BHI Weekly News Archives

Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS @ Washington, DC: We did it! Persevering through a time of great challenge and change, today we’re happy to share that we’ve opened our doors in a thriving ecosystem, to entrepreneurs, early-stage companies and the life sciences community.

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Led by Noble Capital Markets and Tichenor Ventures to Fund OST-HER2 PhIIb Trial and OST-TDC Preclinical Next Generation ADC

CAMBRIDGE, Md., April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — OS Therapies, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative therapies to treat and cure Osteosarcoma (OS) and other deadly cancers in kids and adults including ovarian, esophageal, endometrial and lung cancers, today announced the closing of a $6 million Series A round of funding.

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Did you take the step to go across the border with your organization? Or do you want to find out how you can reach international markets in the Life Sciences & Health sector? Let us tell you which support networks can help you and learn from best practices, tips & tricks.

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Background: Advancements in biotechnology are recognized as one of the most important scientific achievements of the 20th Century. The emergence of biotechnology profoundly impacted the health of the world, and the economic vitality of regions where bio clusters and bioresearch parks grew. This article explores some of the historical and policy implications undergirding this development in the United States and the importance of alignment of life science research activity, public policies, and leadership to build place-based communities of biotechnology innovation.

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NEW YORK – Qiagen said on Tuesday that it has received a CE-IVD mark for its Artus SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit for high-throughput PCR-based COVID-19 testing.

The kit is now commercially available in the EU and other markets accepting the CE-IVD mark, and Qiagen has submitted an Emergency Use Authorization application for the assay to the US Food and Drug Administration.

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U.S.-listed shares of GlaxoSmithKline GSK, 0.12% were down 1.4% in trading on Thursday after the Food and Drug Administration said it had granted accelerated approval to the company’s endometrial cancer treatment. The immunotherapy, which was called dostarlimab and is now named Jemperli, is approved to treat patients with severe forms of this kind of cancer who have a genetic feature known as dMMR.

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — United Therapeutics has applied for a priority review voucher and submitted a new drug application to the United States Food and Drug Administration, the company announced this week. The drug, Tyvaso DPI™, is a novel dry powder inhalation formulation of treprostinil, and, if approved, will be used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The company estimates there are about 30,000 treatable patients in the United States, according to a statement.

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The Quantum Startup Foundry (QSF) at the University of Maryland brings together the resources needed—physical and virtual—to support entrepreneurs and startups in accelerating quantum technologies’ time to market. QSF will bring entrepreneurs together with industry and government customers, investors, technical mentors, leading-edge research and IP, and quantum-specific infrastructure (equipment, tools, facilities). Located in the Washington, DC metro area, QSF offers the perfect landing and launch spot for quantum companies.

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UpSurge Baltimore will aim to bolster existing efforts to support and scale local startups, and also develop new strategies for attracting additional companies, talent and capital to the city.

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RICHMOND, Va. — The pandemic has created an ongoing need for pediatric medicine and two organizations have partnered to tackle the issue. Founder of Phlow Corporation, Eric Edwards, M.D., PhD., and Kurt Newman M.D., President and CEO of the Children’s National Hospital share their insight as well as the mission and objective of the coalition. For more information, visit the website of the Children’s Hospital Coalition.

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ROCKVILLE, Md. & CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc., (“ITI”), a privately-held clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms, announced today a worldwide license and development collaboration agreement with Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: LCTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell transplants for serious medical conditions. The collaboration will generate a novel product candidate derived from Lineage’s investigational allogeneic VAC cancer immunotherapy platform and targeting a proprietary Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA) construct provided by ITI, for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Lineage and ITI will collaborate in the manufacturing and clinical development of a novel VAC product candidate. Following the full development and delivery of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) VAC product material, ITI will assume full and independent clinical and commercial responsibility and further advancement of the program. Under the terms of the agreement, Lineage will be entitled to an upfront payment of $2 million paid in the first year and development and commercial milestones totaling $67 million across multiple indications. Lineage also will be eligible to receive royalties up to 10% on future product sales.

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BETHESDA, Md., April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GANX) (“Gain”) today announced a multi-target collaboration agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) to discover new product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Gain will use its proprietary SEE-Tx computational platform technology to identify new sites on target proteins for potential use in oncology. SEE-Tx applies a proprietary computational algorithm and supercomputer processing to the published 3D structure of proteins to discover new binding sites with the ability to modulate protein function. The intended output is newly-discovered targets or target protein interactions that can then be drugged for therapeutic benefit to intervene on protein misfolding.

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COLUMBIA, Md. (April 20, 2021)—TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today its Seed Fund invested $200K in TargetDocs, a Maryland-based technology startup. TEDCO’s Seed investment is part of an $850K funding round, which includes University System of Maryland Momentum Fund (Momentum Fund), the Hustle Fund, New Age Capital, Debut Capital, Dingman Center Angels, and Gaingels.

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AM&AA brings back the world of middle-market mergers and acquisitions live and in-person this summer in Dallas, Texas!

Network with hundreds of decision-makers, including M&A advisors, capital providers, and investment bankers. Whether you’re on the buy or sell side, you won’t want to miss this must-attend industry event that will yield new deal connections and results.

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April 23, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) – Connected DMV, a cross-sector regional non-profit committed to solving complex economic and social challenges in Greater Washington, today announced two new members to its executive team. Former Obama Administration Commerce Department official Matt Erskine has been named Chief Strategy Officer and former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation officer Sarah Bauder has been named Vice President of Development and Workforce Initiatives. The organization also announced key milestones reached over the past year.

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ROCKVILLE, Md., April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Cellphire Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing next-generation platelet-based hemostatic therapeutics for application across multiple medical indications, announced today that Michael Gaffney has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Gaffney brings deep health sector insight, extensive operational experience, and proven strategy and capital markets expertise to Cellphire. He will also join the Company’s board.

