472nd Edition, September 8, 2021

Dr. Xavier Barril, Chief Scientific Officer, Gain Therapeutics, and Hartaj Singh, Managing Director and Senior Analyst, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Join BioTalk to discuss Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Drug Discovery Wall StreetAcaacs Views on this Exciting Science.

Listen Now via Apple https://apple.co/3z1rdqN, Google https://bit.ly/2X2pNPu, Spotify https://spoti.fi/2Vn2Ohx, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/38PJn41.

Read More

Last Week to Register!

Key speakers are to the right. (Tara Schwetz, Joel Marcus, Chris Monroe)

The BioHealth Capital Region Forum is free Virtual 2 Half-Day event for executive-level biotech leaders. The theme of the forum this year is “Big Data…Big Data…Converging” with panels on Big Data in Biotech, Infectious Diseases, Developing Talent, Regional Real Estate, IP Analysis and Protection, Funding, and a Fire Side Chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIAID Director.

The 7th Annual BioHealth capital Region Forum is organized by event partners – Association of University Research Parks, AstraZeneca, BioHealth Innovation, BRAINBox Solutions, Inc, Children’s National Hospital, Emergent BioSolutions, George Mason University, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS @ Washington, DC, Maryland Department of Commerce, and Virginia Bio. Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC set the bar high for biotech innovation. Please join us for our 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow. We hope you’re able to join us!

Read More

Last week to register!

Read More

New Launch-MSCRF’s YouTube Channel Highlighting Stem Cell Research in Maryland

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) is focused on identifying and fostering cutting-edge research and innovation in the field of regenerative medicine in MD. Their Accelerating Cures initiative comprises programs that help transition human stem cell-based technologies from the bench to the bedside as well as mechanisms to build and grow stem cell companies in Maryland. MSCRF is committed to accelerating stem cell research, cures and commercialization, in addition to building a collaborative stem cell community in our region.

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund was established by the State of Maryland under the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006 to promote State-funded stem cell research and cures through grants and loans to public and private entities in the State.

Click Here to visit the new channel.

Read More

Lucky is the last word that comes to mind when thinking about Covid-19, a worldwide pandemic that has killed millions, locked down entire nations and rattled world markets. But Dr. Barney Graham, a researcher responsible for key research that helped create the coronavirus vaccine,AA believes that luck played a big role in the creation of the therapeutic.

AcaAIf it was a bunyavirus or an arenavirus, we would have been lost for months or a year or two just trying to get the right thing made,AcaA he said, referencing two of the many virus families that could still spark a global outbreak.

Image: Courtesy NIAID Dr. Anthony Fauci receiving a shot of the Moderna vaccine in December 2020.

Read More

With an average accuracy of 88%, a deep learning technology offers rapid genetic screening that could accelerate the diagnosis of genetic syndromes, recommending further investigation or referral to a specialist in seconds, according to a study published in The Lancet Digital Health. Trained with data from 2,800 pediatric patients from 28 countries, the technology also considers the face variability related to sex, age, racial and ethnic background, according to the study led by Children’s National Hospital researchers.

Read More

The University of Maryland has been tapped to lead a multi-institutional effort supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop quantum simulation devices that can understand and exploit the unique behavior of complex quantum systems while speeding the introduction of general-use quantum computers.

Image: UMD Computer Science Professor Andrew Childs (second from left) is principal investigator in the new NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation. Photo by John T. Consoli

Read More

My name is Julie Lenzer, and IAcaacm currently the chief innovation officer at the University of Maryland and also the Founding Director of the Quantum Startup Foundry. Although I am one semester away from my Masters in Machine Learning, my background is not in academia Acaa� IAcaacm actually a recovering entrepreneur and active angel investor. IAcaacve also spent the last 10 years building ecosystems for entrepreneurs through various roles, including 2 AA1/2 years in the Obama Administration as the Director for the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. IAcaacve also trained entrepreneurs and spoken around the world through various programs and my own nonprofit aimed at helping women start technology-based companies. And yes, I sleep.

Read More

BALTIMORE, Sept. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Isoprene Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an early-stage small molecule oncology company developing oral therapeutics for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and other cancers, today announced that the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) NCI has awarded the company a two-year $2 millionAA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct-to-Phase II grant. This grant will support ongoing advanced pre-clinical studies intended to lead to the filing of an investigational new drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as a prelude to Phase I clinical trials. Vidya P. Ramamurthy, PhD, Isoprene’s chief scientific officer, and Vincent C. O. Njar, PhD, co-founder and chief executive officer of Isoprene and Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), are the principal investigators for the program.

