MedImmune, the R&D arm of AstraZeneca, will make an immediate payment of $10 million to the Israeli cancer immunotherapy company. Israeli cancer immunotherapy company Compugen Ltd. (Nasdaq: CGEN; TASE: CGEN) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with MedImmune, the biologics R&D arm of AstraZeneca. The agreement will facilitate the development of bi-specific and multi-specific immuno-oncology antibody products.
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is delighted to recognize Zhijian “James” Chen, Ph.D., with the 2018 Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences for discovery of the enzyme cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase (cGAS) and its corresponding pathway, which solved a century- old mystery about DNA. Long before DNA was known to be a genetic material, scientists knew that it could activate the body’s immune system to fight infections. However, they did not understand the cellular process that occurred to trigger this response until Dr. Chen’s discovery. The cGAS enzyme and its DNA-sensing pathway are the catalyst for the critical immune response that defends the body against viruses, bacteria and tumors, but surprisingly, they also can inflict autoimmune disease. Now in its sixth year, the Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences will be presented to Dr. Chen at the FNIH Award Ceremony hosted by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on May 16, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
Senseonics Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: SENS), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of Eversense®, a long-term, implantable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for people with diabetes, today announced a favorable outcome of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Toxicology Devices meeting on the Eversense system. The panel, comprised of independent medical experts, voted unanimously, 8 to 0, that the benefits outweigh the risks, voted unanimously, 8 to 0, that the system is safe, and voted unanimously, 8 to 0, that the system is effective.
Adding to the growing momentum in Prince George’s County, WeWork, a global leader in coworking with more than 200 locations in 21 countries around the world, has selected College Park for its first location in the State of Maryland. As part of a new partnership model, this will be the first WeWork on a college campus, located in the University of Maryland’s Discovery District.
Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALT), a clinical-stage immunotherapeutics company, today announced positive data from its Phase 2a study of NasoVAX intranasal influenza vaccine and provided an update on its Phase 1b study of HepTcell targeted immunotherapy in chronic hepatitis B infection. Results from the Phase 2a study of NasoVAX™ intranasal flu vaccine in 60 healthy individuals showed 100% seroprotection in the mid- and high-dose groups. Results from the Phase 1b study of HepTCell in hepatitis B infection showed that HepTcell was well tolerated at all doses tested, while the unblinded T-cell immunogenicity results were inconclusive.
Johns Hopkins University is launching a new concentration in Regenerative and Stem Cell Technologies within the Master of Science in Biotechnology. Students will become knowledgeable about areas including regenerative medicine, cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue engineering.
Co-working space company WeWork is opening its first location in Maryland and it’s where the future of business lives: on a college campus.
WeWork will open on the campus of the University of Maryland College Park this fall, in the university’s rapidly expanding Discovery District.
When: Thursday, April 19, 2018 4:00 – 7:00 PM EST
Where: Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures 1812 Ashland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21205
Deerfield Management is an investment management firm, committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy. Partner and Hopkins alum, Brian Bizoza, MD will talk to their investment strategy and their work advancing early technologies from major academic institutions.
The purpose of the administrative supplement is to provide support for NIH-funded investigators to participate in an entrepreneurship training course, the Concept to Clinic: Commercializing Innovation (C3i) Program. The C3i Program is designed to provide medical device innovators with the specialized business frameworks and essential tools for successful translation of biomedical technologies from the lab (concept) to the market (clinic). Through this program, the NIH fosters the development and commercialization of early-stage biomedical technologies by engaging investigators who are interested in better understanding the value of their innovation in addressing an unmet market need. The curriculum and customized mentoring provided by the C3i Program are intended to guide investigators as they assess the commercial viability and potential business opportunity for their innovation. Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIH Scientific/Research staff for more information about the program before applying.
The American South is not all barbecue and shrimp and grits. It turns out that there are plenty of interesting startup companies in the region, and where there are startups, there are investors too.
