BHI Weekly News Archives

Howard Carolan, Co-Founder and CEO  of CoapTech, Inc., and Neil Davis, Program Director of the Biomedical Entrepreneurship Graduate Certificate program at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), joins Rich Bendis to discuss Startups, Tech Transfer, and the Funding.

Listen now on Google https://bit.ly/36fStWr, Apple https://apple.co/2UpA0UO, Spotify https://spoti.fi/36igrjG, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/3hpCRpT.

Mr. Davis is currently Program Director of the Biomedical Entrepreneurship graduate certificate program at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB).  This unique 12 credit graduate certificate provides the student with an opportunity to learn the process of creating valuable intellectual property (IP) and moving it into commercial application.  This process begins with the creation of IP, continues to its licensing and the formation of a venture through the growth of the venture, and culminates with the monetization of that venture.

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ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, July 6, 2020 – The Board of Directors of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) unanimously approved the appointment of Jeff Boyle as a new board member. Jeff Boyle is the President of Ellume USA LLC and leads the team establishing the manufacturing operation and commercial headquarters in Maryland; and is responsible for all aspects of the North American business operation. Jeff has previously held leadership positions at CSL, Cellestis, and most recently with QIAGEN as a Global Franchise Head.

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LEIDEN, The Netherlands, July 06, 2021 / B3C newswire / — MIMETAS, a leader in organ-on-chip-based disease models and technology, and Roche, a world-leading pharmaceutical company, announced today that they have entered into a collaboration to develop human disease models to characterize novel compounds in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and hepatitis B virus infections (HBV). Under the terms of the agreement, MIMETAS is eligible to receive an upfront payment and milestone payments from Roche.

MIMETAS will be responsible for developing tissue-based disease models and assays in the OrganoPlate, its proprietary organ-on-chip platform that increases predictability of biomarkers and reduces animal use in scientific testing. Roche will gain access to technology, disease models, and scientific results. Roche will also receive an option to exclusively license specific disease models and assays for use in drug discovery.

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The companion diagnostics market is on track to reach $6.8 billion by 2025 (from $3.7 billion in 2020), according to a Markets and Markets report , driven by the growing need for targeted therapy, the rising importance of personalized medicine, the increasing global incidence of cancer, and a raging demand for next-generation sequencing (NGS). So it’s not surprising to see more and more alliances between pharmaceutical companies and diagnostics companies.

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The BioHealth Capital Region Forum is free Virtual 2 Half-Day event for executive-level biotech leaders. The theme of the forum this year is “Big Data…Big Data…Converging” with panels on Big Data in Biotech, nfectious Diseases, Developing Talent, Regional Real Estate, IP Analysis and Protection, Funding, and a Fire Side Chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIAID Director.

The 7th Annual BioHealth capital Region Forum is organized by event partners – Association of University Research Parks, AstraZeneca, BioHealth Innovation, BRAINBox Solutions, Inc, Children’s National Hospital, Emergent BioSolutions, George Mason University, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS @ Washington, DC, Maryland Department of Commerce, and Virginia Bio. Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC set the bar high for biotech innovation. Please join us for our 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow. We hope you’re able to join us!

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Registration is now open for the BioHealth Capital Region 6th Annual Crab Trap Competition. The Crab Trap this year will be held virtually in affiliation with the 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum with attendees receiving a link to watch live on September, 29th, 2021. Judges Sally Allain, Head, JLABS @ Washington, DC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Andrea Alms, Co-Fund Manager, BioHealth Capital Fund, Troy LeMaile-Stovall, Chief Executive Officer, TEDCO, Conley Jones, Senior Associate, Alexandria Venture Investments, and John Newby, Chief Executive Officer, Virginia Biotechnology Association, join Moderator, Rich Bendis, President and CEO of BHI, to choose one biohealth startup with the most commercial potential.

Companies interested in applying, please visit https://bit.ly/crabtrap2021 today.

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The firm helps gene therapy and vaccine companies develop and manufacture products for rare diseases.

Image: Vigene Biosciences, led by CEO Zairen Sun, right, and Chief Commercial Officer Jeffrey Hung, has been acquired. EMAN MOHAMMED

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GAITHERSBURG, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. (“APT”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to providing therapies to treat infectious diseases, today announced the appointment of Evan Loh, M.D., CEO of Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTK), Jonathan Leff, Partner at Deerfield Management, and Jana Jensen, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer at Deerfield Discovery and Development, to the company’s Board of Directors.

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Johns Hopkins University’s board of trustees has voted unanimously to add a new five-year term to the presidential tenure of Ron Daniels, an extension through June 2029 that “reflects the board’s full and unwavering confidence in the trajectory of our institution and its remarkable people—our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—supported and sustained by President Daniels’ able leadership,” Lou Forster, the board’s chair, wrote in a message to the Hopkins community today.

Image: Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels speaks at the 10,000 Small Businesses graduation ceremony in Baltimore in November 2019. CREDIT:WILL KIRK / JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

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This week, a pair of Frederick companies raised millions in new investment, offering evidence of the Maryland city’s growing role as one of the region’s tech hubs. Check out the specifics on those companies and more:

Image: Frederick, Maryland. (Courtesy photo)

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Go pakh your cahr, Boston. Grab some granola, California. It’s D.C.’s moment in life sciences.