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For the second consecutive year, a team of Johns Hopkins students from the Carey Business School took top prize at the annual MIT Sloan Operations Simulation Competition, held April 17-19 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A second Carey team captured third place.

The competition was the 16th of a global contest attracting participants from top business schools.

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Amid the international effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maccura Biotechnology, headquartered in the city of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province, is still able to keep up with changing demands. The Maryland Department of Commerce first met with the well-established, global diagnostics company in 2018 with the help of the Maryland Center China.

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GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 21, 2021 (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, today announced that Chad Rubin has been appointed to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs. Mr. Rubin will be responsible for all corporate communications, along with involvement in investor and capital markets activities. He joins NexImmune with more than 20 years of experience in investor relations, investment banking and capital markets within the biotechnology sector.

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Each quarter we bring you an update from our Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS Portfolio of companies across our 13 sites, from San Diego to Shanghai. Beyond news of our companies milestones, we also report on the diversity of our JLABS Portfolio leadership as we seek to reflect the patients we serve.Meanwhile, we look ahead this spring and beyond to the first companies moving into our JLABS @ Washington, DC site, built in collaboration with Children’s National Hospital and BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority). You can always find our latest stats and companies via our JLABS Portfolio Navigator.

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This half-day workshop, led by Jim Greenwood of Greenwood Consulting Group will cover one of the most important but least appreciated aspects of the SBIR/STTR programs, the cost proposal. There are many rules and regs hiding behind the cost proposal, and they will tend to bite you if you don’t get a handle on them. And if you don’t know how to set up your cost proposal, or don’t appropriately track expenses (especially labor) when you get the SBIR/STTR award, you will lose money. Come learn the terminology and concepts, and how to estimate your own indirect (aka overhead or F&A) rate and how to request and justify a profit/fee as part of the budget. Jim will meet with attendees for one-on-one sessions a week following this event and details on this consulting will be provided to workshop attendees.

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The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize a strategic partnership to help build a stronger local relationship between federal labs and Montgomery County’s private sector, particularly small businesses.

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Did you miss our 3-day Workshop featuring experts from NIH, HHS, NCI, NSF, USAMRDC, NIA, MTech, BHI, and others? Videos and Slide decks are now available by visiting http://www.biohealthinnovation.org/events/sbir-workshop-documents today.

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AURP and BHI Report Centers on Critical Factors Cultivating BioHealth Communities of Innovation Nationally & Supported Growth of BioHealth Capital Region

Tucson, AZ; Rockville, MD; College Park, MD, April 21, 2021 – The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) and BioHealth Innovation (BHI) today announce publication of Creating Communities of Life Science Innovation in the U.S.: History of Critical Factors That Helped the BioHealth Capital Region Emerge in the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, (Vol 26, No. 1, March 2021).

In this new article, AURP CEO Brian Darmody outlines the history of critical policy factors leading to the growth of the bio-economy in the U.S. BHI CEO and President Richard Bendis discusses specific leadership and other factors in the Capital Region of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Policies and trends such as the Land Grant Act, Bayh-Dole Act, NIH’s founding, growth of the venture financing industry, and the emergence of research parks and innovation districts and related factors also are discussed. National bio cluster rankings from JLL, CBRE, and GEN are included as well as overviews of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and DC/MD/VA life science regions from GEN.

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LUND, Sweden, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Alligator Bioscience (Nasdaq Stockholm: ATORX) today announced that it has entered into a joint research collaboration with MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The research collaboration will lead to the expansion of Alligator’s proprietary patient specific immunotherapy Neo-X-Prime™ by incorporating MacroGenics’ proprietary DART® and TRIDENT® multi-specific platforms against two undisclosed targets.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

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It might surprise you to learn that many of the innovations deployed to counter the coronavirus were once obscure Pentagon-funded projects to defend soldiers from contagious diseases and biological weapons. The life-saving vaccine developed in record time owes a debt to these programs. To learn more, we met the man who has been leading the rapid vaccine effort, retired Colonel Matt Hepburn. An army infectious disease physician, he spent years with the secretive defense advanced research projects agency or DARPA, working on technology he hopes will ensure COVID-19 is the last pandemic.

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ROCKVILLE, Md., Apr. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — American Gene Technologies (AGT), an emerging gene and cell therapy company, announced today that Gaingels, a leading venture investment syndicate in service of the LGBT+ community and its allies, made an investment in AGT to support the Phase 1 clinical trial of an HIV cure. The Phase 1 human trial is investigating the safety of AGT103-T, a single dose, autologous cell therapy intended to cure the disease.

This investment places Gaingels alongside private investors who believe deeply in AGT’s mission, rapid drug development platform, and gene and cell therapy programs for HIV, cancer, and PKU.

Image: https://www.americangene.com

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ROCKVILLE, Md., April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced that Rhonda Henry has joined the company as President of Emmes BioPharma.

“Naming a leader of our biopharma group is a major, positive step in our strategy to expand and diversify our business,” said Dr. Christine Dingivan, Chief Executive Officer of Emmes.

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The Matan Cos. will add biotech manufacturing and research space to one of its existing office campuses in Germantown to meet the surge in demand from local life sciences firms.

The new construction is slated for the Milestone Business Park, located just off Interstate 270 at the Father Hurley Boulevard exit, the Frederick-based developer told the Washington Business Journal. Matan plans to add three new buildings totaling 532,000 square feet, constructing them on some of the site’s ample parking lots and rebranding the campus as “Milestone Innovation Park.”

Image: Matan Cos. plans to add three new biotech-focused manufacturing and research buildings at its Milestone office park in Germantown. HIGH ROCK STUDIOS

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Margot Connor has over 25 years of experience in diversified Life Science industries bringing executive level expertise to business operations, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions. When Connor took the helm at RoosterBio in 2015, the start-up had only five employees. The company has since grown rapidly to become a leader in the stem cell biomanufacturing industry. It now has about 40 employees in a state-of-the-art facility in Frederick.

