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316th Edition – August 14, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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August 14, 2018



Emergent BioSolutions to Acquire Specialty Vaccines Company PaxVax

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire PaxVax, a company focused on specialty vaccines that protect against existing and emerging infectious diseases, for an all-cash consideration of $270 million. PaxVax is majority owned by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.

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Getting started & OrganoPlate® Protocols – Mimetas

We want to offer you the best possible experience when using the OrganoPlate® for your experiments. This page contains training videos and protocols to get you started. For optimal user experience, we recommend you to follow these 5 steps before your first experiment:

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Senseonics Begins U.S. Commercialization of Eversense Continuous Glucose Monitoring System With First Shipment, First Users and First Policy Coverage | Business Wire

Senseonics Holdings, Inc. (NYSE-American: SENS), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of a long-term, implantable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for people with diabetes, today announced that the Eversense® CGM System is now available at trained clinics across the U.S. and physicians have begun sensor placements with patients. Concurrently, the company reported that its first commercial payer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Horizon Healthcare of New Jersey, has added coverage of the Eversense System to its Medical Policy.

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Investment Boom in MoCo

Venture Capital – Generating Opportunity in Montgomery County

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Rexahn Issues Mid-Year Shareholder Letter to Review Recent Progress and Clinical Plans | Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: RNN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative, targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, announced that it has distributed to shareholders a mid-year update letter reviewing the company’s recent progress and clinical plans for the remainder of 2018 and 2019.

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Huge Discount for BioHealth Innovation and Partners to Next Month’s RESI Conference, 9/6, Boston

Meet RESI’s Network of Global Investors and Channel Partners

This fall, the Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference (RESI) will expand to include tech hubs and companies from the First Coast: DC, MD, PA, NJ, NY, RI, CT, and MA. RESI invites earliest stage companies from the discovery stage through venture stage: companies seeking grants, seed, angel, series A, and series B funding.

As a client/partner of BioHealth Innovation and/or an early stage biohealth start-up in the BioHealth Capital Region, you can attend the RESI Boston September Conference at a reduced rate – $300 each ticket for the first 5 signups; each ticket valued at $1,295. 

RESI is a partnering vehicle for you to connect with global investors and strategic partners. You’ll have an opportunity to showcase your technology and assets in a poster board format with our table in the exhibit hall. You can participate in partnering and networking all day, and explore the exhibit hall, investor panels and entrepreneur workshops.

Email BioHealth Innovation for the Discount Code and Register Now  

$300 for Tech Hub Members Includes:

  • 1 Tech Hub Member (BioHealth Innovation Client / Partner) Ticket
  • Present Your Technology in a Poster Board Format at BHI Table
  • Company Datasheet Featured on Website and Newsletter
  • All Day Access to Partnering, Networking, Panels and Workshops
  • Continental Breakfast, Lunch, and Cocktail Reception
  • All Registered Attendees Eligible to Apply to First Coast Innovation Challenge
    • Top 5 companies of the First Coast tech hub members will present their technology as a 10-minute pitch to a panel of early-stage investors.
    • Top 5 will be featured in Marketing Channels
    • It’s FREE to Apply (Application Deadline:  8/17/18)

 

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Biotech Startup, Maryland’s Health Lands $10 Million

Maryland’s health tech startup ecosystem is at it again. Silver Spring-based startup which is named as Aziyo Biologics Inc. has raised an amount of $10 million from seven leading investors in a funding round which has been disclosed yesterday night in SEC filings.

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Johns Hopkins receives $30 million to lead research consortium – Hub

Johns Hopkins University has been awarded up to $30 million to lead a consortium of three Mid-Atlantic universities that will work together on research projects with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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Paragon Bioservices Announces Two Key Leadership Promotions – Paragon Bioservices, Inc.

Paragon Bioservices, the leading private equity-backed biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with proven expertise in gene therapy and next-generation vaccines, announces today two key leadership promotions. Deborah Wild has been promoted from Vice President, Quality, Validation and Regulatory Affairs to Senior Vice President, Quality, Validation and Regulatory Affairs, and Ruby Hofmann has been promoted from Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Development to Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and Organizational Development.

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Paragon Welcomes Employees to New Gene Therapy Manufacturing Facility – Paragon Bioservices, Inc.

After a week of persistent rain throughout Maryland, it was blue skies and a perfect 85-degree summer afternoon that marked an important day for Paragon Bioservices and their 250+ employees. Dozens of those employees stepped off a charter bus from Baltimore to see the brand new 151,000 sq/ft GMP biomanufacturing facility near BWI for the first time. The wide-open parking lots and 200 yards between the nearest building presented a much different landscape than they were used to at their current UM BioPark location in the city. An afternoon picnic and site tour was organized as a celebration for their employees, who got to enjoy some delicious ole’ fashioned BBQ, music and games outside before a short welcome ceremony.

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Study Seeks Path for Drugs to Reach Brain Tumors – University of Maryland, Baltimore

In the first such clinical trial in the United States, physician-scientists with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) are investigating the use of MRI-guided focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier. The trial will be conducted with patients undergoing brain cancer surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).

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ClearMask Awarded $25K from National Science Foundation — ClearMask

Recently, ClearMask received $25,000 in grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support ClearMask’s commercialization efforts. The funding is part of the NSF’s National Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program that helps scientists and engineers move their technologies toward commercialization.

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Jonathan Aberman: My roadmap for our region’s innovation economy – Washington Business Journal

In last week’s Amplified column, I discussed how the traditional wisdom that small business pursues disruptive innovation and big business pursues sustaining innovation may no longer hold. This is especially likely in industries consisting of only a few large players that both have the resources to engage in disruptive innovation themselves and to raise the costs of entry to would-be competitors.

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315th Edition – August 7, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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August 7, 2018



Quality Biological, Inc. (QBI) President and CEO Angela Graham joins Rich Bendis for New Episode of BioTalk

Angela Graham, President and CEO of Quality Biological, Inc. (QBI), joins BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss growing a business in the Life Sciences Community, her involvement in the BHCR, and recruiting top talent in this region. Angela Graham, President and CEO of Quality Biological, Inc. (QBI), joins BioTalk host Rich Bendis to discuss growing a business in the Life Sciences Community, her involvement in the BHCR, and recruiting top talent in this region.

Angela has been in this industry for decades working for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer and UCB Pharma before taking over QBI. Her background and expertise is ideally suited to lead the company’s diversification from a leading government contractor into one which also supports the diverse R&D needs of the biopharmaceutical space.

Google Play, iTunes, TuneIn and on the website.

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Cardin Announces Several Small Business Priorities in National Defense Bill | U.S. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, today announced several provisions in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) specifically focused on supporting small businesses in Maryland and nationwide. The annual defense funding bill passed the Senate Wednesday.

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United Therapeutics Corp. gets FDA approval for implantable pump for Remodulin – Washington Business Journal

United Therapeutics Corp. said it has received Food and Drug Administration approval for an implantable pump for Remodulin, its flagship pulmonary arterial hypertension drug.

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QIAGEN and Hamilton Launch New Collaboration to Improve Pre-Analytical Sample Processing for QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus | Business Wire

QIAGEN N.V. and Hamilton Robotics, a privately held leader in automation and liquid handling technology, today announced a new collaboration to improve processing of QIAGEN’s QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) diagnostic test through the integration of Hamilton’s Microlab® STAR™ automated liquid handling workstation into the QFT-Plus assay workflow. QIAGEN’s fourth-generation QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus is the modern gold standard for latent tuberculosis (TB) detection.

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Huge Discount for BioHealth Clients and Partners to Next Month’s RESI Conference, 9/6, Boston

Meet RESI’s Network of Global Investors and Channel Partners

This fall, the Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference (RESI) will expand to include tech hubs and companies rom the First Coast: DC, MD, PA, NJ, NY, RI, CT, and MA. RESI invites earliest stage companies from the discovery stage through venture stage: companies seeking grants, seed, angel, series A, and series B funding.

As a client/partner of BioHealth Innovation and/or an early stage biohealth start-up in the BioHealth Capital Region, you can attend the RESI Boston September Conference at a reduced rate – $300 each ticket for the first 5 signups; each ticket valued at $1,295. 

RESI is a partnering vehicle for you to connect with global investors and strategic partners. You’ll have an opportunity to showcase your technology and assets in a poster board format with our table in the exhibit hall. You can participate in partnering and networking all day, and explore the exhibit hall, investor panels and entrepreneur workshops.

Email BioHealth Innovation for the Discount Code and Register Now  

Max:  5 tickets at $300 per tech hub; first come, first served

$300 for Tech Hub Members Includes:

  • 1 Tech Hub Member (BioHealth Innovation Client / Partner) Ticket
  • Present Your Technology in a Poster Board Format at BHI Table
  • Company Datasheet Featured on Website and Newsletter
  • All Day Access to Partnering, Networking, Panels and Workshops
  • Continental Breakfast, Lunch, and Cocktail Reception
  • All Registered Attendees Eligible to Apply to First Coast Innovation Challenge
    • Top 5 companies of the First Coast tech hub members will present their technology as a 10-minute pitch to a panel of early-stage investors.
    • Top 5 will be featured in Marketing Channels
    • It’s FREE to Apply

 

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Joint Economic Committee Holds Hearing on Innovation Economy, Barriers to Accessing Capital – IPWatchdog.com

On the morning of Wednesday, July 25th, the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee held a hearing titled The Innovation Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Barriers to Capital Access. The day’s discussion focused on various federal policies that could be pursued by Congress to increase avenues for financing innovative businesses and improve the ranking of the United States as an innovative economy.

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SBIR Office Hours 8/8 and 8/15 for BioHealth Start-ups

Is your biohealth company located in Maryland, DC or Virginia? Are you thinking of applying for a biohealth related SBIR grant?   Does your technology qualify?  Are you eligible?  Should you apply to NIH? NSF? to other organizations?  