For years, the Washington metropolitan area has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing and largest life sciences markets. Growth during the pandemic and the market’s singular location are launching it into a whole other stratosphere.

Image: ST. JOHN PROPERTIES’ MATT HOLBROOK AT RIVERSIDE TECH PARK IN FREDERICK. PHOTO: BY ST. JOHN PROPERTIES

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• This document has been redacted by Sam Collaudin, Kinexum Business Strategy Consultant, independently from any pharmaceutical and biotech companies
• It synthesizes selected data presented during the ATTD 2021 conference
• Grey rectangles are personal comments and opinions, underlined words are clickable links to other slides or external references
• If you have comments, please contact me by email (samcollaudin@kinexum.com)
• Disclosure: Business strategy consultant at Modular Medical, CEO of Abvance Kinexum , consultant for Therapeutics, chairman of a non for profit French health care insurance company (Groupe Operating Since 2003 Uitsem)

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We are excited to announce a partnership between CEID and CONNECTED DMV. We will be cooperating with CONNECTED DMV in their Pandemic Prevention and Biodefense Initiative and serve as a key partner in the Global Pandemic Prevention and Biodefense Center and AHEAD100 initiative.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continued to take action in the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Today, the FDA authorized the use, under the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, of an additional batch of vaccine drug substance manufactured at the Emergent facility. To date a total of four batches of Janssen drug substance that were manufactured at the Emergent facility have been authorized. The FDA conducted a thorough review of facility records and the results of quality testing performed by the manufacturer. Based on this review and considering the current COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA has concluded that these batches are suitable for use. While the FDA is not yet ready to include the Emergent BioSolutions plant in the Janssen EUA as an authorized manufacturing facility, the agency continues to work through issues there with Janssen and Emergent BioSolutions management.

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In Greater Washington, we spotlight these VC firms raising new funds or adding dollars to their existing ones.

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Arriving in Washington in the midst of a pandemic, the Biden administration has been laser-focused on funding life sciences, announcing support for the onshoring of crucial manufacturing and proposing vast increases in National Institutes of Health funding and the creation of ARPA-H, a new multibillion-dollar applied research center for the health sciences.

Image: Courtesy of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Congress has passed a series of bills that may send billions of dollars of funding to life sciences clusters across the country.

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By the end of this week, the world should cross two small but significant milestones on the road to overcoming COVID-19—getting at least 5% of the global population fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, with at least 10% receiving one dose of vaccines that require two.

According to Our World in Data, a collaboration of the Oxford Martin Programme on Global Development at the University of Oxford and the nonprofit Global Change Data Lab, 376,173,766 people were fully vaccinated as of May 20 (4.8% of global population), while 739,208,299 people had received one dose (9.5%).

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Thanks to unprecedented development speed and mostly strong safety and efficacy data, vaccines have dominated the response to COVID-19. But ending the pandemic will also require development of numerous therapeutics.

Seven COVID-19 drugs have shown promise recently. Positive signs include the accumulation of encouraging data, participation in the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) trials, and/or progress toward regulatory authorizations.

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Entrepreneurs who require funding for their startup have long counted on self-accredited high net worth individuals (“angels”) to fill their needs, after friends and family, and before they qualify for institutional investments (“VCs”). The many crowd funding platforms on the Internet, led still by Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, were expected by many to put regular people in charge of funding new opportunities, and kill the need for angel groups.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

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Dr. Murat Kalayoglu, President and CEO at Cartesian Therapeutics, provides an update since his last visit on their cell and gene therapies, as well as fundraising successes.

Listen now on Apple https://apple.co/2SuVe2M, Google https://bit.ly/35Uq6wV, Spotify https://spoti.fi/3w3d7nd, or TuneIn https://bit.ly/2U9zYjL

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MaxCyte, a life science company specializing in cell-engineering technology, is relocating from Gaithersburg, Md., to Rockville, Md., Commercial Observer has learned.

The company signed a 13-year, 67,000-square-foot lease at 9713 Key West Avenue, a five-story, 120,000-square-foot office building, with landlord Beckham Gumbin Ventures.

Image: 9713 KEY WEST AVENUE. PHOTO: BY EDGE

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UNITE, A comprehensive immuno-oncology approach

}https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmkDu4qK2aM

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TEDCO recently launched ‘TEDCO Talks’, a series featuring thought leaders in economic development across the State of Maryland. On May 28th, TEDCO CEO & Executive Director, Troy LeMaile-Stovall interviewed Sally Allain, Head of JLABS @ Washington DC, about the future of the innovation ecosystem and the crucial role that JLABS will play in advancing the BioHealth Capital Region. It was extremely uplifting to hear the leaders of the two powerhouses discuss solutions on issues ranging from pandemic preparedness and healthcare inequality to diversity in the workforce.

