BHI Weekly News Archives

For the first time, a BioTalk look inside BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) with Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) Dr. Ethel Rubin

Dr. Ethel Rubin leads a venture team that helps prepare and connect lifescience companies with capital, ensuring strategies that hit valuation inflection points, achieve strategic goals, and prepare for a product launch. She has previously held corporate leadership roles in global clinical strategy and medical affairs at Medtronic, plc, was Chief Scientific Officer of BioFortis, Inc. (acquired by Quintiles-Quest JV) and CSA Medical, Inc., is President of life sciences business development advisory firm Innovative BioStrategies, LLC, and a venture partner at various funds. She has over 25 products in the marketplace garnering 9 figure sales revenue, was instrumental in multiple M&As, partnerships & collaborations, and advises hundreds of CEOs in preparation for seed to series B financing each year. Ethel has held board seats at tech incubators and numerous business and clinical Advisory boards.  Dr. Rubin earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry and a certificate in corporate governance for Board of Directors service from The George Washington University School of Business.

Listen now on iTunes (https://apple.co/318CzZv), Google (http://bit.ly/30WiQfg), and TuneIn (http://bit.ly/2LPtYab).

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Thank you to BioHealth Innovation, Inc. for this incredible experience. I learned so much from these brilliant minds, and look forward to an ongoing relationship.

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By invitation only: For questions email BHI@BioHealthInnovation.org

Gaithersburg, MD

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RoosterBio, Inc., a Frederick, MD-based human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (hMSC) biomanufacturing company, raised in excess of $15m in an initial Series B financing.

The round was led by Dynamk Capital, with participation from existing and new investors. The Series B final round is expected to close with additional investors by the end of August, totaling approximately $22m raised.

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This just in: Maryland’s internet is the least likely to cut out right at the juicy scene in ‘The Bachelor’. According to web service provider assessment group Highspeedinternet.com, Maryland has the fastest internet speed in the country.

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Applications Due September 5

The Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program is now open and accepting applications for the September 5th NIH SBIR/STTR receipt date. NHLBI will accept applications via PAR-19-333, PAR-19-334, and PAR-19-335 from small businesses that have had an active NHLBI SBIR or STTR Phase II or Phase IIB award within the last 36 months.

This opportunity provides up to $300,000 (PAR-19-334) or $500,000 (PAR-19-333, PAR-19-335) to support technical assistance and later stage research and development (R&D) not typically supported through Phase II or Phase IIB grants or contracts including:

• Independent replication of key studies
• Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies
• Clinical studies, manufacturing costs
• Regulatory assistance

Contact NHLBI Small Business Program Coordinator Mike Pieck (NHLBI_SBIR@mail.nih.gov) with questions.

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Our map shows the top VC investing in tech companies in each state, from 500 Startups in California to Lerer Hippeau in New York.

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While medical device innovation is quite active—at the university level, within incubators, and even in the R&D labs of established firms—there is a substantial lack of products being developed for younger patients. Since pediatric devices have a limited patient base due to most children being relatively healthy (of course, a positive factor), it’s not a focus for a great number of companies as it does not offer the promise of a substantial financial return.

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Everyone knows how important funding is for starting a venture, whether you are building a small business or high-growth tech startup. The capital needs of a venture change along with the venture’s stage — early-stage ventures might need help with product development costs, while established companies may need funding to expand to a new location or market segment.

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On Thursday, August 22nd from 4-6:00 pm there will be an open house for the fall courses in the “Advanced Studies in Technology Transfer” program at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) Graduate School at NIH in the FAES Academic Center in NIH Building 10 in Bethesda, MD. For the semester beginning on Monday, September 9th there will be 9 courses available for the program given in either Rockville or Bethesda:

• TECH 495 – The FDA, Science, Health Policy and Regulation in an Uncertain Environment
• TECH 513A – Introduction to Technology Transfer – Issues & Processes
• TECH 521 – Tools for Technology Transfer Managers–Handling Intellectual Property, Collaborations, and Agreements
• TECH 565 – Biomedical Business Development for Scientists
• TECH 567 — International Strategic Partnering and Business Development
• TECH 575 – Accounting and IP Valuation for Non-Accountants
• TECH 583 — Patent Research for Non-Legal Practitioners
• TECH 588 – FDA Regulatory Strategy in Medical Product Development
• TECH 607 – Capstone Course in Technology Transfer
• PHAR 328 – FDA Perspective on Drug Development

More details can be found in the new 2019-20 course catalog (www.faes.org) with online registration for classes available. The Advanced Studies in Technology Transfer is an open enrollment program with class credits transferable into various graduate degree programs at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Graduate School and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

Technology Transfer Scholarships

FAES offers a limited number of partial tuition-remission scholarships for self-funding students. For deadlines and details on how to apply visit https://faes.org/tuition-and-funding .

