to address the question of what accounted for the success—despite inherent difficulties and adverse circumstances—of three important and ambitious international initiatives in medicine and related science undertaken by the United States.
Learn How to Get Seed Funding Investment for Your Business from the Government! Featuring SBIR program managers from leading Federal agencies invited including DOD, NIH, NCI, and Homeland Security plus case studies from experienced SBIR recipients and much more! Network with the SBIR program managers during an Expo and meet other business owners.
This event is generously supported by Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County; Maryland Technology Development Corporation; BioHealth Innovation; and the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development.
The recent bumpy landing of Philae on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a ten year journey, and more than 1.4 billion euros in investment, is a fantastic example of European science, expertise and collaboration at work.
Biopharmaceuticals are among the most sophisticated and elegant achievements of modern science. The huge, complex structures of these drugs don’t just look extraordinary in the 3-D modeling systems used to design them; they also perform their jobs remarkably well, offering high efficacy and few side effects. And there is much more to come: existing treatment archetypes are evolving and becoming more sophisticated all the time, and continuing research is yielding entirely new types of products.
Canadian researchers have developed “smart textiles” able to monitor and transmit wearers’ biomedical information via wireless or cellular network by superimposing multiple layers of copper, polymers, glass, and silver.
GI View out of Ramat Gan, Israel finally won FDA clearance to introduce to the U.S. market its self-propelled single-use Aer-O-Scope colonoscope. This device originally appeared on our radar almost a decade ago, but the regulatory road seems to have been rocky for GI View, and the company expects it will be at least another year before it begins introducing the Aer-O-Scope to the U.S. market.
Most people’s to-do lists are, almost by definition, pretty dull, filled with those quotidian little tasks that tend to slip out of our minds. Pick up the laundry. Get that thing for the kid. Buy milk, canned yams and kumquats at the local market.
Federal spending on scientific research hasn’t kept up with inflation in recent years, and it’s made it harder for researchers to fund their work. Some of them are turning to another source: crowdfunding. But this funding source raises new questions for scientists.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
Immunotherapy is at the forefront of cancer care; however, most cancers evolve the ability to dodge the body’s defenses.
Maryland startup BeneVir is developing immunotherapy viruses that rid the body of two types of tumor cells – those that cause cancer and the ones that make it recurrent.
British drugmaker AstraZeneca plans to spend $200 million over the next three years, expanding its manufacturing facility in Frederick, Md., and hiring an additional 300 workers at the site, executives said.
The decision further cements Gaithersburg-based MedImmune, an AstraZeneca company, as the crown jewel of Maryland’s life sciences industry.
An experimental vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease was well-tolerated and produced immune system responses in all 20 healthy adults who received it in a Phase 1 clinical trial conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health. The candidate vaccine, which was co-developed by the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was tested at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The interim results are reported online in advance of print in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The stampede is back on among venture capital firms to raise new money and close more funds, after years of standing pat following the recession and years of sluggish recovery.
That next blockbuster drug? It all begins with a hypothesis: GlaxoSmithKline just announced the winners of its second Discovery Fast Track Challenge – a competition that teams up American and European academia with GSK researchers to speed up their search for new therapeutics.
The Washington Business Journal interviewed Leslie Ford Weber, JHU’s director of the Montgomery County Campus and of government and community affairs for Montgomery County. The feature ran as an Executive Profile on Nov. 14, 2014. It was written by Vandana Sinha, an assistant managing editor at the Washington Business Journal. The photo was taken by Joanne S. Lawton.
The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest: Notices:
NIH Implementation of the US Government Policy on Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern
In 2015, hospitals will – and should – make more advanced use of “third platform” technologies based on mobile tools, social channels, data analytics and the cloud, according to a recent report from IDC Health Insights.
With healthcare costs unsustainable, but these new technologies now ubiquitous, IDC officials say hospital CIOs will increasingly be turning to new tools – especially as consumers expect healthcare to be as responsive to their wants and needs as other industries.
Angel investors are often rich individuals who provide startups with capital for their start-up costs. The term comes from Broadway, where it was originally used to describe the wealthy individuals who provided money for theatrical productions.
Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development (CVD), and Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today the start of a clinical trial in Baltimore to evaluate different dosage levels of a promising experimental Ebola vaccine developed by the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK
The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC), a nationwide network of federal laboratories that cultivates best-practice strategies for advancing technology transfer (T2) from the laboratory to the marketplace, today announced the launch of FLCBusiness, an interactive business resource tool.
Lacrosse sticks, construction models and surgical tools — these are all things Baltimore companies are making with the help of 3-D printing.
Three-dimensional printing was invented decades ago but has really taken off in the last few years. Printers are more affordable (you can get one for your desktop for the price of a MacBook Pro). And printing material has advanced significantly, to include more durable plastics, metal and more.
Every once and a while we get a clear example of the gulf between those battling over important public policy issues and can understand why the public and policy makers are confused by resulting charges and counter charges. Last week was a good illustration.
David Chalker, 50, has excruciating pain in his hip. He’s an Army veteran and because of the pain, he had to leave his job as a machinist, which left him in a great deal of debt and unable to pay for health insurance. He, his wife, and his three daughters needed to move in with his in-laws as a result.
The color of your urine could be telling you something about your health condition. Yes, your standard yellow is where you want to be, but the different shades of the rainbow make an appearance on occasion.
Any small business or venture capital company interested in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunities should pay close attention to the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) recent request for public comments, by January 6, 2015, on data rights and Phase III funding, and a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report identifying the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) as the two agencies presently accepting applications from majority-owned portfolio companies.
Nestled in a quiet industrial park in Redmond, Washington, not too far from the Microsoft headquarters, is a small biotech start-up with both an interesting technology they are bringing to market, as well as a capital partner that suggests some ways in which global biotech research, venture capital and commercialization are going to change.
Small businesses are a major driver of high-technology innovation and economic growth in the United States, generating significant employment, new markets, and high-growth industries.1 In this era of globalization, optimizing the ability of small businesses to develop and commercialize new products is essential for U.S. competitiveness and national security. Developing better incentives to spur innovative ideas, technologies, and products—and ultimately to bring them to market—is thus a central policy challenge.
BioHealth Innovation (BHI) is a regionally-oriented, private-public partnership functioning as an innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
BeneVir Biopharm, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a pipeline of cancer immunotherapies, today announced it closed a Series A investment round with Pansend, LLC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of HC2 Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: HCHC).