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The life sciences industry has been asked to play the lead role in delivering innovative solutions to the world’s pandemic challenges; but like other sectors, is not insulated from these disruptive societal and workplace impacts. And while far from finished, the industry is meeting the moment—delivering on biomedical innovations to mitigate and ultimately end the global pandemic; continuing its role as economic stalwart countering economic downturns with hiring and continued growth; adjusting to the turmoil of remote operations; advancing varied and creative diversity and inclusion initiatives; and partnering with educators to advance the science, technology, engineering, and math, or “STEM” talent needs of the industry as well as enhancing its diversity. This is a daunting agenda for any industry, let alone in a single year, and this report works to take stock of the industry’s position and strategic priorities in 2021, with a primary focus on its demands for workforce and talent, arguably the most critical ingredient for addressing this bold agenda.

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A diverse, global team of scientists, led by University College of London and Children’s National Hospital/George Washington University, has been selected for the final stages of Cancer Grand Challenges – and is in with a chance of securing a share of £80 million (c.$111 million) of funding to take on one of cancer’s toughest problems.

Nearly 170 teams submitted ideas for this round of awards, and the NGTC team, which stands for ‘Next Generation T-cell therapies for childhood cancers, led by Martin Pule, Ph.D., University College of London, and Catherine Bollard, M.B.Ch.B., M.D., Children’s National Hospital and George Washington University, is one of 11 shortlisted groups.

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Emmes today announced that it was selected as one of the best places to work in the greater Washington area. This is the fifth time that the company has been chosen as a top workplace by The Washington Post, whose rankings are based on the highest employee engagement ratings.

The Post’s 2021 Top Workplaces list included a wide range of organizations, including government contractors, law and real estate firms, professional and business services firms, and technology companies.

The Post partnered with employee engagement firm Energage, LLC, to conduct the survey, asking employees about the companies they work for on topics ranging from employee development to innovation. More than 3,500 area companies were invited to participate, representing over 65,500 employees. Emmes was selected as a top workplace in the large company category.

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Delta customers now have more ways to meet COVID-19 test requirements introduced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and many international governments during the pandemic. Convenient and accurate in-home rapid antigen tests that can be shipped directly to a home address or picked up locally are now available for purchase on delta.com.

“Even as the U.S. achieves widespread immunity through vaccinations, many international countries lag behind the U.S. in vaccination rates. Testing and proof of a negative test result within 72 hours of travel remain core components for entry to many international destinations as well as to return to the U.S. during the global pandemic,” said Henry Ting – S.V.P. & Chief Health Officer. “These new purchase and pack COVID-19 tests offer a convenient option to provide proof of a negative test result and enable a seamless experience for our customers.”

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Many of you are following the ongoing effort by some political leaders to strip our scientific intellectual property rights pertaining to vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. This proprietary science and technology was developed by our scientists working day and night at great financial risk to our companies.

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It is with enormous pride and excitement that we announce that Aifred Health is #2 in the WORLD in the Global @IBM Watson AI XPRIZE!

I could not be prouder of the entire Aifred Health team and especially the four co-Founders Robert Fratila, Kelly Perlman, Sonia Israel and David Benrimoh, MD.,CM., MSc. whose vision and passion started us on this journey.

The US$1M prize will be used to accelerate the delivery of our AI technology in the field of #depression and to begin the work to apply our tech to other disease indications where personalize treatment choice is needed to deliver better outcomes to patients.

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Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel made the decision to build his mRNA research-and-development platform on public cloud to create what he calls “software for life.”1 He used the cloud as a means to accelerate therapeutic discovery and development. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, this strategy proved prescient. The company was well positioned to quickly design research experiments and to harness its automated laboratory and manufacturing processes and enhanced drug-discovery pipeline.

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Three Surprising Lessons for Other Cities and Regions. Download the PDF: http://share.endeavor.org/pdf/HDSVBSV.pdf

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Coastal resources – including fish, minerals and energy – are critical to people, nature and the economy, and are a focus for the emerging sustainable blue economy agenda. It has long been recognized that a particular challenge in coastal areas is the management of land-based activities that generate detrimental impacts on coastal resources in the marine environment. Many of these pressures are negative externalities of land-based human activities that are not taken into account within existing resource-governance frameworks. Therefore, the development of improved approaches to land-sea governance that take account of how land-based activities affect the quality and availability of coastal resources is the focus of this report.

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This event is free for executive-level biotech leaders and is presented by the  Association of University Research Parks, AstraZeneca, BioHealth Innovation, BRAINBox Solutions, Inc, Children’s National Hospital, Emergent BioSolutions,  George Mason University, JLABS, Maryland Department of Commerce, and Virginia Bio. Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC set the bar high for biotech innovation. So please join us for our 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow. We hope you’re able to join us!

Monday, September 13, 2021 8:00 AM 2021 BioHealth Capital Region Virtual Forum

Register Now!

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“The Protenus team is excited to continue to scale and set a high standard for how health systems ensure compliance,” CEO Nick Culbertson said in a statement.

Image: Nick Culbertson, CEO of Fells Point-based Protenus. ERIC STOCKLIN

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“5 Questions With…” is a weekly BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people in the BioHealth Capital Region and Greater Philadelphia to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated.

Well, we decided to shake things up. Instead of publishing an interview-style “5 Questions With…” featuring one of our community members, we asked our community “5 Questions About” our very own Andy Eckert.