Also as Department Chair, I’m happy to assist with any questions you might have about the program or individual courses.

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Canton-based VitusVet, which built a health IT platform for vets, received investment from Nationwide Insurance as the company’s team continues to grow.

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Facility Logix, a leading life science consulting firm, has hired two new Associate Project Managers: Jocaro L. Dodd and Wayne Mitchell. The new Associate Project Managers will be instrumental in addressing the facility-related needs of the firm’s Owner’s Representation and Project Management clients.

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Back when YC was getting started about 10 years ago, Paul Graham wrote some essays that predicted the way startup fundraising would change in the next decade – accurately, it turns out. Paul Graham predicted that there would be way more startups, that they’d be cheaper to start, that new kinds of investors would fund them, that founders would be more technical, and that founders would keep control of their companies. All of those seem to have come true.

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Rising drug prices and ever-increasing costs are two of the most debated subjects in healthcare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) predicts (PDF link) that we will see 6.1 percent annual prescription drug cost increases until at least 2027. CMS expects healthcare spending as a whole to grow by 5.7 percent per year for the same timeframe.

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The therapies saved roughly 90 percent of the patients who received them early in the course of infection. Doctors hope patients will seek out the cures, ending the outbreak.

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Researchers have been able to coax human breast cancer cells to turn into fat cells in a new proof-of-concept study in mice.

To achieve this feat, the team exploited a weird pathway that metastasising cancer cells have; their results are just a first step, but it’s a truly promising approach.

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Bayer said today it has agreed to acquire BlueRock Therapeutics for up to $600 million in a deal designed to catapult the buyer into leadership in cell therapies, nearly three years after joining with healthcare investment firm Versant Ventures to launch the company.

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The amount of deals and dollars invested in healthcare is hitting near record highs for the first half of 2019 with $26.9 billion poured into healthcare companies over 2,258 deals around the world, according to CB Insights’ Global Healthcare Report.

That represents a slight uptick from the first half of 2018 where $26.5 billion was invested over 2,223 deals.

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The growing number of private biopharma and diagnostic/therapeutic technology company financings completed in recent months masks an overall year-over-year decrease in the total value of those deals.

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Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has exercised its first contract option valued at $261 million to procure doses of AV7909 (anthrax vaccine adsorbed with adjuvant) for delivery into the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) over 12 months. This contract option was exercised under the company’s 2016 development and procurement contract with BARDA, valued at up to $1.5 billion, that includes a five-year base period of performance to develop AV7909 for post-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease and to deliver an initial three million doses to the SNS, as well as contract options for procurement of up to an additional 50 million doses. This exercise of the contract option through a modification is the first such option for procurement of doses to follow the initial deliveries of doses under the base contract.

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Anne Lindblad, PhD, joined Emmes in 1982 as a Biostatistician and currently serves as the President and CEO of the company. She has supported clinical research throughout her career, serving as Principal Investigator of projects spanning diverse disease areas, including neurology, ophthalmology, oncology, dialysis, transplantation, speech and hearing, and dentistry.

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What’s it like having two high-profile jobs at once? Ask Brian Darmody, who’s been serving the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) since 1982 and long ago ascended to the position of associate vice president. Darmody recently accepted a new position as CEO with the Association of University Research Park (AURP), which will keep him in the local focus as he works toward retiring from UMCP at the end of 2019 – while continuing to work out of the Discovery District at UMCP and pursue new challenges.

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The gene therapy company has made three distinct moves over the past week that reinforce its intention to get products to market after a decade in business.

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Precision for Medicine, part of Precision Medicine Group, announced it has acquired leading biospecimen providers ProMedDx and GLAS, significantly expanding its capabilities and expertise in the biospecimen solutions space. With the acquisitions, Precision now offers an unmatched level of scientific understanding, high-quality specimen solutions, and global scale.

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A venture capital firm formed by a founder of one of the first companies to win Food and Drug Administration approval for a cell therapy for cancer closed a new fund worth more than half of $1 billion.