BeneVir’s core technology was licensed from New York University (NYU) and originally developed by Ian J. Mohr, Ph.D., NYU Langone Medical Center.
The Life Sciences Impact Grant Program was created in 2014 to provide financial assistance to life science employers who retain jobs and to stimulate the organic growth of life sciences in Montgomery County.
The Department of Economic Development will award grants in the amount of between $5,000 and $25,000 to 5-7 life sciences companies, enabling them to advance a business development/product development goal.
British drugmaker AstraZeneca is doubling down on Maryland, spending $200 million to expand its Frederick manufacturing facility a year after shifting hundreds of out-of-state jobs to Montgomery County.
Drug giant AstraZeneca will expand its biologics manufacturing center in Frederick and add hundreds of jobs to its operations there.
The drug giant will spend more than $200 million to increase production capacity. MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s biologics research and development arm, has more than 120 drugs in its research pipeline, including more than 30 in clinical development. AstraZeneca says the expansion will support its research.
Local companies, along with County Executive Leggett, are exploring incredible international business opportunities in the Indian market as part of the County’s business mission to India November 13 through 22. Read the press release to learn more.
The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), Maryland’s largest technology trade association for life science and technology, today announced that it will honor former Lockheed Martin Corporation Chairman and CEO Norman Augustine, MedImmune, Inc. Founder Dr. Wayne Hockmeyer and University System of Maryland Chancellor William Kirwan with its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Awards. The awards will be presented during TCM’s Lifetime Achievement Gala, February 19, 2015.
Baltimore biotech firm Noxilizer Inc. is expanding its footprint at the University of Maryland BioPark to meet growing demand from clients.
Noxilizer developed a medical sterilization system that uses nitrogen dioxide, a faster alternative to traditional methods. The company added about 5,000 square feet to its sterilization space to accommodate a growing interest in its contract sterilization services. The company’s sterilization lab now takes up about 16,00 square feet — the entire basement at 801 W. Baltimore Street.
Protagen AG announced that it has entered into a long-term collaboration agreement with QIAGEN targeting the development of novel protein-based companion diagnostics for autoimmune disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, QIAGEN will gain access to the proprietary SeroTag® technology platform of Protagen, which enables the discovery and validation of novel protein-based marker panels. Such markers hold great promise for the development into companion diagnostics to guide treatment decisions in various autoimmune disorders. Financial details of the collaboration were not disclosed.
Two University System of Maryland schools are turning investor.
University of Maryland, Baltimore, and University of Maryland, College Park plan to invest up to $500,000 each in Maryland-based startups that use technology licensed from the universities.
What do beekeepers, marching band members, engineers and choir singers all have in common? They all raised money for various projects through Launch UMD, a new crowdfunding platform at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) has asked its shareholders to vote at a meeting on Dec. 18 on its proposed major deal with Switzerland’s Novartis (NOVN.VX), which will see the two pharmaceutical group trade more than $20 billion of assets.
Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development (CVD), and Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today the start of a clinical trial in Baltimore to evaluate different dosage levels of a promising experimental Ebola vaccine developed by the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK
There are presently massive shifts occurring in the competitive global landscape of health, and particularly in the life sciences. As we approach 2015, it is imperative that leaders in the health space understand the trends and shifts happening around them, not only in the US, but also in international markets, cities and service lines.
Surgery is an art form for Johns Hopkins surgeon Dr. Amir Dorafshar, who on a November morning spent four hours smoothing the point out of a child’s skull.
The procedure, needed to allow the 18-month old’s brain to grow properly and avoid developmental disorders, requires taking apart the skull in pieces, then putting it back together.
Few businesses owned by venture capital firms have been awarded Small Business Innovation Research awards since this program was opened to them two years ago.
Through the SBIR program, 11 federal agencies spend at least 2.8 percent of their outside research budgets with small businesses. Only two of these agencies — the National Institutes of Health and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy — have allowed VC-owned businesses to compete for SBIR awards, according to a new Government Accountability Office study.
A Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering student team has placed second in the undergraduate division of the Collegiate Inventors Competition for its AccuSpine probe, marking the third consecutive year that a Johns Hopkins team has been awarded a top prize in this challenge.
The president of the University of Maryland University College, rejecting a recommendation from an outside committee, has decided he won’t ask the state to let the university convert to a private nonprofit institution or break away from the University System of Maryland.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST), Rockville, Maryland
Climbing the Regulatory Summit: Insights into developing the Best Regulatory Pathway for your Venture and Methods of Designing an Efficient and Productive Clinical Trial
An absolutely essential exercise in any healthcare or life science start-up is to determine the optimal regulatory pathway and the most efficient clinical trial design. Come and hear the experts before you go spending those scarce resources!
Are you an established public company looking to impress investors with your company’s latest developments, or a late-stage private company hoping to make the valuable connections needed to take your product to the next phase? Nominate your company to be the Buzz of BIO at the 2015 CEO & Investor Conference!
Ten biotechs will be nominated in each of two categories, “Most Distinguished Public Company” and “Most Promising Private Company.” Only 20 nominations will be accepted in total, and must be submitted by 5:00pm ET, November 21, 2014. All nominations are subject to review.
The angel investor market in Q1,2 2014 showed signs that the five year moderate growth has continued in the first half of 2014. Total investments in Q1,2 2014 were $10.1 billion, an increase of 4.1% over Q1,2 2013, according to the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. A total of 30,270 entrepreneurial ventures received angel funding in Q1,2 2014, a 5.9% increase from Q1,2 2013, and the number of active investors in Q1,2 2014 was 143,140 individuals, an increase of 6.1% from Q1,2 2013. The increase in total dollars and the larger increase in total investments (deals) resulted in a deal size of $332,120 in Q1,2 2014, a decline from the deal size in Q1,2 2013 of $337,850. These data indicate that angels remain major players in this investment class and at valuations similar to Q1,2 2013. The market exhibited a sustained growth pattern over a five year period and the angel market has now recovered from the correction in 2008.
Big pharma companies are making greater efforts to improve access to medicines in the developing world, but corruption and intellectual property (IP) issues are areas of concern, says a new report.
The biannual Access To Medicines Index (ATMI) – which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK and Dutch governments – puts GlaxoSmithKline at the top of its rankings in 2014 for the fourth time, followed by Novo Nordisk and Johnson & Johnson.