Image: https://i95business.com

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As the CEO of a 2,000-plus person Maryland-based company involved in the COVID-19 response, I have a high tolerance for the obligations that come with it — like spending endless hours trying to explain complicated manufacturing processes to reporters who just learned we existed. Or battling back the misinformation that is used to find fault with the people who are the spine of our nation’s world-leading response to this pandemic.

Image: Manufacturing associates work on a COVID-19 vaccine in one of four flexible manufacturing suites at Emergent BioSolutions’ Bayview facility. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun) (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)

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Topic: GW-CAN Givitas Webinar

Description

Who: GW Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Industry Experts

What: A 45-minute webinar to educate the GW CAN entrepreneurial community on Givitas. We will cover the benefits of Givitas and how to sign up and use Givitas.

Time Apr 21, 2021 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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With its unique system of intramural and extramural research programs, funding for academic and corporate product development, along with its supporting foundations, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a vibrant public “innovation ecosystem” that has changed not only the face of healthcare, but has also led to the creation of the biotech industry in the U.S. Whether your interest in the overall healthcare environment is scientific, medical, educational or commercial, there is something here for you.

Image: Dr Joseph J.Kinyoun, NIH Founder – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Antibodies that target the glycan cap epitope on the ebolavirus glycoprotein (GP) are common in the adaptive response of survivors. A subset is known to be broadly neutralizing, but the details of their epitopes and basis for neutralization are not well understood. Here, we present cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of diverse glycan cap antibodies that variably synergize with GP base-binding antibodies. These structures describe a conserved site of vulnerability that anchors the mucin-like domains (MLDs) to the glycan cap, which we call the MLD anchor and cradle. Antibodies that bind to the MLD cradle share common features, including use of IGHV1-69 and IGHJ6 germline genes, which exploit hydrophobic residues and form β-hairpin structures to mimic the MLD anchor, disrupt MLD attachment, destabilize GP quaternary structure, and block cleavage events required for receptor binding. Our results provide a molecular basis for ebolavirus neutralization by broadly reactive glycan cap antibodies.

Image: https://www.cell.com

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Dr. James Crowe, Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center,  is on the forefront of groundbreaking vaccine development. 

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Studying kidney physiology is essential to increase our understanding and improve the quality of life and prognosis of patients with renal diseases. Organoid cultures have been developed that enable in vitro studies of donor-specific tissue in a controlled three-dimensional (3D) environment. Organoids are 3D multicellular constructs that recapitulate structural and functional characteristics of their organ of origin. Using a modified protocol originally developed for the expansion of adult intestinal Lgr5+ stem cells1, Schutgens et al. recently established kidney tubular epithelial organoids (tubuloids) derived from adult kidney tissue and urine2.

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C-suite Executive and Serial Entrepreneur Who Specializes in Longevity Economy Innovation Joins Diverse Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) Team

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, April 12, 2021 – BioHealth Innovation Inc. (BHI) announces the addition of John P. Reinhart, CPA, MBA, to the growing Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) team. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program at BHI aims to ensure that disruptive technologies receive all the resources required to transform the technology from a discovery into a commercially relevant product and eventually have a measurable impact on human health. The program was created to support scientists, early-stage startups, and licensed technologies to provide them with access to these resources. John will be working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Institute of Aging (NIA)

“BHI is proud to welcome John Reinhart to our strong group of EIRs work with the National Institutes of Health,” said Richard Bendis, BHI President, and CEO. “His background as an executive and serial entrepreneur adds to the mission of this program.”

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 Former Vice President with Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation Joins BHI Tem

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, April 12, 2021 – BioHealth Innovation Inc. (BHI) announces Sarah Miller’s addition as VP of Economic Development. This move coincides with the departure of BHI’s Managing Director of Economic Development, Judy Costello, who will be joining Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s staff.

“It is with mixed emotions that we said goodbye to an important part of the BHI family while adding a talented leader from right here in Montgomery County,” said Richard Bendis, BHI President and CEO. “We thank Judy for all her contributions to BHI and the BioHealth Capital Region, and welcome Sarah, who brings a background of success to our organization.”

Sarah Miller has served in various positions that have given her the tools necessary to help communities recognize and build upon their unique assets. In her work across Pennsylvania and Maryland, she has created high-quality civic spaces, helped industrial communities reinvent themselves, supported new farmers, built technology business incubators, and managed local public art programs. 

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BioHealth Innovation, Inc., (BHI) a non-profit organization which strives to facilitate the development of commercially viable bio health products and companies by connecting market relevant research assets to appropriate funding, management and markets, is seeking a Senior Analyst.

JOB TITLE – SENIOR ANALYST

Reporting to the Lead Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), the Senior Analyst

Download the full description here.

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Under the agreement, GSK will provide ‘fill and finish’ manufacturing capacity at its Barnard Castle facility in the North East UK. Fill and finish comprises the completion stage of vaccine manufacturing, in which vials are prepared for the final vaccine, before it is packaged and distributed for us.

Novavax’s NVX-CoV2373 vaccine candidate has shown strong efficacy in Phase 3 clinical trials, with data showing that it is 96.4% effective against the original Covid-19 strain and 86.3% effective against the UK variant.

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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Testing remains a key factor in reaching the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, what happens if you test positive for the virus?

For many, it’s a waiting game and an unsettling experience in finding out the possible range of symptoms That’s an issue one Maryland-based biotech company is hoping to solve.

IES Life Sciences and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore are teaming up to determine how severe a COVID-19 case could become and even what type of symptoms a patient could have.

