502nd Edition, April 5, 2022

MEDA Angels is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Partnership with Tech Coast Angels (TCA) of Southern California. TCA, founded in 1997, is a leading source of angel investor funding of seed-stage and early-stage companies. It has invested more than $255 million in more than 500 companies and has helped attract more than $1.7 billion in additional capital/follow-on rounds.  

MEDA Angels, an angel investor group established in 2019, was founded by seasoned physician- and scientist-investors. Its healthcare-centric membership includes 50+ physicians, scientists, and other healthcare experts, as well as legal, financial, and regulatory professionals. Since its inception, MEDA Angels has invested in 12 companies, totaling nearly $2 million. With one exit providing a 2x ROI & 80% IRR, the unrealized gains from its existing portfolio investments stand at 1.9x ROI and 86% IRR.

PASADENA, Calif., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Alexandria Venture Investments, the strategic venture capital platform of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first, longest-tenured and pioneering owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, agtech and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, today announced that it was recognized by AgFunder in its "2022 AgriFoodTech Investment Report" as one of the top five most active U.S. investors in agrifoodtech by number of companies in which it invested (2021) for the second consecutive year. This significant recognition demonstrates Alexandria's leadership in venture activity that supports the next generation of companies in agrifoodtech. These impactful companies are accelerating and scaling technological innovation and broader transformations in the agrifoodtech sector, which are critical for the long-term health, accessibility, sustainability and resilience of the global food supply. Since 2000, Alexandria has diligently invested in and provided state-of-the-art infrastructure for innovative agrifoodtech companies advancing novel approaches with vast potential to address challenges related to sustainability, agriculture, food and nutrition.

The Office of the Provost has appointed Brian Coblitz to be the new executive director of George Washington University’s Technology Commercialization Office (TCO).

TCO promotes and facilitates the transfer of technology developed at GW for the benefit of the university community and the public while leveraging GW resources by partnering with industry experts and entrepreneurs. Coblitz, who was previously interim director of the office and managed licensing for GW's life science technologies for nine years, has been with TCO since 2012.

Image: Brian Coblitz, executive director of GW Technology Commercialization Office. (Maansi Srivastava/GW Today) – https://gwtoday.gwu.edu

It’s decided. President Joe Biden’s new biomedical research agency for high-risk, cutting-edge research won’t have the full autonomy many backers had sought. Instead, it will sit within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But to give the agency a measure of independence, its director will report to the NIH director’s boss, the secretary of health and human services (HHS).

Image: Xavier Becerra, secretary of health and human services, testified today before a House of Representatives spending panel that oversees the National Institutes of Health.AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Researchers say the sensor combines accuracy levels approaching that of PCR testing with the speed of rapid antigen tests, and could be used for mass testing at airports, schools, and hospitals  

Catherine Graham March 29, 2022  

A COVID-19 sensor developed at Johns Hopkins University could revolutionize virus testing by adding accuracy and speed to a process that frustrated many during the pandemic.  

In a new study published today in Nano Letters, the researchers describe the sensor, which requires no sample preparation and minimal operator expertise, offering a strong advantage over existing testing methods, especially for population-wide testing.  

President Joe Biden didn’t forget research today, when he submitted to Congress a 2023 budget request that calls for a 9.5% increase in domestic discretionary spending. Biden is asking for a 19% increase at the National Science Foundation (NSF), a 9.6% boost for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 4.5% more for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science, and a 5% hike for NASA’s science missions. Once again, fighting climate change and boosting sustainable energy technologies also rank high among Biden’s research priorities.

Image: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-biden/