News Archive

Doubling the University of Maryland BioPark’s lab space, the two-phase 4MLK development project will represent more than $320 million in total capital investment

BALTIMORE, Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, announced today that 4MLK, the newest development project in the University of Maryland BioPark, is slated to move forward, with groundbreaking this fall (2022) and delivering in summer 2024. The 8-story, 250,000-square-foot building, Phase I of a two-phase project representing a $320 million total capital investment, will provide critical wet laboratory space in downtown Baltimore for researchers and companies, flexible lab and office/support space for start-ups, and Class A office space, along with areas for convening and a conference center.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MaxCyte, Inc., (Nasdaq: MXCT; LSE: MXCT), a leading commercial cell-engineering company focused on providing enabling platform technologies to advance innovative cell-based research, as well as next-generation cell therapeutic discovery, development and commercialization, today announced that it has relocated its headquarters to 9713 Key West Avenue in Rockville, Maryland, 20850, within Maryland’s I-270 Biotech Corridor. The Company’s new 67,000 square-foot facility significantly increases its in-house manufacturing capacity, as well as research and process development lab space. This investment represents a major milestone in MaxCyte’s growth and its ability to support customers and partners in their journey through therapeutic development to commercialization.

OAKLAND, Calif. – President Biden revived his call for a nationwide cancer moonshot effort on Monday, as he marked the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy’s famous pledge to get a man on the moon.

“The goal is to cut cancer death rates by at least 50%, at least 50% in the next 25 years,” said President Biden, “To turn more cancers from death sentences into chronic diseases people can live with.”

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Startup companies have traditionally looked for the most experienced venture capitalists they could find to get their businesses off the ground and support their growth. That’s not always the case anymore, according to a study by University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School Associate Professor Rich Mathews and his co-author Naveen Khanna of Michigan State University. They argue that startups straight out of the gate are often deciding to work with new venture capitalists rather than established ones.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — AMPEL BioSolutions today announced a breakthrough in precision and personalized medicine that can detect and predict the severity of COVID-19 in patients while also determining the best treatment options for each specific case. The company’s new approach, through a simple blood test, will ultimately accelerate the means of providing effective treatments to the right people at the right time and potentially stem the serious illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection that can lead to lung damage or death.

AMPEL’s new genomic test, known as CovGENE®, has been validated by a longitudinal study in partnership with physicians in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine of the University of Virginia Medical Center. With careful analysis of patients admitted to the UVA Intensive Care Unit, CovGENE® demonstrated remarkable precision with a greater than 90-percent rate of accuracy. CovGENE®, can be administered by drawing a patient’s blood to quickly ascertain whether a Covid-19 patient will have a mild, moderate, or severe outcome. The findings are detailed in a paper published today by Frontiers in Immunology.

Waltham, Mass. and Dublin – August 15, 2022 — Q32 Bio, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing biologic therapeutics to restore immune homeostasis, and Horizon Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: HZNP), today announced that they have entered into a collaboration and option agreement to develop ADX-914 for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

ADX-914 is a fully human anti-IL-7Rα antibody that re-regulates adaptive immune function by blocking signaling mediated by both IL-7 and TSLP. Q32 has recently completed a biomarker-enabled Phase 1 study characterizing pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and safety of ADX-914 that demonstrated pharmacological effect on T cells in healthy volunteers. Q32 expects to initiate a Phase 2 trial in atopic dermatitis later this year and is planning to initiate a Phase 2 trial in a second autoimmune disease next year.

La Vista, Nebraska — September 14, 2022 – Streck announced today a Series B investment in Ceres Nanosciences (Ceres). The funds from this investment will be used to accelerate the development and commercialization of both diagnostic and research use products utilizing Ceres’ Nanotrap® technology platform.

“Streck has a deep presence in and knowledge of the diagnostics industry and shares our commitment to building long-term relationships with partners and customers,” said Ceres CEO Ross Dunlap. “We are thrilled to have Streck’s support and guidance in this next, exciting phase of our growth.”

Swimming with Sharks pairs aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs with successful innovators and investors. The startups selected will pitch at the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Annual Meeting, ANESTHESIOLOGY®, in October 2022.

There will be two Swimming with Sharks sessions at the event: one for very early-stage startups (back of the napkin ideas/conceptual/pre-seed stage) and one for startups that are seed stage and beyond (ie series A).