“I hope that it will eliminate the fear that is associated with getting a positive [COVID] test,” Dr. Robert Figliozzi, Director of Research and Development at IES Life Sciences, said.

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic greatly exposed a dearth of essential medications and significant vulnerabilities in the United States medical supply chain. Phlow Corporation aims to mitigate those weaknesses and manufacture essential generic medications at its Virginia manufacturing facility.

In early 2020, little-known Phlow made a splash with an $812 million contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to manufacture essential medications in the United States. Phlow, along with strategic partners Civica Rx, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medicines for All Institute, and AMPAC Fine Chemicals teamed up to meet the challenge of ensuring a steady supply of these essential drugs, as outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will be available for patients.

Image: https://biobuzz.io/

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The coronavirus pandemic has devastated our region’s economy overall, but it has also triggered explosive growth in a pair of critical technology industries on either side of the Potomac.

The medical battle against the coronavirus opened a gusher of nearly $8 billion in fresh investment last year in Montgomery County’s biotech companies. The money has accelerated the sector’s evolution from innovative but small-scale research to the sale and manufacturing of vaccines and drugs.

Image: Doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at George Washington University Hospital in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Reuters)

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Baltimore-based BondTrue was awarded a $256,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for development of its surgical closure device.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award is non-dilutive, meaning that it doesn’t require the startup to exchange equity in the company to receive funding. CEO Aimee Martin said the stamp of approval from the NSF makes this grant a big step towards reaching commercial release, as it will fund live testing at the University of Maryland. Martin said the company is seeking out non-dilutive grants to minimize risk and mature the product before taking it to bigger investors.

Image: BondTrue’s Aimee Martin and Dr. David Zachary Martin. (Courtesy photo)

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AUSTIN, Texas, March 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference today announced the winners of the 13th annual SXSW Pitch event, which took place virtually on March 17-18 as part of the SXSW Online digital experience. In addition to a winner chosen from each of the 8 categories, the most promising project of the finalists also took home the overall “Best In Show” award.

Image: SXSW Pitch Presented by Cyndx – SXSW 2019. Photo by Camille Mayor

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 8, 2021) – Dr. James Crowe, Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine, has been named winner of the 2021 SEC Faculty Achievement Award for Vanderbilt University, the SEC announced on Thursday.

A board certified pediatric infectious diseases physician and viral immunology researcher, Dr. Crowe is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Inventors. He is a named inventor on approximately 100 patents and patent families for vaccines and antibodies. His research interests are in the human immune response to infection, and his work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, agencies within the U.S. Department of Defense and numerous foundations. He has been published in journals such as Nature, New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medical Association.

Image: https://www.thesecu.com

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She calls herself a hotel brat — but she also owns an RV.

Image: Dr. Christine Dingivan is president and CEO at Emmes. © EMAN MOHAMMED

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University of Maryland (UMD) bioengineers reached a new milestone in their efforts to design an immunotherapy strategy to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. The team’s findings, published this month in ACS Nano, used nanomaterials to manipulate inflammatory pathways that might one day help slow or reverse MS without compromising a patient’s immune system.

Nearly 2.5 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with MS, an autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to wrongfully attack myelin, the insulation that surrounds and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. When this happens, nerve fibers and cells are damaged, leading to a loss of motor function and other neurological complications that greatly impact the patient’s quality of life.

Image: Dr. Robert “Smitty” Oakes (front) and Dr. Christopher Jewell (back)

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Long home to federal institutions like the National Institutes of Health and leading universities, suburban areas like Montgomery County have long been home to a cluster of talent and companies working to commercialize pharmaceuticals, biotech and medical devices. Then came the pandemic. The federal government needed to invest in new treatments to stop the spread of COVID-19. In Maryland, the companies around the NIH and FDA figured prominently in the solution, as many had expertise that left them poised to jump into the fight.

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(BOSTON) – CARB-X is awarding Novel Microdevices, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, up to $3.6 million in non-dilutive funding, and, subject to available funding, up to an additional $10.2 million if certain project milestones are met, to develop a new rapid molecular test to diagnose sexually-transmitted bacterial infections, including Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Novel’s new device would diagnose infections in about 25 minutes from a vaginal swab or urine sample, and detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including those resistant to ciprofloxacin and 3rd generation cephalosporins, the only antibiotics that are still effective as treatments for most strains of the gonorrhoeae bacteria.

Image: https://carb-x.org

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FREDERICK, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Maryland Tech Council (MTC) announced today it will receive a $378,000 federal CARES Act grant to significantly expand its Business Continuity Task Force to assist more entrepreneurs in Maryland as they navigate COVID-19’s economic impact. Awarded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the grant enables MTC to expand the task force’s mentoring services to tech and life science businesses in the City of Baltimore, Baltimore County, and Prince George’s County at no cost.

The task force pairs tech and life science executives with experienced mentors who specialize in finance, accounting, engineering, innovation, and founders issues. The goal is to provide these entrepreneurs free and practical advice on leading a business through economic uncertainty from experts who navigated crises like the 2008 recession.

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In tiny tubes filled with strands of human DNA, Robert Figliozzi carefully extracts what could be breakthrough science in the fight against the coronavirus.

The samples are mixed and sorted into data through machines. Figliozzi then identifies what are called biomarkers, indicators that predict the severity — even what type — of COVID-19 symptoms a patient will have.

“That, hopefully, will lead to those individual patients getting the right types of therapy and medical attention that they need,” said Figliozzi, a lab coordinator at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

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BioHealth Innovation, Inc., (BHI) a non-profit organization which strives to facilitate the development of commercially viable bio health products and companies by connecting market relevant research assets to appropriate funding, management and markets, is seeking a Senior Analyst.

JOB TITLE – SENIOR ANALYST

Reporting to the Lead Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), the Senior Analyst

Download the full description here.

