551st Edition, March 28, 2023

March 22, 2023 – The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) with The District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia are making a name for themselves as some of the most innovative states in the nation, according to a new study by WalletHub. All three have secured spots in the Top 10 of WalletHub's 2022 rankings of the Most Innovative States. This recognition highlights the region's strength as a hub for innovation and technological advancement.

The study compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 24 key indicators of innovation-friendliness, including research and development spending per capita, the share of STEM professionals, and tech company density. The District of Columbia took the top spot overall, with Maryland coming in at number 5 and Virginia rounding out the top 10 at number 9. These strong rankings reflect the region's commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and investing in developing cutting-edge technologies.

Leiden, March 3, 2023 – MIMETAS has achieved major milestones in its partnership with Roche, developing models for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Hepatitis B Virus infections (HBV).

In July 2021, MIMETAS and Roche entered a risk-sharing collaboration to develop human disease models for the characterization of novel compounds in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Hepatitis B virus infections (HBV). You can find the original press release here.

Image: https://www.mimetas.com

There has been a smoldering fire on the geopolitical stage that, if we continue to ignore, we risk allowing it to spread and burn its surrounding environment. I’m referring to the convergence of multiple technology revolutions with the high-stakes competition between the United States and a rising authoritarian competitor in China.

Event provides forum for researchers to learn more about ARPA-H’s Open Broad Agency Announcement

ARPA-H has opened its first Agency-wide Open BAA, seeking funding proposals for research aiming to improve health outcomes across patient populations, communities, diseases, and health conditions.

On April 4, ARPA-H will host a Proposers’ Day for interested parties to learn more about the application process for the Open BAA and ask questions. Register for the event. (Registration closes 5 p.m. ET on Monday, March 3)

Riley-Brown will succeed Kurt Newman, M.D., who has served in role for over 11 years

March 23, 2023

The Children’s National Board of Directors announced today that Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE, has been named as the new president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Children’s National Hospital. On July 1, Riley-Brown will succeed Kurt Newman, M.D., who is retiring after 11 years as president and CEO.

Riley-Brown is an accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience leading and supporting children’s healthcare. She is currently an executive vice president at Texas Children’s Hospital at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, where she serves concurrently as the president of two hospitals in the system while leading the construction and staffing of a third. She also leads system-level operations, strategic planning, physician practice acquisition, quality performance, clinical operations, fund development, marketing, brand management and public relations for the nation’s largest pediatric and women’s healthcare organization.

Whenever someone asks about dreams, there is an underlying expectation that it is something that springs up on you at a nascent age, like an epiphany where you’ve realised your life’s calling. But that is not always the case. For me, founding a global biotechnology company was not an overnight phenomenon, but a dream that gradually materialised as I started helping at my family’s pharmacy when I was eight.

Image: Vishal Doshi is the founder and CEO of AUM Biosciences. Photo: AUM Biosciences.

At Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, part of our mission is to bring big company benefits to entrepreneurs and startups, along with our network. We also know that networks really do matter when it comes to access to capital.

In leaning into our mission, on March 9th, we brought together more than 30 startup companies and 30 investors from across the US and Canada to JLABS @ Washington, DC for our second annual Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS East North America Investor & Partnering Event.

In a long-awaited decision, the National Institutes of Health rejected a petition urging the agency to use a controversial provision of federal law to widen access to a cancer drug by forcing the manufacturers to license their patents.

MARYLAND, March 23, 2023 — BioBuzz, the media outlet of Workforce Genetics, and the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI) have announced a strategic partnership to fuel industry growth in the BioHealth Capital Region and growth for both parties.

FITCI CEO Kathie Callahan Brady says she is excited to move forward. “We both focus on the biotech space, but the perspective is different. It is exactly the type of collaboration we want to infuse into our new EDGE@321 entrepreneurial innovation center opening later this year, bridging competencies and markets to strengthen the whole community.”