452nd Edition, April 20, 2021

Did you miss our 3-day Workshop featuring experts from NIH, HHS, NCI, NSF, USAMRDC, NIA, MTech, BHI, and others? Videos and Slide decks are now available by visiting http://www.biohealthinnovation.org/events/sbir-workshop-documents today.

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AURP and BHI Report Centers on Critical Factors Cultivating BioHealth Communities of Innovation Nationally & Supported Growth of BioHealth Capital Region

Tucson, AZ; Rockville, MD; College Park, MD, April 21, 2021 – The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) and BioHealth Innovation (BHI) today announce publication of Creating Communities of Life Science Innovation in the U.S.: History of Critical Factors That Helped the BioHealth Capital Region Emerge in the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, (Vol 26, No. 1, March 2021).

In this new article, AURP CEO Brian Darmody outlines the history of critical policy factors leading to the growth of the bio-economy in the U.S. BHI CEO and President Richard Bendis discusses specific leadership and other factors in the Capital Region of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Policies and trends such as the Land Grant Act, Bayh-Dole Act, NIH’s founding, growth of the venture financing industry, and the emergence of research parks and innovation districts and related factors also are discussed. National bio cluster rankings from JLL, CBRE, and GEN are included as well as overviews of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and DC/MD/VA life science regions from GEN.

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LUND, Sweden, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Alligator Bioscience (Nasdaq Stockholm: ATORX) today announced that it has entered into a joint research collaboration with MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The research collaboration will lead to the expansion of Alligator’s proprietary patient specific immunotherapy Neo-X-Prime™ by incorporating MacroGenics’ proprietary DART® and TRIDENT® multi-specific platforms against two undisclosed targets.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

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It might surprise you to learn that many of the innovations deployed to counter the coronavirus were once obscure Pentagon-funded projects to defend soldiers from contagious diseases and biological weapons. The life-saving vaccine developed in record time owes a debt to these programs. To learn more, we met the man who has been leading the rapid vaccine effort, retired Colonel Matt Hepburn. An army infectious disease physician, he spent years with the secretive defense advanced research projects agency or DARPA, working on technology he hopes will ensure COVID-19 is the last pandemic.

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ROCKVILLE, Md., Apr. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — American Gene Technologies (AGT), an emerging gene and cell therapy company, announced today that Gaingels, a leading venture investment syndicate in service of the LGBT+ community and its allies, made an investment in AGT to support the Phase 1 clinical trial of an HIV cure. The Phase 1 human trial is investigating the safety of AGT103-T, a single dose, autologous cell therapy intended to cure the disease.

This investment places Gaingels alongside private investors who believe deeply in AGT’s mission, rapid drug development platform, and gene and cell therapy programs for HIV, cancer, and PKU.

Image: https://www.americangene.com

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ROCKVILLE, Md., April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced that Rhonda Henry has joined the company as President of Emmes BioPharma.

“Naming a leader of our biopharma group is a major, positive step in our strategy to expand and diversify our business,” said Dr. Christine Dingivan, Chief Executive Officer of Emmes.

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The Matan Cos. will add biotech manufacturing and research space to one of its existing office campuses in Germantown to meet the surge in demand from local life sciences firms.

The new construction is slated for the Milestone Business Park, located just off Interstate 270 at the Father Hurley Boulevard exit, the Frederick-based developer told the Washington Business Journal. Matan plans to add three new buildings totaling 532,000 square feet, constructing them on some of the site’s ample parking lots and rebranding the campus as “Milestone Innovation Park.”

Image: Matan Cos. plans to add three new biotech-focused manufacturing and research buildings at its Milestone office park in Germantown. HIGH ROCK STUDIOS

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Margot Connor has over 25 years of experience in diversified Life Science industries bringing executive level expertise to business operations, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions. When Connor took the helm at RoosterBio in 2015, the start-up had only five employees. The company has since grown rapidly to become a leader in the stem cell biomanufacturing industry. It now has about 40 employees in a state-of-the-art facility in Frederick.

Image: https://i95business.com

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As the CEO of a 2,000-plus person Maryland-based company involved in the COVID-19 response, I have a high tolerance for the obligations that come with it — like spending endless hours trying to explain complicated manufacturing processes to reporters who just learned we existed. Or battling back the misinformation that is used to find fault with the people who are the spine of our nation’s world-leading response to this pandemic.

Image: Manufacturing associates work on a COVID-19 vaccine in one of four flexible manufacturing suites at Emergent BioSolutions’ Bayview facility. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun) (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)

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Topic: GW-CAN Givitas Webinar

Description

Who: GW Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Industry Experts

What: A 45-minute webinar to educate the GW CAN entrepreneurial community on Givitas. We will cover the benefits of Givitas and how to sign up and use Givitas.

Time Apr 21, 2021 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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With its unique system of intramural and extramural research programs, funding for academic and corporate product development, along with its supporting foundations, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a vibrant public “innovation ecosystem” that has changed not only the face of healthcare, but has also led to the creation of the biotech industry in the U.S. Whether your interest in the overall healthcare environment is scientific, medical, educational or commercial, there is something here for you.

Image: Dr Joseph J.Kinyoun, NIH Founder – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Antibodies that target the glycan cap epitope on the ebolavirus glycoprotein (GP) are common in the adaptive response of survivors. A subset is known to be broadly neutralizing, but the details of their epitopes and basis for neutralization are not well understood. Here, we present cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of diverse glycan cap antibodies that variably synergize with GP base-binding antibodies. These structures describe a conserved site of vulnerability that anchors the mucin-like domains (MLDs) to the glycan cap, which we call the MLD anchor and cradle. Antibodies that bind to the MLD cradle share common features, including use of IGHV1-69 and IGHJ6 germline genes, which exploit hydrophobic residues and form β-hairpin structures to mimic the MLD anchor, disrupt MLD attachment, destabilize GP quaternary structure, and block cleavage events required for receptor binding. Our results provide a molecular basis for ebolavirus neutralization by broadly reactive glycan cap antibodies.

Image: https://www.cell.com

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Dr. James Crowe, Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center,  is on the forefront of groundbreaking vaccine development. 

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Studying kidney physiology is essential to increase our understanding and improve the quality of life and prognosis of patients with renal diseases. Organoid cultures have been developed that enable in vitro studies of donor-specific tissue in a controlled three-dimensional (3D) environment. Organoids are 3D multicellular constructs that recapitulate structural and functional characteristics of their organ of origin. Using a modified protocol originally developed for the expansion of adult intestinal Lgr5+ stem cells1, Schutgens et al. recently established kidney tubular epithelial organoids (tubuloids) derived from adult kidney tissue and urine2.

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