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FREDERICK, Md., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Veralox Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics that treat the underlying pathologies of diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced the closing of a $16.6 million Series A financing. The round was led by Hatteras Venture Partners with participation from Genesys Capital, Point Field Partners and Alexandria Venture Investments as well as support from previous Veralox investors including Sanofi Ventures, JDRF T1D Fund, Maryland Momentum Fund, VTC Innovation Fund and TEDCO. The Company also announced that Ben Scruggs, PhD, principal at Hatteras Venture Partners, and Jamie Stiff, MBA, managing director at Genesys Capital, will join the Veralox Therapeutics board of directors.

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A D.C. hospital has once again scored well in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s best children’s hospitals.

And the one ranked second-best overall is just a few hours away.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ranked second in the annual U.S. News Honor Roll, with D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital not far behind at seventh overall.

Dr. Kurt Newman, the president and CEO of Children’s National, noted that it marks the fifth year in a row that Children’s National has been ranked among the top 10 nationwide.

Read More

Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) has had a significant impact on the Maryland life sciences ecosystem since its founding in 2014, assisting with hundreds of licensed therapeutics in development and backing nearly 200 startups that have collectively nearly $3 billion in venture capital funding, 30% of which has remained in the state.

Read More

Starting immediately, the Dutch biotech company Mimetas is looking for an Operations Manager for its office in Gaithersburg,MD, USA. In this new role, you will work together with the Scientific and Commercial teams in the US, and our Finance and Logistics teams in the Netherlands. You will manage the operational and financial aspects of our two US subsidiaries and play a role in the growth of our company in the US. Do you have experience as an Operations Manager with analytical and financial skills, and do you want to work in an international environment? Then join our dynamic and fast-paced team now!

Click here to learn more.

Read More

Starting immediately, miRecule, Inc. is looking for a Laboratory Technician to join its rapidly growing team in Gaithersburg, MD on the development of next generation RNA therapeutics to treat cancer and other diseases.

Job description:

As a Laboratory Technician at miRecule, you will be responsible for supporting antibody development platforms in our lead therapeutic programs. Your responsibilities will include:

• Preparation of media and solutions as needed for expression and purification of recombinant antibodies and scFvs
• Performing laboratory experiments to improve expression, purification, stability and affinity of recombinant antibodies and scFvs

Read More

Today, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) presented Maryland Governor Larry Hogan with its 2021 Governor of the Year Award. Governor Hogan received the award virtually at BIO Digital 2021.

With the annual award, BIO honors governors for their leadership in public service, commitment to public health, and dedication to strengthening the biotechnology sector in their state. For over a decade, the long-standing award has recognized governors from across the country and both sides of the aisle.

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hogan

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The U.S. Small Business Administration recently made important clarifications to its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Policy Directive, giving the industry more certainty about whether and when a successor-in-interest to a Phase I/Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees is eligible for Phase III awards.

Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced a $3.2 billion plan Thursday to build up the country’s supply of drugs to treat Covid-19 and future viral threats.

The plan, called the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, will spur clinical trials and the manufacturing of promising treatments for Covid-19, with the goal of gaining authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for some antivirals and making them available to the public within a year, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

Image: https://www.nbcnews.com – From Video

Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many problems in American society ranging from public health and racial disparities to economic challenges and supply chain limitations. As was true with many nations around the world, the United States was caught without a detailed plan for dealing with a pandemic. Hospitals were unprepared for the deluge of patients and health care providers did not have access to the supplies they needed to protect themselves. State and national leaders provided mixed cues on how to shut down and when to reopen, and there continue to be sharp partisan differences in how people feel about wearing masks and getting vaccinations.

Read More

Join us Sunday, June 27 at 3:45 PM GMT for our next session of Saving Lives with Autotransfusion: Lessons from the Field—a Sisu Global webinar series where clinicians speak about their experience using Hemafuse in surgery and other global health issues.

Read More

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and U.S. Representatives Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) introduced the Next Generation Entrepreneurship Corps Act to encourage new business and job creation in underserved communities through a competitive fellowship for entrepreneurs. With a six-year investment of $330 million, the bill will identify talented entrepreneurs through a national competition and directly support the creation of 320 new businesses each year.

Read More

This is the annual report published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) on top university patent holders. The Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2020 were compiled using data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Top 100 highlights the vital role patents play in translating university research and innovation. Published annually by the NAI and IPO since 2013, the report ranks the top 100 universities named as the first assignee on utility patents granted by the USPTO during the 2020 calendar year.

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Studying procrastination used to be a terrific way to avoid doing things I was supposed to be doing. It hasn’t been as much fun for me since one of the things I supposed to be doing was writing this column on how to manage procrastinators. Rats!

One thing I learned before I was distracted from my studies is that about 20 percent of adults identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. That is, they are habitually unable to perform tasks on time, even when there are serious consequences involved. Moreover, reports DePaul University psychology professor Joseph Ferrari, author of Still Procrastinating? The No-Regrets Guide to Getting It Done, the incidence of procrastination is pretty consistent across age cohorts, gender, and nationalities. As yet, procrastination researchers have not identified any “blue zones” — Shangri-las in which people not only live longer, but also never miss a deadline.

