Biohealth Innovation - 483rd Edition, November 23, 2021

Biohealth Innovation

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November 23, 2021

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Happy Thanksgiving from the BHI Team!

Deka Biosciences Raises USD 20 Million in Series A Financing

GERMANTOWN, Md., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Maryland-based biotech company Deka Biosciences ("Deka") today announced that it has successfully closed a USD 20 Million Series A financing with a syndicate of life science investors led by Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment arm of Bayer AG, and new investor Lumira Ventures. Additional investors include O-Bio (Echo Investment Capital), Viva BioInnovator, and Alexandria Venture Investments.

Deka Biosciences 2021 Novel cytokine-based therapies have the potential to provide patients with innovative curative treatment options for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and many types of infectious diseases. Understanding the known function of each cytokine, Deka has developed Diakines™ – intentionally engineered therapeutic proteins that are designed to deliver clinically validated cytokines, coupled in combination in the Diakine™ structure, to diseased tissue. Deka has also combined this therapeutic platform with companion diagnostic assays that ensure delivery of each Diakine™ to patients that will benefit the most.

Life Sciences Business Strategist - Open Position!

BioHealth Innovation (BHI) is an innovation intermediary that facilitates the commercialization of emerging technologies in the BioHealth Capital Region (Maryland, DC and Virginia).

BHI is seeking a Life Sciences Business Strategist to join its team in Rockville, Maryland. This position provides the opportunity to leverage scientific knowledge to evaluate the commercial potential of emerging technologies and provide recommendations on go-to-market strategies.

This is a customer facing role with a focus on supporting clients in the development of commercial analyses and federal grant proposals.

Click here for more details.

Study aiming to define acute traumatic encephalopathy (ATE) published by leading neurology journal | VirginiaBio

BrainBox HeadSmart II Study Investigators Aim to Provide Clinicians with First-Ever Biomarkers and other Functional measurements for Acute Traumatic Encephalopathy (ATE.) A clinical trial of multi-modal diagnostic/prognostic test, already underway, is published in Frontiers in Neurology/NeuroTrauma.

Investigators in a major clinical trial of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI or concussion) describe for the first time objective diagnostic criteria, based on blood biomarkers and neurologic testing, for acute traumatic encephalopathy (ATE), the immediate physiologic consequence the injury.

Acute Traumatic Encephalopathy (ATE) represents the condition of an objective measure of TBI associated symptoms or dysfunction that occur as long as 90 days following an acute head injury, according to the investigators. It may be manifest by neuropsychiatric dysfunction, imaging pathology, or biomarker abnormalities in a patient presenting with a history consistent with TBI. Objective criteria for ATE have the potential to advance the understanding of mild TBI and significantly improve its subsequent clinical management.

Health IT Panel Focuses on Leveling the Playing Field for Women in Healthcare Leadership - Children's National

Although women account for nearly half of entry-level jobs in the healthcare industry, female clinician-scientist executives continue to be sparse among healthcare leadership ranks. Less than a third of C-suite roles – approximately 26 percent – are filled by women and tend to focus on human resources or marketing, according to a recent analysis by Becker’s Hospital Review.

Image: Kolaleh Eskandanian, PhD, MBA, PMP, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital, spoke on gender gaps in healthcare leadership during the 6th annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference hosted by Becker’s Healthcare.

REGENXBIO Announces Orphan Drug Designation Granted to RGX-202, a Novel Gene Therapy Candidate for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Potential one-time gene therapy for the treatment of Duchenne, includes a novel, optimized microdystrophin transgene and REGENXBIO's proprietary NAV^® AAV8 vector
Commercial-scale cGMP material to be used in clinical development
Company on track to submit IND by end of 2021

REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation for RGX-202, a potential one-time gene therapy for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne). RGX-202 is designed to deliver a novel, optimized microdystrophin transgene with a unique C-terminal domain and a muscle specific promoter to support targeted therapy for improved resistance to muscle damage associated with Duchenne. RGX-202 uses REGENXBIO's proprietary NAV^® AAV8 vector.