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Magenta Medical, the heart failure solutions developer based on proprietary miniaturized blood pump technology announced they have raised funds Monday in a round led by global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA.)

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The University System of Maryland (USM) has named Claire Broido Johnson, MBA, as Managing Director of the Maryland Momentum Fund (MMF), a $10 million investment fund that supports early-stage companies affiliated with USM institutions. She joins the USM this week.

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gel-e is developing a line of advanced hemostatic and wound treatment products that address unmet needs from the operating room to the backyard. Following previous clearances for topical and external use of its platform technology (see http://www.gel-e.co/news.html), the Company is now expanding its label to include use for internal and surgical applications. The first product, now on an accelerated path as a Breakthrough Device, is an expanding injectable hemostat, Life Foam™. Life Foam can rapidly provide temporary control of bleeding from non-compressible abdominal wounds that are not amenable to tourniquet application in trauma and battlefield conditions. As the tradename suggests, this product is designed to save the lives of those injured in battle, or that are the victims of traumatic accidents or even terrorist attacks.

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The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded more than $600,000 to a division of Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday to increase economic development in the region’s digital health field.

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Canton-based VitusVet, which built a health IT platform for vets, received investment from Nationwide Insurance as the company’s team continues to grow.

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Joshna Seelam is closing in on her target.

The VCU graduate student is one of three members of Kilo Medical Solutions, a Richmond medical device startup that’s getting ever closer to launch.

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County Executive Marc Elrich and Council Vice President Sidney Katz are embarking on a multi-pronged joint initiative: 4Business – Benchmarking to Be the Best for Business.

The objective is to engage the local business community in a grassroots campaign to assist businesses to locate, grow and prosper in Montgomery County.

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Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation – Maryland is excited to be attending Site Selectors Guild Fall Forum this September 9-11th in Dallas! We’re looking forward to connecting with Guild members to tell them about all the great business assets Montgomery County has to offer! hashtag#SSG hashtag#econdev hashtag#siteselection hashtag#Dallas

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The Johns Hopkins Hospital is once again ranked #3 in the nation out of more than 4,600 hospitals reviewed for U.S. News & World Report’s 2019–20 Best Hospitals list, which was released today.

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GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer have finally closed on a multibillion-dollar merger that combined their consumer healthcare businesses, creating the world’s largest over-the-counter business.

The pharmaceutical giants — which own household names like Advil and Tums — announced the joint venture back in December 2018.

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You might have lost count of how many times Roche has extended the tender offer period for shares of Spark Therapeutics. As of Wednesday, it’s five. And once again, regulatory delays are part of the problem.

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Was your credit card unexpectedly rejected? Or have you spotted unfamiliar charges on your bank statement? These are just a couple signs of potential identity theft. (Source: Federal Trade Commission)

Once you realize your identity has been compromised, you need to act fast. But don’t panic; this guide will walk you through each step you need to take to be sure you recover as quickly as possible.

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Mayo Clinic and medical device giant Boston Scientific are slated to announce a new med-tech accelerator Monday.

The collaboration will be located in One Discovery Square, a new building in Rochester adjacent to Mayo Clinic that’s meant to attract medical technology startups.

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MaxCyte Founder, President and CEO Doug Doerfler joins BioTalk to discuss his history and the growth of the company. He also shares advice for entrepreneurs

Mr. Doerfler has more than 35 years of experience in the discovery, development, commercialization and international financing of biotechnology products and companies. He was a founder of MaxCyte in July 1998. Previously, Mr. Doerfler was President, CEO and a Director of Immunicon Corporation, a cell-based therapy and diagnostics company. He also held various executive positions with Life Technologies, Inc.(now Thermo Fisher Scientific). Mr. Doerfler plays an active role as a life sciences industry advocate, serving as Chair Emeritus of the MTC and on the executive committee of BIO.

Listen now on iTunes (https://apple.co/318CzZv), Google (http://bit.ly/30WiQfg), and TuneIn (http://bit.ly/2LPtYab).

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The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National Health System announces its 7th Annual Pediatric Device Innovation Symposium is slated for Sunday, Sept. 22 in Boston, Mass., featuring a $150K medical device competition focused on innovations for neonatal and NICU care. Following the theme “Pediatric Device Clinical Trials: Forging a Better Path,” this year’s symposium explores the pediatric device clinical trial process, including progress insights, current challenges and potential solutions.

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Emmes today announced that it has received a Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval from Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE). This is the fifth consecutive year the company has received the AWE Workplace Excellence award.

