In the 8-0 vote, the Council approved the Plan dubbed “LifeSci Village,” a joint venture of the county and private developer Percontee. It encompasses 300 acres off Route 29 and Industrial Parkway in the White Oak area of Silver Spring, adjacent to the Food and Drug Administration headquarters. The development will include housing and retail and will become the newsest hub for medical and life-sciences research in the county.
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What do you need to turn a brilliant idea into a business? “A good morale boost,” says Abhishek Motayed, Founder and President of N5 Sensors, Inc. of Rockville. Motayed had that boost this month when N5 Sensors received two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards totaling $250,000. The grants came from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) towards N5 Sensors work developing low-power, computer chip-size benzene, carbon monoxide, and ammonia sensors. A 2012 UMD Invention of Year Award winner, Motayed has kept close contact with the university’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), a crucial participant in the creation of N5 Sensors. “My interactions with OTC were very positive and encouraging. They are very knowledgeable—they knew exactly how to advise me on funding, commercialization, and patenting,” says Motayed.
Apollo Hospitals announced the launch of cutting-edge clinical genomic tests from the Strand Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, a part of Strand Life Sciences across its hospital network. These tests in oncology, cardiovascular, heritable eye diseases and rare genetic disorders shall be integrated into clinical practice by Apollo’s subsidiary, Sapien Biosciences in partnership with Strand Life Sciences. These tests, will help doctors diagnose disease more precisely, identify the optimal treatment and monitor disease & treatment course for better outcomes. Genomics is integral to Apollo’s focus on Research and Innovations. Genomic testing involves analyses of patient genomes – genes and sequences of DNA/RNA. The analysis helps create better prognostic tools for improved disease screening and prevention strategies. The patient benefits from optimized clinical care, personalization of treatment & monitoring of outcomes. These tests come with comprehensive pre- & post-test counselling to help the patient & their physicians to integrate the tests results into the clinical care provided. Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals says,“Apollo has always believed that personalized medicine is the future of healthcare delivery. Our Chairman, Dr. P.C Reddy’s foresight of personalized health is becoming a reality today with the availability of such cutting-edge genomic tests.”
Benevir has been accepted into the Hive program and will be taking part in the TEDMED 2014 convention from September 10-12, 2014 in Washington, DC and San Francisco.
BeneVir’s cancer therapeutic is designed to induce the immune system to recognize and rid the body of two types of tumor cell. The first type is responsive to current immunotherapies, and many patients experience complete remissions. Tumor cells of the second type have evolved to hide from the immune system and are refractory to current immunotherapies. These tumor cells are ultimately responsible for tumor recurrence and poor clinical outcomes. To our knowledge, there is no technology in development that can induce immunity to both types of tumor cell. We feel we have a unique perspective in the emerging field of cancer immunotherapy and that our technology will exhibit enhanced clinical benefit for a wide range of cancer patients.
Read the full interview after the jump!
Healthcare startups, and all startups for that matter, need investors and funding to stay alive. For this reason, MedCity is pleased to announce that investor Andrew Jay, MD, will be speaking at CONVERGE. Dr. Jay is the head of the medical solutions fund at HealthCare Fund at Siemens Venture Capital, which invests in companies focusing on imaging, diagnostics and health IT.
Jay will be speaking on the second day of MedCity CONVERGE at 9:20 a.m. The third annual CONVERGE is July 15-16 in Philadelphia.
BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), a regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early-stage funding in Central Maryland, today announced the launch of a new service offering: the Startup Package for Client Companies. The new package is designed to provide early-stage biohealth companies in Central Maryland with access to critical professional services – including corporate legal guidance, intellectual property, banking, accounting, payer and strategy, and grant support – as an enhanced benefit to working with BHI.
“We are proud to offer this service to our startup clients seeking to commercialize biohealth products,” said Richard Bendis, President & CEO. “BHI aims to facilitate the development of commercially viable health-related products and companies. Providing access to these professional services is a critical step towards helping our biohealth startup clients in achieving this goal.”
BHI has partnered with a supporting network of professional service providers that share the same vision for growing Maryland’s biohealth sector, including Venable LLP, M&T Bank, Aronson, Miles & Stockbridge, InHouse Patent Counsel, Science Sherpa, Center for Medical Technology Policy, ADVI, and BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting. These firms understand the nature and needs of startup companies, and offer preferred rates for client companies.
