BioHealth Innovation Weekly for April 25, 2023

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April 25, 2023

FOUNDING MEMBER OF

Rich Bendis to Discuss U.S. Capital Region's Role in APEC Dialogue on Medical Product Supply Chain on April 25th at USP

BioHealth Innovation is proud to announce that Rich Bendis, Founder and CEO, will be participating in the upcoming International APEC Dialogue on Strengthening the Resilience of the Medical Product Supply Chain in the Asia Pacific.

Rich Bendis will be sharing his expertise in Panel Session Four: "The U.S. Capital Region’s Role in Enabling Global Medicines Supply Chain Resilience." This session offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into building a robust and resilient medical supply chain on a global scale.

This important event, cosponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), is aimed at accelerating efforts to strengthen medical product supply chains in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. Ensuring the resilience of these supply chains is a critical topic that impacts global health.

The program will take place on April 25 and 26, 2023, and will be a hybrid event, offering attendees the option to participate both in-person and virtually. The event will be held in conjunction with the USP Asia Pacific (APAC) Regional Chapter Meeting, which is scheduled for April 27, 2023.

Don't miss this opportunity to engage with experts and industry leaders in the field of medical supply chain resilience. Register now to attend in-person or virtually at the following link: https://cvent.me/2wVPXE

Mason engineers and partners receive $3M award to build new technology for personalized musculoskeletal injury rehabilitation to support troop readiness

Musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) is the most common form of medical injury experienced by Service members. Clinical interventions for MSKIs lack objective measures to determine their effectiveness, putting affected military personnel at risk of further damage if they return to duty before fully recovering.

George Mason University bioengineer Dr. Parag Chitnis, an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering and a member of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation (IBI), and his team are developing quantitative assessments that can both prevent and monitor MSKIs in Service members.

In partnership with Cephasonics Ultrasound, an ultrasound systems and technology company in California, and Infinite Biomedical Technologies, a biotechnology company in Maryland, the team has been selected by the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command to receive nearly $3M from the United States Department of Defense, awarded through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC). The award will support the team’s development of wearable, compact, and hands-free ultrasound systems to assess rehabilitation and recovery from MSKIs through measurements of muscle structure and function during physical activity, with a specific focus on knee injuries.

“MTEC aims to facilitate prototype advancement in support of the Warfighters’ MSKI needs, “ said Dr. Lauren Palestrini, MTEC’s chief science officer. “We are excited to issue this award to the team at George Mason University and believe it has the potential to make great strides in military health and ultrasound research.”

Prior to this award, Dr. Chitnis and Dr. Siddhartha Sikdar, a professor in the Department of Bioengineering and a member of the IBI, formed the Training and Recovery Augmented with Ultrasound Myography and Assessment (TRAUMA) program. With funding from the Department of Defense’s Military Operational Medicine Research Program, TRAUMA’s goal is to develop ultrasound systems that can be used to evaluate MSKIs in dynamic settings. The award from MTEC enables the team to further advance their ongoing research.

USP to Host the 2023 BioHealth Capital Region Forum, Investment Conference, and Crab Trap Competition

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is proud to announce that US Pharmacopeia (USP) will be hosting the 9th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum for the second year in a row on September 19th and 20th, 2023. In addition to this flagship event, USP will also host the 8th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition on September 20th and the 6th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference on September 21st.

"We are looking forward to once again hosting the BioHealth Capital Region Forum. As an integral part of this dynamic region, USP is deeply committed to fostering innovation and collaboration across the BioHealth space. USP eagerly anticipates bringing together leading minds and stakeholders to advance our shared vision for the future." said Anthony Lakavage, J.D., SVP of Global External Affairs at USP.

The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) stands as one of the largest and most vibrant biohubs in the United States, boasting a unique and unparalleled concentration of assets in the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. Situated within the dynamic corridor that encompasses Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, the BHCR is home to key federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which contribute to the region's stature as a center of cutting-edge research and regulatory expertise. In addition to these government entities, the BHCR is also home to world-class BioHealth companies that drive innovation and development in the field. Complementing this ecosystem is the presence of top-tier educational institutions that foster a highly skilled workforce and provide research and collaboration opportunities. Collectively, these one-of-a-kind assets establish the BioHealth Capital Region as a premier destination for biotech innovation, collaboration, and growth.

"We are thrilled to embark on another year of fostering innovation and collaboration within the biohealth industry. The upcoming BioHealth Capital Region Forum, the Investment Conference, and the Crab Trap competition represent exciting opportunities to engage with industry leaders, showcase groundbreaking ideas, and foster valuable partnerships. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) for graciously hosting these events for the second year in a row in 2023. Their dedication to advancing global health and their support for this region is commendable. Together, we will continue to drive forward the vision of a healthier and brighter future for all." — Rich Bendis, President, and CEO, BioHealth Innovation

Gain Therapeutics Revolutionary Drug Discovery: Combining Physics, Biochemistry, and Supercomputing

Discovering treatments for patients that currently have no available disease-modifying options is the priority of Gain Therapeutics. Specifically, there is a large unmet need for patients suffering from protein misfolding disorders that alter enzyme function.