As part of ongoing research into national healthcare spending, the Deloitte Center For Health Solutions recently published their findings based on health data from 2012. According to the new report, there’s an additional amount of healthcare consumer spending that isn’t included in the federal calculations (often referred to as the National Healthcare Expenditure or just NHE). The new Deloitte calculations represent out‒of‒pocket expenses by consumers and amount to an additional $672 billion for 2012. By Deloitte’s accounting, this additional amount puts the NHE for 2012 at $3.46 trillion.
As the sound of pile driver at the Edward St. John’s Learning and Teaching Center construction site boomed across Campus Drive, officials broke ground Friday morning on another project: a bioengineering building aimed at forwarding research in a relatively new field.
Digital technologies such as electronic medical records, mobile devices, and analytics offer the potential to transform health care. Whether it’s a patient using her smartphone to better manage her diabetes, a provider monitoring a patient for arrhythmia remotely, or an electronic health-record system alerting a clinician of a potential drug allergy, digital technologies can create meaningful value for patients and practitioners alike. Yet there are significant barriers to the development and adoption of such technologies that academic medical centers are uniquely positioned to overcome.
ATCC, the premier global biological materials resource and standards organization, is pleased to announce that Ralph Koch has joined ATCC as the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer and Dr. James Kramer has joined as the Vice President of Operations.
ATCC has a reputation for delivering high quality biomaterials and services to support scientific research and breakthroughs that improve the health of global populations.
That was the theme when medical thought leaders converged on New York City recently for the Faster Cures Center of the Milken Institute’s “Partnering for Cures” conference where Fox News’ own Dr. Manny Alvarez was a panel moderator.
Unlock your molecule’s potential with the help of EMD Millipore’s Emerging Biotech Grant Program
At EMD Millipore, it’s our goal to help advance lifesaving drugs to market. We understand the challenges that emerging biotech companies face in their quest to quickly push the next generation of drugs to market. We want to help you succeed.
In perhaps yet another sign of the expanding role of retail healthcare, CVS Health said it is opening a new Digital Innovation Hub on Boston that will serve as a central hub for the Rhode Island-based pharmacy’s digital health team.
The Department of Health and Human Services has expanded its entrepreneurs-in-residence program with new partners who will work with agency employees on various projects over a 12-month period.
Now through December 1st, 2014, Freudenberg will be hosting a contest in the area of smart surface technology for medical devices (preferably silicone based). Share your new product or business idea for the opportunity to launch a successful and innovative startup business in cooperation with Freudenberg.
Ten years ago, scientists discovered that some people are naturally missing working copies of a gene known as PCSK9. The consequences of the mutation were extraordinary. These people, including a Texas fitness instructor, a woman from Zimbabwe, and a 49-year-old Frenchman, had almost no bad cholesterol in their blood. Otherwise, they were perfectly normal.
In the “Mystery of Capital,” Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto famously writes about the need to convert assets into capital for creation of social and economic value in developing countries and economies in transition, noting: “Any asset whose economic and social aspects are not fixed in a formal property system is extremely hard to move in the market.” While de Soto is describing the need to legalize informal property systems, this is equally true with respect to BRICS and other countries seeking to unlock capital resources for R&D intensive start-ups, also known as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The US healthcare industry is undergoing a major transformation as healthcare reform encourages consumers to play a far more active decision-making role. Yet despite this traditionally business-to-business industry moving quickly to a business-to-consumer model, companies have been slow to join the digital movement. Unlike successful B2C companies in other industries—which offer mobile solutions, provide personalized product recommendations, and empower customer-service agents with a 360-degree view of the customer—most healthcare providers and payors are lagging, as are pharmaceutical companies and medical-device manufacturers.
More than half of all healthcare practitioners, or 57 percent, said that on “most days” they feel more attached to computers than their patients, according to a recent survey conducted at the Integrative Health and Medicine conference.
Patients and doctors often don’t know if surgery to remove cancerous tissue was successful until scans are performed months later. A new kind of nanoparticle could show patients if they’re in the clear much earlier.
The nanoparticles—dubbed nanoflares—attach themselves to individual cancer cells in a blood sample and then glow, allowing cancerous cells to be detected and sorted with the help of a laser.
BioHealth Innovation (BHI) is a regionally-oriented, private-public partnership functioning as an innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
QIAGEN N.V. (Nasdaq: QGEN) today announced it has entered into a master collaboration agreement with the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) to enable the development and commercialization of companion diagnostics to be paired with existing Novartis pharmaceutical products as well as compounds in its development pipeline.
The non-exclusive agreement with Novartis creates a framework for collaborations that would include developing QIAGEN companion diagnostics to guide treatment decisions for Novartis pharmaceutical products. The scope of the collaboration can cover all QIAGEN platforms, indications or biomarkers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
LabCentral and Roche announced an agreement in which Roche would provide technology and financial support to LabCentral, a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups.
WellDoc®, a leading digital health care behavioral science and technology company has launched a multi-stage collaboration effort with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, to improve the lives of those living with type 2 diabetes and explore next generation diabetes devices and product offerings.
View gallery . The parties share a vision for leveraging technology to empower patient self-management and provider clinical decision-making. They each have commercialized unique and powerful health care platforms that when combined, can deliver unparalleled support to patients with diabetes.
Startup Maryland (http://www.startupmd.org) today announced the Great two top Finalists from the 2014 Pitch Across Maryland celebration.
After qualifying and posting more than 150 video pitches from Maryland entrepreneurs that were captured during the three-week Pitch Across Maryland tour | celebration, Startup Maryland is proud to announce Vheda Health (Howard County/MCE) and BrinkBit (uBalt, ETC, EAGB, GBC) as Winner and Runner-up, respectively.
Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is hoping to broaden Montgomery County’s reach in biotech and other high-tech areas as he leads a delegation of two dozen County businessmen and businesswomen to India this month.
Among those joining Leggett are Maryland State Delegate Aruna Miller, Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen, Montgomery College President Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard, Global LifeSci Development Corporation executive vice president Jonathan Genn, President & CEO of the India-US World Affairs Institute Vinod Jain, and former White House communications director Ann Lewis.
If you’re a foreign entrepreneur looking to break into the U.S. market, the State of Maryland wants to help.
On the third floor of a nondescript office building perched on a busy commercial strip in College Park, Maryland, foreign-owned startups can get a boost at the Maryland International Incubator, a first-of-its-kind incubator focused exclusively on foreign companies settling in the United States.
A Johns Hopkins astrophysicist will share in a $3 million prize for his discovery that the universe is expanding rapidly, contrary to earlier belief.
