News Archive

Ever since D-Wave Systems unveiled what it called the world’s first quantum computer in 2007, the small Canadian company has attracted controversy.

Computers capable of exploiting quantum physics for computation on a large scale promise to solve in mere seconds problems that would take conventional machines millions of years. But whether D-Wave’s machine uses quantum tricks to process data more efficiently is still an open question. Nonetheless, the company has attracted significant investment funding, and it has struck deals to supply its hardware to companies including Google and Lockheed Martin for research (see “The CIA and Jeff Bezos Bet on Quantum Computing”).

The National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will receive a top national award for the year’s most outstanding intellectual property licensing deal, for technology transfer of a pioneering, low-cost meningitis vaccine launched in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2014 Deals of Distinction Award will be presented to the two federal agencies and their collaborators by the Licensing Executives Society at the society’s 50th annual meeting, Oct. 5-8 in San Francisco.

Recognizing the continuing evolution of New Jersey’s life sciences industry, BioNJ today released a comprehensive report that documents the ongoing growth of the biotechnology sector in the State and combines and assesses the contributions of the entirety of the life sciences sector to New Jersey’s economy, including employment and economic impact.

BioNJ conducted the study in partnership with EY (formerly known as Ernst & Young) the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy (Bloustein School) and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s (LWD) Office of Research and Information. To access the study go to: http://www.bionj.org/wp- content/uploads/2014/09/Industry-Study-9-19-14-Final-Final.pdf.

More than 300 entrepreneurs are expected to vie for between 150 and 175 spots on the Startup Maryland bus to film a pitch video of their idea.

Now in its third year, the Startup Maryland’s Pitch Across Maryland tour will make 27 stops where entrepreneurs can film a short pitch video about their business. A panel of judges selects eight finalists, of which a winner and runner up are entered into a finalist round of the state’s InvestMaryland Challenge business competition.

The ever-shrinking number of biotech venture capital firms was a common refrain during the 2008-2012 period; it’s true that a large number of firms went under, closed their doors for new investments, or moved into zombie status. I wrote on the subject back in July 2012 (here). The biotech investing environment then, with a relatively bleak IPO landscape and venture funding off some 40% from the prior year, was very different from the past two years with an “open” IPO window and steady pace of venture funding.

Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe first began working with computers in the 1980s, just as personal computers were entering homes. “I always said that it was the most exciting, amazing time,” he says. “We had no idea that in some number of years, a personal computer would within two physical taps, revolutionize, say, the entire taxi service industry.”

He has since revised his definition of the most exciting time to be in computer science to “now.”

The 2014 NIH Research Festival, the annual showcase of the NIH Intramural Research Program, will be held Sept. 22-24. This year’s theme is “The Era of the Brain.” The festival kicks off with an opening plenary session at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 22 in Masur Auditorium, Bldg. 10. The plenary session will include remarks by NIH director Dr. Francis Collins, followed by the FARE awards ceremony and scientific talks by Drs. Antonello Bonci (NIDA) and Mark Hallett (NINDS).

Tasly Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a global leader in pharmaceuticals, biologics, and nutraceuticals, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 3, 2014, at Tasly’s corporate offices in Rockville, MD.

The ceremony marked the official launch of Tasly’s Rockville location as the North American headquarters of Tasly Holding Group, a twenty year old global technology company established in China.

More than 100 distinguished guests and dignitaries were in attendance, including the Chairman and the President of Tasly Holding Group, China’s Embassy Counselor, Maryland state officials, Maryland biotechnology and pharmaceutical executives, and high-level regional media representatives, among others.

FasterCures, part of the Milken Institute dedicated to improving drug development by encouraging greater patient involvement is searching for digital health entrepreneurs to pitch at its upcoming conference, Partnering for Cures. The group is looking for collaboration opportunities between biotech and digital health, partly to find more effective ways to improve clinical trial recruitment.

Entrepreneurs for Cures  will spotlight entrepreneurs who are developing digital and mobile health technology that boost patient participation in biomedical research and development and those looking for partnerships with patient communities to demonstrate their product’s capabilities. It’s particularly interested in companies pursuing solutions geared to chronic conditions,  acute and infectious diseases, mental illness, genetic conditions.

OpGen, Inc., a whole-genome analysis company developing and commercializing a complete suite of break-through products and services based on its proprietary Whole Genome Mapping technology, announced today the appointment of Vadim Sapiro as chief information officer. In addition, the company announced the promotion and appointments of several key members of the executive committee. The organizational changes have been made to strengthen the management team and accelerate OpGen’s development and commercialization strategy. The company’s products enable rapid, accurate, high resolution whole genome analysis of microbes as well as more cost effective and accurate sequence assembly and finishing of human, animal, plant and microbial genomes.