Sign up now to learn more from one of BHI’s SBIR consultants. Office hours are scheduled next in Montgomery County August 8th and 15th.  (There is no fee for this service.  Depending upon your technology and stage in the business cycle, BHI may also prepay for experts to help you improve your SBIR and other non-dilutive funding applications. For more information, click here.)

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Office Space Available for BioHealth Start-ups – Montgomery County

Due to company graduations,  co-working and individual office space is becoming available at the Montgomery County innovation centers located in Rockville and Germantown.  Each location offers shared meeting and kitchenette/lunch room space, and affordable, flexible lease terms.  Tenants in these facilities also have access to BHI Entrepreneurs-in-Residence analysts, and other professional staff for additional support. For more information, contact BHI.

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PGDx test gets ‘Breakthrough Device’ designation – Technical.ly Baltimore

Baltimore-based Personal Genome Diagnostics (PGDx) recently received a designation from federal regulators that’s designed to help allow patients to get quicker access to new devices.

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Landos Biopharma Initiates Phase 1 Clinical Trial of BT-11, an Oral LANCL2 Agonist for Treatment of | Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory

Landos Biopharma, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing improved treatments for autoimmune diseases, announced today that the first healthy subjects have been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical study of BT-11, a first-in-class, orally-administered, molecule targeting the LANCL2 pathway. The Phase 1 study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single and multiple ascending dose study intended to enroll up to 70 healthy volunteers to evaluate the safety and tolerability of BT-11. BT-11 is in development for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD).

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Research Parks: Cutting Edge Now Means ‘Really Robust Amenities’ | Site Selection Magazine

Close proximity to a host research university — check. Sustainably designed and preferably LEED-certified buildings — check. A state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure — check. An office of commercialization — check. These used to define a cutting-edge and competitive research park. Not anymore. Today’s “A list” parks, or districts, look more like towns, complete with transit, lodging, residential and retail. Besides those, the University of Maryland’s Discovery District in College Park will soon have coworking space, thanks to a recent partnership among the university, global coworking provider WeWork and Chesapeake Realty Partners.

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Foundation for the NIH Selects 3 Finalists for the Inaugural Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) has selected three finalists of the inaugural Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists (Trailblazer Prize): Daniel Bauer, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, Jaehyuk Choi, M.D., Ph.D., Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and Michael Fox, M.D., Ph.D., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. These three early-career clinician-scientists, whose work spans the fields of hematology, oncodermatology and neurology/psychiatry, are being recognized for their outstanding research contributions that have the potential to or have led to innovations in patient care. The winner will be announced and awarded the Trailblazer Prize and a $10,000 honorarium at the FNIH Annual Fall Board Dinner on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

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Top 50 Angel Investors Based On Investment Volume And Successful Exits

Who are the leading angel investors startup entrepreneurs should be pitching right now? How do you connect with them?

Effective fundraising for startups isn’t about how many people and firms you can blast your opportunity out to. It’s about getting in front of the right investors, with a strong pitch deck. A recent DocSend survey shows successfully funded startups contacted an average of just 58 investors, made 40 meetings, and took just 12.5 weeks to close their funding round.

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Funding Opportunity: BARDA DRIVe EZ-BAA

As a BARDA DRIVe Accelerator, the Center for Biotechnology is pleased to announce that the simplified funding application process, called EZ BAA, is now open. Medical product developers, research teams, and companies offering disruptive solutions to health security threats are invited to submit abstracts using this simplified EZ BAA process.

Applications accepted through this streamlined process must offer transformative innovation, products and technologies to protect Americans from health security threats. This application process is a business friendly simple abstract.

In-scope priority areas include products and solutions to reduce illness and death from sepsis as part of DRIVe’s Solving Sepsis initiative; technologies and processes to identify infections and exposures to biological and other health threats, as outlined in the Early Notification to Act, Control, and Treat (ENACT) initiative; and tools and techniques to mitigate the damages and loss of life associated with catastrophic events.

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BIOTECH & BEER- PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY

Thursday, Septmember 27, 20184:00-7:00 PM

Enjoy an evening with food, fun and lively conversation at Biotech and Beer. Meet old friends and new colleagues in the life science community. Complimentary admission for any bioscience company employees, and university students and researchers with advanced registration. All others may purchase tickets.

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Technology advocate Congressman Gerry Connolly talks about digital health and innovation with Vibrent Health – Vibrent Health

Fairfax health technology company Vibrent Health hosted Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA, 11th District) at the company’s new offices for a town hall style meeting today, to talk about digital health initiatives, health care access, immigration issues and other topics of interest to Vibrent’s 140 employees.

“Congressman Connolly understands the importance of integrating health data from various sources to promote the best outcomes for individuals and for public health,” said Vibrent Health Founder and CEO Praduman “PJ” Jain. “We are eager to work with our leaders in government to continue developing digital health technology that advances health research and empowers people to live healthier lives.”

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Trump’s pick to head White House science office gets good reviews – AAAS

The long wait for a White House science adviser is over. President Donald Trump announced today that he intends to nominate meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier, a university administrator and former vice-chair of the governing board of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The OSTP director traditionally, but not always, also holds the title of the president’s science adviser.

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VT Corporate Research Center

VIP MEDIA DAY is an opportunity for local, regional and national media outlets to get a first-ever exclusive look into the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC), located in Blacksburg, VA, and adjacent to Virginia Tech.

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UEDA Selects Finalists for 2018 Awards of Excellence – University Economic Development Association

The 2018 UEDA Awards of Excellence finalists have been chosen following an extremely close competition this year. Higher education institutions and organizations across North America submit nominations annually for innovative programs that focus on developing economic prosperity in their communities and beyond. A panel of university and economic development professionals have chosen 24 finalists from the group of nominated projects.

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314th Edition – July 31, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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July 31, 2018



Local biopharma Ascentage Pharma raises $150M for cancer drug pipeline – Washington Business Journal

Ascentage Pharma, a global biopharmaceutical company with a local hub in Maryland, has raised $150 million in Series C financing.

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AgriMetis Opens New Lab in Gaithersburg, Maryland — AgriMetis

AgriMetis, LLC is pleased to announce the opening of its new laboratory in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The new laboratory is located at 401 Professional Drive, which is in the heart of the Maryland Biotech region along the I-270 corridor.

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SBIR Advice Available to BioHealth Start-ups

Is your biohealth company located in Maryland, DC or Virginia? Are you thinking of applying for a biohealth related SBIR grant?   Does your technology qualify?  Are you eligible?  Should you apply to NIH? NSF? to other organizations?  

Sign up now to learn more from one of BHI’s SBIR consultants. Office hours are scheduled next in Montgomery County August 8th and 15th.  (There is no fee for this service.  Depending upon your technology and stage in the business cycle, BHI may also prepay for experts to help you improve your SBIR and other non-dilutive funding applications. For more information, click here.)

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Biotech CEO Testifies Before the Joint Economic Committee on Pro-Growth Policies – Business Wire

Rachel King, co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GlycoMimetics, Inc., testified today on behalf of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) before the Joint Economic Committee. King discussed the need to build on the success of the JOBS Act, FDASIA’s “breakthrough therapies” designation, as well as policies that provide tax relief and strengthen patent protections.

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Save the Date – 5th Annual BioBowl – Oct. 11th

Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this fun networking event with colleagues throughout Maryland, DC and Virginia at the 5th Annual BioHealth Capital Region BioBowl. Co-hosted by MedImmune and BioHealth Innovation, this unique event is open to biohealth companies from throughout the region who value team building with their work colleagues and the opportunity to meet others at nearby companies. You do not have to be a probowler to participate! Prizes include the coveted BHCR Bowling Trophy and a Rubber Chicken Award. The entire BowlMor facility in Gaithersburg will be filled with BioHealth bowlers from 4-6:30 p.m. on October 11th. Come join us! Food and beverages are complimentary but pre-registration is required. For more information, email BHI.

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NIH Commercialization Accelerator Program (CAP)

Attention NHLBI SBIR/STTR Phase II companies, The NIH Commercialization Accelerator Program (CAP) is now accepting applications

The deadline for submitting an application for NIH CAP is August 16, 2018 by 11:59 pm PDT. Up to eighty (80) companies will be selected to participate in this year’s NIH CAP in early September 2018.

The CAP program is designed to help recent Phase II awardees with individualized assistance in Market & Customer Discovery, Development, Business Strategy and Outcomes and Regulatory & Reimbursement Strategies to help you transition your SBIR-STTR developed product into the marketplace.

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FDA releases ‘Biosimilars Action Plan,’ aiming to accelerate innovation – MedCity News

With a dozen approvals for biosimilars under its belt already, the Food and Drug Administration has started a new effort to accelerate the development and adoption of the drugs.

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CBRE finds D.C.-area is the third best market for tech talent, an Amazon HQ2 prerequisite – Washington Business Journal

Here’s another notch for Greater Washington’s HQ2 belt.

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Six innovation highlights in the new defense bill | SSTI

The House and Senate have agreed to the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019. As anticipated, the legislation addresses many small business and innovation policies. Changes relevant to tech-based economic development affect SBIR, advanced manufacturing, and partnerships with defense labs.

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GlaxoSmithKline makes $300M investment in 23andMe, forms 50-50 R&D pact | FierceBiotech

GlaxoSmithKline has made a $300 million equity investment in 23andMe as part of a deal that pulls it close to the consumer genetics pioneer. The partners are contributing preclinical programs to a 50-50 collaboration that will use 23andMe’s genotypic and phenotypic data to accelerate progress.

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RESI Innovation Deadline Extended to 8/3

RESI invites global early stage companies across biotech, medtech, diagnostics & digital health to apply to their next Innovation Challenge.

Gain excellent visibility among investors and strategic partners.