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gel-e is developing a line of advanced hemostatic and wound treatment products that address unmet needs from the operating room to the backyard. Following previous clearances for topical and external use of its platform technology (see http://www.gel-e.co/news.html), the Company is now expanding its label to include use for internal and surgical applications. The first product, now on an accelerated path as a Breakthrough Device, is an expanding injectable hemostat, Life Foam™. Life Foam can rapidly provide temporary control of bleeding from non-compressible abdominal wounds that are not amenable to tourniquet application in trauma and battlefield conditions. As the tradename suggests, this product is designed to save the lives of those injured in battle, or that are the victims of traumatic accidents or even terrorist attacks.

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BrainScope announced today that it has successfully completed a nearly five year, $9.9 million U.S. Department of Defense research contract supporting the development and validation of an objective marker of the presence and severity of concussion. In a large blinded validation study, the system demonstrated its ability to help clinicians assess concussion at the time of injury, reflect severity of injury, and aid in their assessment of readiness to return to activity. BrainScope extended the work performed under this Department of Defense contract to include adolescents funded through private investment from BrainScope and a second award from the NFL-GE Head Health Challenge I.

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A patent granted to George Mason University Research Foundation Inc., which describes a novel treatment method for pre-invasive breast cancer, has been exclusively licensed to Targeted Pharmaceuticals LLC, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on utilizing cannabinoids for the treatment of oncology and central nervous system disorders.

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The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded more than $600,000 to a division of Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday to increase economic development in the region’s digital health field.

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MaxCyte, the global clinical-stage cell-based therapies and life sciences company, announced today that it has appointed Dr. Dhana Chinnasamy, a 20+-year expert in the research and translation of gene and immunotherapies, as its Vice President, Non-Clinical and Translational Studies. In her new role, Dr. Chinnasamy will oversee all non-clinical and translational activities for MaxCyte’s CARMA platform working closely with the clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, and business development teams in support of MaxCyte’s clinical-stage therapeutic development.

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Frederick, Maryland continues to be a hotbed for biotech and a destination of choice for many new startups. The last few years have seen one-time startups like RoosterBio, Inc., BioFactura, Inc. and Akonni Biosystems thrive and grow within the Frederick life science support ecosystem.

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If you attended any of the events, conferences and panel discussions in the BioHealth Capital Region this year you probably would have picked up on a consistent theme. Whether it was at the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter’s MAST Showcase, the BioHealth Capital Region Forum held at AstraZeneca in April or the more recent NCI Tech Transfer Showcase, talent and capital were hot button topics discussed intensely during the sessions, over lunch and while networking at each event.

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Venture capital fundraising this year by biopharma startups is on course to fall behind last year, though it will be above the figure for 2017. But the biggest story may be where that funding is going.

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AUTM – #Egypt tech transfer partnership and information exchange co-sponsored by the USDA continues this week with stops this week at #Maryland TEDCO and BioHealth Innovation, Inc. in the BioHealth Capital Region

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A patent granted to George Mason University Research Foundation Inc., which describes a novel treatment method for pre-invasive breast cancer, has been exclusively licensed to Targeted Pharmaceuticals LLC, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on utilizing cannabinoids for the treatment of  oncology and central nervous system disorders.

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In the last five to 10 years, it would seem as though Baltimore is finally emerging (at least economically) — from its slow, multi-decade decline. But if you’re a resident of one of the city’s poorer neighborhoods, you might not know it.

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A nice, relaxing glass of Bordeaux or Cabernet might easily seem like the perfect treatment for an anxious or slightly depressed state. Though, the alcohol might lead one down a slippery path rather quickly. Instead, investigators at the University of Buffalo (UB) and Xuzhou Medical University in China have decided to focus their attention on the widely studied plant compound—found in considerably higher levels in red wine than most other plants—called resveratrol. This phenolic compound has been studied for several decades, in connection with reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease and for the treatment of cancer, with mixed results. Yet now, researchers found new evidence of resveratrol displaying anti-stress effects by blocking the expression of an enzyme related to the control of stress in the brain.

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Scientists are getting closer to understanding how to turn the body’s energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat cells, opening up hopes that fat deposits could one day be deliberately manipulated to prevent obesity and related health conditions.

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Venn Innovation, a non-profit Moncton-based incubator established to connect New Brunswick’s tech ecosystem, has received approximately $475,000 from the federal government in the form of a grant.

