News Archive

BioSTL announced today a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the Monsanto Company that will support the nonprofit’s work to promote regional economic growth and advance St. Louis’ standing as a leader in bioscience. Funding from Monsanto will allow BioSTL to step up its collaborative efforts to build a strong bioscience ecosystem that capitalizes on St. Louis’ world-class plant and medical science strengths. The announcement came during InvestMidwest 2014, a venture capital conference that showcases 40-45 companies from throughout the Midwest in the three industry tracks of life sciences, technology, and food/ag/bioenergy.

“St. Louis is home to a unique convergence of corporate, university, and entrepreneurial strengths that place our region among the world’s great bioscience centers. Monsanto has been a longtime collaborator with local universities and research institutions as well as an early supporter of regional entrepreneurial activities,” said Donn Rubin, President and CEO of BioSTL. “This contribution will help to advance St. Louis’ economy by further expanding the infrastructure necessary to grow St. Louis’ bioscience community.”

MIPS provides funding, matched by participating companies, for university research projects that help companies develop new technology products.

Benefits to Maryland Companies

• Cost-effective research with world-class university faculty
• Access to university students, state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories and equipment
• Non-dilutive, non-debt funding for research
• Opportunity to work directly with talented students—potential future hires
• Rapid proposal evaluations—MIPS notifies award winners within 60 days of the proposal deadline

Benefits to Maryland Faculty

• Research translates directly to new product development
• Potential for published papers and improved university facilities
• Students gain valuable experience working on commercial technologies

Visit www.mips.umd.edu or call 301.405.3891 for details.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY MAY 1, 2014!

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will address the University of Maryland graduates at spring commencement on Thursday, May 22, the campus announced Tuesday.

Students announced the second-term governor would be speaking by posting a photo on social media of O’Malley with Testudo, the university’s mascot.

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, will address graduates of Johns Hopkins University at commencement on May 22, 2014.

Named one of Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business,” one of Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women,” and one of Vanity Fair’s 50 “leading innovators [that] shake the foundations of their industries,” Wojcicki became head of the video-sharing powerhouse earlier this year.

MedImmune, the global biologics R&D arm of AstraZeneca, is always enthusiastic about explaining how its science benefits patients’ lives. So taking part in Cambridge’s highly successful Science Festival, which finished last weekend, is a wonderful opportunity for the company to reach out and share its activities with the wider Cambridge community.   

With many thousands of visitors, the Cambridge Science Festival provides the public with opportunities to explore and discuss topics of scientific interest and, importantly, is the perfect place to raise aspirations by encouraging young people to consider a career in science. Over both weekends of the Festival, firstly in the Corn Exchange and then at the Clinical School at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, over 35 MedImmune scientists volunteered their time to demonstrate to a continual stream of visitors to understand how new antibody medicines are found using viruses which grow in bacteria.

Contract research organizations make good money providing critical services to young biotech and drug development companies early on. But often, those companies are cash-strapped at the stage when they need a CRO. That’s why some CROs are becoming stakeholders in the companies they work with, offering cash or services for equity in life science startups.

“We fundamentally believe that we should be aligned with our clients,” said David Gee, strategic business development at Cato BioVentures, the venture capital affiliate of a CRO called Cato Research. “I think it’s reasonable, particularly with early-stage companies, that we have some skin in the game. (Then) we have reason to come to a positive endpoint and to get there as quickly and efficiently as possible, because that’s how part of our value is going to be generated.”

The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) announced today that 12 startup companies have advanced to the final round of the InvestMaryland Challenge, the State’s national business competition. The finalists are competing for $100,000 top prizes in four categories — Information Technology, Life Sciences, General Industry, and, new this year, Cybersecurity. All companies who entered the Challenge are eligible for more than $300,000 in other prizes, including grants, software and lab and incubator space. The winners will be announced in May.

“Congratulations to the finalists and all the companies that advanced in the InvestMaryland Challenge. To stand out from the field of 260 applicants is an achievement in itself and a testament to the strength of the companies competing for the top prizes,” said Dominick Murray, DBED Secretary. “For two years in a row, Maryland has been named the #1 state in the country for innovation and entrepreneurship and companies like those competing in this Challenge are the reason why. They are the future leaders of Maryland’s Innovation Economy and we are proud to support them as they grow and create jobs.”

For startup CEOs, there’s probably nothing more nerve wracking than giving a presentation to prospective investors. Dr. Lisa Beth Ferstenberg knows about that first-hand.

A serial biotech entrepreneur, Ferstenberg was founding CEO of Cellective Therapeutics, a Gaithersburg biotech that raised $28 million in Series A funding. MedImmune bought the company in 2005 for as much as $160 million. She is currently chief medical officer for Sequella Inc., a Rockville biotech that develops drugs to fight tuberculosis.

Europe has shown the world over the past half century how countries with centuries of conflict can finally cast aside their differences and work together. The European Union has created a single currency, a common patent office, a single public funding source for basic research, and a single legislative body for issues reaching across the continent.

But if there’s one area where the countries of Europe continue to compete vigorously—other than in soccer and other sports—it’s in their efforts to attract and build up communities or “clusters” of biotechs, pharmaceutical employers, universities, and independent research institutions.

Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff founded Honest Tea in 1998. In the recently released Mission in a Bottle, the co-founders tell — in comic book form — the story of building a successful mission-driven business. Goldman, now president and “TeaEO” of Honest Tea, joins Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner to discuss sustainability, entrepreneurship, and what it means for a socially responsible, health-oriented business to be bought by Coca-Cola  (NYSE: KO  )  .

In addition to his work with Honest Tea, Goldman co-founded Bethesda Green to help green businesses get off the ground, and has been involved with healthy food companies Beyond Meat and Happy Baby.