Top 30 selected companies will showcase their technology in a poster format in the exhibit hall at the RESI Conference, September 6thin Boston. Winners will be announced and awarded during the cocktail reception, and all finalists will be featured in the program guide, on the RESI website and announced in LSN’s newsletter to a readership of 20,000+.

It is FREE to apply.

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Early bird gets the worm: Third Annual Women Building Bio October 17 at the Inova Center for Personalized Health

When: Wednesday, October 17, 2018 8:00AM-5:00PM

Where: Inova Center for Personalized Health 3225 Gallows Rd Fairfax, Virginia 22037 United States

Women of the Virginia bioscience community from across the state will lead this full day event offering examples of working together to build a stronger bioscience industry, stronger companies and institutions, stronger teams and networks, and stronger individuals.

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Office Space Available for BioHealth Start-ups – Montgomery County

Due to company graduations,  co-working and individual office space is becoming available at the Montgomery County innovation centers located in Rockville and Germantown.  Each location offers shared meeting and kitchenette/lunch room space, and affordable, flexible lease terms.  Tenants in these facilities also have access to BHI Entrepreneurs-in-Residence analysts, and other professional staff for additional support. For more information, contact BHI.

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MACH37 Cyber Accelerator Opens Applications for Fall 2018 Session

MACH37, the premier market-centric cyber accelerator in the United States, today announced they will begin accepting applications for the Fall 2018 Cohort, which will commence on Sept. 24. Designed to facilitate the development of the next generation of cyber companies, MACH37’s unique program places heavy emphasis on the validation of complex cyber problems, the development of unique solutions, and the cultivation of relationships that produce market traction and investment capital.

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In a sign of how malls are evolving, incubator 1776 is coming to the Cherry Hill Mall – Philly

An incubator space is coming to Cherry Hill Mall — a change that points to the broader trend of shopping centers rebranding as destinations to do more than just buy clothes.

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GSK announces major restructuring, sales and earnings growth – WFMZ

Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) with facilities in Collegeville and Valley Forge, reported first half 2018 results, increased their guidance for the remainder of the year and announced a major restructuring program expected to deliver annual cost savings of £400 million by 2021.

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313th Edition – July 24, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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July 24, 2018



Gaithersburg biotech company raises $36 million – Maryland Daily Record

Gaithersburg biotech startup Neuraly has raised $36 million for its potential Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease treatment, the company announced.

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7/27 Deadline to Apply: First Coast Innovation Challenge

For the first time this fall, Life Science Nation (LSN) will have two days of competition as part of the RESI Healthtech Week (September 5-7, 2018). Day 1 will feature the First Coast Innovation Challenge, where the top 10 ranked companies of the First Coast tech hubs will present their technologies as a 10-minute pitch to a panel of early-stage investors. Day 2 features the traditional RESI Innovation Challenge, where the top 30 companies who apply are chosen to showcase a poster on the RESI Global Partnering Conference Exhibit Hall. First Coast Innovation Challenge is geared toward companies which have recently moved out of the lab and are ready to target grant, angel, and seed funding. The First Coast Innovation Challenge on Day 1 complements the RESI Global Innovation Challenge on Day 2, offering greater investor exposure to companies from the earliest stage to more established startups that are looking globally and seeking funding from institutional investors.

Apply by this Friday, July 27th to participate in First Coast Innovation Challenge.

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RESI/Life Science Nation to Host Inaugural “First Coast Innovator’s Gathering” – September 5th

RESI/Life Science Nation are hosting a day of partnering and networking at RESI/Life Science Nation’s inaugural First Coast Innovators Gathering. Biohealth incubators, accelerators, tech transfer offices, and research labs from the East Coast can promote their organizations and spinout companies to RESI’s audience investors and partners seeking to connect with the region’s earliest stage companies. Participating organizations also are able to offer their companies discounted attendance to day one. For more information, click here.

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Office Space Available for BioHealth Start-ups – Montgomery County

Due to company graduations, space co-working and individual office space is becoming available at the Montgomery County innovation centers located in Rockville and Germantown. Each location offer shared meeting space and kitchenette/lunch room and affordable, flexible lease terms. Tenants in these facilities also have access to BHI Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and professional staff for additional support. For more information, contact BHI.

Read More




SBIR Advice Available to BioHealth Start-ups

Is your biohealth company located in Maryland, DC or Virginia? Are you thinking of applying for a biohealth related SBIR grant? Does your technology qualify? Are you eligible? Should you apply to NIH? NSF? to other organizations? Sign up now to learn more from one of BHI’s SBIR consultants. (There is no fee for this service. Depending upon your technology and stage in the business cycle, BHI may also prepay for experts to help you improve your SBIR and other non-dilutive funding applications. For more information, click here.)

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Armed with $36M A round, Johns Hopkins spinout Neuraly heads to PhI Parkinson’s trial – Endpoints News

A startup company spun out of Johns Hopkins says it’s been able to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease in mice models — and with a fresh infusion of cash, the company is taking the program into human trials.

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Montgomery County’s Silver Spring Innovation Center will be run by private operator – Technical.ly DC

Montgomery County is turning over management of the Silver Spring Innovation Center to the recently-launched coworking division of a Maryland-based real estate company.

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The Power of Diversity – MOCONNECT

“It will take another 30 years for America to catch up to Montgomery County’s diversity.” – The New York Times

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RESI Healthtech Week, September 5th thru 7th – BHI is a participant

The First Coast Innovator’s Gathering on Day 1 is focused on tech hubs and companies from the First Coast: DC, MD, PA, NJ, NY, RI, CT, and MA. We encourage all global tech hubs and their constituents to attend.

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FDA ‘priority’ approval for GSK malaria relapse drug

Following an advisory panel recommendation on July 6, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved, under Priority Review, single-dose Krintafel (tafenoquine) for the radical cure (prevention of relapse) of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax)malaria in patients aged 16 years and older who are receiving appropriate antimalarial therapy for acute P. vivax infection.

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GSK considers splitting up – PharmaTimes

GlaxoSmithKline is reportedly considering whether to split its business into a consumer health spin-off and standalone pharmaceutical and vaccines group.

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SilcsBio’s drug design algorithms get patent – Technical.ly Baltimore

Algorithms used in a Spark Baltimore–based company’s software was recently patented for algorithms that will help it expand its presence in the market, according to its CEO.

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Senator Tim Kaine visits Vibrent Health in Fairfax for town hall discussion on digital health technology

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) today visited Vibrent Health, a Fairfax, Virginia-based health technology company for a tour of the company’s new office followed by a town hall session with Vibrent’s 140 employees.

“Studying and developing new technologies is critical to improving our health care system and expanding access to more Virginians. I’m looking forward to learning more about the work Vibrent Health is doing to modernize the industry as well as hearing from their employees on how the Senate can better support innovation in the health care space,” said Kaine.

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Tenable seeks to raise $166M in IPO – Technical.ly Baltimore

With Tenable formally filing to go public in late June, observers are closely watching for updates to its Form S-1, which is required to be filed with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of an IPO.

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Biopharma 1H18 Series A investment exceeds funding for all of 2017 – MedCity News

Venture capital investment in early-stage biotechnology and pharmaceutical startups is seeing exuberance that could be classed as “froth,” but it does not appear to be in bubble territory yet.

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US venture capital activity so far this year in 15 charts | PitchBook

There’s been more venture capital invested through the first six months of 2018 in the US than any six-month period in recent history, which highlights the new normal in the industry: more capital concentrated into fewer, larger deals. On the exit end of the spectrum, there’s been improved access to the IPO market, particularly for enterprise tech companies.

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Bill Gates and others launch $30M ‘venture philanthropy’ accelerator for Alzheimer’s diagnostics | FierceBiotech

High-profile investors led by billionaires Bill Gates and Leonard Lauder are throwing their weight behind a “venture philanthropy vehicle” offering more than $30 million in grants for new biomarkers and early diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease.

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Trump’s Drug Plan Picks Up Momentum as Merck Lowers Some Prices – Bloomberg

The Trump administration moved swiftly in the past 24 hours to implement pieces of its plan to bring down drug prices, preparing several significant steps as one of the biggest U.S. drugmakers said it would bring down the cost of some medicines.

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Johnson & Johnson launches life sciences incubator for Philadelphia area – MedCity News

The University of Pennsylvania’s startup incubator is getting a boost from a big pharmaceutical company.

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Biotech incubator to set up shop in NYC – New York Business Journal

IndieBio is making its way to New York.

The San Francisco-based biotech incubator received a $25 million investment from the state’s government. The move is part of a broader push to support life sciences startups across New York State (h/t The Wall Street Journal).

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312th Edition – July 17, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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July 17, 2018



Local Biotech Firms Can Soon Apply for County Grants – Bethesda Beat – Bethesda, MD

Small biotech companies on Monday can start applying for matching grants from Montgomery County through a new program.

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Could printable lungs solve transplant shortage? – Genetic Literacy Project

Recently I had the chance to hold a replica of the upper part of a human airway—the windpipe plus the first two bronchi. It had been made from collagen, the biological cement that holds our bodies together. It was slippery and hollow, with the consistency of undercooked pasta.

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MedImmune and 4D Molecular Therapeutics Collaborate on AAV Gene Therapy for Lung Disease | BioSpace

AstraZeneca’s MedImmune and 4D Molecular Therapeutics forged a collaboration to develop a gene therapy for chronic lung disease.

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Montgomery County Launches New Matching Grant Program to Help Grow Biotechnology Sector

Montgomery County companies may soon apply online for the County’s new Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching Grant Program. Applications will be accepted beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 16.

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MaxCyte Receives US FDA Investigational New Drug Clearance for First Clinical Program

MaxCyte announced that it has received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a clinical study in the United States with its first wholly-owned chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapeutic candidate, MCY-M11.

