499th Edition, March 15, 2022

Casimir Further Differentiates Emmes' Industry-Leading Rare Disease Research Capabilities

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced that it has acquired Casimir, a U.S.-based CRO. Casimir has experience in more than 20 rare diseases and has worked with regulators, sponsors and patients to develop outcome measures that capture the nuances of disease progression and treatment benefit.

– Reports Promising Early Data from Lead Clinical Program, JK07, for the Treatment of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction –

– Initiates Enrollment in Second Cohort of JK07 Phase 1 Dose Escalation Study –

(Gaithersburg, MD) – March 7, 2022 – Salubris Biotherapeutics, Inc. (SalubrisBio), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing novel complex biologic therapeutics, today announced it received $32 million in financing from China-based Shenzhen Salubris Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. The investment, which was completed in the fourth quarter of 2021, will be used to advance the current pipeline, including continuation of an ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial and initiation of two additional Phase 1b clinical trials in 2022, and to further expand the pipeline through R&D.

BALTIMORE — The University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine have announced they will send more than $4 million worth of medical supplies to support Ukraine, and plan on sending more.

The two major hospital systems are sending items including airway aspirators, medical air compressors, beds, oxygen concentrators, positive pressure ventilators, face masks and shields, respirator kits, gowns, gloves and syringes, according to a press release.

The donation will help clinicians in Ukraine provide emergency medical care in the wake of Russia's invasion.

Mohan Suntha, president and CEO of UMMS, said he plans "to send additional supplies in the future."

Image: Photo by: University of Maryland Medical System Supplies for Ukraine

The Bethesda-based developer is preparing two developments under the moniker "EvolutionLabs" to take advantage of the growing life sciences demand in the county, including a 550K SF development near Pike & Rose, the developer announced Thursday. 

That project, EvolutionLabs at North Bethesda, is planned to include three buildings at the intersection of Old Georgetown and Banneker roads. The first groundbreaking there would be in 2024, according to the release. Stonebridge is under contract to acquire the land for that project, Stonebridge principal Kent Marquis told Bisnow in an email. 

The property will take advantage of the "urban, walkable, transit-oriented," spaces under development near the White Flint Metro station, Marquis said.

Image: Courtesy of Cannon Design Stonebridge and Principal Real Estate's EvolutionLabs concept at 9713 Washingtonian Blvd.

For a small business with a brilliant new idea in the life sciences, a funding infusion can do wonders to help translate that concept into reality. Did you know that the NIH small business programs are the largest source of early-stage capital for the life sciences in the U.S.? These programs set aside over $1.2 billion non-dilutive funds every year — specifically to support small business research and development. 

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and Council of State Bioscience Associations recently released Driving the Bioscience Economy Forward During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Best Practices in State and Regional Bioscience Economic Development Initiatives. The biennial report provides a summary of state programs serving the bioscience industry.

This year’s report devotes substantial attention to incentives. Many of the incentive policies are intended to support the leading trends in state bioscience support (see below). These include incentives to provide funding for companies coming out of university partnerships, industry workforce training and development, and facility development. Others are intended to provide capital to bioscience companies at the early-stage, mid-stage, and manufacturing stage of development, such as angel investor and seed capital tax credits, R&D and innovation investment tax incentives, and tax exemptions, abatements or discounts.   

Image: https://smartincentives.org

The Maryland Tech Council has launched two new regional satellite chapters to directly focus on the burgeoning technology sectors in Greater Baltimore and Prince George's County.

The tech council (MCT) is Maryland's largest technology and life sciences trade association with more than 450 members. The Baltimore and Prince George's regional councils are the first sub-chapters launched by the organization.

Image: Marty Rosendale, CEO of the Maryland Tech Council, said the organization created regional chapters "to intentionally unite and empower stakeholders through local advocacy, outreach and growth." Maryland Tech Council

FREDERICK, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Maryland Tech Council is proud to announce the finalists for its annual Industry Awards Celebration. The event honors individuals and companies in the life sciences, technology, and government contracting industries that have made a significant impact in their respective fields. For the first time in two years, the awards ceremony will be held in person, with the winners announced live on May 12th at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Last year over 9,000 people tuned in to the virtual Industry Awards Celebration. Click here to learn more about the event. 

Human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are being used in the clinic to prevent or treat SARS-CoV-2 infection, and experience thus far suggests that combinations of antibodies are potentially able to sustain broad recognition of viral variants as they arise, but developing, testing and approving mAb combination products is complex. One approach to reducing the logistical challenges of combination products is the development of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) (Fig. 1). In this issue of Nature Immunology, Li et al. report the development and testing of an engineered bispecific human mAb against SARS-CoV-21.

Image: https://www.nature.com