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This position reports to the Director of Finance, Human Resources and Operations. The Accounting and Operations Assistant assists all team members in all aspects of accounting, onboarding, HR benefits, and general operations, in coordination with the Director of Finance, HR, and Operations.

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What is the NIH and how is NIH related to venture capital? Isn’t NIH a government research organization? NIH is widely recognized as the world’s premier biomedical research agency. Few realize that NIH, through its Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, is also the world’s largest early stage life sciences investor. We back over 1000 companies each year with over $1B! Companies that are awarded these much-coveted, non-dilutive awards for product development cannot do it alone. We need private, institutional and venture fund partners to help these companies bring products to market. That is where the investment world comes in.

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Venture funding raised by Maryland companies took a big jump in the second quarter of the year, as companies in the state raised a total of $226 million.

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Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first and longest-tenured owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, today announced that it has been selected by NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, as the 2019 Developer of the Year. The award, which is the association’s highest honor, will be presented to Alexandria at a ceremony on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at NAIOP’s CRE.Converge conference in Los Angeles.

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Are you a 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:

• 7/24/19 (All slots filled)
• 9/4/19
• 10/9/19
• 11/20/19
• 1/22/20
• 2/26/20
• 3/25/20
• 4/22/20
• 5/27/20

(45 minute blocks of time beginning at 9:00 in the morning. If the morning slots are filled, more time will be allotted beginning at 1 p.m.)

These take place at BHI headquarters in Rockville or by videoconference via Zoom.

Pre-registration and forwarding of a power point deck one week before the session is required. Sign up here (“EIR resource” at BHI HQ, Rockville). For questions, more information, or to be added to the wait list, please contact BHI.

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Researchers at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) recently received $1M from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA, part of the US Department of Defense) to advance their work developing wearable sensors that measure biochemical information to diagnose disease. IBBR Fellow Dr. Gregory Payne (Research Professor, IBBR) is principal investigator on the award.

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Since the days of its founding, Johns Hopkins University has encouraged a spirit of innovation among its students and researchers. So it’s no surprise that many alumni go on to start their own companies.

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Chris Jeschke’s path into the startup world began with an unexpected outreach from an online advertising company. Following eight years at Advertising.com and four years at Booz Allen Hamilton, Jeschke is now CTO of Fells Point-based Protenus and building a team of next generation junior developers.

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Venture capital fundraising this year by biopharma startups is on course to fall behind last year, though it will be above the figure for 2017. But the biggest story may be where that funding is going.

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The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) recently released the report Transforming Ideas into Advances: Best Practices in State and Regional Bioscience Economic Development Initiatives. This biennial report provides a good summary of state initiatives serving the industry plus a discussion of new developments by state.

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I recently visited Egypt as part of a team led by the Departments of State and Agriculture, supported by the good folks at the AUTM Foundation. Egypt, like many countries, is looking at our model for integrating research universities into their economy. I was asked to speak about the Bayh-Dole Act and thought it was important to emphasize that there were many factors required beyond enacting a law to reverse an entrenched national policy.

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The 24-week, part-time program will be geared toward working professionals, who may be looking to pursue new job opportunities in tech.

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Venture capital-backed companies based in the United States raised a record number of mega-rounds with 64 $100M+ deals this past quarter.

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If companion diagnostics (CDx) were people, they would be old enough to drink. The first CDx won FDA approval in 1998, when Dako Denmark (since acquired by Agilent Technologies) received authorization to market HercepTest. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was designed to detect human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein overexpression in breast tumors of patients who may benefit from Herceptin (trastuzumab), a targeted therapeutic for certain types of breast cancer marketed by Genentech (now a member of the Roche Group).

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Health care and medical research may attract considerable philanthropic dollars from wealthy individuals, yet many givers question whether their dollars have an impact.

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In a massive new analysis of findings from 277 clinical trials using 24 different interventions, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have found that almost all vitamin, mineral and other nutrient supplements or diets cannot be linked to longer life or protection from heart disease.

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The new space comes as 1776 shifts in its D.C.-area footprint.

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Elon Musk grabbed a lot of attention with his July 16 announcement that his company Neuralink plans to implant electrodes into the brains of people with paralysis by next year. Their first goal is to create assistive technology to help people who can’t move or are unable to communicate.

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The Galien Foundation today announced the 2019 Annual Prix Galien USA Award nominees. Counted among the global health innovation industry’s most prized honors, the Prix Galien Award recognizes outstanding biomedical and medical technology product achievement that improves the human condition.

