News Archive

MARSEILLE, France, Oct. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Innate Pharma SA (Euronext Paris: IPH – ISIN: FR0010331421; Nasdaq: IPHA) (“Innate” or the “Company”) today announced that AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) has dosed the first patient in its Phase 3 clinical trial, INTERLINK-1, evaluating monalizumab in combination with cetuximab in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN) who have been previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and PD-(L)1 inhibitors (“IO-pretreated”). Monalizumab, Innate’s lead partnered asset, is a potentially first-in-class immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting NKG2A receptors expressed on tumor infiltrating cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and NK cells.

Dosing of the first patient in this trial has triggered a $50 million milestone payment from AstraZeneca to Innate.

The biotech behind AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford’s late-stage pandemic vaccine has hired Margaret (Meg) Marshall, M.D., as its new chief medical officer.

Marshall joined as a consultant to Oxford spinout Vaccitech in the summer, but she now jumps on board full time. This comes two months after it nabbed U.K. government funding for a COVID-19 vaccine it thinks can improve on first-generation prospects, including the AstraZeneca vaccine it helped develop.

Image: Vaccitech’s headquarters in Oxford, England (Jun via Flickr/CC-by-SA 2.0)

America’s long-term economic growth demands a stepped-up commitment to promoting the innovation impact of the nation’s top-tier universities and other research institutions.

For research institutions themselves, this commitment means prioritizing research, empowering great researchers, building efficient and outcomes-focused technology transfer operations, instilling cultures of innovation and entrepreneurship, and engaging with surrounding business and innovation communities. For America as a whole, it means funding more research resources and paying more attention to the worldwide competition for human talent, including high-skilled immigrants.

BLUEPRINT FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY BEYOND THE TRIANGLE: Most experts agree Raleigh and Durham are well positioned for a strong recovery from the pandemic, but what about the areas well beyond the Triangle’s core?

A new report released Wednesday from RTI International is meant to address that very question. The Innovation Corridor Blueprintincludes 12 areas of focus for leaders and stakeholders to tackle in a 100-mile radius around the Triangle. Topics range from digital infrastructure and affordable housing to biohealth technology and addressing systemic racism.

Image: An illustration of the Raleigh-Durham skylines. SEANPAVONEPHOTO

– Winning company has FDA cleared device to rapidly and objectively assess brain injury at point of care.

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, October 26, 2020 – BrainScope, a medical neurotechnology company that is a pioneer in the use of A.I. and machine learning in the creation of biomarkers of brain injuries and disease was selected from five finalists as the company with the most commercial potential at the 5th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition. The Bethesda, Maryland based company is helping hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) objectively triage the almost five million patients that present each year with suspected mild traumatic brain injuries. BrainScope’s FDA-cleared decision support tool provides a rapid and accurate assessment of the likelihood of a brain bleed and a concussion, at the point of care.

BrainScope’s outstanding 99% sensitivity to a head CT scan is performed without the use of radiation, in a fraction of the time, and can improve ED efficiency and increase patient satisfaction. Clinical studies have demonstrated that when BrainScope is used in triage, hospitals can reduce the number of patients being sent for head CT by about a third. According to BrainScope CEO Susan Hertzberg, “We are honored to have been chosen from this exceptional group of companies and are very excited by the early reception we are receiving from the emergency medical community.  Now more than ever in this COVID-19 world, emergency departments need to have fast, accurate, objective tools to rapidly assess patient status and needed care.”

The Sixth Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum brought together industry leaders from across the region who discussed the accomplishments and strengths of the region as its member companies continue to innovate new therapies and medicines in one of the strongest bio-hub regions in the United States.

The forum, which drew more than 1,100 registrants and included 59 world-class speakers and panelists, had a different look this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of gathering together in the heart of the BioHealth Capital Region at AstraZeneca’s Gaithersburg facility, the forum was held virtually. The event offered multiple panels and keynotes that highlighted advancements made in the region across several areas, including cell and gene therapies, the use of artificial intelligence and the ongoing battle against COVID-19.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

VC investment dollars hit a seven-quarter high in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2020: A total of $36.5 billion was invested in U.S. tech and healthcare companies, according to data from the MoneyTree Report by PwC/CB Insights. That’s up 30% from the second quarter. The total number of deals rose to 1,461 investments in companies, up 1% over the prior quarter.

It’s the second straight quarter of growth, indicating that a slowdown toward the end of March as the pandemic set in didn’t become the norm.

“Things are still going gangbusters,” said Brad Phillips, a director in PwC’s Emerging Company Services practice. “It’s been a relief for a lot of people that were in the market and just didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Image: Whitebox’s Baltimore team inside its Curtis Bay HQ. (Courtesy photo)