266th Edition – August 15, 2017

AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm MedImmune, has appointed Dr Geoffrey Kim and Dr Jean-Charles Soria, respectively. Kim and his team will focus on the development of the company’s late-stage immuno-oncology combinations programme, aiming to develop combination regimens that will deliver innovative medicines to patients.

CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE American: CVM) today announced it has received a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating that the clinical hold that had been imposed on the Company’s Phase 3 cancer study with Multikine* (Leukocyte Interleukin, Inj.) has been removed and that all clinical trial activities under this Investigational New Drug application (IND) may resume.

25-year biopharma industry veteran joins the Company to drive further growth of its innovative high-performance cell engineering platform for use in commercial drug development

MaxCyte, a US-based global company dedicated to driving the acceleration of the discovery, development, manufacturing and commercialization of next-generation, cell-based medicines, announced today that it has appointed Brad Calvin, a 25-year veteran within the drug development and biotechnology industries, as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing. In his role, Mr. Calvin is responsible for leading MaxCyte’s marketing function to drive growth of the Company’s drug discovery and cell therapy business.

Doug Doerfler, Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are delighted to have someone of Brad’s caliber join MaxCyte to lead our marketing and market development efforts. Brad’s broad biopharmaceutical industry experience has provided him with an in-depth understanding of working across global markets and supporting all phases of product life cycles. His appointment comes at an opportune time for the Company, as we continue to develop new offerings based on our Flow Electroporation® Technology.”

Pharma major Lupin Limited (Lupin) and Natco announced the final ANDA approval of Lanthanum Carbonate Chewable Tablets 500 mg (base), 750 mg (base), and 1000 mg (base) from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The product, as the first generic, will be launched shortly.

Natco’s Lanthanum Carbonate Chewable Tablets 500 mg (base), 750 mg (base), and 1000 mg (base) are generic equivalents of Shire Development LLC’s Fosrenol Chewable Tablets 500 mg, 750 mg and 1000 mg. Lanthanum Carbonate Chewable Tablets 500 mg (base), 750 mg (base), and 1000 mg (base) are indicated to reduce serum phosphate in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD).

Sucampo’s (NASDAQ:SCMP) share price has been stuck in a range for a considerable time, but the company wasn’t idle – management has been working hard to move the company away from its legacy product Amitiza into rare diseases. Sucampo made two transactions since early 2016 and now has two late-stage orphan assets (one wholly owned and an option on the other) with data readouts in 2018. Sucampo is generating strong free cash flow and expects to continue to build out its late-stage orphan drug pipeline. Meanwhile, Amitiza has been growing at a steady pace and that’s despite the growing competition in the constipation space. I believe that cash flow from Amitiza provides downside protection while the orphan pipeline stands to add significant value in the long run.

Women Building Bio: the XX factor is a day long conference to recognize and learn from leading women in the bioscience industry as pioneers paving the path to success. These women have faced their own unique challenges and carved out lasting legacies.

This day will catalyze the formation of a diverse network. It is a convergence of academia and industry, men and women, researchers and innovators, professionals and decision-makers gathering together to build relationships. This day long conference provides extraordinary opportunities to exchange new ideas, highlight areas of bioscience and research opportunities, and find partners for future collaboration.

Senseonics Holdings, Inc. (NYSE-MKT: SENS), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of a long-term, implantable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for people with diabetes, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017.

September 25th – 27th, 2017 – San Jose, California

The MedTech Conference is your opportunity to connect with thousands of medical technology professionals this September. Join us in San Jose for business development, innovative technology, and networking with policymakers, business executives and industry leaders.

At the John’s Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, researchers have been working for years to figure out how prostate cancer cells are able to move from one infected organ and spread to other parts of the body.

“Because we know that’s the type of cancer that eventually will kill a man with prostate cancer,” said Johns Hopkins Associate Professor of Oncology and Pathology. Dr. Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian.

Calling all medical device innovators! This year’s symposium will host the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI) competition. Up to six innovations will be awarded up to $50,000 each during the “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition.

The company alleges the U.S. Food and Drug Administration isn’t honoring a drug designation program Congress passed in 1983.

It figures a personalized health accelerator would want to personalize the experience for its companies.

When Virginia health system Inova Health closed on the 117-acre former Exxon-Mobil campus in Fairfax back in 2015, it was clear there was plenty of space to do something bold. (It was called the real estate deal of the year.) And from the start personalized medicine was going to be the focus.

Join the Greater Baltimore Committee for its annual Economic Outlook Conference, which this year will focus on Washington uncertainties and what does it mean for Maryland’s economy. Hear from Paul Heckley, Health Economist and Leading Expert on U.S. Health Industry Trends and Reform, and Dean Zerbe, Former Senior Counsel to U.S. Senate Finance Committee, AlliantGroup National, Managing Director.

When: Thursday, September 14, 2017; 7:30 a.m. registration, 8 a.m. program

Where: Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, 202 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

At Illumina, we’re committed to unlocking the power of the genome, and we know we can’t do it alone. Illumina Accelerator is our way of accelerating innovation in the entrepreneurial community. With extensive mentorship, financial support, and access to sequencing systems, reagents, and lab space, we are building a dynamic ecosystem to help genomics startups launch in the San Francisco Bay Area. Together, we’ll advance breakthrough applications in genomics, including therapeutics, diagnostics, agriculture, synthetic biology, forensics, and direct-to-consumer applications.

Every metro area in the U.S. has strong industry clusters that are readily identifiable and reflect the unique competitive advantages of the region—Oil and Gas in Houston, Automotive in Detroit, and Financial Services in New York City are just a few examples. These clusters represent the backbone of their metro economies. The importance of clusters to regional competitiveness and economic performance was first established in the 1990s. Since then, research has shown that the co-location of businesses in clusters increases the productivity of companies and job creation, drives innovation, stimulates the formation of new businesses, and supports the survival and growth of small businesses.

Among NSF activities, the SBIR/STTR program has a unique goal to attract high-tech startups and small businesses from diverse audiences nationwide. To better engage this distinct audience, NSF presents a new SBIR/STTR website (seedfund.nsf.gov), which maintains the NSF brand while providing a more tailored look, tone and presentation aimed at entrepreneurs.

Over the past few months, the NSF SBIR team worked with 18F – an office within the General Services Administration (GSA) tasked with building effective, user-centric digital services for government – to explore the most effective ways to reach target audiences and redesign the website. As part of this process, 18F interviewed applicants, grantees, former grantees and qualified entrepreneurs or small businesses who hadn’t heard of NSF’s SBIR program. The results informed the design, tone and presentation of the new site. The updated logo and brand elements, created by Brunet-García Advertising, build on the government-wide SBIR tagline – “America’s Seed Fund.”