News Archive

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – – Arcellx, a privately held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it raised $115 million in a Series C financing to advance its pipeline of adaptive and controllable cell therapies. The proceeds will support the company’s development of CART-ddBCMA, a BCMA-specific CAR-modified T-cell therapy currently in Phase 1 and anticipated to begin a pivotal trial in 2022. In addition, the funding will support initiation of clinical trials evaluating ACLX-001 and ACLX-002, cell therapies derived from Arcellx’s uniquely controllable ARC-SparX platform, in multiple myeloma (MM) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), respectively.

Join us as Alex Hanlon, Ph.D. (Director of the Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science at Virginia Tech,  Professor of Statistics and works closely with researchers on the Health Science and Technology Campus in Roanoke, adjacent to Carilion Clinic and the VTC School of Medicine) and Richard Bendis (Founder, President and CEO of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. and a successful entrepreneur, angel investor, innovation and technology-based economic development leader, international speaker and consultant in the technology and healthcare industries and host of BioTalk) discuss how ‘Big data requires team science.’

Jeff Galvin, the CEO of American Gene Technologies, has always made investing in his team and the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) a top priority. 

In the latest sign of the company’s commitment to its employees and the region, AGT recently announced the creation of a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified lab that is actively providing RT-PCR testing for COVID-19. 

Image: https://biobuzz-io.cdn.ampproject.org

COLUMBIA, Md. (April 13, 2021)—TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today the Maryland Entrepreneur Hub (The Hub) launch in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Commerce and the University System of Maryland. The Hub, https://marylandentrepreneurhub.com/, was designed with the entrepreneur in mind, to provide a platform that gathers all of Maryland’s resources and funding information in one place. 

“It’s so important for entrepreneurs and the entities that support entrepreneurs be connected, especially during COVID-19,” said Claire Broido Johnson of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, managing director of the University System of Maryland’s Momentum Fund. “We want to make sure there is a resource connecting providers and suppliers with tools, funding, mentors, space, and more and hope this new platform is really efficient!” 

The military wants to stop pandemics. Many of the innovations and breakthroughs deployed to combat COVID-19 began years ago as Pentagon-funded research programs to protect soldiers, some spearheaded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Bill Whitaker and 60 Minutes cameras were allowed in to report on some of the technologies the Department of Defense is developing to defend against future pandemics — including a single vaccine to ward off all coronaviruses. Whitaker’s report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes, Sunday, April 11 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.   

The coronavirus pandemic has devastated our region’s economy overall, but it has also triggered explosive growth in a pair of critical technology industries on either side of the Potomac.

The medical battle against the coronavirus opened a gusher of nearly $8 billion in fresh investment last year in Montgomery County’s biotech companies. The money has accelerated the sector’s evolution from innovative but small-scale research to the sale and manufacturing of vaccines and drugs.

Image: Doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at George Washington University Hospital in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Reuters)

 C-suite Executive and Serial Entrepreneur Who Specializes in Longevity Economy Innovation Joins Diverse Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) Team

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, April 12, 2021 – BioHealth Innovation Inc. (BHI) announces the addition of John P. Reinhart, CPA, MBA, to the growing Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) team. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program at BHI aims to ensure that disruptive technologies receive all the resources required to transform the technology from a discovery into a commercially relevant product and eventually have a measurable impact on human health. The program was created to support scientists, early-stage startups, and licensed technologies to provide them with access to these resources. John will be working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Institute of Aging (NIA)

 “BHI is proud to welcome John Reinhart to our strong group of EIRs work with the National Institutes of Health,” said Richard Bendis, BHI President, and CEO. “His background as an executive and serial entrepreneur adds to the mission of this program.”

 Former Vice President with Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation Joins BHI Tem

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, April 12, 2021 – BioHealth Innovation Inc. (BHI) announces Sarah Miller’s addition as VP of Economic Development. This move coincides with the departure of BHI’s Managing Director of Economic Development, Judy Costello, who will be joining Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s staff.

“It is with mixed emotions that we said goodbye to an important part of the BHI family while adding a talented leader from right here in Montgomery County,” said Richard Bendis, BHI President and CEO. “We thank Judy for all her contributions to BHI and the BioHealth Capital Region, and welcome Sarah, who brings a background of success to our organization.”

Sarah Miller has served in various positions that have given her the tools necessary to help communities recognize and build upon their unique assets. In her work across Pennsylvania and Maryland, she has created high-quality civic spaces, helped industrial communities reinvent themselves, supported new farmers, built technology business incubators, and managed local public art programs. 

Advancements in biotechnology are recognized as one of the most important scientific achievements of the 20th Century.  The emergence of biotechnology profoundly impacted the health of the world, and the economic vitality of regions where bio clusters and bioresearch parks grew.  This article explores some of the historical and policy implications undergirding this development in the United States and the importance of alignment of life science research activity, public policies, and leadership to build place-based communities of biotechnology innovation.