News Archive

The BioMaryland Center is partnering with Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) and the Center for Medical Technology Policy (CMTP) to incorporate improved health care quality and cost reduction criteria in the selection process for the BioMaryland Center’s annual Biotechnology Awards program. $1M will be awarded to projects, $50,000-200,000 each, advancing technologies toward commercialization–with preference given to projects which improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

October 1st is the deadline to apply for the next round of Biotechnology Development Awards. More information regarding the program is available online.

How to Apply: Two application forms (the Non-confidential Applicant and Project Summary form and the Confidential Application Details form) and a business plan must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. EST on October 1, 2014.

The Maryland Venture Fund (MVF), the equity investment arm of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), has made follow-on investments totaling $700,000 in two of its portfolio companies. KoolSpan, developer of a suite of patented, hardware-based mobile security encryption solutions, received $400,000. BrainScope, which is pioneering sophisticated neurotechnology to quickly assess traumatic brain injury at the initial point of care, received $300,000. Both companies are located in Bethesda. The investments were made with funds raised by InvestMaryland, Governor Martin O’Malley’s key initiative designed to spur growth and development of small, high-tech companies in Maryland.

“KoolSpan and BrainScope have both made tremendous progress since the Maryland Venture Fund first invested in them, and we are excited to make these follow-on investments,” said Governor O’Malley. “In Maryland we are committed to supporting the growth of future leaders in industries that keep us safer, healthier and better connected than ever before. KoolSpan and BrainScope are perfect examples of the innovative, high-tech companies that set Maryland’s economy apart and provide the family-sustaining jobs of today and tomorrow.”

August 20th, 3-5 PM

MdBio Foundation welcomes you to an open house on the mobile laboratory MdBioLab. Tour the lab, meet the team, or just eat your ice cream – doors open 3 – 5 PM.

KICK OFF THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH AN ICE CREAM CONE AND TOUR OF MDBIOLAB.

MdBioLab will be parked at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044, Lot F – adjacent to Little Patuxent Parkway

When four professors of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, decided to start Strand Life Sciences in 2000 to aid clinical research through genomic testing using DNA sequencing, the initiative hardly attracted attention. UTI Ventures pumped in $1.3 million a year later and, in 2002, WestBridge Capital Partners invested $1.9 million, but that did not create ripples either. However, things changed dramatically in 2013, when Strand got $10 million from San Francisco-based financial firm Burrill & Co.

It used the capital to roll out personalised genetic test services in collaboration with hospital chains and clinics across India, including Max Hospitals, Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Center, St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology and HealthCare Global Enterprises.

The organizers of the 2nd Annual Symposium for Pediatric Surgical Innovation and Competition judges are seeking proposals from inventors in medical institutions, private practices, device companies, and academic researchers who have medical device concepts or ideas for use with pediatric patients.

Proposals should address a significant, yet unmet need within the pediatric population with a device idea that lends itself to commercialization. Following the competition process, two prizes will be given, each for up to $50,000.

Please follow this link http://www.pediatric-surgery-symposium.org/prizes/ to review the submission guidelines and to submit your application online by September 22, 2014 at 17:00 EST.

GlaxoSmithKline, better known as GSK, has launched a new web effort aimed at providing both information and inspiration for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in what the company says is arguably the most engaging platform in the marketplace.

The rollout of the new COPD.com goes beyond what was previously offered, certainly by GSK but possibly many others, according to Darielle Ruderman, senior director of repository consumer marketing for the North Carolina-based company.

The mobile revolution was one of the most transformative events in IT. It set IT in a tailspin trying to secure so many different device types connecting to the network and moving outside of the organization.

After initial resistance, IT realized that by supporting mobility they were supporting user productivity. And thus an established industry of mobile device management solutions was born, allowing IT to create policies and strike a balance between data security and mobility.

Much of the discussion on big data has focused on claims information from insurers and EHRS from providers, but a collaborative effort underway at Stanford Medical School with SAP is hoping to tap into a different set – genomic data.

The possible benefits of sharing genetic data on a wide scale have great potential for both global population health and for drug makers alike, said Dr. Carlos Bustamante, who heads the Department of Genetics at the Stanford School of Medicine. Benefits range from possibly learning why certain drugs never make it out of clinical trials because of what population they are tested on to a more inclusive global snapshot at differing populations and what drives their health spending, among others.

Montgomery County Department of Economic Development (DED) announces the addition of Valerie Fremont as Senior Business Development Specialist for the County’s life sciences and health IT sectors. Fremont brings 13 years of industry experience to the County along with experience in the international, national and regional biotech community.

”We are happy to welcome Valerie to the department and fortunate to be able to call upon her vast experience in the life sciences arena,” said DED Director Steve Silverman. “Not only does she bring a wealth of knowledge of two of our most important sectors—life sciences and health IT—but she also is already well known in that community. The County and our companies in those sectors will all benefit mutually from those important connections.”

Today, the American Heart Association has launched the Chicago Open Innovation Challenge, a crowdfunding competition to uncover new innovative digital health tools to prevent or manage heart disease and stroke. The top three finalists will receive grants from the American Heart Association totaling $25,000 and a chance to present at the Heart Innovation Forum in Chicago on November 14, 2014. Each award winner will be featured on healthcare crowdfunding platform MedStartr.

Who Can Apply?  Early-stage healthcare technology and life sciences companies with novel ideas that seek to help patients, providers or medical facilities meet the American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact Goal—to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020—are encouraged to apply.