Biohealth Innovation - 450th Edition, April 6, 2021

BioHealth Innovation

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April 6, 2021

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Immediate Opening – SENIOR ANALYST (BioHealth Innovation, Inc.)

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

JOB TITLE – SENIOR ANALYST

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

Download the full description here.

TEDCO Talks: Troy LeMaile-Stovall with Rich Bendis, BioHealth Innovation - YouTube

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

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

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dYM3vQAIEU

BHI Working with Montgomery County to Support Workforce Development Initiatives

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

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

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

Emergent BioSolutions On Track with Respect to COVID-19 Contractual Commitments; Receives Modified Task Order from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to Support the Opportunity for Further Expansion of Manufacturing Capacity for Johnson & John

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

Seraxis Eyes the Clinic Following $40 Million Capital Raise · BioBuzz

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

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

United Therapeutics Announces FDA Approval and Launch of Tyvaso® for the Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Interstitial Lung Disease | United Therapeutics Corporation

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

2021 HHS Small Business Program Conference: Diverse Perspectives SEEDing Impactful Innovations

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

BHCR passes San Francisco in NIH funding · BioBuzz

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

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

The BioHealth Capital Region, Epicenter of U.S. Regulatory Infrastructure · BioBuzz

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

Image: https://biobuzz.io

Connected DMV, a Driving Force Behind Montgomery County’s New Global Pandemic Prevention and Biodefense Center · BioBuzz

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

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

Qiagen receives FDA emergency approval for coronavirus PCR test | The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO

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

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

Life Sciences Startup Outlook 2021 | J.P. Morgan

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

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

Image: https://www.jpmorgan.com

New U.S. News rankings: Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland graduate programs earn three top spots - Baltimore Business Journal

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

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

GSK to support manufacture of Novavax’ COVID-19 vaccine | GSK

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

MainStreet | Turn Tax Credits into Cash Flow

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

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

Should College Students Be Prioritized for Covid-19 Vaccines Now?

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

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

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

Here’s Where Funded Founders Went To School – Crunchbase News

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

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

Image: https://news.crunchbase.com

HHS launches $500,000 contest for design of new, effective, comfortable, masks designed for general public use

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

Image: https://www.medicalcountermeasures.gov

Massachusetts-Based Cell Therapy Company Coming to Rockville | Montgomery Community Media

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