Blood is one of those things Americans take for granted.
Here, when patients are rushed to the hospital after an accident and are losing a lot of blood, we assume the hospital will have units of donated blood ready to hook up when the ambulance arrives. We don’t think about how much each unit of blood costs — yes, it has a price — because we have health insurance that pays the bill.
After 10 years as a successful veterinarian, Ignacio “Nacho” Pino decided to dedicate himself to work that could bring state-of-the-art biotechnology research to his home of Puerto Rico.
CDI Laboratories—a company he founded in 2008 along with Johns Hopkins University researchers Heng Zhu and Seth Blackshaw, JHU professor emeritus Jef Boeke, and two others (Dan Eichinger and Joe Bonaventura)—aims to produce research-grade protein and antibody products that support scientific research on cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases. The company is one of more than 30 startups being showcased in Washington, D.C., today as part of the first-ever White House Demo Day, which will highlight the work of a diverse group of entrepreneurs from across the country.
Funding and Research Opportunities
The following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:
Notices:
Program Announcements:
Please note that most links to RFAs, PAs, and Guide Notices will take you to the NIH Web site. RFPs will take you to FedBizOpps. Links to RFPs will not work past their proposal receipt date. Archived versions of RFPs posted on FedBizOpps can be found on the FedBizOpps site using the FedBizOpps search function. Under “Document to Search,” select Archived Documents.
AstraZeneca Plc and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. will work together, expanding an earlier collaboration, to seek gene therapy treatments for diseases affecting the heart, kidneys and the body’s metabolism.
AstraZeneca agreed to pay Isis an upfront fee of $65 million plus development and regulatory milestones for each program that the London-based drugmaker advances to clinical development, the companies said in a statement. Isis, based in Carlsbad, California, will earn tiered double-digit royalties on annual sales of each program.
During a tour to Paris, Bruce Springsteen explained that his dream was for the US to adapt a Swedish style welfare state. The famous musician is far from alone in idealizing Nordic policies. The four Nordic nations (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) are often regarded as prime role-models the policies to be emulated by others. Internationally, advocates of left of centre policies view these countries as examples of how high tax social democratic systems are viable and successful. Paul Krugman, for example, has said: “Every time I read someone talking about the ‘collapsing welfare states of Europe’, I have this urge to take that person on a forced walking tour of Stockholm”.
Baltimore will be the first stop for billionaire investor and entrepreneur Steve Case, who in September kicks off a $1 million investment round.
Case, CEO of the Washington, D.C., venture firm Revolution, plans to invest $1 million in startups in cities that are off the beaten path for most venture capitalists. The Rise of the Rest bus tour kicks off Sept. 28 in Baltimore and will make stops in Philadelphia, Buffalo and Manchester and Portland, Maine.
Today Startup Maryland announced updates to the schedule (September 12 – October 2) and the rough route for the Pitch Across Maryland, the fourth annual state-wide tour and celebration of entrepreneurship and high-growth startup companies.
The Pitch Across Maryland tour will again traverse the state all in the name of celebrating Maryland’s diverse communities of venture building. A sampling of details, key data and results from previous tours follow:
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced that it is launching a ruggedized, military-grade auto-injector device, known as Emergard™, which is designed for intramuscular self-injection of antidotes and other emergency response medical treatments that can address exposure to certain chemical agents and other similar emerging threats. Emergard is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not currently marketed in the U.S., although the company intends to pursue FDA approval of the device. The company has received preliminary interest for Emergard from countries outside the U.S. and anticipates making its first deliveries in limited quantities in Q4 2015.
The world population is continuing to grow for various reasons, and it’s growing fast.
A recent report released by the United Nations revealed that the current world population is 7.3 billion, is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100.
Tom Sadowski, president and CEO of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, joins the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) Board of Directors as a representative appointed by Governor Larry Hogan.
“It is imperative that our planning efforts complement economic development activity as we work to promote prosperity in the Baltimore region,” said Michael B. Kelly, executive director of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. “In Tom Sadowski, BMC’s Board of Directors gains a wealth of knowledge and experience – especially in fostering and maintaining regional partnerships and promoting positive economic development initiatives. We look forward to working with him.”