Read More

The Earth has finally attained popular recognition for its fifth ocean, with a decision by the National Geographic Society to add the Southern Ocean around Antarctica to the four it recognizes already: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans.

Although the designation of the frigid waters around the icy southern continent as a separate ocean has kicked around for almost 100 years and is widely used by scientists, until now it has not had popular backing.

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This event is free for executive-level biotech leaders and is presented by the  Association of University Research Parks, AstraZeneca, BioHealth Innovation, BRAINBox Solutions, Inc, Children’s National Hospital, Emergent BioSolutions,  George Mason University, JLABS, Maryland Department of Commerce, and Virginia Bio. Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC set the bar high for biotech innovation. So please join us for our 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow. We hope you’re able to join us!

Monday, September 13, 2021 8:00 AM 2021 BioHealth Capital Region Virtual Forum

Register Now!

Read More

“The Protenus team is excited to continue to scale and set a high standard for how health systems ensure compliance,” CEO Nick Culbertson said in a statement.

Image: Nick Culbertson, CEO of Fells Point-based Protenus. ERIC STOCKLIN

Read More

“5 Questions With…” is a weekly BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people in the BioHealth Capital Region and Greater Philadelphia to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated.

Well, we decided to shake things up. Instead of publishing an interview-style “5 Questions With…” featuring one of our community members, we asked our community “5 Questions About” our very own Andy Eckert.

Read More

FREDERICK, Md., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Veralox Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics that treat the underlying pathologies of diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced the closing of a $16.6 million Series A financing. The round was led by Hatteras Venture Partners with participation from Genesys Capital, Point Field Partners and Alexandria Venture Investments as well as support from previous Veralox investors including Sanofi Ventures, JDRF T1D Fund, Maryland Momentum Fund, VTC Innovation Fund and TEDCO. The Company also announced that Ben Scruggs, PhD, principal at Hatteras Venture Partners, and Jamie Stiff, MBA, managing director at Genesys Capital, will join the Veralox Therapeutics board of directors.

Read More

A D.C. hospital has once again scored well in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the nation’s best children’s hospitals.

And the one ranked second-best overall is just a few hours away.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ranked second in the annual U.S. News Honor Roll, with D.C.’s Children’s National Hospital not far behind at seventh overall.

Dr. Kurt Newman, the president and CEO of Children’s National, noted that it marks the fifth year in a row that Children’s National has been ranked among the top 10 nationwide.

Read More

Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) has had a significant impact on the Maryland life sciences ecosystem since its founding in 2014, assisting with hundreds of licensed therapeutics in development and backing nearly 200 startups that have collectively nearly $3 billion in venture capital funding, 30% of which has remained in the state.

Read More

Starting immediately, the Dutch biotech company Mimetas is looking for an Operations Manager for its office in Gaithersburg,MD, USA. In this new role, you will work together with the Scientific and Commercial teams in the US, and our Finance and Logistics teams in the Netherlands. You will manage the operational and financial aspects of our two US subsidiaries and play a role in the growth of our company in the US. Do you have experience as an Operations Manager with analytical and financial skills, and do you want to work in an international environment? Then join our dynamic and fast-paced team now!

Click here to learn more.

Read More

Starting immediately, miRecule, Inc. is looking for a Laboratory Technician to join its rapidly growing team in Gaithersburg, MD on the development of next generation RNA therapeutics to treat cancer and other diseases.

Job description:

As a Laboratory Technician at miRecule, you will be responsible for supporting antibody development platforms in our lead therapeutic programs. Your responsibilities will include:

• Preparation of media and solutions as needed for expression and purification of recombinant antibodies and scFvs
• Performing laboratory experiments to improve expression, purification, stability and affinity of recombinant antibodies and scFvs

Read More

Today, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) presented Maryland Governor Larry Hogan with its 2021 Governor of the Year Award. Governor Hogan received the award virtually at BIO Digital 2021.

With the annual award, BIO honors governors for their leadership in public service, commitment to public health, and dedication to strengthening the biotechnology sector in their state. For over a decade, the long-standing award has recognized governors from across the country and both sides of the aisle.

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Hogan

Read More

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently made important clarifications to its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Policy Directive, giving the industry more certainty about whether and when a successor-in-interest to a Phase I/Phase II SBIR/STTR awardees is eligible for Phase III awards.

Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced a $3.2 billion plan Thursday to build up the country’s supply of drugs to treat Covid-19 and future viral threats.

The plan, called the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, will spur clinical trials and the manufacturing of promising treatments for Covid-19, with the goal of gaining authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for some antivirals and making them available to the public within a year, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

Image: https://www.nbcnews.com – From Video

Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many problems in American society ranging from public health and racial disparities to economic challenges and supply chain limitations. As was true with many nations around the world, the United States was caught without a detailed plan for dealing with a pandemic. Hospitals were unprepared for the deluge of patients and health care providers did not have access to the supplies they needed to protect themselves. State and national leaders provided mixed cues on how to shut down and when to reopen, and there continue to be sharp partisan differences in how people feel about wearing masks and getting vaccinations.

