Despite only coming into life two years ago, Pfizer and NEA-backed upstart Vtesse has already seen its rare disease candidate VTS-270, for Niemann-Pick disease type C1, nab the coveted FDA breakthrough tag, and has now been bought out by Maryland-based biotech Sucampo.
The deal sees the biopharma pay $200 million upfront in cash and stock, with the pair also seeking to set up a new foundation, after the deal is signed, “to support research related to NPC disease.” Both will pay into this new organization.
The National Cancer Institute has picked the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Campus as the site for a new laboratory building for its epidemiology and genetics researchers.
The planned 70,000-square-foot building will bring together about 134 scientists and employees now working in separate facilities in Gaithersburg and Frederick, about 25 miles apart.
Qiagen said Friday after the close of the market that it has acquired an exclusive worldwide license from Johns Hopkins University for detection of the AR-V7 biomarker in all sample and cell types using nucleic acid tests such as PCR or next-generation sequencing.
As a result, Qiagen will commercialize its research-use-only AdnaTest Prostate Cancer Panel AR-V7 to detect the androgen receptor splice variant 7 from liquid biopsies to investigate resistance to potential drugs for advanced prostate cancer.
Research tools developer Canopy Biosciences announced today that it has exclusively licensed a novel gene-editing technology from Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University.
The technology, called Tunr, involves targeting translation elongation by introducing consecutive adenosine nucleotides — known as polyA tracks — into a gene coding sequence of interest. As described in Nature Communications earlier this year, inserting polyA tracks into the open reading frame of an mRNA will suppress protein expression by decreasing the efficiency of the translation elongation phase leading to diminished production of protein and mRNA destabilization, thereby diminishing mRNA levels.
Doctors can rebuild parts of the body that have been damaged, but they need soft tissue to do it.
Whether it’s facial reconstruction after trauma, a masectomy as a result of breast cancer or something more cosmetic like stopping wrinkles, the person who needs the procedure is typically the one to provide the tissue.
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced that it has signed a modification to its contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to manufacture and store bulk drug substance for its botulism antitoxin, BAT® [Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) – (Equine)], valued at approximately $53 million with a five-year period of performance. This modification to the contract will enable future filling and deliveries of final drug product to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). BAT is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic botulism following documented or suspected exposure to botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A, B, C, D, E, F, or G in adults and pediatric patients.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will spend $87.5 million over the next five years to continue a research partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and University of Maryland, College Park and to bring on additional partners, the universities announced Thursday.
Scientists from the participating universities will study high energy astrophysics, gravitational waves, space exploration and planets in the solar system at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, said T. Jane Turner, a professor of physics who runs UMBC’s arm of the program.
A group focused on spurring regional cooperation to boost the economy wants to raise $3 million to $5 million to rebrand Greater Washington and challenge its reputation as an epicenter of politics and gridlock.
The 2030 Group, a consortium of businesses, organizations and executives, will unveil a new video and website Thursday that will serve as a sort of platform for future marketing efforts. Then a call to fund the regionwide branding effort will begin.
Agriculture Innovation to Commercialization (AgI2C) is a new 2017 initiative of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization in agriculture, natural resources, and environmental sustainability. AgI2C will join the University’s innovation network that includes the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship in the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Mtech in the School of Engineering, the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the University’s Office of Technology Commercialization.
Initially, AgI2C will focus on: (a) incubating AGNR undergraduate teams to develop and pitch ideas for products and service, (b) offering an intensive Winter Term course for new graduate students, and (c) developing a learning and doing culture in AGNR academic courses.
2017 AgI2C Undergraduate Ideation Competition
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has partnered with the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship and the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to launch its inaugural Agriculture Innovation to Commercialization competition. Learn more about the competition at http://agnr.umd.edu/agi2c/ideation-competition.
What do Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Mo., Baltimore, Indianapolis, and New Orleans have in common? According to a recent report, they’re the best places to be if you’re a woman in tech.
Roche’s multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Ocrevus won U.S. approval, putting the potential blockbuster back on track after a brief delay and giving a lift to patients with a form of the disease that until now had no approved treatment.
The drug, also known as ocrelizumab and administered via infusion, becomes the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medicine for the primary progressive form of the neurological disease (PPMS).
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett will participate in a press conference today hosted by WorkSource Montgomery, Inc. in collaboration with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery County Government to announce the Summer R.I.S.E (Really Interesting Summer Experience) program. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, at Kaiser Permanente’s Mid-Atlantic States Regional Administrative Offices on 2101 East Jefferson Street in Rockville.
This new initiative provides MCPS rising juniors and seniors with enriching summer career development experiences through local Montgomery County businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Secure your spot today at the 8th Annual Health Datapalooza, the gathering place for people and organizations creating knowledge from data and pioneering innovations that drive health policy and practice. The Datapalooza takes place April 27-28, 2017 in Washington, D.C.
