News Archive

Commercializing technology doesn’t have to be all about patents, licenses and startups.

Universities looking to grow their influence in the technology sector often focus on patenting their own ideas, starting companies from faculty research and other strategies that keep new ideas in-house or on a leash. But Maryland’s technology industry relies on the talent coming out of local universities. And in order for the industry to grow and thrive, technology companies and universities will need to forge stronger bonds.

According to financial services firm Ernst&Young, global venture capital investment in 2013 increased 2 percent compared to 2012, to $48.5 billion. Meanwhile, economic conditions improved in many geographic markets due to increased levels of liquidity and a boost in investor confidence.

The upshot: More investors are competing to invest in promising startups and entrepreneurs, especially outside the U.S.

2014 will continue to be a year of transformation as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the changes it represents ripple through the healthcare industry. From conversations with healthcare providers across the country, Vree Health has identified four key issues providers face in the coming year–and beyond.

1. Healthcare reimbursement is due for a reboot

Healthcare systems, hospitals and providers are caught between two widely divergent business models: fee-for-service versus pay-for-performance. While dependent on the former, they must restructure their businesses to improve quality and manage costs across the entire care continuum to prepare for the latter. It’s an about face that Dr. David Nash, Founding Dean of the Jefferson School of Population Health, likened to turning an aircraft carrier around in the Panama Canal, when he spoke at MedCity CONVERGE last year.

Last year the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) put out a report on healthcare accelerator programs that we covered at the time. It is still the best summary of the health accelerator space. CHCF also created an infographic on how healthcare accelerators can maximize their value. The report focused on Rock Health, Startup Health, Blueprint Health, HealthBox, StartX Med, and TigerLabs.

Since that report was published, other health accelerators have launched and had classes, DreamIt and Wildcatters being the largest ones that come to mind. The accelerator landscape is getting attention right now with SXSW going on and accelerators are active at and around conferences. I thought it was time to revisit the subject.

The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), Maryland’s largest technology trade association, is pleased to announce that three members of its board have been named to a statewide private sector economic development commission. They are Douglas Doerfler, CEO of MaxCyte and TCM chairman; Dr. DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College; and Christy Wyskiel, senior advisor for Enterprise Development at Johns Hopkins University.

AstraZeneca’s global biologics R&D arm MedImmune and the University of Cambridge have entered into a three-year oncology research collaboration in order to advance cancer research by using imaging technologies to measure key biologic changes within growing tumors.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The $100K ACC Clean Energy Challenge, a business plan competition supported by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) encouraging students from universities in the southeastern United States to develop business plans for new clean energy companies, today announces its Elite Eight Plus Two, with nine winners from ACC schools and one winner from the at-large, non-ACC pool of entrants.

University of Maryland students will host Bitcamp, the university’s first Major League Hackathon, April 46, 2014 in Cole Field House on the university’s College Park, Md., campus. More than 750 college and high school students from across the country are expected to attend the innovative technology summit at UMD.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, will collaborate through MD Anderson’s Moon Shots Program to develop therapies that unleash patients’ immune systems to attack their cancers.

Perhaps one of the most persistent struggles when dealing with anxiety is what people get wrong about the disorder.

According to Joseph Bienvenu, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, there are many fallacies when it comes to anxiety disorders, and that can make dealing with it more difficult. These misconceptions are a common reality for those who either have the condition, know someone who is battling it or think they may be on the brink of a diagnosis. We’ve debunked the 10 of the most common myths about anxiety and panic disorders.