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Altimmune Appoints Mitchel Sayare as Executive Chairman of the Board, and Adds José Ochoa to Its Leadership Team as Chief Business Officer – NASDAQ.com

Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALT), a clinical-stage immunotherapeutics company focused on infectious disease, today announced it has appointed Mitchel Sayare, Ph.D., as Executive Chairman of the Board, effective immediately.

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Baltimore biotech Elixirgen Therapeutics making drugs to target rare diseases, raises $4 million – Baltimore Business Journal

A Baltimore biotechnology company has raised $4 million, to help bring its therapeutic treatment targeting rare genetic diseases closer to market.

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Clear Guide Medical gets $2M grant to develop tools for pediatrics – Technical.ly Baltimore

Johns Hopkins spinout Clear Guide Medical received a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to apply its imaging tools to pediatrics.

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WellDoc® Presents Results of an Innovative Economic Analysis Demonstrating Opportunity for Significant Healthcare Cost Savings with the Use of BlueStar® – WellDoc Inc

WellDoc®, a leading digital health company revolutionizing chronic disease management to help transform lives through the use of its digital therapeutics, today announced results from an innovative economic analysis that demonstrated the potential for significant healthcare cost savings with the use of BlueStar®. BlueStar is powered by WellDoc and is a 510K-cleared digital therapeutic designed to coach adults with type 2 diabetes.

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True Bearing Diagnostics Inc. raising millions to catch heart attacks before they strike – Washington Business Journal

True Bearing Diagnostics Inc. is working to commercialize an early-detection test for coronary artery disease, a possible game-changer for the health care industry.

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Future Growth of €Genomics Market€ by Global Industry Top 10 Players in The Globe with Thermo Fisher Scientific, Qiagen, Eurofins Scientific, F. Hoffmann-La Roche and More Till 2025 – openPR

The Worldwide Genomics Market report is an expert analysis report explore the market by Size, Share and Forecasts Till 2025. The Global Genomics Market size was estimated at USD 12.02 billion in 2016. It is anticipated to progress at a CAGR of 9.7% over the forecast period. Widening base of genomic data pool from genomic research activities is enabling physicians, biologists, and patients to further investigate genetic predisposition to certain diseases.

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Johns Hopkins bioethics institute gets $15 million gift – Baltimore Business Journal

The chairman of Johns Hopkins University’s Berman Institute of Bioethics has made a $15 million gift to establish a new endowment and support studying bioethicists.

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PowerTen: Spend 10 Minutes with Baltimore’s Most Dynamic Innovation Leaders

Thursday, July 19, 20184:30 – 7:00 PM EST

Spend an inspiring 10 minute ‘ideastorming’ session with the Anchor Ventures PowerTen, the most influential innovation leaders in the greater Baltimore area – build on an idea for your company, bring your ideas for a program topic, a product, a system improvement or a better way to grow our ecosystem. Complete the RSVP link with your idea and we’ll match you to our PowerTen. Then mingle with more than 150 local entrepreneurs at our networking happy hour.

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Summer Healthcare/Life Science Pitch Event: Sponsored by SoPE, CAAG and NIH

The Society of Physician Entrepreneurs and the MBA Collaborative Alumni Angel Group, in conjunction with NIH, cordially invite you to join us for our next meeting:

Summer Healthcare/Life Science Pitch Event

July 24th 2018 5 PM-8 PM

This program will be focused on start-up and emerging biotech, pharmaceutical, Health IT, and healthcare companies. Referrals are coming from NIH officials and consultants as well as SoPE/CAAG members and affiliates.

Call for Start-Ups; Please submit your Executive Summary and non-proprietary Slide deck to jhausfeld@sopenet.org for consideration to pitch at this upcoming event.

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Amount of venture capital raised by Maryland companies increases 142 percent in 2Q – Baltimore Business Journal

Maryland companies raised $247 million in venture capital funding in the second quarter, the sixth consecutive quarter the state has raised at least $100 million.

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Let’s Talk Tech – #MoCo365

Want to hear more about cybersecurity and technology in Montgomery County? Check out the personal stories from our most innovative business leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields of IT, BioHealth, life sciences, and more.

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Greater Washington VC drops in second quarter, PitchBook says – Washington Business Journal

Venture funding for Greater Washington companies fell nearly 50 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, but the region’s take for the first half of the year remains above last year.

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Restore the patent system and cut the red tape strangling federal labs

The National Institute of Standards and Technology issued a request for information seeking ideas for improving the public’s return on investment from federally supported R&D. Here’s my submission.

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Gates Foundation’s $100M-a-year nonprofit biotech takes flight – FierceBiotech

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has held a coming-out party for its nonprofit biotech startup. Equipped with plans to build a 120-person team and spend $100 million a year, the Gates Medical Research Institute (MRI) will turn drug industry expertise and processes on intractable diseases that kill millions of people annually in low- and middle-income countries.

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An IPO drought? Why Greater Washington punches below its weight on Wall Street debuts – Washington Business Journal

The region has only seen one real initial public offering since the beginning of 2017.

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As Amazon’s acquisition of PillPack sends shockwaves across the pharma industry, GlobalData publish their Top 25 Global Pharmaceutical Companies analysis by Market Cap | GlobalData Plc

The prospect of Amazon entering the pharma industry with the acquisition of PillPack will be a troubling development for pharma executives around the globe.

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Can you find the hidden letter in this brainteaser? – Business Insider

This recently re-surfaced brainteaser has been making the rounds on the internet again. Apparently, reported Sharesplosion, if you can find the “C’ that’s hidden somewhere among the rows and rows of “Os” in under seven seconds, you’re a genius (they claim that 99% of adults can’t achieve this feat).

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Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Expands Its First-in-Class New York City Regional Life Science Cluster Franchise with the Strategic Acquisition of 219 East 42nd Street in Manhattan, Subject to a Leaseback | STL.News

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT uniquely focused on collaborative life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, today announced it has acquired 219 East 42nd Street for $203 million on a fee simple basis, through a membership interest in the purchasing entity 219/235 East LLC. As part of the transaction, 219/235 East LLC leased back 219 East 42nd Street on a triple net basis to Pfizer Inc., which announced earlier this year plans to relocate its global office headquarters to Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood in 2022. Ideally located in the heart of Manhattan’s East Side Medical Corridor with critical adjacency to New York City’s renowned academic and medical institutions, the acquisition of this approximately 350,000 RSF, 10-story office building represents significant and immediate net operating income growth with a strong yield from an investment-grade tenant.

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Executive Compensation at Private and Public Colleges – The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Chronicle‘s executive-compensation package includes the latest data on more than 1,400 chief executives at more than 600 private colleges from 2008-15 and nearly 250 public universities and systems from 2010-17. Hover over bars to show total compensation as well as pay components including base, bonus, and other.

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311th Edition – July 10, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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July 10, 2018



miRecule Inc. is raising $1 million to stop cancer tumors in their tracks – Washington Business Journal

This seed round will send the startup into the next phase of its journey toward clinical trials.

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Rip Ballou, MD, VP & Head, GSK Global Vaccines US R&D Center, joins host Rich Bendis on a new episode of BioTalk

In this new episode of BioTalk, Rip Ballou, MD, VP & Head, GSK Global Vaccines US R&D Center and BHI President & CEO Rich Bendis discuss GSK’s move to the BioHealth Capital Region, their Vaccines Portfolio/Future, and the importance of succeeding in the industry today.

W. Ripley Ballou, MD is Vice President and Head, GSK Global Vaccines U.S. R&D Center in Rockville, MD – Just outside of Washington, DC. Prior to this he was VP and Head, Clinical Research and Translational Science, Vaccine Discovery and Development at GSK Vaccines in Rixensart, Belgium. Previously he served as Deputy Director for Vaccines, Infectious Diseases Development, Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Ballou is an expert in vaccine development and has worked in this field for more than 30 years. Trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, he began his work on vaccines at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research where he led the team that with GlaxoSmithKline co-developed RTS,S, the world’s most advanced malaria vaccine. Dr. Ballou has numerous publications in the field of vaccine development and infectious diseases.

Listen now on iTunes Google Play , and TuneIn

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Aaron Chang, Renalert CEO – Engineering a Global Paradigm Shift to Prevent Acute Kidney Injury · BioBuzz

Every entrepreneur has a “founder’s story” that serves to build the unique framework for why they are just the right person to solve a specific problem. For Aaron Chang, CEO of Renalert, that story began at Johns Hopkins University in the Masters of Bioengineering Innovation and Design program.

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AgriTech Accelerator at Farm Progress Show

Attending the Farm Progress Show at Boone, Iowa, this year? Add the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator to your list of exhibitors to visit.

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WellDoc®’s BlueStar® Now Available for Hypertension and Weight Management – WellDoc Inc

WellDoc®, a leading digital health company, today announces hypertension and weight management solutions integrated within its digital therapeutic app for type 2 diabetes, BlueStar®. Later this year, WellDoc will launch its stand-alone product for individuals living with hypertension (high blood pressure) and stand-alone products are also in development for multiple chronic diseases.

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Why A Spin-off Is A Win-Win For Big Pharma And Startups

When Viela Bio spun out of MedImmune in March, it started with six assets — three in clinical trials and three in preclinical development — putting it ahead of most startups and many spin-offs. “Other spin-offs often are developing assets that have been shelved for various reasons or that have been deprioritized,” Bing Yao, Ph.D., CEO, notes. “But for Viela Bio, this is a continuation of the programs, not a handoff.”

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Biobuzz Directory – 3 Biotech Startups Among Recipients of TEDCO’s Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) $5.6 Million Funding

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 FY18 includes 38 technology assessment grants and seven start-up investments for a total of $5.56 million. True to its technology agnostic funding history, this year the startups ranged from medical devices to aeronautics and the sports industry.

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CosmosID is the top performer in Janssen’s Mosaic Strain Challenge and precisionFDA’s CFSAN Pathogen Detection Challenge — CosmosID

CosmosID a bioinformatics provider and NGS service laboratory announced that the company’s cloud-based bioinformatics platform for microbiome analysis has received the highest score in the strain-level microbial profiling category of the Mosaic Community Challenge and for strain-level microbial identification in the precisionFDA Pathogen Detection Challenge.

