250th Edition – April 25, 2017

Sonavex, Inc., a privately held medical device company dedicated to improving surgical patient outcomes with point-of-care imaging technologies, announced that it received $3 million in recent financing, including the $2.2M first close of its Series A round. The offering, led by Grey Sky Venture Partners, was recently expanded by another $1.3 million following increased demand from investors. Other participating investors include CRCM Venture Capital, TEDCO, the Abell Foundation, medical device executives, surgeons, and successful business executives.

Greater Washington is so much more than a political “swamp.”

But that’s the label a group of life science companies and nonprofits — led by Gaithersburg-based MedImmune — said Wednesday they are still fighting against as they try to sell the year-old BioHealth Capital Region brand.

Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI), a privately held, Maryland-based biotechnology company, is pleased to announce the winner of their Cancer Discovery Incubator Award, Midissia Therapeutics (Midissia). Midissia is a clinical stage immunotherapy start-up focused on immune intensification.

The Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board (LSAB) today announced a series of strategic recommendations to grow Maryland’s biohealth industry and position the state as a globally recognized Top 3 U.S. BioHealth Innovation Hub by 2023. Maryland is currently one of the most asset-rich states for biohealth in the nation, and is home to top federal agencies, like the National Institutes for Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the National Cancer Institute; key federal research labs and world-class higher education institutions; and a confluence of more than 500 biohealth companies.

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. is launching a $1 million fund to help technology startup firms cover the gap between seed funding and venture capital investments.

When Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan stepped up to address a crowd of more than 1,000 life sciences executives and entrepreneurs on Wednesday, he couldn’t help but take the moment to remember his own brush with their work.

The Biohealth Capital Region Forum continued Thursday in Gaithersburg where guests heard from Senator Chris Van Hollen.    One of the topics of the forum was funding for the biotech industry. Many national health companies are headquartered in Montgomery County and are concerned about federal funding. President Trump’s proposed budget would cut six billion dollars from the National Institute of Health.

Looking for an investment? You’re in luck: Chevy Chase-based venture juggernaut New Enterprise Associates is wrapping up its latest $3 billion fund.

The venture firm has completed a “first close,” which means NEA has finalized its capital commitments and can now make investments. The firm can still raise additional money and will probably conduct a final close in a matter of weeks, according to sources familiar with the company’s fundraising efforts.

Johns Hopkins University – Montgomery County Campus9601 Medical Center DriveRockville, MD 20850

Learn about Bioscience Careers in Montgomery County, meet area businesses looking for talent, and connect to training opportunities to increase your skills! Open to any individual interested in BioCareers. A joint event hosted by Montgomery College, WorkSource Montgomery, MD BioFoundation, and BioBuzz.

Summer R.I.S.E. (Real Interesting Summer Experience) is a locally funded initiative led by WorkSource Montgomery in collaboration with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and other partners, that will provide MCPS rising juniors and seniors with enriching summer career development experiences. Students will participate in career shadowing opportunities that will introduce them to the structures of businesses and industries, the role of technology, and the importance of customer service in every profession. They will also earn a stipend, learn about financial literacy, and participate in both online and in person professionalism trainings to help prepare them for college and career.

Portable retinal imager developer Vasoptic Medical raised $1.5 million in a new round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing posted last week.

The Baltimore, Md.-based company is developing a portable retinal imaging device designed to capture physiological information from the retinal microvasculature.

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, announced today the appointment of Tom Polen, 43, as president of BD, effective immediately. In his new role, Mr. Polen will oversee all of BD’s operating segments – the Medical and Life Sciences segments, as well as the new Interventional segment, which will include the C. R. Bard, Inc. (NYSE: BCR) businesses following the close of BD’s acquisition of Bard, which was also announced today. Mr. Polen, currently executive vice president and president of the BD Medical Segment, will continue to report to Vince Forlenza, who remains chairman and CEO of BD.

U.S. medical equipment supplier Becton Dickinson and Co will acquire C R Bard Inc, in a $24 billion cash-and-stock deal, adding Bard’s devices to its portfolio in the high-growth sectors of oncology and surgery, both companies said on Sunday.

The deal comes two years after Becton Dickinson acquired CareFusion Corp for $12 billion. It is the latest in a string of deals in the medical technology sector, as manufacturers turn to acquisitions to boost profit margins.