Read More

REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX) today announced the appointment of Jean Bennett, M.D., Ph.D., and George Migausky to its Board of Directors, effective September 3, 2021. Dr. Bennett, a leading molecular genetics researcher, is the F.M. Kirby Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine and previously served as director of the Center for Advanced Retinal and Ocular Therapeutics (CAROT) at the University of Pennsylvania. She will serve as a member of REGENXBIO’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Migausky brings more than 30 years of public company leadership and senior financial management experience. He will serve as a member of REGENXBIO’s Audit Committee.

Read More

Washington, D.C.-based Children’s National Hospital and Cerner unveiled the five winners of their first annual Bear Institute Pediatric Accelerator Challenge for Kids, the organizations recently announced.AA

Children’s National and Cerner launched the Bear Institute in 2013 to support pediatric healthcare technology and innovation. The organizations kicked off the accelerator in June as a way to increase technology innovation and treatments for pediatric healthcare.AA

Read More

At Johnson & Johnson Innovation Acaa� JLABS (AcaAJLABSAcaA), we value great ideas and are passionate about removing obstacles to success. We help innovators unleash the potential of their early scientific discoveries, by:

• Providing you with state-of-the-art infrastructure (lab and offices) if neededAA
• Assigning you a mentor to help you on your journey and connect you to our network of professionalsAA
• Giving you access to our investor communityAA
• Offering you the training and skills you need Part of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation family

JLABS is part of the largerAA Johnson & Johnson InnovationAA family of companies, which includes ourAA deal teamsAA and therapeutic experts for early-stage development, our establishedAA venture capital arm,AA ourAA business development groupAA focusing on later-stage development.AA

Read More

Join us on September 30th for the 6th year of the Women Building Bio conference. DonAcaact miss an event where women converge to advance the industry with all stakeholders, men and women, front and center joining forces.

Our half-day hybrid conference will offer full virtual attendance or the option for in-person viewing at one of 5 regional locations across our state. In-person requires pre-registration at a specific location and space is limited, so do not delay!

Read More

While most children with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, healthcare providers have difficulty determining which of their pediatric patients will progress to moderate or severe COVID-19 early in the progression. Some of these patients develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a life-threatening inflammation of organs and tissues. Methods to distinguish children at risk for severe COVID-19 complications, including conditions such as MIS-C are needed for earlier interventions to improve pediatric patient outcomes.

Read More

On August 23, 2021, BARDA’s Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) opened a new area of interest (AOI) under the EZ Broad Agency Announcement (EZ-BAA) solicitation to expand the capabilities of existing next-generation sequencing diagnostics to agnostically detect any pathogenic respiratory RNA virus including new, emerging and existing viruses.

Next-generation sequencing diagnostics have been established for oncology and some genetic disorders, and such technology also is needed for infectious diseases due to growing health security challenges and threats. In a viral outbreak or pandemic, having agnostic tests Acaa� especially those which can detect any respiratory RNA virus and can be implemented rapidly without the need for additional regulatory approvals Acaa� is crucial.

Read More

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 include more than 1,600 universities across 99 countries and territories, making them the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.

The table is based on 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institutionAcaacs performance across four areas: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

Read More

EuropeAcaacs biotech industry continues on a trajectory of growth fueled by innovations from cell and gene therapies to antisense, messenger RNA (mRNA), and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T), with more emerging technologies and techniques on the horizon. The industry has made considerable progress in improving access to capital and talent gaps in the past few years. However, its future growth will depend on whether it can continue to scale up innovation and keep up with the pace of change in other regions. Biotechs, investors, and other stakeholders will need to play their part in the industryAcaacs next act if the promise of a golden age of biotech is to become a reality.

Read More

With an average accuracy of 88%, a deep learning technology offers rapid genetic screening that could accelerate the diagnosis of genetic syndromes, recommending further investigation or referral to a specialist in seconds, according to a study published in The Lancet Digital Health. Trained with data from 2,800 pediatric patients from 28 countries, the technology also considers the face variability related to sex, age, racial and ethnic background, according to the study led by ChildrenAcaacs National Hospital researchers.

Read More

What would you say about a technology commercialization system that kept on performing even through the worst pandemic in over a century? How about if it improved its performance over the previous year and was a critical factor in developing desperately needed therapies to protect people around the world? Would it seem reasonable that this was something that all of us should highly value and want to protect? You might think so, but some in Washington apparently donAcaact agree.

Read More

Regardless of molecule, the goal of biopharmaceutical downstream processing is to reduce process- and product-related impurities while maintaining the highest possible process yield. However, emerging modalities such as those based on gene-edited human cells, transgenes carried by viral vectors, and proteins transferred by exosomes all are pointing out limitations in current downstream strategies, which by and large have been developed around purification of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). This year’s nominees in the BPI Readers’ Choice downstream category highlight technologies and processing strategies that biopharmaceutical developers and manufacturing organizations are developing to address the separation and purification demands raised by innovative therapies.

Read More