Adam Riess, who previously won a Nobel Prize for his work, has been awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. Riess shares the award with research partner Brian P. Schmidt of the Australian National University and University of California, Berkeley astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter.
Swiss drugmaker Roche said Friday that the Food and Drug Administration approved its drug Avastin as a treatment for ovarian cancer.
Roche said the FDA approved Avastin in combination with chemotherapy as a treatment for recurrent cases of cancer that are resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy.
Join us Nov. 20 for the 15th annual Bioscience Day at the University of Maryland, where we will explore “Scientific Advances in Treating Trauma and Disease.”
Join BioBuzz and our sponsor CRB for another great BioBuzz networking event on November 19th from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. @ American Tap Room in Rockville, MD. This location is a short walk from the Metro located in the Rockville Town Center.
The MCCC Business Awards Dinner Committee and Chair of the Board Lisa Cines, CPA of Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP invite you to join in the celebration of those who make our economy and community thrive. This annual sold-out event attracts 700+ guests including award winners, sponsors, business leaders, elected and government officials and the media. Join us for a great evening of Meaningful Connections, Commerce and Celebration.
Seniors in the University of Maryland’s Fischell Department of BioEngineering (BioE) design and build devices designed to improve patient outcomes and health care while lowering costs. BioE teams are typically matched with a pair of advisors including a BioE faculty member and a physician from the University of Maryland Medical Center. The teams are assisted by University engineers for fabrication and by business advisors for entrepreneurship. This year, there are 91 students comprising 18 teams of innovators full of fearless ideas.
Eighth grader Lily DeBell won the 2014 NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, presented by the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth.
DeBell, who is still in middle school, finished ahead of 40 other student entrepreneurs from across the county – almost all of them were either High School or college age students.
In a breakthrough in the design of batteries, a research funded by the US Department of Energy has produced a remarkable new prototype battery that just needs 12 minutes to get fully recharged compared to the hours the conventional cells take up to get replenished.
Researchers at the University of Maryland who were involved in this research stated that their new invention can work towards the long sought-for miniaturization of energy storage components. This breakthrough can certainly help towards allowing electric cars to give petrol-powered vehicles a run for their money.
Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Science of Behavior Change: Assay Development and Validation for Self-Regulation Targets (UH2/UH3)
Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Science of Behavior Change: Assay Development and Validation for Stress Reactivity and Stress Resilience Targets (UH2/UH3)
Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Science of Behavior Change: Assay Development and Validation for Interpersonal and Social Processes Targets (UH2/UH3)
Application Receipt Date(s): February 18, 2015, September 18, 2015 (resubmissions only), February 18, 2016, September 19, 2016 (resubmissions only); February 18, 2017, September 18, 2017 (resubmissions only) by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
Program Announcements:
Administrative Supplements for Research on Sex/Gender Differences (Admin Supp)
The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:
Notices:
Notice Announcing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for RFA-RM-14-016 “Model Organisms Screening Center for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) (U54)
Application Receipt Date(s): February 20, 2015 (Phase I or Fast-Track); February 20, 2016 (Phase I; Phase II; or Fast-Track); February 20, 2017 (Phase II only)
NHLBI Bench to Bassinet Program Administrative Coordinating Center (U01)
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.
Please note that most links to RFAs, PAs, and Guide Notices will take you to the NIH Web site. RFPs will take you to FedBizOpps. Links to RFPs will not work past their proposal receipt date. Archived versions of RFPs posted on FedBizOpps can be found on the FedBizOpps site using the FedBizOpps search function. Under “Document to Search,” select Archived Documents.
The 1776 incubator, which is interested in helping startups break down geographic barriers and collaborating with other incubators and accelerators has announced a partnership with a major physician association — the American College of Cardiology, according to a company statement. The cardiology association will play a role not only in the incubator’s Challenge Cup, but also longer term.
The United States has over 5,700 hospitals, and most of them are central to their communities for an obvious reason: They help people get healthier. When I look at these hospitals, I see an untapped resource, a way they could provide greater value to their communities and the country.
Intellectual assets — the ideas and know-how in the heads of clinicians — are vital, intangible resources for most hospitals. They’re equivalent to the research assets at universities. In addition to knowledge and know-how, clinicians working in hospitals are creating ideas for new health care technologies (apps, processes, devices, therapies, drugs) and cost-effective care models, often as part of their response to the value-based care principles of health care reform.
Americans include two health-related issues among the 10 most important problems facing the U.S., according to a recent Gallup survey. Healthcare in general ranked fourth on the list, with Ebola coming in at no. 8. But is Ebola really among the biggest health problems for Americans? Not when we look at the chances of actually being infected.
BioHealth Innovation (BHI) is a regionally-oriented, private-public partnership functioning as an innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
Thomas Kucharski (IEDC) – Ethan Byler (BHI) – William C. Sproull (IEDC)
BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) was selected as an International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Excellence in Economic Development Silver Award recipient. BHI is receiving the award in the Public-Private Partnerships category for its work to assemblethe partnership that sponsored DreamIt Health IT Baltimore accelerator program. The award, which recognizes outstanding and innovative development projects that have significantly enhanced the economic revitalization of distressed communities, states, or regions, was formally presented to BHI on Monday, October 20, during the 2014 IEDC Annual Conference in Fort Worth, TX.
“BHI is honored to be acknowledged with this award for our work with DreamIt Health in support of the DreamIt Health Baltimore program in 2014,” said Richard Bendis, BHI President & CEO. “This reinforces the dedication to entrepreneurship and innovation in the biohealth arena that we are constantly striving for in Central Maryland.”
Tuesday said its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, has agreed to buy privately-held Definiens, which would strengthen MedImmune’s focus on the discovery of novel predictive biomarkers in immuno-oncology.
Definiens is into imaging and data analysis technology, known as Tissue Phenomics, which dramatically improves the identification of biomarkers in tumour tissue.
Considering that Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE: EBS ) has regular government contracts and other manufacturing contracts — so regular that it’s willing to give quarterly guidance, which many companies wouldn’t dream of — it was a little surprising to see by how much the biotech beat the guidance it gave three months earlier. Third-quarter revenue came in at $138 million, substantially higher than the guidance of $110 million to $125 million it gave three months ago.
But, as it turns out, this is just an accounting issue. In the third quarter, Emergent BioSolutions set up a collaboration with MorphoSys to develop its prostate cancer drug candidate ES414. Under the terms of the agreement, Emergent BioSolutions got a $20 million upfront payment — the biotech recognized $15.3 million of this in the third quarter. Back out the payment, and Emergent BioSolutions’ revenue falls within its previous guidance, fortunately at the upper-end.
