News

A globally recognized physician-scientist who studies and treats blood cancer is joining Virginia Tech to lead cancer research in Washington, D.C., said Michael Friedlander, Virginia Tech’s vice president for health sciences and technology and executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

Christopher Hourigan, a senior investigator and chief of the Laboratory of Myeloid Malignancies at the National Institutes of Health, will join Virginia Tech as a professor with the institute and director of its Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C.

“Dr. Hourigan exemplifies the prototype of a physician-scientist, integrating insights from his patient interactions directly into his fundamental and translational laboratory research,” Friedlander said. “We are extremely enthusiastic to have him join Virginia Tech and become a member of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute team to take on this important new leadership role for our growing cancer research programs in Washington, D.C., and to further strengthen our collaborations with Carilion Clinic, Children’s National Hospital, and other health systems and universities.

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, April 1, 2024 – BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is delighted to present a compelling episode on its podcast, BioTalk with Rich Bendis, titled “Transforming Healthcare: Insights from John Sackett, Adventist Healthcare COO on BioTalk.” In this captivating episode, John Sackett, Executive Vice President & COO of Adventist Healthcare, shares his extraordinary journey and invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of healthcare delivery, all while managing cystic fibrosis.

John Sackett’s story is one of resilience, leadership, and innovation. From his early days as an administrative assistant to his current role as Executive Vice President & COO of Adventist Healthcare, John has demonstrated unwavering dedication to improving healthcare outcomes in the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR). Despite the challenges posed by cystic fibrosis, a chronic and life-threatening genetic disease, John has thrived professionally and emerged as an inspirational figure, defying the odds and becoming a beacon of hope for others.

In this episode, John candidly discusses his personal journey of managing cystic fibrosis while excelling in his career. His story sheds light on the challenges faced by individuals living with chronic illnesses and underscores the importance of resilience, innovation, and patient-centered care in healthcare delivery.

Amsterdam, March 15, 2024 – The government of the Netherlands has allocated €200 million from the country’s National Growth Fund for a public-private consortium that will conduct research into ‘microbiomes’ and economically interesting applications thereof. The funds, which will add to €150 million that the dozens of consortium members and partners themselves contribute, will support the activities of a national ‘Holomicrobiome Institute’ over the next ten years.

In the consortium, ten Dutch universities, five university-medical centers, four universities of applied sciences, and many other knowledge organizations work together with dozens of small and large companies (including MIMETAS) and societal organizations.

Altimmune on Wednesday said its experimental drug helped patients shed weight but also minimized the loss of muscle mass in a midstage trial, a finding that could set it apart in a potentially crowded market.

Altimmune is one of several smaller biotech companies that are pushing to compete directly with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the growing weight loss drug space, or to get scooped up by larger drugmakers that can help bring their treatments to market.

The results are an early sign that the biotech company can address a major concern around those treatments, which have drawn unrelenting demand and investor interest over the last year.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – March 26, 2024 – AMPEL BioSolutions announces a breakthrough in personalized precision medicine that will revolutionize the way doctors manage the autoimmune disease Lupus.  Revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Genome Medicine and being made available to patients through a US follow-on study, the LuGENE^® blood test forecasts patient flares and drug targets from gene expression utilizing predictive AI.

The LuGENE^® lab test is now launching at several Lupus practices around the country including those in medical centers, concierge practices and healthcare systems as a practical decision support biomarker test that could greatly impact day-to-day healthcare for patients with Lupus.  The blood test predicts flares before they happen and provides specific information about a patient’s disease abnormalities leading to symptoms, allowing physicians to make evidence-based decisions regarding therapy including whether a patient is stable on their current therapeutic regimen.  There are a million and a half lupus patients in the US that could benefit from LuGENE^® by preventing unexpected flares and shortening the time to disease-controlling therapy.

Germantown’s Precigen Inc., a clinical-stage biotech developing gene and cell therapies for cancers and other diseases, is taking steps to get an experimental treatment to regulators for review this year — which could pave the path for a market launch in 2025.

The 26-year-old Precigen (NASDAQ: PGEN) has been advancing an immunotherapy to treat a rare disease most common in kids called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, or RRP. It’s on track to wrap up a phase 2 clinical trial in the second quarter that, if successful, could set it up for the Food and Drug Administration’s signoff to get it to patients next year.

Includes actinium-based clinical-stage radioconjugate targeting PSMA for prostate cancer, pipeline of radioconjugates and state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing facilities

AstraZeneca has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation radioconjugates (RCs). The acquisition marks a major step forward in AstraZeneca delivering on its ambition to transform cancer treatment and outcomes for patients by replacing traditional regimens like chemotherapy and radiotherapy with more targeted treatments.

COLUMBIA, Md. (March 20, 2024) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $500,000 Maryland Equity Investment Fund (MEIF) investment in Innate Technologies, Inc. The MEIF – which is housed under TEDCO’s Venture Funds – was created to increase private equity and venture capital in Maryland, generate financial returns, and foster economic growth.

“Our goal at Innate Technologies is to provide a solution that will fill the current void in digital manufacturing practices – data integration,” said Shawn Springs, founder and CEO of Innate Technologies, Inc. “Thanks to TEDCO’s investment we can continue our mission to revolutionize manufacturing through data collaboration.”

Innate Technologies, Inc., headquartered in North Bethesda, Md., has a mission to deliver innovative software solutions for the digital manufacturing sector. Combining cutting-edge technology with industry expertise, they look to empower businesses by bridging the gap between sales and production teams, fostering smarter manufacturing practices.