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TEDCO Talks: A new virtual series featuring thought leaders in economic development from across the State of Maryland.

Join TEDCO’s CEO & Executive Director, Troy LeMaile-Stovall, in thought-provoking conversations with regional leaders about the future of Maryland’s innovation ecosystem.

Troy had the opportunity to interview Rich Bendis with BioHealth Innovation. Watch now to learn more about BioHealth Innovation, and the role Rich has played in supporting Maryland’s entrepreneurial community.

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BHI is working with Montgomery College and Montgomery County to support their work growing and retaining the county’s workforce.  Did you know Montgomery College’s Germantown location has a mock-cGMP training facility, and that they are experienced providers of scientific skills, business management and clinical trials project management, and soft skills training for your employees? They also partner with and/or feed into the many institutions at the Universities of Shady Grove which are part of the University System of Maryland.

To help Montgomery County provide useful training and workforce resources to you in the future, please provide your feedback on this program using this brief survey:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ehsgtmbrkmytl91z/start

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GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced that the Company continues to be on track with its manufacturing agreements related to COVID-19 vaccines and confirmed that there are no changes to its financial guidance for 2021. In addition, the Company received a contract modification to increase the original task order by $23 million from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

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Seraxis, which is currently located at the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science & Technology at Montgomery College (PIC MC) in the County-owned Germantown Innovation Center is developing its lead therapy, SR-01, to eliminate the need for type 1 diabetes patients to inject insulin. SR-01 is a revolutionary therapy that could impact more than 4.5 million people in the world.

The Seraxis solution is a simple approach to diabetes. Chief Executive Officer Dr. William Rust explained that the therapy replaces damaged or lost insulin-producing pancreatic cells with those grown in the Seraxis labs. In order to accomplish this, Seraxis has developed a proprietary human stem cell line dubbed SR1423 which is special.

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SILVER SPRING, Md. and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tyvaso® (treprostinil) Inhalation Solution for the treatment of patients with pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD; WHO Group 3) to improve exercise ability. This is the second FDA-approved indication for Tyvaso, which was first approved in July 2009 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; WHO Group 1) to improve exercise ability.

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Did you know… The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is one of the largest sources of early-stage capital for life sciences in the U.S.? There is more than $1.2 billion of seed funding for small businesses that are developing innovative products and services that could potentially save lives.

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The National Institutes of Health provides significant funding for drug development research to universities, companies, and organizations. Over the course of 2020, the NIH provided a significant amount of funding to the BioHealth Capital Region.

The top recipients of NIH funding in the BHCR were research universities, with Johns Hopkins University topping the list with $807,432,003 in financing for different research programs. The top 10 recipients of NIH funding in the BioHealth Capital Region secured more than $2.18 billion in financing. Life sciences organizations within the state of Maryland secured $2.3 billion in NIH funding, an increase from the $1.9 billion granted in 2019.

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The region has been at the forefront of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine race, and it is rapidly becoming a center for advanced manufacturing. The BHCR cell and gene therapy ecosystem is thriving, and the area boasts one of the richest and most diverse tapestries of life science talent and workforce development programming. What’s more, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia are home to several dynamic university systems that keep the talent and tech transfer pipeline humming and full.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

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Identifying gaps and bridging them—that’s what Connected DMV’s President and CEO Stu Solomon does best. And now he and his partners are turning their attention to one of the globe’s most important and challenging divides: Preparing for the next pandemic.

Solomon recently discussed his career and Connected DMV’s response to COVID-19 with Rich Bendis on his BioTalk podcast. Bendis is the President and CEO of BioHealth Innovation (BHI).

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BERLIN (Reuters) – Genetic testing specialist Qiagen received emergency use authorization for a new coronavirus test from the U.S. drugs regulator FDA, it said on Monday.

“This polymerase chain reaction (PCR) multiplex test will be an important tool now and in upcoming winter seasons for simultaneous qualitative detection and differentiation of influenzas A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2 infections within 80 minutes,” the company said in a statement.

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To call 2020 a “unique year” for life sciences companies would be an understatement. The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the industry, creating immense opportunities for institutions and investors to drive healthcare through innovation.

Peter Meath, Co-Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences for Commercial Banking, notes that investment in life sciences reached record-high levels across almost every category and subsector—despite unprecedented business challenges. Here are a few of the highlights:

Image: https://www.jpmorgan.com

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Maryland universities ranked first among the nation’s top graduate programs and schools in three out of 15 categories.

Image: State House (from Francis St.), Annapolis, Maryland, February 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

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GSK has reached an agreement in principle with Novavax and the UK Government Vaccines Taskforce to support manufacturing of up to 60 million doses of Novavax’ COVID-19 vaccine candidate (NVX-CoV2373) for use in the UK. GSK will provide ‘fill and finish’ manufacturing capacity at its Barnard Castle facility in the North East of England beginning as early as May 2021, with a rapid technology transfer between the two companies beginning immediately. The parties will negotiate a final agreement to include additional terms and conditions.

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MainStreet qualifies software, hardware, and venture-backed startups for 200+ unclaimed tax credits accountants don’t check for.

We do all the paperwork and you get cash. If we can’t help you claim any credits, you pay $0.

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As the supply of Covid-19 vaccines begins to widen toward meeting the immense demand, some observers have proposed that policy makers put college students close to the top of the list.

Christopher R. Marsicano, head of the College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College, argued in a recent op-ed that vaccinating college students would help protect everyone. “The broader principle in administering vaccine shots equitably is to diminish the risk for those who are most at danger to spread the virus,” he wrote. “Vaccinating college students is an effective way to lower that danger, for two major reasons: College students are mobile and spread Covid-19 with them whenever they travel, and they live in congregate living facilities where infection rates are much higher than in other housing setups.”