Osiris has a history of developing treatments — like Prochymal, the first government-approved stem cell drug — and then selling them to other companies. Its product portfolio is thus diverse, and that is wise when it comes to Grafix, which competes with a number of other advanced wound care products.
Ryan Sysko needed someone to push WellDoc’s diabetes management app, BlueStar, into the market. It was time to turn to an outsider to make sure BlueStar successfully sold in Maryland and, eventually, nationwide. The FDA-approved smartphone app helps diabetes patients track blood glucose levels, medications, diet and exercise on a cellphone. It requires a prescription from a doctor.
To take on the task, Sysko, the Baltimore health care technology company’s CEO, called on Kevin P. McRaith. Former vice president of …
A year ago Robert Lord and Nick Culbertson were medical students with an idea for a company.
Now their startup Protenus Inc. is doing business with Johns Hopkins Hospital, figuring out how to use $770,000 in seed financing and hiring staff members to get their cyber security system in more hospitals.
Cartagenia announced today that it and Qiagen’s bioinformatics business are part of a consortium that has received €1.4 million ($1.7 million) in funding from a European funding initiative to support the development of software tools for personalized genetic analysis of cancer variants.
The Lungcadia program will combine the technologies and expertise of Cartagenia, Qiagen, and the Institute of Pathology at Hannover Medical School and will focus on lung cancer as a disease model, but the partners aim to make the results applicable to other types of cancer. The project has received the funding from the EuroTransBio initiative, which supports biotech collaborations in Europe.
The MdBio Foundation, Inc. (MdBio), a nonprofit organization, today announced that it has received a grant of $50,000 from AstraZeneca and its Gaithersburg, Md.-based global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune. The grant will enable the foundation to expand its focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and prepare today’s students to become the workforce of tomorrow.
“Our goal is to show students the many possibilities their future can hold with a strong foundation in STEM,” said Brian Gaines, CEO of MdBio. “AstraZeneca’s and MedImmune’s generosity will enable us to expand our programs to ensure that we reach students who can benefit from enhanced educational opportunities. Our state is well-known for its strength in the bioscience market, and we hope to foster the next generation of employees for the companies that call Maryland home.”
Dr. William Kirwan, chancellor for the University System of Maryland, announced over the summer that he will be stepping down, but not until his replacement is hired.
He’s lost count of the number of college graduations he’s been a part of since taking the job as Maryland’s education chancellor more than a decade ago.
Johns Hopkins University, Biomedical Engineering, CBIDMonday, December 8, 2014 from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM (EST)Baltimore, MD
Join us December 8th for a review of 16 exciting healthcare design projects at the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design (CBID). CBID MSE and Undergraduate projects will be presented. This year we’re honored to have as our Keynote Speaker Dr. John Kostuik. Dr. Kostuik is Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of K2M Inc, a world leading spine surgery company. The event will also have a Shark Tank competition with a panel of tough judges and real cash prizes. Refreshments will be provided.
The University of Maryland earned a gold medal in the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) held in Boston from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, 2014.
The competition engages student-led teams from universities across the globe to present novel synthetic biology projects that address real-world problems.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland have collaborated to build a new center that will preform studies on how to store, process and transmit data using quantum architecture.
The Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science is designed to complement basic quantum research being done at an institute run by NIST, UMD and the National Security Agency, NIST said Oct. 31.
Chevy Chase-based Wedding Wire, the largest and most trusted online marketplace connecting merchants with engaged couples and party planners, ranked highest of any other Maryland company this year, coming in at number seven with 2013 revenue of nearly $34 million. Also making the Top 10 is Rockville-based CoesterVMS, a leader in the mortgage banking and appraisal industry, coming in at number nine with $14.47 million in revenue in 2013.
Vheda Health, a digital health company that seeks to help people with chronic conditions, is one of a handful of healthcare startups that have received backing from a commercialization fund from Maryland’s Technology Development Corp. They were part of a list of 15 companies that received $1.5 million. It follows a funding allocation from earlier this year.
The Maryland program allocates funding to companies developing technology products with universities and/or federal labs in the state. To qualify, companies have to be in a collaboration with a federal lab or university, they have to be located in an affiliate incubator company in the state, they have to be involved in one of two Maryland programs — ACTiVATE, an entrepreneurship training program aimed at women, or INNoVATE — or participate in TEDCO’s Rural Business Initiative. The focus is on small businesses so companies must have under 16 employees, or be a university spin-off under five years old or have venture investments under $500,000. More than half of the companies’ employees must work in the state.
Business accelerator DreamIt Health Baltimore plans to lay roots in the Inner Harbor.
DreamIt Health Baltimore is negotiating a lease as it prepares to welcome its second class of entrepreneurs in 2015. The accelerator, which is run by Philadelphia-area DreamIt Ventures, operated out of spare office space at a Johns Hopkins building in Fells Point this year. Managing Director Jason Hardebeck hopes to finalize a deal for between 5,000 square feet and 6,000 square feet of space in the coming weeks.
Nominations are being accepted for the 2015 FLC Laboratory Director of the Year Awards. Sponsored by the FLC National Advisory Council, this award honors Laboratory Directors who have made maximum contributions to the overall enhancement of technology transfer for economic development. Accomplishments related to the transfer of technology from the federal laboratory to industry—including support of FLC activities, internal accomplishments, industry involvement, and community service—are the primary criteria for the award.
As CMS goes, so goes private insurance. That’s perhaps a simplification of how reimbursement rates are developed for healthcare payers, but big payers definitely watch what CMS is doing.
So it’s no small deal that CMS late last week issued new rules that include “significant additional coverage for telemedicine services,” the American Telemedicine Association said in a release.
When we think of Google, we think of the company that powers the widely used search engine, and we think of computer programming, engineering, and electrical design. However, recently Google has expanded and moved towards research in medical technology. Just a few months ago, the tech giant partnered with Novartis to license a glucose measuring smart contact lens. The company had also recently bought portions of Calico, an anti-aging research company, and 23andme, a company that provides personal genetic tests. Now, Google aims to develop a wearable diagnostic device to detect cancer and heart attacks through the use of nanoparticles.
Let’s face it: pre-Election Night, this year’s race for Maryland governor was pretty underwhelming, the kind where your mother might reveal she’s thinking of voting for Republican businessman Larry Hogan because she remembered his dad to be a nice guy back when he was Prince George’s County executive in the 1970s.