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gel-e expands its OTC label

gel-e Inc., announces the 510(k) clearance of gel-e FLEX by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the over-the-counter (OTC) use of its first flowable hemostat.

This new clearance expands the Company’s label that now includes the use of gels and bandages in the local management of bleeding, such as lacerations and minor bleeding. These products are specifically designed to create rapid hemostasis through easy-to-use applications for professional healthcare providers, parents, coaches, adult caregivers and even patients themselves. gel-e FLEX also complements the Company’s already FDA cleared vascular closure device, Vascular gel-e®, as it can be worn home by patients to manage any residual bleeding from an out-patient diagnostic or interventional procedure, see http://www.gel-e.co/products.html.

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Gemstone Biotherapeutics receives $225K from ‘America’s Seed Fund’ – Technical.ly Baltimore

With federal funding, Gemstone Biotherapeutics is eying development of the next generation of its wound-healing technology.

The Federal Hill startup is developing treatments that enable skin regeneration without scars.

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Four steps to building an innovation culture in pharma – Pharmaphorum

The quest for innovation is a major driving force in pharma. From the discovery of therapeutic biologicals in the 1920s, such as Salvarsan and insulin, to the blockbuster drugs birthed in the 1990s, such as Lipitor and Humira, pharma has always been on a quest for novel, groundbreaking drug development.

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Israel’s Teva to move US HQ from Pennsylvania to New Jersey | The Times of Israel

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the troubled Israeli manufacturer of generic drugs, will be moving its US headquarters from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, lured by 10-year, $40 million tax incentive plan.

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310th Edition – July 3, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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July 3, 2018



Rip Ballou, MD, VP & Head, GSK Global Vaccines US R&D Center, joins host Rich Bendis on a new episode of BioTalk

In this new episode of BioTalk, Rip Ballou, MD, VP & Head, GSK Global Vaccines US R&D Center and BHI President & CEO Rich Bendis discuss GSK’s move to the BioHealth Capital Region, their Vaccines Portfolio/Future, and the importance of succeeding in the industry today.

W. Ripley Ballou, MD is Vice President and Head, GSK Global Vaccines U.S. R&D Center in Rockville, MD – Just outside of Washington, DC. Prior to this he was VP and Head, Clinical Research and Translational Science, Vaccine Discovery and Development at GSK Vaccines in Rixensart, Belgium. Previously he served as Deputy Director for Vaccines, Infectious Diseases Development, Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Ballou is an expert in vaccine development and has worked in this field for more than 30 years. Trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, he began his work on vaccines at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research where he led the team that with GlaxoSmithKline co-developed RTS,S, the world’s most advanced malaria vaccine. Dr. Ballou has numerous publications in the field of vaccine development and infectious diseases.

Listen now on iTunes Google Play , and TuneIn

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Senseonics Announces Public Offering of Common Stock – Business Wire

Senseonics Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: SENS), a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of Eversense®, a long-term, implantable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for people with diabetes, today announced that it has commenced a registered underwritten public offering of $80 million of its shares of common stock. In addition, Senseonics has granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $12 million of its shares of common stock. All of the shares to be sold in the offering are to be sold by Senseonics.

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QIAGEN announces broadening of GeneReader NGS System applications into hereditary disease analysis | Business Wire

QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today introduced seamless next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions for a wide range of hereditary diseases on the GeneReader NGS System, the complete Sample to Insight NGS solution for any lab worldwide.

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DC area is home to 2 of the nation’s best children’s hospitals | WTOP

Hospitals in D.C. and Baltimore rank among the best in the nation, according to a new list released by U.S. News & World Report.

Overall, Children’s National Medical Center in D.C. ranked No. 5 and John’s Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore ranked No. 8 on the “honor roll,” which lists the best-performing children’s hospitals across 10 pediatric specialties including neonatal care, neurology, cancer and cardiology.

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gel-e expands its OTC label

gel-e Inc., announces the 510(k) clearance of gel-e FLEX by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the over-the-counter (OTC) use of its first flowable hemostat.

This new clearance expands the Company’s label that now includes the use of gels and bandages in the local management of bleeding, such as lacerations and minor bleeding. These products are specifically designed to create rapid hemostasis through easy-to-use applications for professional healthcare providers, parents, coaches, adult caregivers and even patients themselves. gel-e FLEX also complements the Company’s already FDA cleared vascular closure device, Vascular gel-e®, as it can be worn home by patients to manage any residual bleeding from an out-patient diagnostic or interventional procedure, see http://www.gel-e.co/products.html.

Read More




Rockville Employers Rank High On ‘Top Workplace For 2018’ List | Rockville, MD Patch

Two Rockville employers are among the top workplaces in the region, according to The Washington Post’s newest ranking.

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Campus Director Leslie Weber Inducted As Chair of Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce – News – Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus

Leslie Weber was inducted in June as chair of the board of directors of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Weber is director of the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus and director of government and community affairs for Johns Hopkins in Montgomery County. She long has been involved with the Chamber: She has held leadership positions on the board and received the Chairman’s Award in 2016.

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Greater Baltimore’s top NIH grant recipients include Johns Hopkins, Kennedy Krieger – Baltimore Business Journal

Johns Hopkins University is again the top NIH grant recipient in Greater Baltimore in 2017, with a total grant value of $651.8 million last year.

The university also led all U.S. universities in research and development expenditures for the 38th consecutive year in fiscal year 2016, spending $2.4 billion on various research projects.

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Mtech is hiring! – Specialist (Temporary), Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program, University of Maryland

The Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) at the University of Maryland, College Park seeks an organized, energetic person to assist with operational functions and related activities for the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program in the Honors College.

This nationally award-winning program helps to develop the entrepreneurial mindsets, skill sets and resources for first and second-year students.

The position-holder would provide coordination and support for

program operations and administration courses and curriculum student activities and engagement marketing and recruiting development and grants

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CosmosID is the top performer in Janssen’s Mosaic Strain Challenge and precisionFDA’s CFSAN Pathogen Detection Challenge — CosmosID

CosmosID a bioinformatics provider and NGS service laboratory announced that the company’s cloud-based bioinformatics platform for microbiome analysis has received the highest score in the strain-level microbial profiling category of the Mosaic Community Challenge and for strain-level microbial identification in the precisionFDA Pathogen Detection Challenge.

Read More




Health Tech Early Stage Funding Snapshot – Inova Personalized Health Accelerator

There is limited data available on Health Tech investing in general and even less related to early stage investing in the sector. IPHA set out to fill that gap by analyzing quarterly health tech investing data between 2010 through Q1 2018. We track both total investment dollars and deals completed over the period with additional analysis of the five quarters leading up to March 31, 2018. There is an unmistakeable trend reversal that started in Q1 2017 that is significant for both health tech entrepreneurs and investors.

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Lupin partners with Mylan for Enbrel Biosimilar

Lupin has announced that it has partnered with Mylan to commercialize Enbrel (Etanercept) biosimilar. Under the terms of the agreement, Lupin will receive an up-front payment of $15mn and potential commercial milestones together with an equal share in net profits of the product. Mylan will commercialize Lupin’s Etanercept biosimilar in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Africa and most markets throughout Asia.

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Where do AI and oncology converge? – MedCity News

Though we’re nowhere near machines taking over, artificial intelligence has a plethora of applications in healthcare. The oncology space is no exception.

The intersection of artificial intelligence and cancer care is up for discussion at the forthcoming MedCity CONVERGE conference in Philadelphia on July 11-12.

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The top 5 highest-paid women biopharma executives in 2017 | FiercePharma

Women and men almost equally shared all positions in the life sciences world, but women are not advancing in their biopharma careers at the same pace as men, according to a recent report by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and recruiting firm Liftstream. The wide gender gap higher up, though improved in recent years, persists: Women only hold a quarter of all C-suite level jobs, and less than 15% joined the board of directors.

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GE Healthcare to become standalone business – MedCity News

Changes are afoot at GE. The company will separate GE Healthcare into a standalone company.

Kieran Murphy, the president and CEO of GE Healthcare, will continue at the helm of the business, which offers medical imaging, biomanufacturing and data analytics capabilities, among other services.

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Penn invests $50 million in biotech in a bold bid to build Philly’s innovation cluster

Without fanfare, the University of Pennsylvania has agreed to invest up to $50 million over the next three years in at least 10 biotech companies, the Inquirer has learned.

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NYC biotech incubators begin welcoming tenants | am New York

The city has begun testing its hypothesis that real estate costs and other hurdles stood in the way of a booming life science sector by supporting three biotech incubators.

Two of the incubators, which offer young companies an affordable workspace, lab equipment and networking opportunities, have started welcoming tenants. But data on the strategy’s success has been sparse.

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The Five Biggest Startup Opportunities In Agtech Today

Venture investors poured more than $1 billion into agtech last year, and we are on pace to match or exceed that this year. The convergence of AI, cloud computing, big data and gene editing, with applications from soil to plants, foods to medicines, farm to table are driving investments. Discerning startups and investors will capitalize from the market’s current, numerous opportunities.

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Philadelphia-based Carisma Therapeutics closes $53 million venture capital financing – Philadelphia Business Journal

Carisma Therapeutics, formerly Carma Therapeutics, is working on a new onco-immunotherapy approach for treating cancer patients with solid tumors.

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309th Edition – June 26, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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June 26, 2018



AI based anti-phishing company Inky, based in Rockville Innovation Center, receives $5.6 Million from ClearSky Security, Blackstone and Gula Tech Adventures

Inky receives series A funding to enhance analytics capabilities of the software and expand sales and marketing.

