News

Nov 3, 2024 LaunchPort is pleased to announce that Nanochon (https://www.nanochon.com/) has joined their City Garage/Baltimore Peninsula location as a LaunchPort Resident.

Nanochon’s mission is to develop a new approach to treat cartilage replacement and repair so that the hundreds of thousands of young, active patients with knee damage can return to their lifestyles without having to undergo costly and invasive short-term fixes. Founded in 2016, their technology is a minimally-invasive early intervention that could help avert the need for total knee replacement. Nanochon’s Chondrograft device is a sturdy medical advancement that is one part orthopedic load-bearing implant, one part tissue growth scaffold, and completely revolutionary. Their implant replaces lost or damaged cartilage and encourages new growth using innovative nanomaterial and 3-D printed designs. This technology has the potential to provide a more successful, faster, longer-lasting, and more affordable solution to joint disease and injury.

In this episode of BioTalk, Rich Bendis sits down with Rachel Rath, the Head of JLABS @ Washington, DC, to discuss her journey and insights on building a thriving ecosystem for life sciences innovation. Rachel shares her academic and professional background, from roles at PCORI and BARDA Blue Knight to leading JLABS @ Washington, DC. She offers an in-depth look at JLABS’ national and international footprint, and the significant partnerships with organizations like Children’s National, Virginia Tech, and BARDA that strengthen the innovation landscape across the mid-Atlantic.

Tune in as Rachel shares the current priorities at JLABS, highlighting the diversity of its tenant portfolio, which spans MedTech, Pharma, and Integrated Healthcare Solutions. She also discusses how JLABS companies benefit from the support and resources available through Johnson & Johnson, including access to valuable connections, mentorship, and funding opportunities via JJDC.

Listen now via your favorite podcasting platform:

Apple: https://apple.co/4fybjcO
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4eenlXO
Amazin Music: https://amzn.to/3NRxK0P
TuneIn: https://bit.ly/4ecryv7

The Indo US Bridging RARE Summit 2024 is set to be an unmissable event for those dedicated to advancing rare disease research and fostering global collaborations. Taking place from November 16-18, 2024, this second annual summit is hosted by the Indo US Organization for Rare Diseases (IndoUSrare) in partnership with AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi) and other key partners. The main venue is the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Campus, New Delhi, with an opening gala at the outdoor AIIMS Swimming Pool Venue on the evening of November 16th. Virtual participation will be available, offering opportunities for online networking, exhibits, and posters.

FREDERICK, MARYLAND, November 4, 2024: BioFactura, Inc. recently announced contract option activations totaling $7.8 million by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of BioFactura’s prime contract valued at up to $78 million for the advanced development of a Smallpox Biodefense Therapeutic. This monoclonal antibody cocktail therapeutic has the potential to augment current medical countermeasures, guard against potential resistance of the Smallpox virus, and fulfill an unmet need in our nation’s biothreat preparedness.

COLUMBIA, Md., (October 31, 2024) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $250,000 Seed Funds investment in NeuroIntact. TEDCO’s Seed Funds aim to reach prospective businesses showing potential of being venture fundable or other forms of corporate venture, such as follow-on funding.

“Elevated pressure in the brain as a result of a cerebral edema can be not only damaging, but also life-threatening without proper treatment,” said Bryan Nicholson, president of NeuroIntact. “That’s why we’re working on creating a solution and thanks to this recent investment from TEDCO, we can continue progressing in our research and development efforts.”

Germantown, Maryland, and Venlo, the Netherlands, Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the QIAstat-Dx Respiratory Panel Mini test for clinical use. It is the third test to receive FDA clearance for use with QIAstat-Dx systems in 2024.

The QIAstat-Dx Respiratory Panel Mini is designed to support clinical decision making in diagnosing upper respiratory infections in outpatient settings and covers five common viral causes of illness: influenza A, influenza B, human rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2. The panel leverages QIAstat-Dx’s ability to quickly multiply many genetic targets using real-time PCR technology in the same reaction, delivering results in about one hour and with less than one minute of hands-on time. Cycle threshold (Ct) values and amplification curves provide laboratories with additional information in the context of co-infections, and are instantly viewable on the instrument touchscreen with no additional software required.

ROCKVILLE, Md., October 29, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GlycoMimetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GLYC) announced today it has entered into an acquisition agreement with Crescent Biopharma, Inc. (“Crescent”), a privately held biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of oncology therapeutics designed to treat solid tumors. Upon completion of the transaction, the Company plans to operate under the name Crescent Biopharma, Inc.

In support of the acquisition, a syndicate of investors led by Fairmount, Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, BVF Partners, and a large investment management firm, with participation from Paradigm BioCapital, RTW Investments, Blackstone Multi-Asset Investing, Frazier Life Sciences, Commodore Capital, Perceptive Advisers, Deep Track Capital, Boxer Capital Management, Soleus, Logos Capital, Driehaus Capital Management, Braidwell LP, and Wellington Management, has committed $200 million to purchase GlycoMimetics common stock and GlycoMimetics pre-funded warrants to purchase its common stock. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025. The financing is expected to close immediately following the completion of the transaction. The Company’s cash balance at closing is anticipated to fund operations through 2027, including advancement of the Company’s lead program CR-001, a tetravalent PD-1 x VEGF bispecific antibody, through preliminary proof of concept clinical data in solid tumor patients expected in the second half of 2026.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SHPH) (“Shuttle Pharma”), a discovery and development stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on improving outcomes for cancer patients treated with radiation therapy (RT), announced today that the first three patients in its Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Ropidoxuridine for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma have been successfully dosed.

Ropidoxuridine (IPdR) is Shuttle Pharma’s lead candidate radiation sensitizer for use in combination with RT to treat brain tumors (glioblastoma), a deadly malignancy of the brain with no known cure. Shuttle has received Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA, providing potential marketing exclusivity upon first FDA approval for the disease.