When Johns Hopkins oncologist Drew Pardoll first heard about the plans for Saturday’s March for Science in Washington, D.C., he knew immediately that he wanted to rent a bus for the event.

Though an invitation to speak at an academic conference in China will prevent Pardoll—director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy—from attending himself, he personally paid for two buses to transport more than 100 colleagues and their guests to the rally.

G1 Therapeutics, an oncology therapy developer spun out of North Carolina University. has filed for a $115m initial public offering that will provide an exit for MedImmune, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca.

Apply for up to $3M to support continued development of your Phase II SBIR or STTR-funded heart, lung, blood, or sleep technology requiring approval or clearance by a Federal regulatory agency. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) SBIR Phase IIB Bridge and Small Market Awards programs aim to de-risk your technology and encourage partnerships between small businesses and investors and strategic partners.

The DOD SBIR 17.2 and the STTR 17.B Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) have been pre-released on the DOD SBIR/STTR Small Business Portal. You may now view the topics and ask technical questions through SITIS: https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/topics

Evan Savage, one of the organizers of Saturday’s March for Science in Toronto, looks at what’s happening south of the border in the U.S. and is reminded of what Canadian scientists faced under the previous Stephen Harper government, specifically cuts to science funding and the alleged muzzling of government scientists.

The Milken Institute today released a new report ranking more than 200 universities across the United States for their prowess in developing basic research into new technologies, products and companies – a process known as “technology transfer.”

The National Science Foundation has named 24 University of Maryland students as fellows for the foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

The fellowships are awarded to students in STEM fields who pursue research-based masters and doctoral degrees. Fellows receive an annual stipend of $34,000 and $12,000 to offset educational costs such as books and tuition.

The Startup Maryland bus was parked amid the bucolic brick of Johns Hopkins’ Homewood campus for Saturday’s Hatch Innovation Conference.

Along with giving the Hopkins entrepreneurs gathered at the event a chance to pitch on the spiffy in-bus video studio, it was the first stop for the 2017 tour of Maryland’s innovation community.

Mentors, Advisors, and Peers (MAPs) programs offer opportunity for WIB members to meet other women who are in various stages of their career, are on different paths, and have a range of backgrounds, in a professional yet social atmosphere. Through MAPs, members share experiences and give advice on everything from personal challenges to professional topics. With this MAPs networking event, we’re bringing these circles together to network and share best practices. What tactics work for running a successful mentoring group? How do you get the most out of your MAPs group? How do groups grow and change, and do they need to? We look forward to seeing everyone there!

This is a members-only event focused on existing MAPs groups and WIB members who are interested in learning more about MAPs groups.

April 25 @ 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm

BDO and Crowell & Moring are proud to present a networking opportunity and a panel discussion on IP Strategy for the BioPharma Industry. This is a “must attend” event for hearing and discussing the company perspective from companies engaged in drug, vaccine, biologic, or medical device research and product development. IP and the strategy to procure and sustain it is one of the most critical aspects to revenue generation and commercial success. Our panel members are admired veterans in this field and will present intriguing case studies that will emphasize lessons learned and practical solutions to creating a successful IP strategy.

John Kilbourne, professor at Grand Valley State U., in Allendale, Mich., came to the March for Science in Washington, D.C., dressed as Galileo, the founder of modern physics and astronomy who was persecuted for standing by his scientific findings.

The world marks January 11 as the 95th anniversary of the date that insulin was first used in humans to treat diabetes. Since then it would seem that barely a week passes without another device or treatment in the works. According to the Centre for Disease Control, more than 29 million Americans are living with diabetes, and 86 million are living with prediabetes, a serious health condition that increases a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.

Welcome to the first annual compilation of 50+ Innovation Leaders! AARP and the MedCity News team asked readers to nominate digital health companies, entrepreneurs and initiatives they felt best reflect the wide range of technologies and applications that innovatively support the 50+ population. After reviewing more than 150 submissions and tallying more than 5,000+ votes from MedCity News’s audience, we weren’t disappointed with the results.

The startup landscape in Europe is a prime example of how evolving mindsets, hard work and risk-taking can pay off in the form of economic growth and innovation. Investment in European startups is steadily increasing as new tech hubs take shape across the continent and European-headquartered companies expand internationally.

But as startups celebrate their milestones, we should be aware that rules enabling digital growth are giving startups the right environment to grow.