Image: https://www.chronicle.com/

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Every year or so at Crunchbase News, we take a look at which U.S. universities graduate the highest number of funded startup founders. And each time, we find few surprises in the top rankings.

The leading schools for funded founders are reliably Stanford, Harvard and MIT. The top regions are California and the Northeast. And the top business schools are Harvard, Stanford and Wharton.

Image: https://news.crunchbase.com

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched an innovation challenge competition today encouraging American inventors to aid the nation’s COVID-19 response by designing effective, comfortable face masks for personal use that resolve the common complaints people have about wearing masks. The contest taps into the nation’s creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to help curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Image: https://www.medicalcountermeasures.gov

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TCR² Therapeutics Inc., based in Cambridge, is a clinical-stage company that develops T-cell therapies for patients with cancer. In a statement, TCR² said it signed a long-term, full-building lease for an existing 85,000 sq. ft. facility. The company will build-out the space to be used for quality control laboratories and offices as well as clinical and commercial production of gavo-cel, the company’s lead product targeting solid tumors. According to a federal form, 15 years is the initial term for the lease at 9950 Medical Center Drive.

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Montgomery County, Maryland County Executive Marc Elrich has notified the Montgomery County Council of his appointment of BHI’s Managing Director for Economic Development, Judy Costello, as Special Projects Manager.  Confirmation is expected to take place next month. 

“While we are excited for Judy and know she will bring her economic development expertise and passion for supporting innovation and entrepreneurship to the County, we will miss her positive attitude and support of many of our different programs,” said BHI CEO Rich Bendis. “We now are actively recruiting for her position. Anyone interested is welcome to contact me directly.” 

Click here to view the job description.

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Check out this weeks episode of Talent Talks on YouTube and Spotify! This week we sit with Richard Bendis President and CEO of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. He talks about the importance of knowing your assets and the region around you with our hosts Robb Hoyle CEO GTS Scientific and Gregory Hoyle. Click below to watch and make sure to like and subscribe: https://hubs.li/H0JRgfF0

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The University of Maryland hosted a free webinar, Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Human Health, on Friday, March 19, 2020. This event featured a fireside chat with Dr. Robert Scharpf (Delfi Diagnostics) and Dr. Christie Bergerson (Exponent), moderated by Rich Bendis (BioHealth Innovation/BioTalk podcast).

Together, the group shared insights into how artificial intelligence is impacting biomedical engineering and the wider world of human health, and spoke candidly about future applications for these and other biotech platforms.

Image: https://biocomp.umd.edu

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What did we learn during the pandemic, and what should we watch moving forward?

Those are two of the key questions that many professional conversations center on these days. On Thursday, they were approached by a group of digital health experts who came together for a virtual forum organized by the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore and Rockville-based BioHealth Innovation.

Image: Panelists at EAGB and BioHealth Innovation’s Digital Health Forum. (Courtesy image)

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When Novavax Inc. received $1.6 billion last year from the federal government to speed up testing and production of a coronavirus vaccine, some observers were incredulous. The small biotechnology firm, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, was largely unknown and had never successfully brought a product to market.

But now that the company nears completion of its Phase 3 trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, which was found to be nearly 90% effective during clinical testing in the United Kingdom, it is grabbing headlines around the world.

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ROCKVILLE, Md. and BEIJING, March 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASI), a U.S. biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics and pharmaceutical products, today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 15,853,658 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $2.05 per share. CASI has granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 2,378,048 shares of common stock, which terminates on the earlier of 30 days and the day before CASI files to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. The offering is expected to close on or about March 26, 2021, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The gross proceeds to CASI from the offering, excluding any exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares, are expected to be approximately $32.5 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by CASI.

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BrainScope received FDA clearance in September 2016 to sell its first product, which it developed with the Department of Defense to assess a range of traumatic brain injuries.

Image: Susan Hertzberg is CEO and chairwoman of Bethesda-based BrainScope. COURTESY BRAINSCOPE

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ROCKVILLE, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NeoImmuneTech, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 950220), a clinical-stage T cell-focused biopharmaceutical company, today announced the closing of its initial public offering of 3,133,334 shares of common stock, equivalent with 15,666,670 Korea Depository Receipts (KDRs) priced at KRW 37,500 per share, equivalent with KRW 7,500 per KDRs. The aggregate gross proceeds to NeoImmuneTech, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses, were KRW 117.5 billion ($103.4 million). NeoImmuneTech’s common stock began trading on the Korea Exchange on March 16, 2021, under the KOSDAQ code number “950220.”

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Rockville, Md. — The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) awarded a total of $96,430 to six small life science companies as part of its recently completed Bio Lab Pilot Project. The project was launched in 2019 to assist local growth-stage life science companies with their wet lab and infrastructure needs. Applicants seeking financial help to build out small wet lab space less than 5,000 SF were encouraged to apply for $10 per SF of lab fit out costs, up to $30,000 per company. Project funding was provided by MCEDC and the Maryland Department of Commerce.

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GERMANTOWN, Md., March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Precigen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of innovative gene and cell therapies to improve the lives of patients, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase I study of PRGN-2012, a first-in-class, investigational off-the-shelf (OTS) AdenoVerse™ immunotherapy in adult patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) (clinical trial identifier: NCT04724980). The US Food and Drug Administration recently granted Orphan Drug Designation for PRGN-2012 in RRP in March 2021.

PRGN-2012 is an innovative therapeutic vaccine with optimized antigen design that uses Precigen’s gorilla adenovector technology, part of Precigen’s proprietary AdenoVerse platform, to elicit immune responses directed against cells infected with HPV 6 or HPV 11. Gorilla adenovectors have numerous advantages, including the ability for repeat administration, the inability to replicate in vivo, which may improve safety, and the ability to deliver large payload capacity. In preclinical models, PRGN-2012 has demonstrated strong and specific immune response against HPV 6 and HPV 11.