(Hi, Mom! For the record, I don’t know who she ended up voting for.)
University of Maryland University College recently swept two divisions of the Maryland Cyber Challenge for the second consecutive year, capturing first place in the College and Professional divisions of the premier Maryland cyber competition held at the annual Cyber Maryland conference in Baltimore.
“This is a tough competition and to beat many great teams just to get to the finals in the college and professional divisions is an amazing accomplishment. We fielded four teams for this competition (two in each division) and all four made it to the final round. That speaks to the quality of our teams, ” said Jeff Tjiputra, chairman of UMUC’s undergraduate cybersecurity program and academic advisor to the cyber competition teams.
The Pentagon’s technology arm is prepared to invest up to $700,000 in a promising idea in the field of biological sciences and technology. The goal is to turn theoretical concepts into actual products, such as better sensors for prosthetic limbs and techniques to cope with infectious disease outbreaks.
Under a new initiative by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, inventors will be able to send in proposals without having to trudge through miles of red tape as they would have to in traditional government contracts.
The National Institutes of Health is challenging science innovators to compete for prizes totaling up to $500,000, by developing new ways to track the health status of a single cell in complex tissue over time. The NIH Follow that Cell Challenge seeks tools that would, for example, monitor a cell in the process of becoming cancerous, detect changes due to a disease-causing virus, or track how a cell responds to treatment.
The challenge aims to generate creative ideas and methods for following and predicting a single cell’s behavior and function over time in a complex multicellular environment – preferably using multiple integrated measures to detect its changing state.
Get out of the office and enjoy yourself! Join Maryland’s business community for an evening of networking and fun at the Tech Council of Maryland’s Fall Cocktail Reception. This reception will be held at the prestigious Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. If you haven’t attended our FEF Fall Reception, come and find out what you’ve been missing.
The reception features an open bar, great food and two hours with no agenda other than networking, seeing old friends and meeting new people. This is the perfect atmosphere for executives and decision makers from the region’s leading companies to come together and share ideas. Everyone is welcome and you don’t need to be a financial executive to attend this event, so register today.
The NBIA (National Business Incubation Association) seeks a dynamic new President and Chief Executive Officer. Our ideal candidate will be an exceptional leader with business expertise and a passion for entrepreneurship, as well as the drive, intellect, and professional presence to support and promote business incubation and acceleration.
The incoming President and CEO will report directly to the Board of Directors, and it is critical that this individual be well-versed in the broader national and international entrepreneur support ecosystem (including but not limited to business incubation, acceleration, coworking/emerging startup models, and economic environments – i.e. programs serving rural, urban, and developing economies).
iHealth is one of the leading developers of connected health devices, with devices on the market ranging from the BP5 connected blood pressure cuff to the Align wireless glucometer. As we recently highlighted, they have also been at the forefront of integrating the data captured by these devices with the electronic health records used by clinicians.
We had the opportunity to talk with Jim Taschetta, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Retail Sales at iHealth, about their current work at Duke & Stanford exploring EHR integration, views on integration of Android devices, and more.
The Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index enables business leaders, government policymakers, and taxpayers to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. While there are many ways to show how much is collected in taxes by state governments, the Index is designed to show how well states structure their tax systems, and provides a road-map to improving these structures.
Inspired by a series of new strategic initiatives, BioNJ announced a rebranding today — BioNJ, The Gateway to Health – that reflects an expanded vision and mission directed to fostering a vibrant life sciences ecosystem in New Jersey where science is supported, companies are created, drugs are developed and patients are paramount.
The rebranding is supported by the launch of a revitalized website at www.BioNJ.org that is contemporary in its look and represents the determination of BioNJ to help move the life sciences industry forward.
Brain science is taking a hit, according to a recent series of papers published in a special issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron.
“While the disease burden and economic impacts are on the rise, progress in the development of new therapeutics and treatment approaches has appeared to have stalled,” reads an editorial introducing the issue. “Approval for new therapeutics (whether drugs, devices, or other treatment approaches) for nervous system disorders have been declining and most of the treatments we currently have are not disease modifying.”
BioHealth Innovation (BHI) is a regionally-oriented, private-public partnership functioning as an innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland.
The information contained in this website and newsletters is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BioHealth Innovation via its newsletters, but not written or endorsed in any way by BioHealth Innovation unless otherwise noted. While we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
Every once and a while you get a reminder that lives are literally at stake in some R&D partnerships. Last Wednesday was one of those days. I was privileged to moderate a panel for the Congressional Technology Transfer Caucus on innovative partnerships fostered by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) the newest center/institute at the National Institutes of Health. It was anything but a run of the mill tech transfer session.
We often hear that $2 billion to $5 billion are required to commercialize a new drug, with 14 years or more required for development and a 95% chance of failure. Less well known is that for thousands of serious diseases plaguing humanity only about 500 have FDA approved treatments available. Stark as that seems it’s downright cheery compared to rare or neglected diseases. Of more than 6,500 such ailments only 250 have treatments. While these may be “rare” diseases for many of us, to millions of our friends, families and neighbors each morning brings another day of suffering desperately hoping that someone, somewhere is working on a cure.
Paragon Bioservices, Inc. (“Paragon”), a privately held contract research and manufacturing organization whose mission is to accelerate the development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals and vaccines, announced today that it has raised $13 Million in a Series A Preferred Stock financing led by NewSpring Capital and Camden Partners.
NewSpring Capital, headquartered in Radnor, PA, invests in dynamic companies, partnering with management teams to accelerate growth and develop their businesses into market leaders. Camden Partners, located in Baltimore, MD, operates private equity funds that provide growth capital to emerging companies in the Technology-Enabled Business Services, Healthcare, and Educational sectors. 1st BridgeHouse Securities and Evergreen Advisors, LLC, Columbia, MD acted as advisors to Paragon Bioservices. All securities transactions were conducted through 1st BridgeHouse Securities, LLC, a member of FINRA and SIPC.
New Enterprise Associates is preparing to raise the largest venture capital fund in history, Fortune has learned.
The 37 year-old firm has told investors to expect formal documents by year-end for its fifteenth fund, which is expected to target approximately $2.8 billion. That’s nearly a 10% increase from the $2.6 billion NEA raised for Fund 14 in the summer of 2012, which itself was the industry’s record-holder (just edging out a $2.56 billion fund raised in 2006 by Oak Investment Partners). It also told prospective investors that longtime partner Scott Sandell will be promoted to co-managing partner, alongside Peter Barris.