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A new analysis finds that more physicians are gaining telemedicine skills, an industry that’s expected to grow to over $130 billion by 2025. Here’s more from the report:

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After bouncing back last year both in dollars raised and number of deals, the initial public offering (IPO) market was expected to at least approach that success this year.

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When:Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Join Women In Bio-Capital Region to discuss one of the most important elements of entrepreneurship – how to determine whether to bring start-up team members in-house (and creatively convince them to work for your startup), or utilize vendors and contractors (and vet and manage them). We are excited to present an excellent panel of strong female professionals with diverse expertise in launching and facilitating successful businesses in the biotech space. Our panel will feature: Emily English, Ph.D. and CEO of Gemstone Biotherapeutics; Anne Balduzzi, Director of Advisory Services at TEDCO; and Maria Granovsky, Ph.D., J.D., and founder of Swimming Otter Communications. Dr. Ethel Rubin, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at BioHealth Innovation, Inc. will be our moderator for the evening, helping to highlight the panelists’ inspirational stories and cautionary tales of how to successfully start your own business (typically with little funding). Come prepared to listen, learn, ask questions, and have the opportunity to meet the leading ladies of our entrepreneurship-focused WIB evening. We can’t wait to see you there!

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How did Virginia manage to snag the biggest economic development prize in recent memory?

Amazon says its abrupt decision in February to pull out of a deal to build part of its giant second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, was not about politics, despite speculation to the contrary. But when opposition in New York grew, Chairman Jeff Bezos and his team decided it only made sense to focus their efforts on the other victor in the HQ2 sweepstakes: Northern Virginia.

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Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI), a privately held, Maryland-based biotechnology company, announced today the appointment of Andrew Eisen, M.D., Ph.D. as VP, Clinical Development. Dr. Eisen is a translational medicine and clinical development specialist with over 20 years of experience in the biotech and pharma sectors.

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The University of Maryland (UM) BioPark and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, today announced Illumina, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems, as the newest tenant in the UM BioPark’s 801 W. Baltimore St. building. The building is owned by Ventas, Inc., a life sciences real estate investment trust (REIT) and is part of Wexford’s Knowledge Community development at the UM BioPark.

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Maryland biotech Altimmune Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire California drug developer Spitfire Pharma Inc. in a move that sent the local company’s stock skyrocketing Tuesday.

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Are you a 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:

• 7/24/19
• 9/4/19
• 10/9/19
• 11/20/19
• 1/22/20
• 2/26/20
• 3/25/20
• 4/22/20
• 5/27/20

(45 minute blocks of time beginning at 9:00 in the morning. If the morning slots are filled, more time will be allotted beginning at 1 p.m.) 

These take place at BHI headquarters in Rockville or by videoconference via Zoom.

Pre-registration and forwarding of a power point deck one week before the session is required. Sign up here (“EIR resource” at BHI HQ, Rockville).  For questions, more information, or to be added to the wait list, please contact BHI.

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In honor of the new JLABS @ Washington, DC – a 32,000 square foot facility located on the new Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC in partnership with Children’s National Health System[1] (“Children’s National”) – Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS announces the JLABS @ Washington, DC Children’s QuickFire Challenge.

Visionaries within the fields of pediatric oncology, pediatric surgery and influenza are invited to submit innovative ideas for a total of up to $150,000 in total grant funding; one year of residency at JLABS @ Washington, DC with the use of a bench, workstation, and access to the JLABS @ Washington, DC community; and mentorship from experts at the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.

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Each of the seven startups received $150,000. To date in fiscal year 2019, $4.22 million in investments have been made through the Maryland Innovation Initiative program.

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A tech company in Charlottesville is being recognized for its groundbreaking data that could help treat chronic illnesses.

New research done by AMPEL BioSolutions shows that a blood sample, when paired with its computer coding, can detect disease activity in patients who have lupus or other autoimmune diseases.

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For Jim Allison, cancer has always been at the back of his mind. He’d lost many family members to the disease, including his mother when he was young, and is himself a cancer survivor.

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TruGenomix Combats PTSD Suicides

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Drones have made the news once again. This time, to aid in swift and reliable delivery of life-saving temperature-controlled medications required in emergency situations. A collaboration between Direct Relief, Merck (MSD outside the U.S. and Canada), Softbox, AT&T and Volans-i is pushing the boundaries and capabilities of UAVs- also known as drones, and confirmed a successful fourth pilot proof-of-concept mission was conducted in the Bahamas last week.

