News Archive

Johns Hopkins’ John Wong, Ph.D., has won a BioMaryland LIFE Award, and Ronald Berger, M.D., Ph.D., and Hien Nguyen, M.D., were awarded funds from the Abell Foundation, the researchers learned last week. Each of the winners will receive $50,000 to help develop their discoveries for clinical use.

The prizes were awarded as part of the annual Joint Meeting of the Johns Hopkins Alliance for Science and Technology Development and the University of Maryland, Baltimore Commercial Advisory Board on Feb. 19. The meeting was attended by more than 150 venture capitalists, seasoned biotech entrepreneurs and business development executives from the biopharma industry. Judging committees evaluated presentations from two dozen university researchers before selecting the winners. The aim of the awards is to speed the translation of promising research into commercial application.

New technology from the University of Maryland (UM) could potentially provide a five-minute diagnostic test and a vaccine for tough-to-treat Staphylococcus aureus infections, including the antibiotic-resistant MRSA, often called a “super bug,” says inventor Mark Shirtliff, PhD, an associate professor at the UM School of Dentistry in Baltimore.

Shirtliff is the winner of the 2013 BioMaryland LIFE (Leading Innovative Faculty Entrepreneurs) Prize for the most promising technology from the University as awarded by a judging panel at the annual joint meeting of the UM Baltimore Commercial Advisory Board and the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Alliance for Science and Technology Development.

The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), Maryland’s largest technology trade association with more than 400 life science and technology members employing more than 200,000 in the region, will honor Dr. James Barrett, a general partner in venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with its third annual Lifetime Achievement Award. Barrett will be presented the award at TCM’s Lifetime Achievement Gala, which is taking place March 6 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

The TCM Lifetime Achievement Award is given each year to a local individual who has gone above and beyond to serve the community at large over the course of his or her career. Recipients display commitment and leadership both in the field and within their company, fostering new ideas and encouraging creativity. The recipient also demonstrates generosity and compassion, making sure their work benefits others.

University of Maryland, College Park and two other East Coast schools will share $3.75 million from the National Science Foundation to develop a regional hub for turning university research into marketable products and services.

University of Maryland will be working with George Washington University and Virginia Tech to create an Innovation Corps for the mid-Atlantic region. The initiative will aim to draw out the best research ideas from students and faculty members and bring them to the commercial market.

McLean-based Science Applications International Corp., which announced plans in August to split off part of its operations into a separate publicly traded company, has decided on a name for the new business.

The spinoff, which will focus on national security, health and engineering, will be called Leidos.

This chart shows the pharmaceutical drugs with the most patents still in force.

The drugs with the most active patents are COMBIVENT RESPIMAT, KALETRA, ADVAIR HFA,FLOVENT HFA, VIVITROL, THALOMID, VYVANSE, REVLIMID, VENTOLIN HFA, andCHILDREN’S ALLEGRA ALLERGY.

The Association of University Research Parks (AURP), the world’s leading network of university research, science and technology park professionals, invites you to share your knowledge, expertise and experience by presenting at the 2013 International Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year’s theme is Inventing the Future. 

Proven engines for economic growth and development, university research parks influence their communities in significant ways. AURP’s 2013 annual conference, hosted by The University City Science Center, will feature experts who will examine university research park best practices and the strategies which will develop a knowledge-based economy by increasing ties between university, research parks, government, and industry partners. 

Interesting approaches and creative solutions to challenges surrounding this topic are sought for presentations.

Rare Disease Day, held each year on February 28, was established to raise awareness about the estimated 7,000 rare diseases that affect about 25 million Americans. To mark the occasion in 2013, the NIH will host a free, two-day public event beginning on this day to focus on rare diseases research and advocacy activities supported by several government agencies.

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) and the NIH Clinical Center are organizing and hosting the event. Others involved include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Agency for Healthcare Research Quality, and patient organizations, such as the Genetic Alliance and National Organization for Rare Disorders. Register and learn more at https://events-support.com/events/Rare_Disease_Day .

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has won a potential 10-year, $4,904,853,263 U.S. Navy for research, development and engineering work throughout the Defense Department.

The contract includes a five-year option for review and approval by the assistant Navy secretary for research, development and acquisition and the assistant defense secretary for research and evaluation, the Defense Department said Feb. 15.

Psyadon Pharmaceuticals has spent nine months working to enroll the 18 patients it needs for its phase 3 clinical trial involving its treatment for Tourette syndrome.

The Germantown company’s candidate, ecopipam, also targets Lesch-Nyhan disease, a genetic disorder that affects as many as 1,000 Americans, disrupting their ability to walk and causing self-mutilation.

Although Psyadon usually is not directly involved in its clinical trials — it usually uses companies called contract research organizations, which conduct trials for drug makers — it often tracks disease-related patient advocacy groups and sometimes uses this information to raise awareness of the trial, said CEO Richard Chipkin.