
That was the theme when medical thought leaders converged on New York City recently for the Faster Cures Center of the Milken Institute’s “Partnering for Cures” conference where Fox News’ own Dr. Manny Alvarez was a panel moderator.

That was the theme when medical thought leaders converged on New York City recently for the Faster Cures Center of the Milken Institute’s “Partnering for Cures” conference where Fox News’ own Dr. Manny Alvarez was a panel moderator.

Health tech incubator MATTER has secured $4.4 million to build the next generation of health IT, medical device, diagnostics and biopharma companies in Chicago. The funding was led by twenty two local companies mostly focused in the tech and healthcare sectors complementing the initial $2.5M grant and $1.5M loan provided by the State of Illinois. This brings MATTER’s total funding to more than $8M to build a viable health tech hub in Chicago.

Surgery is an art form for Johns Hopkins surgeon Dr. Amir Dorafshar, who on a November morning spent four hours smoothing the point out of a child’s skull.
The procedure, needed to allow the 18-month old’s brain to grow properly and avoid developmental disorders, requires taking apart the skull in pieces, then putting it back together.

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Baltimore biotech firm Noxilizer Inc. is expanding its footprint at the University of Maryland BioPark to meet growing demand from clients.
Noxilizer developed a medical sterilization system that uses nitrogen dioxide, a faster alternative to traditional methods. The company added about 5,000 square feet to its sterilization space to accommodate a growing interest in its contract sterilization services. The company’s sterilization lab now takes up about 16,00 square feet — the entire basement at 801 W. Baltimore Street.

In perhaps yet another sign of the expanding role of retail healthcare, CVS Health said it is opening a new Digital Innovation Hub on Boston that will serve as a central hub for the Rhode Island-based pharmacy’s digital health team.

Deloitte recently released its 2014 Technology Fast 500 Rankings, and biotech companies ranked third-quickest in growth following software and internet firms. The biotech industry, over all, grew 940 percent this year – the lowest it’s been, actually, in the past decade. Last year, for instance, the it grew 2,723 percent, in 2012 it was 3,734 – the lowest since this year was in 2005, when growth was at 1,420 percent.

Protagen AG announced that it has entered into a long-term collaboration agreement with QIAGEN targeting the development of novel protein-based companion diagnostics for autoimmune disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, QIAGEN will gain access to the proprietary SeroTag® technology platform of Protagen, which enables the discovery and validation of novel protein-based marker panels. Such markers hold great promise for the development into companion diagnostics to guide treatment decisions in various autoimmune disorders. Financial details of the collaboration were not disclosed.

Two University System of Maryland schools are turning investor.
University of Maryland, Baltimore, and University of Maryland, College Park plan to invest up to $500,000 each in Maryland-based startups that use technology licensed from the universities.

University of Maryland UM Ventures and Harpoon Medical, Inc., announced today that the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has invested $100,000 in Harpoon Medical. This is the first equity investment UM Ventures has made in a company and completes Harpoon Medical’s $3.6 million Series A financing. The investment also coincides with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s decision to grant a patent for the innovative beating heart mitral valve repair technology Harpoon Medical licensed from UMB. The team in the Division of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine developed the licensed technology.