Strand Life Sciences (Strand) representatives will demonstrate new capabilities of the company’s variant interpretation and reporting software, StrandOmics at the Association For Molecular Pathologist (AMP) 2014 Annual Meeting to be held from November 12th to 15th in National Harbor, Maryland. The 20th anniversary meeting’s theme is “Realizing the Dream of Precision Medicine,” with a special address by Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institute of Health. At AMP, Strand will host a workshop on the innovative developments and application of its StrandOmics software, plus new expansion efforts in Personalized Medicine.
Baltimore pharmaceutical firm Profectus BioSciences Inc. has received a $9.5 million grant from the Department of Defense for a phase 1 clinical trial of its Ebola vaccine. T
he award is Profectus’ fourth this year — all for work developing and manufacturing Ebola vaccines. The new grant brings the company’s total funding up to at least $49.8 million.
The chancellor is stepping down. After 50 years in education, and 12 years as Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, William English “Brit” Kirwan is retiring. He will leave office after his replacement is selected by the Board of Regents.
The search is underway.
During his tenure, Kirwan was hailed for his strategic spending; his “Effectiveness and Efficiency Initiative,” started in 2003-04, has saved the system upwards of $462 million to date. He was also partly responsible for the tuition freezes after the recession. Under him, enrollment in Maryland’s 11 institutions of higher learning increased by 24 percent.
When it comes to deadly infections, Ebola is certainly the virus du jour. But in the U.S., the risk of contracting the Ebola virus is minuscule compared to the risk of becoming infected with one of several antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sometimes known as “superbugs.”
Novavax Inc.’s singular drug development approach to a possible Ebola vaccine may not only help stop the spread of a future pandemic but also reap major bottom-line rewards.
That’s what CFO Barclay “Buck” Phillips told me this week after the Gaithersburg-based company announced it planned to begin Phase 1 clinical trials by December. Novavax announced this week at the 8th Vaccine and ISV Conference in Philadelphia that it’s the only company targeting the newest strain of the virus which emerged in Guinea this year and has killed thousands in West Africa.
For five years, John Eldridge and his team at Profectus Bioscience have developed and tested their Ebola vaccine. First it was on guinea pigs, then monkeys.
At that point, Eldridge realized monkeys weren’t getting sick.
Johns Hopkins engineers have invented a lab device to give cancer researchers an unprecedented microscopic look at metastasis, the complex way that tumor cells spread through the body, causing more than 90 percent of cancer-related deaths. By shedding light on precisely how tumor cells travel, the device could uncover new ways to keep cancer in check.
The inventors, from the university’s Whiting School of Engineering and its Institute for NanoBioTechnology, published details and images from their new system recently in the journal Cancer Research. Their article reported on successful tests that captured video of human breast cancer cells as they burrowed through reconstituted body tissue material and made their way into an artificial blood vessel.
Montgomery County has chosen two partners to begin planning a “kitchen incubator” to provide business training and commercial kitchen space to budding local culinary entrepreneurs.
The county is partnering with Union Kitchen, which runs a for-profit commercial kitchen space in the District, and Streetsense, the Bethesda-based design and development firm, to plan how the incubator will be set up.
The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:
NIH Guide Notices:
Notice to Extend PAR-12-033 “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Etiology, Diagnosis, Pathophysiology, and Treatment (R21)” by an Additional Funding Cycle (NOT-OD-15-007) Office of Research on Women’s Health
Notice of Clarification of 4-Year Limit of Postdoctoral Research Eligibility for K99 Applicants for PA-14-042 NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00) (NOT-OD-15-013) Office of the Director, NIH
Notice of Revised NIH Definition of Clinical Trial (NOT-OD-15-015) National Institutes of Health
Requests for Applications (RFAs):
Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) Coordinating Center (CC) (U01) (RFA-HD-15-027) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Application Receipt Date(s): January 02, 2015
Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) Data and Operations Center (DOC) (U01) (RFA-HD-15-029) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research National Institute of Mental Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Office of AIDS Research Application Receipt Date(s): January 02, 2015
NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards (DP5) (RFA-RM-14-004) NIH Roadmap Initiatives National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Application Receipt Date(s): January 30, 2015
Please note that most links to RFAs, PAs, and Guide Notices will take you to the NIH Web site. RFPs will take you to FedBizOpps. Links to RFPs will not work past their proposal receipt date. Archived versions of RFPs posted on FedBizOpps can be found on the FedBizOpps site using the FedBizOpps search function. Under “Document to Search,” select Archived Documents.
Startup Maryland (www.startupmd.org) today announced the Great Eight (8) Finalists and three (3) Fan Favorites from the 2014 Pitch Across Maryland celebration.
After assembling more than 150 video pitches from Maryland entrepreneurs that were captured during the three-week Pitch Across Maryland tour | celebration, Startup Maryland is proud to announce the eight finalists as well as the three startups with the most view-votes. Companies from both categories are listed below (with tour stop) and link to their pitch video:
Inspiring the scientists of the future is something that MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, takes very seriously. Therefore the Society of Biology’s ‘Big Biology Day’ – a one day, free-to-attend event aimed at engaging the public in scientific issues and research activities – has become a permanent fixture in MedImmune’s calendar. This year’s event, which took place on Saturday 18th October at Hills Road Sixth Form College, was attended by over 1,000 people of all ages and was the third Big Biology Day to be held in Cambridge. As usual, it formed part of National Biology Week, the Society of Biology’s annual celebration of the biosciences and was held in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Science Festival.
Johns Hopkins University is the 11th best university in the world, according to the first ever Best Global University rankings published by U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday. The rankings use different criteria than those used for the annual “best colleges” list, on which Johns Hopkins ranked 12th last month.
The new rankings include 500 universities in 49 countries. Sixteen of the top 20 universities are in the U.S., including Harvard, which tops the rankings.
Silver Spring Civic Center-One Veterans Plaza GPS Address: 8525 Fenton Street, Silver Spring
Meet Israeli entrepreneurs working in Maryland and Maryland companies trading with Israel at the MIDCs fourth annual Showcase of Maryland/Israel Business. Featuring keynote speaker, Jeremy Bash,Founder and Managing Director, Beacon Global Strategies and former Chief of Staff, Department of Defense and CIA
American Tap Room – 36 Maryland Ave Rockville, MD 20850
Join BioBuzz and our sponsor CRB for another great BioBuzz networking event on November 19th from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. @ American Tap Room in Rockville, MD. This location is a short walk from the Metro located in the Rockville Town Center.