Read More

Join us Sunday, June 27 at 3:45 PM GMT for our next session of Saving Lives with Autotransfusion: Lessons from the Field—a Sisu Global webinar series where clinicians speak about their experience using Hemafuse in surgery and other global health issues.

Read More

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and U.S. Representatives Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) introduced the Next Generation Entrepreneurship Corps Act to encourage new business and job creation in underserved communities through a competitive fellowship for entrepreneurs. With a six-year investment of $330 million, the bill will identify talented entrepreneurs through a national competition and directly support the creation of 320 new businesses each year.

Read More

This is the annual report published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) on top university patent holders. The Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2020 were compiled using data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Top 100 highlights the vital role patents play in translating university research and innovation. Published annually by the NAI and IPO since 2013, the report ranks the top 100 universities named as the first assignee on utility patents granted by the USPTO during the 2020 calendar year.

Read More

Studying procrastination used to be a terrific way to avoid doing things I was supposed to be doing. It hasn’t been as much fun for me since one of the things I supposed to be doing was writing this column on how to manage procrastinators. Rats!

One thing I learned before I was distracted from my studies is that about 20 percent of adults identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. That is, they are habitually unable to perform tasks on time, even when there are serious consequences involved. Moreover, reports DePaul University psychology professor Joseph Ferrari, author of Still Procrastinating? The No-Regrets Guide to Getting It Done, the incidence of procrastination is pretty consistent across age cohorts, gender, and nationalities. As yet, procrastination researchers have not identified any “blue zones” — Shangri-las in which people not only live longer, but also never miss a deadline.

Read More

The Earth has finally attained popular recognition for its fifth ocean, with a decision by the National Geographic Society to add the Southern Ocean around Antarctica to the four it recognizes already: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans.

Although the designation of the frigid waters around the icy southern continent as a separate ocean has kicked around for almost 100 years and is widely used by scientists, until now it has not had popular backing.

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As states ease COVID restrictions, more and more people post their vaccine selfies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates its mask guidance. It’s beginning to feel like the country is getting back to normal and, in many ways, we are. But the truth is that what we do now in this moment will determine whether we’ve learned the right lessons from the last year of a pandemic that’s cost the world more than 3 million lives.

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The efforts to develop a Covid-19 vaccine accelerated the already strong demand for life sciences real estate in Maryland, and tenants now want lab space faster than developers can build it.

The market’s vacancy rate has fallen so low that life sciences companies often can’t find space that meets their time-sensitive needs, experts say, leading them to look to other markets.

Image: Courtesy of Matan Cos. A rendering of one of Matan Cos.’ Progress Labs buildings on the I-270 corridor.

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In 1976, an Atari engineer named Ron Wayne took a 10% ownership stake in a new technology startup created by a pair of fellow co-workers, meant to serve as the tiebreaker in the ambitious triumvirate.

The enterprise showed early potential, but Wayne became concerned that should the young venture flounder, he would be personally liable for the company’s debts as well. So, he cashed out his 10% stake for $2,300.

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A Maryland mega-development, initially pitched as a home for Under Armour, may now become a biotech cluster, according to developers.

The $5.5B Port Covington development on Baltimore’s waterfront has had several iterations; home to the athletic clothing firm, a cybersecurity center and then a development on pause during the coronavirus pandemic. But in an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Steven Siegel, a partner with Weller Development Co., suggested life sciences may be part of the company’s focus going forward.

Image: Courtesy of Weller Development Co. – A previous rendering of Port Covington; developers now see a future in constructing a life sciences hub.

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BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), is a Montgomery County innovation intermediary that translates market-relevant research into commercial success by bringing together management, funding, and markets. BHI is seeking two experienced life science professionals with product development and investment experience to join the BHI team to serve as a part-time Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

These positions will report to and work closely with our lead at the NIH Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) Office to support academic and small business innovators in their efforts to validate the potential health impacts of promising scientific discoveries and advance them into healthcare products that improve patient care and enhance health.

Click here to download the full job description.

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June 3, 2021 (Washington, D.C.)— The once-in-a-generation pandemic highlighted both the region’s continued lag in economic competitiveness and the absence of a cohesive and coordinated economic development strategy. The Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS) initiative, launched by Connected DMV, has released the first regional cross-sector blueprint to advance economic opportunity and social equity in Greater Washington, the culmination of a year of work by the REDS Steering Committee.

Image: https://www.connecteddmv.org

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today unveiled a new type of public-private partnership that enables investments using venture capital practices. Through the BARDA Ventures program, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, is launching a partnership with the nonprofit organization Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC) to accelerate development and commercialization of technologies and medical products needed to respond to or prevent public health emergencies, such as pandemics, and other health security threats.

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Are you a biohealth start-up in Maryland, DC or Virginia seeking feedback on your biohealth business idea, pitch deck, or commercialization plan? Schedule your feedback session with BHI EIRs on one of the following dates. Pre-registration is required; Sign up here tinyurl.com/EIRfeedback

For questions/more information, contact BHI.

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This episode is the first of a new podcast series, where we will visit with different leaders striving to grow economic development in their areas or regions of interest. We will be discussing new initiatives, new models, the interest and investment in Technology Parks, Incubators and Accelerators as well as other creative economic development platforms being implemented throughout the country within public and private initiatives.

