News Archive

RICHMOND, VA — Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Canon Virginia, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of consumer and office products, will expand its manufacturing facility in the City of Newport News. The expansion will support Canon’s new initiative to scale a unique method of isolating natural silk protein to create a solution with applications for multiple industries. Canon Virginia will retrain 30 employees to staff the new line, which is one of the company’s first ventures outside their longstanding core business of image-related products.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is accepting applications for its FY24 $50 million Build to Scale program to support organizations that strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems to support entrepreneurs as they build and scale technology-driven businesses—and the employees in the new, good jobs they create—to make and deliver new technology products and services. [Read Today’s Blog Post] 

Build to Scale (B2S) grants fund programs that support innovators, entrepreneurs, and startups transforming ideas into the critical, emerging technologies of the future.  

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNAC) (the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering mRNA cell therapy for autoimmune diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to Descartes-08 for the treatment of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).

Descartes-08, Cartesian’s lead mRNA cell therapy candidate, is an autologous mRNA-engineered chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (mRNA CAR-T) product candidate targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). Descartes-08 is designed to be administered without preconditioning chemotherapy and does not use integrating vectors.

Billions in funding from the CHIPS & Science Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and American Rescue Plan–known as the Investing in America suite of bills– have begun to flow into communities.

Over the next two years, it will be essential that state and local governments, industry, higher education institutions, workforce entities, labor unions, and the media effectively track and evaluate the flow of funding and the activities those funds are catalyzing.

A new tool released by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Directorate aims to help illuminate just that. The interactive map shows the 198 signature place-based investments, highlighting the geographic diversity and intentional layering of investments across the two agencies.

The BioHealth Capital Region is proud to announce the finalists for this year’s Crab Trap Competition, selected from a highly competitive pool of a record number of over 60 applications from within the Region and beyond. These finalists represent a diverse and innovative group of biohealth companies, each bringing forward unique solutions with the potential to significantly impact the industry. The competition will take place on September 18th at 1:45 pm at the US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, MD, as part of the BioHealth Capital Region Week.

The Crab Trap competition is designed to identify and foster the most innovative startups within the biohealth sector. It serves as a platform for emerging companies to gain exposure and interact with a network of industry leaders, investors, and potential partners. This year’s finalists were chosen based on their technological innovation, potential market impact, and the strength of their business model. The competition not only highlights cutting-edge advancements in healthcare and biotechnology but also provides a critical opportunity for startups to accelerate their journey from concept to market. As these companies prepare to present their solutions, the anticipation builds for how these innovations could reshape the future of medicine and healthcare.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX) today announced positive results from the Phase I/II/III CAMPSIITE^® trial of RGX-121 for the treatment of patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II (MPS II), also known as Hunter syndrome. The results were presented at the Society for the Study of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (SSIEM) Annual Symposium 2024.

The totality of evidence from the CAMPSIITE trial continues to support RGX-121 as the potential first gene therapy and one-time treatment for MPS II. In the United States, RGX-121 is also on track to be the first treatment that addresses the neurocognitive decline associated with MPS II, with the potential to be the first-line treatment for patients with neuronopathic disease. 

Emmes, part of Emmes Group, today announced they will provide a Clinical Coordinating Center for the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials

ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Emmes, part of Emmes Group, a leading specialty tech-enabled global contract research organization (CRO), has been selected by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) NIDA [National Institute of Drug Abuse] to support their Clinical Trials Network (CTN) for a multi-task, IDIQ contract.

The International Life Sciences Real Estate Conference, taking place on September 11-12, 2024, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Rockville, MD, is an event for professionals at the crossroads of biotech and commercial real estate. This conference will explore the latest trends, innovations, and strategies shaping the life sciences sector. Attendees will gain insights from top executives, developers, investors, and government officials on how to build thriving biotech ecosystems, navigate market conditions, and leverage AI and sustainability for future growth. Speakers include Maryland Governor Wes Moore and AstraZeneca’s Cory Matthews.