Inky Technology Corporation, the leading email security company based in Rockville, Maryland, announces today that ClearSky Security led the Series A round to invest $5.6 million to enhance analytics capabilities of the software and expand sales and marketing. Gula Tech Adventures also participated in the round, and Blackstone (NYSE:BX) has joined as a strategic investor. ClearSky Security Managing Director Peter Kuper has joined CEO/founder Dave Baggett, co-founder Simon Smith, and The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) CIO Chris Hjelm on the company’s board of directors.

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A look at the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator 2018 class – Clay & Milk

The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator recently announced the five AgTech startups selected for the program’s class of 2018.

Based in Des Moines, the accelerator is a mentor-led program that focuses on ag-based technology innovations. This year’s class is the second to go through the 100-day program.

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How CEO Martine Rothblatt Turns Moonshots Into Earthshots

From cofounding Sirius Satellite Radio to launching a biotech company to find a cure for her daughter’s illness, Martine Rothblatt has had so much career success that any one of her accomplishments would be a crowning achievement for another entrepreneur. “I always try to convert a moonshot into an earthshot,” Rothblatt told hundreds at the Forbes Women’s Summit on Tuesday.

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First phage therapy center in the U.S. signals growing acceptance

When her husband was dying of a drug-resistant infection, Steffanie Strathdee had a last-ditch idea. They could try treating him with a virus that would kill the bacteria colonizing his insides. The method, called phage therapy, was popular in former Soviet republics, but had mostly been abandoned in the U.S. Researchers had to hunt for the right virus in Texas pigsties and sewage treatment plants.

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Superbug killers find a home at UC San Diego – The San Diego Union-Tribune

What started with a wife’s stubborn refusal to give up on her husband who lay dying of a superbug infection has become a whole new research initiative at UC San Diego.

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Silence Therapeutics strengthens Board and leadership team – PharmaTimes

Silence Therapeutics has appointed Dave Lemus to its Board as non-executive director and Richard Jenkins as head of clinical development. Dave has over 20 years of US and international business experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, having served in executive management and non-executive board roles in multiple US and European private and publicly-traded companies. He is currently executive vice chair, chief operating officer and CFO of Proteros biostructures. He also currently serves as a non-executive board member of BioHealth Innovation, Sorrento Therapeutics, and the MIT Club of Washington DC.

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Marriott International Breaks Ground for New Headquarters in Downtown Bethesda – Bethesda Beat – Bethesda, MD

Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, on Thursday broke ground on the $600 million project to build a headquarters in downtown Bethesda.

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CASI Pharmaceuticals Enters Strategic Partnering And Contract Manufacturing Agreement With Yiling

CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CASI), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and delivery of high quality, cost-effective pharmaceutical products and innovative therapeutics to patients in the U.S., China and throughout the world, announces a strategic and long-term manufacturing agreement with Yiling Wanzhou International Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the manufacturing of entecavir and cilostazol. Yiling Wanzhou International Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. The contracted manufacturing facilities have been inspected by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and China FDA (CFDA) and operate to strict International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, which will enable CASI to eventually sell both entecavir and cilostazol in the U.S., China and worldwide markets. Entecavir and cilostazol are part of the 29 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) that CASI acquired from Sandoz in January 2018.

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GS-15 Vacancy Announcement: Director, NCI Technology Transfer Center

An exciting job opportunity is available to work in the Technology Transfer Center (TTC), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS).

If you have experience providing leadership and direction on all matters related to the development & management of technology transfer and patenting and licensing then consider becoming a Supervisory Technology Transfer & Patent Specialist at the NCI!

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University of Maryland grad advances medical alert system startup Symbiont Health with new tech – Washington Business Journal

There have been many a product over the years aimed at getting help to seniors who suffered a fall. But when Erich Meissner’s grandmother had a fall of her own, her device didn’t work for her — because she wasn’t wearing it, a problem the University of Maryland alum found to be widespread.

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Galen Robotics is 3rd JHTV-affiliated company to win the Crab Trap Pitch Competition – JHTV

April’s 2018 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap, an annual pitch competition, featured five Maryland-area startups vying for its $10,000 award.

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Medical Innovators Draw Chinese Funds – Private Equity News

Fledgling biotechs and medical-technology startups in the U.S. and Europe have found a new source of funding for their costly research: China.

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Turning A Phage – YouTube

Joel Grimwood needed a new heart, but a chronic bacterial infection lurking within his implanted ventricle assist device made getting one impossible. Five transplant centers declined his case due to his persistent infection. Then Grimwood came to UC San Diego Health, where doctors treated the infection with an experimental bacteriophage therapy – viruses that eat bacteria. The infection cleared and Grimwood got his new heart.

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United Therapeutics CEO Explains Why Healthcare Is Overly Expensive – Observer

United Therapeutics CEO Martine Rothblatt may not sound like a familiar name to an average person, but in the healthcare industry, she is a living legend. Rothblatt was the second-highest paid female CEO in the U.S. in 2017—and the 19th highest paid overall. (She was the highest-paid female CEO in the U.S. in 2013.)

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The 2nd Annual Tech Showcase Reflects New Culture at NCI & FNLCR – BioBuzz

When you hear the term “government research” do the words “entrepreneur”, “start-up”, “commercially relevant” or “industry partner” come to mind?

For many, they would not. However, if you attended the Second Annual Technology Showcase last week hosted by NCI and the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) those are the words that came up in each and every presentation. This event wasn’t your average government research poster session showcasing incredibly interesting, yet commercially irrelevant studies. This event was all about the commercially relevant technologies being developed at the NCI and FNLCR that have the potential to take to patients, and the success stories of those that already have.

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TEDCO has new funding and programming for underserved founders – Technical.ly Baltimore

TEDCO plans to provide funding and business-building programming to entrepreneurs from groups who are often overlooked by investors through a new fund that will begin this fall.

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Accenture Expands Innovation Hub in Metro Washington, D.C. with Launch of New Cyber Fusion Center | Business Wire

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has expanded its metro Washington, D.C. innovation hub with the opening today of a new flagship Cyber Fusion Center, located in Arlington’s Rosslyn business district, designed to help organizations apply new techniques and intelligent tools to defend against data breaches and cyberattacks.

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Science in the City: June 28, 2018 – UM BioPark

Host: UM BioPark & Wexford Science + Technology

Location: UM BioPark On the Nook Cafe Patio 801 W. Baltimore Street Baltimore Maryland 21201

Date: June 28, 2018, 5:00pm to 6:30pm

Mingle with BioPark tenants, our UM Ventures staff, UMB faculty and leaders in Baltimore’s technology community. On the Nook Patio, weather permitting.

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New ’Innovation Ecosystem’ Program at the National League of Cities Supports Local Entrepreneurs,

Today the National League of Cities (NLC) announced a new program, City Innovation Ecosystems, dedicated to helping cities thrive in the modern economy. The program marks a major new push by NLC to support regional entrepreneurship, innovation and STEM pathways in a time when too few cities are fully participating in the high-tech, global economy.

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Precision medicine: Where we are and where we’re going – MedCity News

We’re hearing more and more about precision medicine and how it can positively impact medicine. But what is preventing it from reaching its full potential, and how can everyone from hospitals to startups help scale it?

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The Greater Washington Partnership is teaming with universities to build a set of regional tech credentials – Washington Business Journal

The Greater Washington Partnership, an alliance of local CEOs, is launching a formal collaboration program with a swath of regional universities — part of an effort to spur the development of more tech-focused workers.

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EAGB names interim president, explores new leadership model – Technical.ly Baltimore

The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore named Bill Jones as its interim leader on Monday, and said it is exploring a new leadership structure.

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Funding healthcare accelerators, an HHS unit is taking a VC approach to innovation – MedCity News

The DRIVe (Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures) website looks like it belongs to a VC company rather than a federal agency – smart graphics and succinct descriptions. That’s not an accident. DRIVe is taking a venture approach to solving some intractable health issues.

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308th Edition – June 19, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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June 19, 2018



BIO 2018 Recap

Business partnering, education and networking was the focus of 3500 biohealth industry leaders who attended the BIO International Convention (BIO) Conference earlier this month in Boston.  At the event, BIO set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest Business Partnering Event with 41,400 partnering meetings.  Many of these meetings took place in the pavilion hosted by the Maryland Department of Commerce which included space for meetings BioHealth Innovation, Montgomery County Economic Development Corp (MCEDC), Rockville Economic Development (REDI), the City of Gaithersburg, Viva White Oak, PIC-MC (Montgomery College), University of Maryland Ventures, Johns Hopkins University, Fina BioSolutions, Integrated Pharma Services,  Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., Emergent BioSolutions, AsclepiX, and US FDA’s Tech Transfer Office.  Others from the BioHealth Capital Region who attended included:  ABL, American Gene Technologies, AstraZeneca / MedImmune, Altimmune, BioMarker Strategies, Bytegrid, Children’s National Health, CRBE, Creatv Microtech, GlycoMimetics, IDT Biologica, Immunomics, Intrexon, Leidos Health, MacroGenics, Maryland Tech Council, MaxCyte, Newport Board Group, Novodux Paragon Bioservices, REGENXBIO, MacroGenics, Neuronascent, Scheer Partners, Smithers Avanza, TEDCO, the University of Maryland Baltimore, and the University of Maryland’s Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology Research.

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Gaithersburg Ranks Among Top 10 Best Cities For STEM Workers | Gaithersburg, MD Patch

Based on data collected by Livability.com, a website that explores what makes small-to-medium sized cities ideal places to live, the City of Gaithersburg ranked in the top 10 of a 2018 listing of Best Cities for STEM Workers, coming in at #6. The site analyzed data from 2,000 cities and towns across the country, looking at such factors as share of total jobs that fall into the STEM category, the median income for those jobs, and the median income for STEM jobs in relation to overall median income within each city. Number one on the list was Huntsville, Alabama.