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Join Women In Bio-Capital Region for our annual summer networking picnic on Sunday, August 11th, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Our chapter is providing the food and it will be brunch-style, under a lovely pavilion.

This is an open event, so please feel free to bring your family and friends for an opportunity to network and eat good food with your fellow WIB community. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming annual summer networking picnic.

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Watch this video on the Dutch biopharmaceutical industry in the Netherlands and get inspired by the Dutch. The perfect location to build your biopharmaceutical business. We open our doors for you!

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A leading genomics company with international reach is opening its first commercial location on the East Coast at Baltimore’s University Maryland BioPark.

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Sea levels are rising, and that is sending more ocean water into streets, sewers and homes. For people who live and work in coastal communities, that means more otherwise-sunny days disrupted by flooding.

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AMPEL BioSolutions Co-Founder and COO/CSO, Dr. Amrie Grammer guests on BioTalk to discuss building the Company in Charlottesville, VA, her work and recognition at NIH, and being a leader from the southern part of the BioHealth Capital Region.

Dr. Amrie Grammer is the Majority Owner and Co-Founder of AMPEL BioSolutions, located in downtown Charlottesville Virginia. Amrie is a Translational Immunologist specializing in human Autoimmune Diseases. She trained at UVA (BS Chemistry, MS Pharmacology) before receiving her PhD in Immunology at UTSW Medical Center at Dallas. Amrie was recruited to the NIH to establish the B Cell Biology Group in the Autoimmunity Branch of NIAMS during the human genome sequencing project. She received multiple NIH awards for her work comparing signaling pathways and genes expressed in patients vs healthy individuals, including the prestigious Director’s Award.

Amrie founded AMPEL in 2013 to bring precision medicine to individual patients, especially those suffering from lupus to whom she has dedicated her career. Over the last six years, she has used her knowledge to design and implement a pipeline to predict disease activity and the “right drug for the right patient at the right time”. In addition, top drugs she identified for repositioning into lupus have had positive clinical trials. Amrie is a member of Sigma Xi and Sigma Delta Epsilon. She serves as a Chair of the UVA Alumni Board of the professional Chemistry Fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma. In December 2016, Amrie was elected to the Board of Directors of the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VA Bio). She is also a board member of the University of Virginia Fralin Art Museum (2011-present).

Listen now on Google Play bit.ly/2CzdnA9, iTunes, apple.co/2Arsfze, TuneIn bit.ly/2M60Wmx.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – AMPEL BioSolutions today announces a breakthrough in precision and personalized medicine that could revolutionize the way doctors treat chronic diseases, like Lupus. Revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Nature’s Scientific Reports, the paper details our breakthrough machine learning approach to predict disease activity from gene data obtained from patient blood samples. The lab test, only a concept for the last few years, is now ready for development for practical use. AMPEL’s initial focus was Lupus, but the test can be used for many autoimmune or inflammatory diseases.

AMPEL’s innovative machine learning approach, which is now ready to be developed as a decision support biomarker blood test could greatly impact health care, by allowing physicians to identify the cause of patient disease symptoms and select appropriate treatment more precisely. The application of our machine learning approach could assist pharmaceutical companies in drug development and clinical trials.

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At the close of the 2019 BioHealth Capital Region Forum in April, Floreo Inc. was announced as the winner of the BioHealth Innovation’s 4th annual Crab Trap Competition and the $10,000 grand prize provided by WSGR. Floreo, Inc., which is “…using the power of virtual reality to deliver immersive, fun, and affordable lessons for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)…”, was selected by the judges from a group of five finalists.

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The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced its recent investments through the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). With the latest round of funding, MII’s funding count for FY19 includes 26 technology assessment grants and seven start-up investments for a total of $4.22 million. True to its technology agnostic funding history, this year the startups ranged from Cleantech to AI and Biotech.

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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, the Brady Urological Institute, and the Center for Computational Genomics at Johns Hopkins have received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study new treatment options for early-stage bladder cancer.

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Access to capital has been an ongoing challenge for biohealth companies in the BioHealth Capital Region (BCHR) and throughout the Mid Atlantic, though recent investment data suggests that capital market access is improving. “PwC/CB Insights ranks the region fourth with $944.07 million in 44 deals and Jones Lang Lasalle tallies $1.1 billion, good enough for third,” stated Rich Bendis, CEO of BioHealth Innovation (BHI), in his keynote speech at the recent The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Technology Transfer Showcase.

