Is Google about to take a huge dive into the health industry?
The search engine giant has just filed a patent for a “needle-free blood draw” system that could be worn on your wrist and help people who need regular draws to get blood quickly and painlessly, according to a The Verge report.
In the past couple of years there has been a rise in sovereign wealth funds’ investments in healthcare. These cover a wide range of areas from hospital chains to pharmaceutical companies, but it also includes direct investments in digital health startups. China Broadband Capital invested in smartphone diagnostic developer Scanadu and French Groupe Arnault includes Clue, a maker of female health apps, among its investments. Alaska Permanent Fund is one of the founding investors in Denali Therapeutics, a biotech business targeting neurodegenerative disorders.
Two years ago, life science startups were only six percent of the Google Ventures portfolio.
As 2015 draws to a close, that industry now is nearly one third of Google Ventures investments and is only going to grow larger, says the president and CEO of Google’s venture arm, Bill Maris.
Rockville-based Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was recently recognized as the #1 fastest growing Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical company in North America and the #4 overall fastest growing technology company in the latest Technology Fast 500 put out annually by Deloitte.
On November 13, 2015, Deloitte released the 2015 Technology Fast 500, an annual ranking of the fastest growing North American companies in the technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and energy tech sectors. Supernus claimed the top spot in the Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical industry with a growth rate of over 15,000 percent from 2011 to 2014. Headquartered in Montgomery County, Maryland, Supernus is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
We’re another step closer to extending the life span of human beings.
Researchers in Switzerland have been studying the effect of genes on the aging process and have published their results in the journal Nature Communications. Of the 40,000 genes they studied, they found 30 that allow a variety of animals, including roundworms, zebrafish, and mice, to stay healthier and live longer. But these scientists focused specifically on genes that are also found in human beings, so the next step in their project is to see if these genes also have an impact on us as well.
Arlington cybersecurity start-up ThreatConnect said Tuesday that it has raised $16 million from investors, led by the corporate venture capital arm of SAP’s North American subsidiary in Rockville. The next morning just down the road in Sterling, Va., a similarly-named start-up called ThreatQuotient said it raised $10.2 million, led by prolific technology investor New Enterprise Associates. A few weeks ago Arlington-based Trustar announced a $2 million in seed funding.
Jeff Carroll inherited the DNA mutation that causes Huntington’s disease. It means that in a decade or two, he’ll lose control over his body and slowly go mad, just like his mother.
That’s the reason Carroll, 38, says he’d be in favor of gene editing embryos. He says the idea of correcting DNA errors in the next generation has no “ick factor” for him at all. “I have no compunctions about it,” says Carroll, who is a neuroscientist at Western Washington University, in Bellingham. “I am saying, please, please do mess with our DNA.”
Supports K@W’s Innovation Content Pfizer Inc. raked in more than $12.4 billion in revenue in both 2007 and 2008 from just one drug, Lipitor. The cholesterol-lowering mega-blockbuster accounted for more than a quarter of the pharmaceutical giant’s total revenue in those years.
But those golden days couldn’t last.
The D.C.-based venture capital firm Revolution Growth is bringing on additional talent.
The firm, founded by AOL co-founder Steve Case, Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s CEO and owner Ted Leonsis, and Donn Davis, announced the hiring of four new vice presidents Tuesday to help spur additional investments and push for a greater return on its portfolio.
DATE: Wednesday, December 9, 2015
LOCATION: Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 800, Rockville, MD 20850
The FDA Technology Transfer program seeks to advance the development and commercialization of inventions that result from regulatory science research and development conducted at the FDA. Regulatory Science can be defined as the science of developing new tools and technologies to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of FDA-regulated products. Technology Transfer tools used by the FDA Technology Transfer Program are the same tools used by Federal Agencies and FDA technology transfer-related policies are similar to the policies of the NIH and CDC. However, the range of technologies developed at the FDA is more diverse- a reflection of the FDA’s role in ensuring the safety of food, drugs, biologics, medical devices, tobacco, and veterinary medicines.