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Neuralstem Awarded Phase I SBIR Contract to Support Research into Neural Stem Cell Therapy for Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Nasdaq:CUR

Neuralstem, Inc. (Nasdaq:CUR), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for nervous system diseases, today announced that it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the Department of Defense (DoD). The award of $150,000 will support the Company’s ongoing efforts to develop its NSI-566 human neural stem cell line as a candidate therapeutic for severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

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Johns Hopkins spinout LifeSprout raises $6.5 million – Technical.ly Baltimore

Johns Hopkins spinout LifeSprout recently closed on $6.5 million in funding as it looks to bring soft tissue replacement technology to market, according to CEO Sashank Reddy.

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How Adaptive Phage Therapeutics Inc. is saving lives with bacteria-killing viruses – Washington Business Journal

The Gaithersburg-based company is raising $5 million, ahead of a planned Series A round of at least $30 million in the first quarter of 2019, to bring a therapy for drug-resistant bacteria to market as soon as possible.

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Insilico Medicine receives strategic investment from Chinese biotech firm – Technical.ly Baltimore

Baltimore-based Insilico Medicine landed a new strategic investment from Chinese biotech company WuXi AppTec.

The amount of the funding was not disclosed, but the investment also includes a strategic partnership between Insilico and WuXi, which specializes in contract research for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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United Therapeutics (UTHR) Announces Collaboration with XVIVO Perfusion to Reduce Organ Shortage

United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR) and XVIVO Perfusion, Inc., a subsidiary of XVIVO Perfusion AB (STO: XVIVO), today announced that the use of XVIVO’s ex-vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) technology will be incorporated into the Silver Spring, Maryland laboratory of Lung Bioengineering Inc., a subsidiary of United Therapeutics’ public benefit corporation subsidiary Lung Biotechnology PBC.

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TEDCO launching fund to serve the young startups venture capitalists often overlook – Baltimore Business Journal

Maryland Technology Development Corp. is launching a new fund that will offer early stage investments of $50,000 to startups that may be overlooked by other funding organizations.

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Baltimore biotech WindMIL Therapeutics raises $32.5 million – Baltimore Business Journal

Baltimore biotechnology firm WindMIL Therapeutics has raised a $32.5 million to support clinical trials and further development for new cancer therapies.

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Lockheed Martin Doubles Venture Capital Fund To $200 Million – Defense Daily Network

Lockheed Martin [LMT] on Wednesday said it has added another $100 million to its venture capital fund, doubling the firepower of Lockheed Martin Ventures for investments in early-stage companies that are developing advanced technologies.

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Eight startups join Maryland duo-backed accelerator · Articles · Global University Venturing

Eight US-based startups have been accepted onto the 2018 cohort of Trajectory Next, a second-stage accelerator run by Johns Hopkins University (JHU), University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and incubator Betamore.

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July 12th Deadline to Apply – StartRight Business Plan Competition

The StartRight! Women’s Business Plan Competition was founded in 2004 by Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) to encourage and support women’s entrepreneurship. Now run by the Maryland Women’s Business Center, an initiative of REDI, StartRight! awards prizes for winning business plans each year. The women who enter our competition receive more than the opportunity to win a top prize of $5,000; they also receive valuable coaching and feedback on their business plan!

Complete plans are due electronically by July 12th. For more information, click here.

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REGENXBIO Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for RGX-111 Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I | REGENXBIO Inc.

REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX), a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company seeking to improve lives through the curative potential of gene therapy based on its proprietary NAV® Technology Platform, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for RGX-111. RGX-111 is a novel, one-time investigational treatment for Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I), that is designed to deliver the human iduronidase (IDUA) gene directly to the central nervous system (CNS) using the NAV AAV9 vector.

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RoosterBio Inc. Becomes Industry Partner in NSF-Funded Public-Private Cell Manufacturing Technologies Initiative

RoosterBio Inc. has joined the new NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies, known as CMaT. The center, launched in 2017 with a $20 million investment from the National Science Foundation, aims to revolutionize the treatment of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and other disorders by enabling scalable manufacturing and broad use of potentially curative therapies that utilize living cells – such as immune cells and stem cells – as “drugs.”

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REGENXBIO Receives $100 Million Accelerated License Payment Due to Acquisition of AveXis by Novartis | REGENXBIO Inc.

REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX), a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company seeking to improve lives through the curative potential of gene therapy based on its proprietary NAV® Technology Platform, today announced that it has received an accelerated license payment of $100 million under its license agreement (the License Agreement) with AveXis, Inc. (AveXis) for the development and commercialization of products to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), due to the acquisition of AveXis by Novartis AG (Novartis).

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Pigs into people: UW joins renewed effort to use animals as organ donors | Local News | host.madison.com

For half a century, doctors have said human organ transplants will someday be replaced by xenotransplantation, or putting animal organs into people.

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Alexandria LaunchLabs, the Premier Life Science Startup Platform, Strategically Located at the Alexandria Center for Life Science – NYC, Celebrates First Anniversary and Announces First Investments through the Alexandria Seed Capital Platform – GuruFocus.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT uniquely focused on collaborative life science and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, celebrated the first anniversary of Alexandria LaunchLabs®, which opened at the Alexandria Center® for Life Science – New York City in June 2017.

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NYC Better Brace Itself for Wave of Life Science Companies – Commercial Observer

The life science industry is growing rapidly around the country and New York City is poised for an explosion of new companies—but there isn’t enough real estate to accommodate them in Gotham, according to industry experts at the first-ever Life Sciences 2018 Real Estate Development Symposium on June 12.

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Biotech Task Force offers suggestions to reinvigorate life science industry, but warns, ‘there is no magic bullet’ – ROI-NJ

The state’s Biotechnology Task Force released a 44-page report of recommendations to the state that could help New Jersey reinvigorate its life sciences sector.

Many of the themes from the report echo comments from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s annual conference in Boston recently.

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Smart City Works DEMO DAY S18

Wed, Jun 20, 2018 at 1:00 PM

Come meet our Spring Cohort of next generation technology ventures in: AR/ VR, Smart Parking, Intelligent Buildings, Mobile Wallet, Multi-modal Transport, Cyber Security, that are changing the way we design, build, and operate cities!

Paid Public Parking is available in the garage beneath the Virginia Tech Research Centre. Garage entrance is off 9th Street at the corner of Glebe Road.

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Rare Genomics Institute Announces Winners of BeHEARD (Helping Empower and Accelerate Research Discoveries) Rare Disease Challenge — Rare Genomics Institute

The Rare Genomics (RG) Institute is delighted to announce the winners of the 2017 BeHEARD (Helping Empower and Accelerate Research Discoveries) science challenge, a global competition that offers rare disease researchers, who traditionally have difficulty attracting funding, grants of the latest life science innovations and technologies. This unique crowdsourced biotechnology competition allows companies to contribute their technology to make a difference for the rare disease community.

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Top 10 Under 40 – The Lists – GEN

If indeed “innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower,” as Steve Jobs wrote in 2001, then this year’s Top 10 Under 40 are well on the way to becoming leaders in biopharma research and business.

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CRISPR Could Help Us Cure Diseases. It Could Also Cause Cancer.

You know already about the promise for CRISPR-Cas9 — it might revolutionize fields from medicine to agriculture.

It might also eventually cause tumors.

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Next Chapter For Biotech? Many Say ‘Convergence’ With Data Science | CommonHealth

So far, the digital revolution has mostly been a disappointment in health care. Doctors stare at their screens instead of us. Specialists and emergency rooms still don’t have all our records.

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Gates Foundation debuts nonprofit biotech firm at BIO – MedCity News

Biotechnology is one of the hottest areas in business and investing, so it might seem a bit counterintuitive that a new biotechnology firm just launched that won’t seek to make any profit. But the new nonprofit drugmaker seeks to do precisely that, in order to tackle some of the worst health crises in the developing world.

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Gottlieb at BIO: FDA developing processes around right-to-try law – MedCity News

Perhaps it was inevitable that with Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb speaking before an auditorium full of biotechnology executives, a particularly contentious topic would come up: the new right-to-try law.

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307th Edition – June 8, 2018

By BHI Weekly News Archives




BioHealth Innovation


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June 8, 2018



BioHealth in MoCo: Strength in Numbers (PDF)

Biotechnology and life sciences discoveries are deeply embedded in our DNA. MoCo is home to a thriving global hub, where life-saving innovations emerge every day. Our BioHealth clusters have more than 10,000 employees working in the private sector and an estimated 49,000 in federal government agencies along Montgomery County’s I-270 corridor, a lively and growing biohealth hotbed.

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Top 50 NIH-Funded Institutions of 2018 | The Lists | GEN

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests nearly $37.3 billion annually in medical research. More than 80% of the funding is awarded through nearly 50,000 competitive grants to more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2500 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions in every U.S. state and around the world.

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Investment, Innovation and Job Creation in a Growing U.S. Bioscience Industry

The bioscience industry represents the unique confluence of key characteristics for societal and economic progress—extremely high levels of innovation that are saving and improving lives through advancements in biomedical, energy and advanced food and industrial technologies; and expanding a wide mix of employment opportunities with wages and incomes that support a high standard of living. The industry thinks big and is addressing a host of global grand challenges related to diagnosing, treating and curing disease; ensuring a safe, affordable and more sustainable food supply; and leveraging biotechnologies and sustainable approaches to develop biobased fuels, chemicals and other industrial products.

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Useful Stats: SBIR/STTR awards by Metro (2013-2017) – Maryland Ranked #3

Last week, SSTI examined the geography of “America’s Seed Fund,” the SBIR/STTR awards, on a state-by-state basis. A look at how the more than 25,500 awards were distributed at the regional level over the five-year period from 2013 to 2017 yields additional insight. The metropolitan areas with the largest concentrations of SBIR/STTR awards include knowledge hubs with large universities and access to federal R&D, such as Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. Smaller regions with a large federal R&D presence, like Huntsville, Alabama, Santa Maria, California and Dayton, Ohio also rank highly.