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As the first buildings at Port Covington begin to rise, the project’s developers have a vision for the mini-city sprouting on a South Baltimore peninsula as the nation’s next big biotech hub.

The waterfront neighborhood of apartments, offices, stores and parks now under construction could rival life sciences cores such as Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Mission Bay in San Francisco, members of the development team say.

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The entire D.C. region is poised to work together on economic development efforts to reverse its widening gap between the rich and the poor, according to a group of government, business and academic leaders — but the hard part will be actually making all of the region’s localities play nice together.

Connected DMV, an organization of public and private sector officials assembled as the Covid-19 crisis unfolded, is out with its first stab at crafting a “regional economic development strategy,” released first to the Washington Business Journal on Thursday. As helmed by Fairfax County economic development head Victor Hoskins, the report makes some familiar arguments about the need for regional collaboration and lays out some discrete areas where officials can actually work together.

Image: Fairfax County Economic Development Authority CEO Victor Hoskins is leading Connected DMV’s efforts to build regional cooperation. JOANNE S. LAWTON

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In diverse cities like the District of Columbia, health inequities are driven by systemic racial and socioeconomic disparities.[1] Underserved communities, including neighborhoods where most residents are people of color or where income disparities exist, are unjustly burdened with disproportionate comorbidities, negative health outcomes and obstacles to accessing care. [2]

According to a recent Health Equity Report by the District of Columbia Department of Health, the District’s mortality rate caused by leading diseases such as chronic heart disease, cancer, and diabetes outranked the United States’ rate in 2015.[3] These rates were even higher in the District’s Black and Hispanic residents compared to its White residents.[2]

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Startups can’t stay in the early stage forever. While a young company can benefit from the early momentum of pitch wins and resources found in a community, it eventually must figure out its business model, and ultimately scale.

Hearing leading local investors describe Baltimore’s startup community at a Baltimore Innovation Week 2021 panel discussion dubbed “Strengthening Baltimore as a Hub for Innovation,” this reporter was left with the impression that the ecosystem as a whole feels a bit like a startup.

Image: Photo by Flicker user Phil! Gold

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With dedicated facilities, a collaborative environment, and a talented workforce, Maryland is on the leading edge of a robust and rapidly growing unmanned vehicle community, which also includes robotics. Keep reading to see five ways Maryland excels in unmanned and autonomous systems.

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In 2007, there were five times as many men as women in officer roles at Genentech, and female directors (the level preceding officers) were leaving at twice the rate as their male counterparts. To achieve equitable representation among men and women in leadership positions and stem the flow of departing talent, we rethought and revised our recruiting, professional development, and succession planning processes. Today, because of those efforts and a top-down commitment to change, men and women are nearly equally represented among our overall employee population and in officer and director roles.

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Dr. Laurie E. Locascio, Vice President for Research at both the University of Maryland College Park and Baltimore, Visits BioTalk to Discuss Her Career, Tech Transfer, and the Two Institutions Working Together

Listen now on Apple https://apple.co/3oZKsNP, Google https://bit.ly/3vpYr1T, Spotify https://spoti.fi/2QZm3vd, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/2RQqs40.

Laurie E. Locascio, Ph.D., is the Vice President for Research at the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

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Montgomery County (MOCO), Maryland, sits at the epicenter of biopharma growth, investment, and innovation that makes the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) one of the top bio clusters in the world. The past 15 or so months has seen the region’s biohealth momentum accelerate significantly, spurred on by the race to develop a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, expansion in the cell and gene therapy sector, as well as increased activity around advanced biomanufacturing, among other positive indicators.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

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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 an experienced life science professional with venture investment experience to join the BHI EIR team and serve as a part time Entrepreneur-in- Residence (EIR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

This position will report to and work closely with our lead at the NIH Office of the Director, Office of Extramural Research and specifically support the portfolio of companies funded by NIA’s ~$130M annual investment in small businesses focused on Alzheimer’s disease & related dementias, disorders of aging and supportive technologies for senior living and care providers.

Click here for more information.

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Saw a familiar face on ABC News 7 tonight! Congrats to the American Gene Technologies International Inc. team on the first patient dosing in the #HIVCure Ph 1 trial.

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LEIDEN, the Netherlands, May 27, 2021 / B3C newswire / — MIMETAS, the global leader in human-relevant organ-on-a-chip models, has just opened their Phenotypic Screening Center. The center facilitates large-scale screening campaigns on Organ-on-a-Chip models, a powerful technology that improves the human physiological relevance of cultured tissues by utilizing microfluidic techniques. In contrast to other Organ-on-a-Chip platforms, the MIMETAS OrganoPlate® technology offers the scalability and the throughput needed for drug discovery studies.

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A local biotech has secured millions of dollars in new investments to take its RNA therapies for drug-resistant cancers to the clinic.

Gaithersburg’s miRecule Inc. has raised $5.7 million in fresh funding, CEO Anthony Saleh told us Monday, positioning the company to start human testing for its lead candidate to treat head and neck cancer.