What is Gain Therapeutics approach to drug discovery?

The pipeline begins with Gain’s agnostic discovery platform for Site-Directed Enzyme Enhancement Therapy (SEE-Tx). This is a computational platform, as opposed to an artificial intelligence (AI) system. This is preferable for multiple reasons. First, AI needs a large amount of data while SEE-Tx starts with a 3D protein structure to find novel binding sites within the protein. SEE-Tx can use the already published 3D protein structures solved by cryo-EM, or alternatively, the platform can utilize 3D structural predictions from the AlphaFold Database. After the platform identifies new binding sites on a previously undruggable protein, it can also compute the druggability of the identified allosteric binding site using quantitative predictions as opposed to discovery approaches using AI technology that cannot be interpreted. Importantly, any targeted sites will allow for protein function to be restored without interfering with the active sites of the enzyme and its substrate.

REGENXBIO Receives FDA Fast Track Designation for RGX-202, a Novel Gene Therapy Candidate for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Johns Hopkins University has launched a new, annual award to support promising business ventures developed by student entrepreneurs—and to encourage the creators of those startups to put down roots and grow in Baltimore.

The President's Venture Fellowship, by far the largest award for student entrepreneurship ever offered by the university, is open to any full-time Johns Hopkins student, undergraduate or graduate, who seeks to continue pursuing a business venture in Baltimore after graduation. Up to two winners will be selected annually to receive a $100,000 award, with the lead of each venture also receiving a $40,000 salary stipend.

CBRE - 2023 Life Sciences Reports

After record years in 2020 and 2021, growth of the U.S. life sciences industry has returned to a more normal pace in 2023, although demand for lab/R&D space remains well above pre-pandemic levels. Life sciences employment reached a record high at the start of 2023, although the rate of growth slowed. The San Francisco Bay Area, Boston/Cambridge and Seattle were the fastest-growing markets last year.

Please see the reports below:

Maryland Life Sciences Q1 2023 ReportLife Sciences Q1 2023 Report

2023 U.S. Life Sciences Outlook

Maryland General Assembly passes legislation to create TEDCO Equitech fund - BizJournals

By Matt Hooke - Reporter

April 20, 2023, 03:04pm EDT

The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill that would establish a Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) fund to promote job growth and minority inclusion in the sciences.

Both chambers passed House Bill 781 earlier this month, which establishes the Equitech Growth Fund to send state funding to projects that expand the economy through infrastructure investment and create a diverse workforce through job training programs. The bill, which is awaiting Gov. Wes Moore's signature, would require $5 million annually in the state budget from 2025 through 2033 to pay for the fund. A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately say whether Moore would sign the bill when contacted Thursday.

The fund would invest in public, nonprofit and private entities to attempt to stimulate employment opportunities in the technology industry. The specific mechanics of the fund, such as what stage of companies it will focus on, and whether the fund will give out money in a specific ratio of loans, grants and/or equity investments, is still undecided, TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall said.

A 2023 report by TEDCO found that Maryland's job growth in the high tech industry lags behind other states, ranking 28th in the country in annual job growth rate in the sector at 1.6% annually over the past 10 years. The report says that, while Maryland is the country's 15th largest economy by gross domestic product (GDP), the state's GDP growth is below the national average and "Maryland's high-tech industry will need to grow much faster to increase Maryland's real GDP growth rate over the next 10 years."

"The governor has said it best: We are asset-rich, but strategy-poor," LeMaile-Stovall said.

JLABS Event to Explore Breakthroughs in Vaccinations: Overcoming Seasonal Dependencies

JLABS is taking the lead in exploring new and innovative approaches to vaccinations with their upcoming event, "Breaking Dependencies on Seasonal Vaccines to Address Infectious Diseases." This forward-looking program is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at JLABS in Washington, DC, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

The event aims to examine the potential of technology to break the dependence on annual or seasonal vaccinations and provide more durable and reliable solutions for preventing infectious diseases such as coronaviruses, influenza, and rhinoviruses. Through innovation, there is an opportunity to enhance the impact and acceptance of vaccinations, achieve more consistent and impactful outcomes, and limit the spread of infectious diseases across large populations, regardless of risk level.

Maryland Tech Council Announces 2023 ICON Awards Finalists

Winners will be revealed at the celebration on April 27th

The Maryland Tech Council (MTC) is proud to announce the ICON awards finalists for its annual Industry Awards Celebration. The event honors individuals and companies in the life sciences, technology, and government contracting industries that have made a significant impact in their respective fields. This year there were ninety-three nominations in eleven categories. Two new award categories have been added this year: Investor of the Year and C-Suite of the Year. The winners will be announced live on April 27^th at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Click here to learn more about the event.

“The Maryland Tech Council is excited to present this year’s ICON Awards. The finalists highlight the best and brightest in the fields of life sciences, technology and government contracting. We are looking forward to hosting Maryland’s greatest night of networking and celebrating the winners,” said IAC committee Co-Chair and Corporate M&A Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Nicole Islinger.