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BHI Job Opportunity: Executive Administrator

This position reports to and works directly with the President & CEO and in close collaboration with the Director of Finance and Managing Director, Economic Development. The Executive Administrator also works closely with other staff members to ensure smooth operations and effective collaboration. As the representative of BioHealth Innovation, the Executive Administrator will provide administrative work in coordination with external leaders, constituents and board members.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to jobs@biohealthinnovation.org.

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GlycoMimetics prices $119m public offering – MassDevice

GlycoMimetics (NSDQ:GLYC) priced an underwritten public offering of 7,000,000 shares of common stock at $17.00 apiece today, reporting that it expects to bring in $119 million from the offering.

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Emergent BioSolutions Announces $50 Million Expansion of Baltimore Fill/Finish Facility NYSE:EBS

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced the beginning of a $50 million expansion to the company’s Camden fill/finish facility located in Baltimore, Md. The multi-year expansion is expected to be completed in 2021, and will significantly increase the company’s contract development and manufacturing capacity, redundancy, and flexibility. This expansion is also anticipated to create up to 60 new jobs in the next three years.

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Noble Life Sciences Selects Comprehensive Suite of Preclinical Software Solutions from Instem | Business Wire

Instem, a leading provider of IT solutions to the global life sciences market, is pleased to announce that Noble Life Sciences, Inc. (Noble) has purchased a comprehensive package of preclinical software solutions, including Provantis®, the market leading preclinical data management system.

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Sonavex Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for EchoMark & EchoMark LP Tissue Markers – Sonavex

Sonavex, Inc., a privately held medical device company focused on improving surgical patient outcomes with point-of-care imaging technologies, announced today that it received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its EchoMark and EchoMark LP soft tissue markers.

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Emerging Therapeutic Company Investment and Deal Trends

With more than 90% of the biopharmaceutical industry made up of small, emerging companies, it is important for BIO to better understand early-stage investor and deal-making trends in order to determine where scientific or policy issues may be impacting the industry’s ability to maintain a robust pipeline of innovative medicines. The ability to access capital and form strategic alliances is vital for small therapeutic-focused companies to succeed in translating novel drug candidates into approved medical products for patients.

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VLP Therapeutics is Recognized by the Government of Japan (Cabinet Office) “Comprehensive Strategy on Science, Technology and Innovation for 2017” – VLP Therapeutics

VLP Therapeutics is Recognized by the Government of Japan (Cabinet Office) “Comprehensive Strategy on Science, Technology and Innovation for 2017” VLP Therapeutics was recently recognized as one of eleven companies that exemplify Japan’s commitment to Innovation as outlined in the 2017 Comprehensive Strategy on Science, Technology and Innovation.

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Ceres Nanosciences reaches product development milestone for point-of-care Lyme disease test and closes on an additional $5.5M of Series A funding.

Ceres Nanosciences (Ceres) is announcing today that it has reached a key product development milestone for its Nanotrap® Lyme Antigen Test System. The Nanotrap® Lyme Antigen Test System will proceed into manufacturing and analytical performance testing this year and is on track for clinical study and FDA submission in 2019.

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You’re Invited! 2018 Inova Discovery Series: Early Stage Investing in Health Technology

We invite you to join us for the first event of the 2018 Inova Discovery Series: Early Stage Investing in Health Technology on Thursday, June 21, 2018, at the Inova Center for Personalized Health located at 3225 Gallows Road Fairfax, VA 22031.

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Information Session for the Master of Professional Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship

Are you interested in leading innovation within an established company or creating your own startup company?

Explore the online Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Technology Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. Applications for the fall 2018 entering class are due by June 15, 2018.

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Partnership Between Maryland Stem Cell Program and Bio-Trac Continues to Grow Through Sponsorship of Upcoming Workshops | Tedco

Bio-Trac, biotechnology training solutions company, announced the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund at TEDCO will partner on three stem cell related training programs: Gene Editing iPSCs and NSCs with CRISPR, Hepatocytes Derived from Human iPSCs, and Generating The Neural Lineage From iPSCs.

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GSK to host the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership conference – EPM Magazine

The conference is aimed at bringing together global companies to showcase the successes and future innovation of the innovative medicines manufacturing sector, which is already worth £30 billion to the economy.

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Johns Hopkins, Betamore, UMB select a cohort of startups for Baltimore’s newest accelerator program Trajectory Next – Baltimore Business Journal

Betamore, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures and the University of Maryland, Baltimore have launched the first cohort of a new collaborative accelerator program, called Trajectory Next.

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Kinometrix lands Inova Personalized Health Accelerator’s second investment – Washington Business Journal

The company will receive $75,000 in exchange for up to 10 percent equity, plus incubation space and a customized growth strategy.

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Pfizer commits $600 mln to VC unit – PE Hub

New York City-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc is planning on investing $600 million in biotechnology and other emerging growth companies through Pfizer Ventures. About 25 percent of the funding will focus on neuroscience.

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How NIH is Organizing Its Enormous Troves of Data – Nextgov

The National Institutes of Health on Monday announced a sweeping initiative to revamp the way it manages data in an effort to foster the adoption of artificial intelligence, supercomputing and other technologies poised to transform medical research.

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How Israel Became a World Leader in Biotechnology – The Times of Israel

Renowned worldwide for its technological prowess in fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, IT, and smart mobility, Israel is also continuing to gain recognition for its invaluable contributions to the worlds of biotechnology and the life sciences – technologies which help improve healthcare and quality of life for millions worldwide.

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WIB-Capital Region Hosts Baltimore Mixer

Tuesday, June 19, 2018 – 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. EST

It’s been a wonderful spring for Women In Bio in Baltimore. Local organizers have put on amazing morning meet-ups featuring outstanding women scientists-entrepreneurs and business leaders. Let’s cap off this “season” with a Capital Region chapter-wide event. At this evening mixer, we’ll get to know each other more and meet new people in the bio scene in Baltimore and beyond.

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How to find biotech startup cash, with or without traditional VCs

Skim the headlines, and you might get the impression that the biotech startup world revolves around an insider’s club of Midas-listed venture capitalists.

Not true.

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CMS, HHS and FDA to tech innovators: Here’s how to win federal agencies as customers | Healthcare IT News

Healthcare focused startups and government agencies got together in the same room here for HHS Startup Day and each group brought some hard-earned advice for the other.

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Mary Meeker’s 2018 Internet Trends report: Key takeaways | ZDNet

Mary Meeker, leading technology analyst and partner at venture firm KIeiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), released her annual internet trends report on Wednesday. As usual, the lengthy compilation of Internet prognostications offers a comprehensive look at the current digital technology landscape and what tech trends to expect next. Here are a few highlights.

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Rent hikes could force out UCity labs – Philadelphia Inquirer – Philly Edition, 2018-05-31

Philadelphia’s old brick residential neighborhoods aren’t the only part of the city that’s being gentrified.

The same thing is happening to University City’s rental lab space, where some rents are quadrupling. It’s a sign of success and the flood of investment boosting biotech firms. But it’s also a threat to startups that could force brainy startup leaders to flee to cheap space in the suburbs or go out of state, some university officials, start-up founders and young scientists say.

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Chinese sister state promoting more trade with Maryland | MarylandReporter.com

When Gov. Harry Hughes went to Anhui Province in China in 1980, it became Maryland’s first foreign sister state, and China’s first province to connect with an American state, the beginning of many steps in its engagement with the United States.

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Life sciences companies could see changes in collaborations with new accounting standard – Boston Business Journal

Regulatory and competitive uncertainties in the marketplace lead many life sciences companies to enter into collaborative arrangements with other companies to develop new drugs or medical devices. These arrangements allow for the leverage of expertise that may not have been available in-house – such as a pharmaceutical company that sees promising new science from a biotech startup – while also sharing in the costs and risks of new product development.

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Gene therapy is saving children’s lives—but screening to discover who needs it is lagging behind – MIT Technology Review

Fifteen children born with a rare muscle-wasting disease would probably not be alive today if not for an experimental treatment that tweaked their genes shortly after they were born.

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Servier Announces Launch of Servier BioInnovation in the U.S. | Business Wire

Servier, an independent international pharmaceutical company, today announced the appointments of Christian Schubert, Ph.D. and Rekha Paleyanda, Ph.D., as Directors of Servier BioInnovation along with the opening of the Servier BioInnovation office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The appointments of Dr. Schubert and Dr. Paleyanda, who will head Servier’s U.S. R&D and external innovation, and business development and licensing (BD&L) activities respectively, will operationalize the launch of Servier BioInnovation in the U.S. Located in the heart of one of the world’s leading biotechnology hubs in the Cambridge Innovation Center at Kendall Square, Servier BioInnovation will lead Servier’s expansion efforts into the U.S. innovation ecosystem.

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The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Launches Foundation to Promote Understanding and Acceptance of Potentially Curative Cell and Gene Therapies

As part of its ongoing efforts to accelerate patient access to safe, effective, and potentially curative gene therapies, the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) today announced the launch of the ARM Foundation for Cell and Gene Medicine. This independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is dedicated to increasing public awareness and understanding of the clinical and societal benefits of cell and gene medicine — including gene therapy, gene editing, cell therapy, tissue-engineering, and organ regeneration — and supporting its development through education and research projects.

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Expanding horizons for risk management in pharma – McKinsey & Company

Risk management has become a top-of-mind issue for C-suites and boards around the world—nowhere more than in pharmaceutical companies. In a politically and economically turbulent environment, the risks pharma companies face, especially in clinical-trial design and execution, drug approval, product quality, and global commercial practices, are increasing in both frequency and magnitude.

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Paying tribute to the failures, as we search for new brain cancer therapies – LinkedIn

Today – May 31 – marks the end of Brain Tumor Awareness month. It’s a special time each year to educate the public and to reflect on the impact the disease has on patients, their families and friends.

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