Montgomery Establishes Small Business Accelerator Program with M&T Bank – Conduit Street

Montgomery County announced that it has collaborated with M&T Bank to establish a Small Business Accelerator Program to aid minority business owners.

The Montgomery County Office of Human Rights and M&T Bank announced this week that they will partner to host a new 10-week business accelerator program to small businesses based in the county.

The program, set to begin January 11, 2022, will be free for participants and will feature business mentors, coaches and subject matter experts.

Image: https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org - From Tweet

These 12 startups are entering the Baltimore-based Techstars Equitech Accelerator - Technical.ly Baltimore

The first cohort of the Techstars Equitech Accelerator is bringing global startups to Baltimore, and supporting companies already growing from a base in the city.

On Thursday, the accelerator announced the first 12-company cohort for the Baltimore-based program, kicking off the programming phase for one of the key initatives aimed at making the city a top-tier tech hub through the lens of equitech. This framework, coined and championed by UpSurge Baltimore, prioritizes supporting companies that are led by underrepresented founders, building diverse teams and developing solutions that aim to address systemic societal challenges.

Image: The Baltimore skyline. (Photo by Flicker user Phil! Gold)

Emmes and MedGenome Launch Genomics Strategic Partnership Focused on Advancing Rare Disease Research

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced a partnership with MedGenome aimed at accelerating breakthrough treatments, powered by human genomics, for rare disease patients.

"This is an exciting opportunity to partner with the leading genetic testing laboratory in India and South Asia to use our collective expertise to help bring faster and more innovative treatments to patients around the world who are suffering from rare diseases and desperately awaiting new therapies," said Emmes Chief Executive Officer Dr. Christine Dingivan.

TEDCO Generates $2.3 Billion in Economic Benefits to the State of Maryland and Supports 10,433 Maryland Jobs, According to New Independent Study

COLUMBIA, Md., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced today the findings of an independent study detailing the impact of TEDCO's six core programs to the state of Maryland.

Conducted by the University of Baltimore's Jacob France Institute, the study found that TEDCO provides significant value to the state's start-up community, supporting 10,433 Maryland jobs and more than $2.3 billion in statewide economic activity as of 2021.

Maryland Today | UMD Ranks Among Top 10 Schools for Entrepreneurship…

The University of Maryland secured its place among the nation’s top schools for entrepreneurship in new rankings that reflect its commitment to innovation education during the height of virtual learning amid the pandemic.

In the 2022 edition of the annual rankings, announced today by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, UMD placed No. 10 for undergraduate entrepreneurship education across all institutions—its seventh consecutive year in the top 10 and 10th straight year in the top 25—and No. 4 among public universities. It was also listed at No. 24 for graduate entrepreneurship education. New this year, The Princeton Review ranked schools regionally, and UMD came in at No. 2 in the Northeast.

Image: MFA in performance alum Rob Jansen leads a workshop, "The Art of Presence: How to Warm Up for a Presentation," at the Startup UMD Suite in the Diamondback Garage. UMD's efforts to support entrepreneurs and innovators were recognized yesterday by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. Photo by Emma Howells

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. Is Leading the Integration of Mission-Critical R&D and Next-Gen Manufacturing for Companies in Research Triangle That Are Developing Targeted Gene and Cell Therapies and Other Complex Medicines

PASADENA, Calif. and DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first, longest-tenured and pioneering owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, agtech and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, today announced that it is advancing the revolution for complex integrated R&D and next-gen manufacturing in Research Triangle, N.C. through its strategic partnerships with top-tier emerging biotechnology companies, along with its acquisition of purpose-focused development sites in the region, to enable their increased control over the quality of their medicines, patient access, supply chains, and their intellectual property, critical processes and talent.

Top 10 RNA-Based Biopharmas

In institutions and companies, investigators spent some two decades working on RNA-based drugs and vaccines before COVID-19 afforded many of them an opportunity to apply all that research into patients, with support from governments and regulators eager to fight the pandemic.

For two once obscure companies—Moderna, which went public in 2018, and BioNTech, which followed a year later—that opportunity has translated into multiple billions of dollars in new revenues. Not surprisingly as a result, both companies far outpace the other public companies ranked by GEN this year among top RNA-based biopharma companies.