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Are you and early stage company with innovative biohealth technology? Have you considered non-dilutive funding to advance your technology? Learn more about whether or not federal or state non-dilutive funding makes sense for you. Discuss potential strategies for success. Sign up for a free 1:1 advice and feedback regarding non-dilutive funding strategy and applications with BHI staff who have helped companies secured SBIR, STTR and other awards—at twice the national average win rate.

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Anew partnership led by University of Maryland researchers has entered a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) that could provide up to $68 million to drive advances in artificial intelligence and autonomy.

An interdisciplinary research team from UMD and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) aims to create a new generation of technologies and devices—from wearables to unmanned aircraft—able to intelligently work alone or in teams with other devices, as well as safely and effectively collaborate with their human operators in different environments.

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HILDEN, Germany & GERMANTOWN, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE:QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard:QIA) today announced a global collaboration with Mirati Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:MRTX) to continue developing a tissue-based KRAS companion diagnostic to identify patients with cancers that have a KRASG12C mutation who may benefit from treatment with adagrasib, Mirati’s investigational, highly selective and potent oral small molecule inhibitor of KRASG12C.

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The bio economy is booming across the U.S., and not just in Boston or San Francisco. States are witnessing a resurgence of life science research and technology commercialization. There is a boom of advanced manufacturing as construction of wet lab space takes place in research parks and tech incubators creating new space to attract and grow bio tech companies. Innovative federal and state policies are aiding in the emergence of bio tech entrepreneurs.

• Discover which states are taking the lead in leveraging bio technologies
• Examine ways the nation can safeguard the bio economy
• Explore new federal and state opportunities for growing this critical tech sector

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FREDERICK, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BioFactura, a leading developer of high-value biosimilar and biodefense drugs using its patented StableFastTM platform, announces today the initiation of a pivotal PK (pharmacokinetics) Phase 1 Clinical Trial for its Ustekinumab Biosimilar (BFI-751), to assess the effects on healthy human volunteers compared to the biologic medicine, Stelera®. This is the first time BFI-751 has been administered to humans, as authorized by the Ethics Committees in both Australia and New Zealand.

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“5 Questions With…” is a weekly BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people in the BioHealth Capital Region to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated. This week we welcome Sue Carr, RPh, President and Founder, CarrTech, LLC.

Sue Carr RPh is President and Founder of CarrTech LLC, a medical device company. CarrTech has developed, patented, and prototyped an all-in-one package one needle filter device to increase safety and compliance while reducing time and waste. Sue has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in retail management and clinical hospital pharmacy, specializing in ICU, ER, Oncology, and NICU.

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Five finalists have been named in the prestigious annual “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition presented by the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI). Representing innovations in electrophysiology devices that treat congenital heart disease (CHD) and arrhythmias in pediatric patients, these five finalists now have access to a pediatric accelerator program led by MedTech Innovator and will compete for a share of $150,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the final virtual pitch event in September 2021. The pediatric pitch event is part of the 9th Annual Symposium on Pediatric Device Innovation, co-located with the MedTech Conference, powered by AdvaMed.

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There is no denying that the venture capital industry is red hot right now. When you open up websites like Forbes, Techcrunch, and Business Insider, it is almost impossible to miss all of the news about the biggest deals in Silicon Valley being made by these firms.

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GrowthCap is pleased to announce The Top 25 Healthcare Investors of 2021. In our inaugural year for these awards, we wanted to bring forth and recognize not only the most experienced and talented investors in healthcare but also those that help advance innovation across the sector. Over 750 investors were considered. Whether in healthcare software, healthcare services, medical technologies, biotechnology, the connected patient experience, or other areas, the accomplished individuals who were ultimately selected have demonstrated a deep commitment to healthcare and as a result have succeeded both from a business standpoint as well as in having significant societal impact.

Image: https://growthcapadvisory.com

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As biopharma companies continue to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and position themselves for recovery, digital and analytics can be a powerful tool in manufacturing and operations. It can drive the next wave of business optimization by transforming operational performance, shortening time to market, improving quality and yield, reducing supply chain volatility, and accelerating technology transfers.

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As one of the most important global bio-health conventions, BIO KOREA 2021 International Convention has garnered great attention from home and abroad. To facilitate the discussion on the future bio-health industry in the ‘COVID-19 era’, the BIO KOREA 2021 to be held on June 9 to 21 will evolve around the theme of “New Normal: Breaking Barriers with Bio Innovation”.

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A study led by researchers from the Institute Cajal of Spanish Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid, Spain in collaboration with the Bioengineering Department of George Mason University in Virginia, U.S. has updated one of the world’s largest databases on neuronal types, Hippocampome.org.

The study, which is published in the journal PLOS Biology, represents the most comprehensive mapping performed to date between neural activity recoded in vivo and identified neuron types. This major breakthrough may enable biologically meaningful computer modeling of the full neuronal circuit of the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in memory function.

Image: https://medicalxpress.com

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Are you a biohealth start-up in Maryland, DC or Virginia seeking feedback on your biohealth business idea, pitch deck, or commercialization plan? Schedule your feedback session with BHI EIRs on one of the following dates. Pre-registration is required; Sign up here tinyurl.com/EIRfeedback

For questions/more information, contact BHI.

Read More