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American Gene Technologies (AGT), a leading gene and cell therapy company based in Rockville, MD, selected the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) as a new clinical site for its non-IND study, AGT-CS168, to collect clinical specimens from HIV positive individuals. AGT will use these materials to validate the patient-specific AGT103-T therapeutic manufacturing process. AGT expects AGT103-T will eliminate HIV from the body when infused back into the patient and will decrease or eliminate the need for lifelong antiretroviral treatment.

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On behalf of Bio-Trac, Co-Founder and Director Mark Nardone received a Governor’s Citation for Bio-Trac’s 33 years of service to the scientific community, having provided hands-on training to over 17,000 scientists. At last night’s well attended Stem Cell BioPanel event at the Montgomery College Bioscience Education Center, Mr. Nardone was caught by surprise, not knowing this award was to take place. In a heartfelt address, he mentioned to the audience of scientists that it was exactly the 1 year anniversary of Dr. Roland M Nardone’s passing and how he would have been pleased by the honor but even more so to see a room full of research scientists attending an event to gain knowledge, insight and network among their peers.

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Do you have an innovative idea to help solve a health issue affecting moms and kids today? Here’s your chance to make it happen! The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), part of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), invites you to participate in our four prize-awarded Challenges with a total prize purse of $1.5 million. These competitions seek low-cost, scalable, innovative solutions that improve the health of mothers and children across the U.S.

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Just one week into 2019, the new year got off to the proverbial roaring start for biopharma mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with the announcement of two multi-billion-dollar deals valued at a total $82 billion—one of them among the top 10 of all time.

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PHARMACEUTICAL giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) unveiled a new, fully automated continuous manufacturing facility and an expanded production building at its Jurong site on Friday, worth a total of S$130 million.

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Dr. Marco Chacón sits down for a new episode of BioTalk to talk about his Founding of Paragon to its recent sale to Catalent, his current role with the University of Maryland Baltimore, and being a Leader in the BioHealh Capital Region

Marco A. Chacon, Ph.D., is the Assistant Vice President of Industry Alliances at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. As a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive and entrepreneur, Dr. Chacon works with the leadership team at UMB leading special projects to grow the BioPark tenant base and to strengthen the University’s research collaborations with industry.

Dr. Chacon is the Founder and Chairman of Paragon Bioservices, Inc., a Contract Development and GMP Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) located at the University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore. With  ~500 employees and 230k square feet of space, Paragon specializes in the development and GMP manufacturing of viral vectors and vaccines.

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Dr. Marco Chacón sits down for a new episode of BioTalk to talk about his Founding of Paragon to its recent sale to Catalent, his current role with the University of Maryland Baltimore, and being a Leader in the BioHealh Capital Region

Marco A. Chacon, Ph.D., is the Assistant Vice President of Industry Alliances at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. As a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive and entrepreneur, Dr. Chacon works with the leadership team at UMB leading special projects to grow the BioPark tenant base and to strengthen the University’s research collaborations with industry.

Dr. Chacon is the Founder and Chairman of Paragon Bioservices, Inc., a Contract Development and GMP Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) located at the University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore. With  ~500 employees and 230k square feet of space, Paragon specializes in the development and GMP manufacturing of viral vectors and vaccines.

Dr. Chacon is also the Founder of IRAZU Biodiscovery, a regenerative medicine company seeking to develop therapeutic interventions to induce hypoxia tolerance and neuroprotection as described in experimental models of caloric restriction and hibernation, as well as during the neonatal period in mammals.

Dr. Chacon’s academic interests include control of metabolism, oxygen homeostasis and the regenerative potential of tissues and organs.

Dr. Chacon received a B.S. degree from Youngstown State University and a Ph.D. Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the UMB Foundation and was appointed in 2016 to the Life Sciences Advisory Board by Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr.

Listen now on Google Play bit.ly/2CzdnA9, iTunes, apple.co/2Arsfze, TuneIn bit.ly/2M60Wmx.

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Sometimes a Eureka moment sparks a breakthrough in innovation; other times it’s a rush to solve a crisis plaguing society — and the ones you love. That was the case for Martine Rothblatt, CEO of United Therapeutics, a Maryland-based company she founded in 1996, and former CEO of GeoStar and creator of SiriusXM Radio.

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