517th Edition, July 19, 2022

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July 19, 2022

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D.C. region (ranked #2) gets boost in CBRE's new life sciences talent ranking – Washington Business Journal

A new CBRE report ranked the top 25 life sciences research talent clusters for the first quarter.

Canon Medical Systems USA Inc. Announces Expansion of Distributorship with the Acquisition of NXC Imaging – Cardiac Vascular News

Tustin, California, July 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canon Medical Systems USA Inc., a commercial subsidiary of Canon Medical Systems Corporation and a global leader in innovative diagnostic imaging technology, today announces it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NXC Imaging, a medical imaging equipment distributor and service provider headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1964, NXC Imaging’s distributorship area spans the U.S. Upper Midwest. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of the 2022 calendar year.

Crab Trap 2022 applications are being accepted through August 31st! Entrepreneurs with innovative diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics, or other transformative health solutions are invited to apply to the 7th annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap pitch competition. Finalists for the 2022 Crab Trap competition will pitch IN PERSON on September 21st as part of the BioHealth Capital Region Investor Conference. The winning teams will receive cash prizes from our sponsors.

Applications are due by 5pm on Wednesday, August 31st. Crab Trap finalists will be notified the week of 9/5/22. Mandatory virtual pitch coaching for all finalists will take place the week of 9/12/22.

BioFactura Announces Activation of a $15.9M Contract Option for its Smallpox Biodefense Therapeutic

The contract from BARDA will advance development of an antibody cocktail therapeutic for the treatment of smallpox.

FREDERICK, MD. (PRWEB) JULY 15, 2022

BioFactura today announced its second contract option activation of $15.9 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to advance development of an antibody cocktail therapeutic for the treatment of smallpox.

This funding is part of BioFactura’s prime contract valued at up to $68.2 million for the advanced development of its smallpox biodefense therapeutic. This contract option will provide an accelerated path for product development leading to the filing of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for first-in-human studies.

Materic and LaunchPort Announce Partnership to Drive Advanced Materials Manufacturing for Medical Device Technology – The LaunchPort

July 18, 2022, Baltimore, MD – Materic, a custom manufacturer of advanced materials, and LaunchPort, LLC, a medical device venture center and GMP contract manufacturing operation today announced a partnership to drive the use of advanced materials in the development of emerging medical device technologies.

Emergent BioSolutions Announces Appointment of Sujata Dayal to Board of Directors | Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that the company’s board of directors appointed Sujata Dayal as a Class II director to serve on the board effective July 15, 2022, with an initial term expiring at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders. Ms. Dayal was also appointed as a member of both the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Special Committee on Manufacturing and Quality Oversight.

NexImmune Announces IND Clearance by the US FDA for NEXI-003 for the Treatment of HPV-Related Cancers

First IND for NexImmune’s AIM nanoparticle platform in solid tumors
IND clearance enables commencement of a clinical trial to evaluate NEXI-003, an autologous antigen-specific T cell product (CD3+/CD4-), in patients with relapsed or refractory human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NexImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: NEXI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to immunotherapy designed to orchestrate a targeted immune response by directing the function of antigen-specific T cells, has received IND clearance for the Company’s first cellular therapy product candidate addressing solid tumors. NEXI-003, an autologous antigen-specific T cell product (CD3+/CD4-), is being developed for patients with relapsed or refractory human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers.

Kristi Jones, NexImmune’s CEO, commented, “The FDA clearance of our third IND marks another significant milestone for NexImmune and demonstrates our team’s continued focus and commitment to bringing novel therapies to patients with significant unmet need. NEXI-003 is our third T cell therapy and first candidate to address solid tumors. NEXI-003 consists of T cell populations simultaneously directed against multiple HPV tumor-relevant antigen targets. The T cells in our product candidate will consist of T cell subtypes critical to both potential anti-tumor activity and a phenotype intended to produce long-term immunologic memory required for durable responses.”

BHI/NIH Seeks Life Science Business Analyst

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), is a Montgomery County innovation intermediary which translates market-relevant research into commercial success by bringing together management, funding, and markets. BHI is seeking a life science business analyst to support the NIH SEED Office (https://seed.nih.gov/). The analyst will provide business landscape analysis and other project support on product development, corporate strategy, and private investment for NIH-funded companies. This will entail market landscape, technology, and other business intelligence research to support Entrepreneur-in-Residence and other SEED life science commercialization activities.

Novavax receives FDA authorization for its Covid vaccine – Washington Business Journal

The announcement comes days after the Biden administration reached a deal to buy 3.2 million doses.

Image: Novavax has received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for its two-dose Covid vaccine. MATTHEW FELDMAN

FDA Grants Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) Status to Rockville’s NeoImmuneTech's NT-I7 for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme

· Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the most complex, deadly and treatment-resistant cancer with a 5-year survival rate of 6.8% and an average length of survival of only 8 months *

· FDA ODD designation bolsters NeoImmuneTech's determination to accelerate the clinical development of NT-I7 as a potential new therapy for this difficult-to-treat cancer

ROCKVILLE, Md, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — NeoImmuneTech, Inc. (NIT), a T cell-focused therapeutics company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) (rhIL-7-hyFc) Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Despite decades of research, GBM remains one of the deadliest and hardest-to-treat cancers. More than 13,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with GBM in 2022.1 Standard treatments using surgery, radiation, TMZ and TTFs have failed to date to greatly improve survival, and there is no standard treatment for recurrence, which is inevitable. Also, among the multiple factors impacting the survival of GBM patients, the current treatment options expose patients to a severe and prolonged systemic lymphopenic state known as "treatment-related lymphopenia" (TRL). TRL is associated with shorter survival both in GBM and other solid tumors. With its potential to restore lymphocyte levels and subsequently reverse systemic lymphopenia, NT-I7 may offer promising ways to effectively treat GBM, if confirmed by its development program.

Altus Realty Acquires Pair of Rockville Office Buildings for $26M – Commercial Observer

Altus Realty has acquired Research Square, two office buildings comprising 90,000 square feet in Rockville, Md., for $25.5 million.

Westat, an employee-owned research company headquartered in Rockville, was the seller of the two properties, located at 1500 and 1550 Research Boulevard.

SEE ALSO: Alan Mruvka On His E! Past and StorageBlue Future The Arlington, Va.-based Altus plans to turn the property into life sciences space, given that the buildings’ attributes make them amenable to such a conversion, according to CBRE, which represented the seller in the deal.

Westat decided to let go of the building as its workspace needs changed.

Image: RESEARCH SQUARE. PHOTO: CBRE

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