Join us at this exciting event and gain new knowledge on the use of health data to improve health outcomes, learn about the newest, most innovative and effective uses of health data, and network with peers offering diverse voices and perspectives in the field.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tagrisso (osimertinib; AstraZeneca) for the treatment of patients with metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has progressed on or after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.
Silver Spring-based biotech United Therapeutics Corp. (NASDAQ: UTHR) lost a recent challenge to one of its lead patents for its flagship drugs.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board found that all of the local company’s claims for the particular patent — which impacts its lead products for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension such as Remodulin, Tyvaso and Orenitram — are not patentable.
When President Trump proposed a cut of nearly 20 percent in support for the National Institutes of Health, many wondered how the administration would even attempt to find such reductions. The answer emerged in the congressional testimony last week of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who argued the government could save billions without hurting research by cutting back on the overhead reimbursements to colleges and universities.
Independence Health Group, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. have given a $150,000 seed investment to VitalTrax. This is the group’s first investment from their $6 million digital health funding initiative announced in December 2016.
When: Tuesday, April 11, 2017 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EDT Add to Calendar
Where: Harbor Launch @ IMET 701 E Pratt St Baltimore, MD 21202
Let’s talk about the startup F word – Finance. It’s a critical component of a company’s success, and it’s more than just spreadsheets. We’re giving this topic its day in the sun, answering such questions as… When does a startup need a CFO? What functions should a CFO serve? What qualities are desirable in a CFO? How can startups without a CFO best attend to their finances?
Join us on Tuesday, April 11th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Columbus Center (701 E Pratt Street) for this fireside-chat style event, moderated by Ken Malone of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. and Early Charm Ventures. We will hear the experiences and perspectives of Eileen O’Rourke, Chief Financial Officer at The Abell Foundation, Steve Dubin, Principal, SDA Ventures LLC; Chairman, Enzymotec Ltd., and Ryan McQueeney, Chief Financial Officer at RedOwl.
Program: 6-7pm with BioBuzz networking before and after.
It’s a bit of a strange world when a company growing at perhaps 5% per year, with downside risks, trades at 23X TTM EPS (historical GAAP numbers), but that’s completely par for the course. The S&P 500 trades near 25X TTM EPS.
Some competitors to Roche Holding AG (OTCQX:RHHBY) trade much pricier than it does. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) is at 29X. Before a one-time payment to settle a patent suit that affected Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) Q4 EPS, MRK was around 32X. Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), a smaller player, is at 33X.
The US-based University System of Maryland has set up a $25m fund called Maryland Momentum Fund to support startups formed within the system’s 12 public institutions.
Julie Lenzer, co-director of UM Ventures, a joint initiative of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and University of Maryland, said the university system had already committed $10m to the Maryland Momentum Fund.
Each year, UEDA members compete for our prestigious Awards of Excellence, which recognize outstanding, leading-edge higher education projects and initiatives promoting economic development and engagement. Never content to rest on our laurels, however, last year saw a significant revamping of the Awards program to reflect UEDA’s ongoing research on economic development and engagement in higher education. We hope you will join us!
Four weeks into my first semester of college, my academic confidence was completely shredded. I had back-to-back tests in cell biology, chemistry, and calculus, and my time management skills weren’t quite there yet. I failed my calculus exam, and suddenly I wasn’t sure I had the intelligence or the ability to get a degree in science.
Dreamit Health recently announced its spring 2017 cohort of startups, and it’s medley of eight impressive early stage companies from all around the world.
The new group represents Dreamit’s 22nd cohort, and this cycle represents the accelerator’s fifth year in partnership with Penn Medicine and Independence Blue Cross. The selected startups are addressing everything from the patient experience to the medical workflow.
One of the few drug studies ever carried out in an attempt to address this question was reported by Novartis on Christmas Eve 2014. The company had sought to see whether giving low doses of a drug called everolimus to people over 65 increased their response to flu vaccines.
Mudd Hall – 3400 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD
Hatch 2017 brings over 6 speakers, 30 startups, and 3 workshops to the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus for a day of entrepreneurial education, networking, and celebration. Hatch is entirely free & open to the community.
Our Speaker Symposium features some of Baltimore’s biggest entrepreneurs and business leaders from around the nation. The Startup Showcase lets Baltimore and MidAtlantic companies showcase the game-changing products they have been working on, allowing attendees to network directly with the teams. Our BLUE workshop series consists of three, 30-minute breakout sessions focused on various facets of founding startups. Come for the speakers and startups, stay for the free food and swag, networking opportunities, and celebration of the people and companies driving Baltimore forward.
Aging can seem like a scary prospect, but a wealth of scientific studies have found that youth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There are plenty of cases in which human beings peak well into middle and old age.
Teenagers, for instance, may have vitality on their side, but older people are generally more psychologically stable. And so it goes with several phenomena people experience as they age.
Funding and Research OpportunitiesThe following funding opportunity announcements from the NHLBI or other components of the National Institutes of Health, might be of interest:
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