CRB is a global consulting, design and construction services firm that relentlessly pursues and delivers success for their clients in advanced science and technology industries. 2014 marks CRB’s 30th year in which they have grown from a single three-person office, to a team of 600+ in 12 offices serving clients throughout the world with Rockville, MD being their latest expansion.
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials announced early Tuesday that the patient tested negative for Ebola. The department said that person will continue to receive the appropriate treatment.
A patient who was being isolated at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore for Ebola testing Monday evening does not have the deadly virus, officials announced Tuesday.
Advent Life Sciences today announced the closing of Advent Life Sciences Fund II (ALSF II), a £145.5M (USD 235M) venture capital fund raised to seed and build life sciences companies in the UK, Europe and the US. The Fund will back entrepreneurs and early-stage and mid-stage companies with the potential to deliver first- or best-in-class breakthrough products for unmet medical needs. The Fund, which quickly exceeded its target, was raised entirely from independent financial investors including funds-of-funds, pension funds, and family offices.
“We thank our returning and new LPs for the strength of their support, which allowed us to raise the commitments for this Fund in a matter of weeks” said Raj Parekh, General Partner. He added “The interest from LPs and demand for the Fund, particularly in current markets, is in large part a recognition of the scientific and medical entrepreneurs, CEOs and Management teams whose commitment, vision and energy is enabling our portfolio companies to bring important medical innovations to patients. It is a privilege to work with them.”
Two new studies in the New England Journal of Medicine rocked the world of celiac research, both proving that scientists have a ways to go in their understanding of celiac disease, which affects about 1% of the population, whether they know it or not.
One Italian study wondered if the age at which gluten is introduced into the diet could affect a person’s likelihood of developing the autoimmune disease—so they kept gluten away from newborns for a year. To the shock of the researchers, delaying exposure to gluten didn’t make a difference in the long run. In some cases it delayed the onset of the disease, but it didn’t stop people from developing the disease, for which there is no cure.
Cancer’s become a core area of venture capital interest, particularly given the rise of personalized medicine. But in a cluttered marketplace it’s tough to differentiate the worthy from the chaff. Here are some observations from a panel of investors said at the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit Monday:
The San Francisco-based digital health accelerator Rock Health has raised a large third round of funding and says it will boost its investments in new portfolio companies to (up to) $250,000 each.
The new funding round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Kaiser Permanente Ventures, with participation from KPCB, Mayo Clinic, Montreux Equity Partners, and Great Oaks Ventures.
I’m so used to hearing bullish projections on digital health, it’s refreshing when someone contradicts that assessment. Maybe contradict is the wrong word. But Thomas Rodgers, who joined McKesson Ventures last month after a couple of years with Cambia Health Solutions, thinks it will take a lot longer for the technology to enjoy mainstream adoption.
“I think it will be 15-20 years until it is intertwined with medical care. It will take a shift away from fee-for-service and it will also take generational change. Millennials who grew up with technology will need to start getting sick.”
In the decade after the founding of the BioCrossroads initiative, money spent on life sciences research and companies more than doubled, to more than $25 billion, according to a new report released Thursday by the Indianapolis-based life sciences business development group.
That infusion of money—much of which came from out of state—has helped Indiana companies and universities increase the number of life sciences patents, technology licenses, startups and venture capital deals faster than the rest of the nation, according to the report.
The Hong Kong scientist who invented a simple blood test to show pregnant women if their babies have Down syndrome is now testing a similar technology for cancer.
Yuk Ming “Dennis” Lo says screening for signs of cancer from a simple blood draw could cost as little as $1,000. The test works by studying DNA released into a person’s bloodstream by dying tumor cells.
As Penn prepares for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Pennovation Center on Friday, Drexel University’s Innovation Neighborhood is still searching for a master developer.
Both universities are pushing to become incubators of commercial enterprise and educational advancement. Since purchasing a 23-acre site on Grays Ferry Avenue in 2010, Penn has been working to develop the Pennovation Center — a three-story, 52,000-square-foot complex that will serve as a hub for research and business ventures. In addition to the ceremonial groundbreaking on Friday, Penn President Amy Gutmann will host a series of “Pennovation Talks” at the South Bank campus.
International VC firm SOSVentures is capitalizing on the now buzz worthy biotech investment trend with the creation of IndieBio, the first accelerator to focus on just life sciences.
Y Combinator raised a few eyebrows when it accepted five biotech companies out of the 80 startups in its program this last summer. That was a first for the Silicon Valley accelerator. But IndieBio partners tell us they were already thinking along those lines when Y Combinator started making in-roads with those life sciences startups.
The average board of directors in the biotech world is roughly 90% male, according to a new analysis, and more than half of all industry boardrooms host no women whatsoever, striking numbers that illustrate a sector that struggles with diversity.
Liftstream, a recruitment services outfit, analyzed nearly 1,150 life sciences companies in the U.S. and EU, finding that biotech’s boardrooms tend toward Y chromosomes. Among drug developers with fewer than 1,000 workers, women held just 10% of available board seats, and fewer than 4% had female chairs. C-suites didn’t fare much better, as women accounted for fewer than 25% of leadership teams across the industry.
UBI Index recognizes top performing business incubators from all over the world. This time we take a deeper look in 5 regional areas starting with Europe and then moving on to North America, South America, Asia+Oceania and ending with Africa. It is our pleasure to present to you:
The Regional Top Performing University Business Incubators of 2014
The rankings of each region will be announced every Tuesday at http://ubiindex.com/rankings with start on November 4th and four weeks forward. Stay tuned!
BioHealth Innovation (BHI) is a regionally-oriented, private-public partnership functioning as an innovation intermediary focused on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Maryland.
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Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 05:00am – 07:00pm
The MCCC Business Awards Dinner Committee and Chair of the Board Lisa Cines, CPA of Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP invite you to join in the celebration of those who make our economy and community thrive. This annual sold-out event attracts 700+ guests including award winners, sponsors, business leaders, elected and government officials and the media. Join us for a great evening of Meaningful Connections, Commerce and Celebration.
Americans include two health-related issues among the 10 most important problems facing the U.S., according to a recent Gallup survey. Healthcare in general ranked fourth on the list, with Ebola coming in at no. 8. But is Ebola really among the biggest health problems for Americans? Not when we look at the chances of actually being infected.