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: TCRR), a clinical-stage cell therapy company with a pipeline of novel T cell therapies for patients suffering from cancer, today announced that it has signed a long-term, full-building lease with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE) for an existing 85,000 square foot cell therapy manufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland which is ready for Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) build-out. The site will support clinical and commercial production of gavo-cel with a capacity to treat several thousand cancer patients annually. The facility is expected to accelerate the Company’s commercial-scale manufacturing timelines with production anticipated in 2023.

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BioFactura, Inc. today announced a contract option activation of over $13 million by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of BioFactura’s prime contract valued at up to $67.4 million for the advanced development of a smallpox biodefense therapeutic.

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New buildings are now rising out of the ground on the first major phase of construction at the 235-acre, $5.5-billion, multi-decade Port Covington development. Construction on five new buildings totaling 1.1 million sq. ft. is underway with a tower crane currently on the site. The Port Covington Development Team held a groundbreaking today to celebrate the start of vertical construction.

Image: https://www.southbmore.com

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You may not know it, but one company has the capacity to manufacture bulk drug substance for more than a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines annually: Emergent BioSolutions, a global supplier for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and U.S. supplier for the AstraZeneca vaccine. Emergent Executive Vice President of Manufacturing and Technical Operations Sean Kirk spoke with us recently to explain what goes into the heroic production of all these doses—in other words, what it takes to help defeat COVID-19.

Image: https://www.nam.org/

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Exciting things are happening at Innovation Park in Manassas. Researchers are working on global solutions, industry jobs are on the rise, and new facilities are being developed – and wait, there’s more!

“Companies are seeing really big wins across the state and the region and the life science industry is only going uphill from here,” said Amy Adams, Executive Director for the Institute for Biohealth Innovation at George Mason University (GMU).

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WASHINGTON, March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects six out of 1,000 babies born in the U.S. each year and is often complicated by arrhythmias, a condition where the heart beats too rapidly, too slowly or irregularly due to a misfiring of the body’s electrical impulses. While the last decade brought great advances in technologies that improve the care of adult arrhythmias, pediatric patients have been left behind, with only five devices approved for use in children in the same period. As a result, pediatric specialists are often using off-label or improvised devices to treat pediatric arrhythmias, including in the smallest newborns.

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Development of Countermeasures for Viral Diseases

The best defense against viral infectious diseases are safe and effective medical countermeasures that function at level of prevention of infection (prophylaxis) and treatment of disease (therapeutic). These include microbicides and vaccines, direct acting antivirals, and immunotherapies. This fireside chat will focus on features and characteristics of effective countermeasures, how they defend against viral infection and disease, and the preclinical development pathways to advance them from bench to bedside.

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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. March is WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH and BioBuzz will celebrate by featuring Women in the BioHealth industry all month, especially in “5 Questions With…”. This week we continue the series with Natalie McKinney, Industry Programs Director, Biologics, US Pharmacopeia.

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SPACE FEATURES

• Existing laboratory suite with closed and open o ices
• Grade-level loading doors
• 17′ ceiling heights • breakroom with kitchenette
• 180 free surface spaces (Parking Ratio 3.50/1,000 SF)
• Surrounded by numerous amenities
• Located 1.2 miles from the Gaithersburg MARC
• Easy access to I-270 and the new Watkins Mill Interchange

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When Novavax Inc. received $1.6 billion last year from the federal government to speed up testing and production of a coronavirus vaccine, some observers were incredulous. The small biotechnology firm, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, was largely unknown and had never successfully brought a product to market.

But now that the company nears completion of its Phase 3 trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, which was found to be nearly 90% effective during clinical testing in the United Kingdom, it is grabbing headlines around the world.

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COLUMBIA, Md. (March 25, 2021) –TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today its request for applications for the Agriculture and Rural Rebuild (ARR) Challenge, created to assist Maryland’s rural and agricultural businesses that have been detrimentally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic downturn. TEDCO will award grants up to $200,000 per project.

“The ARR Challenge encourages purposeful collaboration between rural businesses, research institutions and industry partners,” stated Dr. Arti Santhanam, MII executive director. “Examples of a successful project may include, but is not limited to, the development of an innovative product or a novel application of an existing technology applicable to agriculture or other rural industry sectors.”

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Our AstraZeneca Gaithersburg Campus will be illuminated this week to pay tribute to José Baselga, our beloved Oncology R&D leader and Site Head who passed away last weekend. Our entire community is devasted by this unexpected news following a period of temporary medical leave that he began in January 2021. An outstanding scientific leader, José leaves a lasting legacy in the scientific community and especially here at AstraZeneca Gaithersburg. He set our Oncology R&D function on a remarkable trajectory, and his visionary leadership, deep scientific expertise and strategic insight have delivered so many achievements that will benefit patient lives in the years to come. The blue and garnet lights were chosen to celebrate his favorite hometown soccer club, FC Barcelona. He will be deeply missed across our campus, and we will continue to be inspired by his work and vison.

For any inquiries please reach out to Joe Sanchez at joseph.sanchez @astrazeneca.com.

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Wednesday, March 24, 2021

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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“Who do you know that others need to know?

We are always one conversation away from changing our lives, and Rich Bendis of BioHealth Innovations started the BioTalk podcast to connect the world of biohealth better.

In a world where medical science advances are growing at the fastest pace in human history, we can still run into a problem where the people who know each other don’t get connected to advance therapy, new medicine, or new approaches.”

Key Topics:

What is the goal of Biohealth Innovations (1:44)

How has the medical research changed as a result of COVID (3:24)

How was the COVID vaccine researched (8:06)

What made podcasting the right next step for BioHealth (10:22)

Who has benefited from the podcast (12:29)

Visit https://causepods.org/podcast/the-more-we-know-with-rich-bendis-of-the-biotalk-podcast/ to listen.

