News Archive

The Novavax vaccine would be the first protein-based alternative available in Israel

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, and Israel’s Ministry of Health today announced an agreement for the purchase of NVX-CoV2373, the company’s recombinant nanoparticle protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate with Matrix-M™ adjuvant.

“Israel has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 and has demonstrated strong leadership throughout the pandemic,” said Stanley C. Erck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax. “We thank the Israeli Ministry of Health for their commitment to providing a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine option, based on well-understood technology, to the people of Israel.”   

Under the advance purchase agreement, Novavax will provide an initial 5 million doses of its protein-based vaccine with an option for Israel to purchase an additional 5 million doses. Novavax will work with the Ministry of Health to obtain the necessary authorizations and finalize plans for distribution in Israel pending regulatory approval.

In 2021, venture capitalists invested $2.27 billion in Maryland companies, according to the initial figures from the PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor Report. VC investment in 2021 shattered the record set in 2020 of $1.24 billion, and marks the third consecutive year of record-setting investment in Maryland companies. 

Given the high concentration of life sciences and digital health companies located in Maryland, it’s no surprise that investors turned their eyes, and their dollars, here last year. Significant local investments are fueling innovation across nearly every field, from cancer research to healthcare analytics. Below are some themes from Maryland’s banner year in venture capital. 

BALTIMORE, Jan. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — CoapTech, Inc, a medical device company focused on delivering transformative solutions for minimally-invasive surgery, announced today it has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Pediatric Medical Device Consortium (“PPDC”) for its PUMA-G Peds System, a device designed to provide a safer way to place feeding tubes in children.

The PUMA System™ is a new category of minimally invasive devices, enabling ultrasound procedures in hollow organs of the body where previously it was impossible or unsafe to do so. The PUMA-G Peds System is being developed to allow ultrasound-based placement of gastrostomy tubes in pediatric patients as an alternative to traditional endoscopic or fluoroscopic procedures. Endoscopic procedures cannot “see through” tissue which can result in organ damage or other complications. Fluoroscopic procedures require the use of ionizing radiation which presents long term risk of cancer. The PUMA-G Peds System uses ultrasound to visualize tissue and organs in real time without ionizing radiation. It is designed to operate like the currently available adult PUMA-G System, with modifications to accommodate the pediatric patient population. 

(OXFORDSHIRE, England & CONSHOHOCKEN, Penn. & ROCKVILLE, Md., US, Wednesday, January 26, 2022) Immunocore Holdings plc (Nasdaq: IMCR) (“Immunocore” or the “Company”), a commercial-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a novel class of T cell receptor (TCR) bispecific immunotherapies designed to treat a broad range of diseases, including cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases today announces approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of KIMMTRAK® (tebentafusp-tebn) for the treatment of HLA-A*02:01-positive adult patients with unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM).

HILDEN, Germany, & GERMANTOWN, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced it has completed a U.S. government contract to equip public health laboratories across the country with the QIAcuity digital PCR system to monitor the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by testing wastewater for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 pathogens.

QIAGEN has shipped more than 35 QIAcuity systems to state and local health laboratories as part of a multi-million-dollar contract with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to supply COVID-19 instruments and consumables through the end of 2021.

The pandemic, now approaching year three in full force, has impacted nearly every facet of the life sciences’ job market. A talent shortage existed pre-pandemic and has only accelerated since then. For life sciences employers, finding and securing talent will continue to be a major challenge throughout 2022. 

At the University System of Maryland, January brings with it the chance to reflect on a year of accomplishment and anticipate a year of impact. Because, despite the challenges of the past several months, we’re still doing the work we were built to do. Our students are excelling. Our scholarship is making change. Our research is solving problems. Our service is improving lives.

This is a direct credit to the people of the USM. As COVID upended our academic enterprise and administrative operations, our people kept working harder, with a clarity of purpose and a devotion to mission that is, to me, breathtaking. The achievements and ambitions I share here honor their dedication.

The SEED Innovator Support Team helps NIH awardees build a business and explore their life science innovation’s potential. Learn about the aspects of product development beyond the science of the awards. 

Regulatory & Business Development Consultations

Our business development, intellectual property, regulatory, and reimbursement experts meet with innovators focused on topics including:

• Optimizing formulation or manufacturing operations 
• Establishing an advisory board  
• Layering intellectual property protection 
• Preparing for regulatory interactions 
• Gathering evidence to support reimbursement value 
• Engaging with investors or strategic partners

Gaithersburg, Md., January 25, 2022 – Cartesian Therapeutics, a fully integrated clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering RNA cell therapy in and beyond oncology, today announced that it has dosed the first patient in a Phase 1/2a multicenter clinical study evaluating Descartes-25 in patients with multiple myeloma.  To the company’s knowledge, Descartes-25 is the first off-the-shelf RNA cell therapy to enter clinical trials for any cancer and marks the company’s fifth FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) allowance in five years.  Descartes-25 is produced at Cartesian’s wholly owned cGMP manufacturing facility with the company’s proprietary RNA Armory® cell manufacturing platform.  This platform now includes an internally developed, Part 1271-compliant Master Cell Bank of human umbilical cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) that was used to engineer Descartes-25.

Bill visits BioTalk to talk about being a serial entrepreneur, biotech executive, and their recent acquisition of Avidea Technologies.

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