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BIoHealth Innovation is sad to hear of the passing of Jose Basegla, the Head of the ASTRA Zeneca Oncology R&D business and the Gaithersburg Site Head. Jose was a strong proponent for making the BIoHealth Capital Region a leading BIoHealth hub with a connected ecosystem. AZ was also a founding member of BIoHealth Innovation and continues to support us today.

An outstanding scientific leader, José leaves a lasting legacy in the scientific community and here at AstraZeneca. He set our Oncology R&D function on a remarkable trajectory, and his visionary leadership, deep scientific expertise and strategic insight have delivered so many achievements that we can all be proud of and that will benefit patients’ lives in the years to come.

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RICHMOND, Va., March 18, 2021 – Phlow Corp., a U.S.-based, public benefit corporation committed to a bold mission of providing every American with access to affordable, high-quality essential medicines, today joins in announcing the launch of a groundbreaking Children’s Hospital Coalition: Powered by PhlowTM (CHC). This first-in-kind coalition brings together some of the top children’s hospitals across the nation, in collaboration with Phlow, to provide certainty in availability and access for key medicines necessary to sustain life and conquer disease and to address the nation’s broken essential medicines supply chain.

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More than 160 entrepreneurs attended last week’s BHI Virtual Non-Dilutive Funding Workshop with 1:1 Partnering cohosted by BioHealth Innovation and Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC). Attendees learned about funding opportunities, resources and best practices from program officers at NIH, NSF and the University of Maryland, and also about additional resources and tips for winning applications from experts at MCEDC, the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland Department of Commerce, and BioHealth Innovation. More than 460 partnering meetings were requested. Many took place during the event last week, and others will happen in the near future. Most of the panelists have agreed to share their presentations and panel recordings. These will be available through BHI within the next two weeks. BHI would like to thank the participants who took the time to prepare, present, and/or partner at the event. They include:

• Henry Ahn – Program Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Lynne Stein Benzion – Director, Economic Development, Montgomery County Econ. Dev. Corp. (MCEDC)
• Katie Bratlie – Program Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Christie Canaria, PhD – Program Director, SBIR Development Center, National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Judy Costello – Managing Director, Economic Development, BioHealth Innovation (BHI)
• Stephanie Davis, PhD – Small Business Program Coordinator, NIH Nat’l Heart Lung & Blood Inst. (NHLBI)
• Sharon Disque, Economic Development Manager, City of Gaithersburg, Maryland
• Stephanie Fertig, HHS Small Business Program Lead, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Jonathan Franca-Koh, PhD – Program Director, SBIR Development Center, National Cancer Inst (NCI).
• Armineh Ghazarian – Senior Program Analyst, NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• Colleen Gibney, SBIR Deputy Project Manager, US Army Medical Research & Dev. Command (USAMRDC)
• Luis Gutierrez – Entrepreneur-in-Residence, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI)
• Todd Haim, PhD – Chief, Office of Small Business Research, NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• Elena Koustova, PhD, MBA – Director, Office of Translational Initiatives and Program Innovations (OTIPI), NIDA SBIR/STTR Coordinator, NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Office of Director
• Ashwin Kulkarni, COO, miRecule; Associate, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI)
• Natalia Kruchinin, PhD – SBIR/STTR Program Coordinator, RTSP, DEA, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Carla Merritt, Senior Business Development Representative, Maryland Department of Commerce
• JR Myers, SBIR Project Manager, US Army Medical Research & Development Command (USAMRDC)
• Mike Minicozzi, PhD, Senior Program Officer, DAIT, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Alastair Monk – Program Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Deepa Narayanan – Program Director and Team Lead, NIH National Cancer Institute SBIR Development Center (NCI)
• Rini Pek, PhD – Senior Analyst, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI)
• Erik Pierstorff – Program Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
• Victor Prikhodko – Senior Business Dev. Mgr., SBIR/STTR NIH National Inst. of Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Monique Pond, PhD – Program Director, SBIR Development Center, National Cancer Institute
• Reema Railkar, PhD – Program Manager, SBIR Development Center, National Cancer Institute
• Saroj Regmi, PhD – Health Science Administrator, Office of Small Business Research, NIH National Institute on Aging
• Andrea Renner – Technical Assistance Advocate, US Army Medical Research & Dev Command (USAMRDC)
• Ethel Rubin, PhD – Entrepreneur-in-Residence, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI)
• Anthony Saleh, PhD – CEO, miRecule
• Ben Schrag,PhD – Program Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
• John Sullivan – Entrepreneur-in-Residence, BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI)
• Onur Unal, Manager, Life Sciences Projects, Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS), Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (MTech), University of Maryland

 Register (no fee) today!    www.tinyurl.com/2021SBIR  Questions: BHI@BioHealthInnovation.orgNOTE:  Different institutes are available to meet at different times during the March 17-19th period.               You will be able to request meetings once you have registered and received the partnering log-in.

Register Now!

Click here to view the agenda.

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The 8-year-old vaccine maker focuses on addressing unmet medical needs.

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OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vaccitech Ltd (“Vaccitech”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel immunotherapeutics and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and cancer, today announces that it has raised $168 million in a Series B financing. This includes $43 million in convertible loan notes previously issued by Vaccitech that converted into Series B shares.

The Series B financing round was led by M&G Investment Management (part of M&G plc), with further participation from new investors including Tencent, Gilead Sciences, Monaco Constitutional Reserve Fund, and Future Planet Capital among others. The Series B financing round was also supported by existing investors, including Oxford Sciences Innovation.

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“We lost about nine months in time,” said Galen Robotics CEO Bruce Lichorowic.

Image: David Saunders (left) and Bruce Lichorowic are the co-founders of Baltimore-based medical robotics startup Galen Robotics. GALEN ROBOTICS

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