As a result of research performed by scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of a drug to treat the deleterious effects of radiation exposure following a nuclear incident. The drug, Neulasta®, is one of a very small number that have been approved for the treatment of acute radiation injury.

The research was done by Thomas J. MacVittie, PhD, professor, and Kim Hankey, PhD, Study Director, both in the Preclinical Radiobiology Laboratory at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology's Division of Translational Radiation Sciences (DTRS). The investigators did their research in a non-human clinical model of high-dose radiation. Ann M. Farese, MA, MS, assistant professor in the same lab and department, also contributed to the work.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) today announced the anticipated executive management team of Aptevo Therapeutics Inc., Emergent’s planned Biosciences business spin-off company. Members of the Aptevo executive management team will be appointed to their positions effective upon completion of the tax-free spin-off of Aptevo, expected to occur in mid-2016.

“We are pleased to have such an experienced and talented group of individuals to lead Aptevo Therapeutics,” said Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “These individuals possess the expertise, commitment, and passion to build on the successes of Emergent’s biosciences business for it to grow as a stand-alone publicly-traded company.”

DATE: Wednesday, February 10, 2016

LOCATION: Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 800, Rockville, MD 20850

Southern Maryland's Energetics Technology Center (ETC-MD) announces it is opening Montgomery County's newest technology business incubator as part of the ETC-MD TechFire incubator network at the former National Labor College located at 10000 New Hampshire Avenue. This incubator is sponsored by the Army Research Labs and is purposed to serve companies interested in commercializing ARL developed technologies although other technology companies will be considered as well. Find out how you can work successfully with the Army Research Lab at this informative session.

The White House has awarded Robert E. Fischell, ScD, a member of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) Board of Visitors, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honor for technological achievement bestowed by the president of the United States. Previous recipients have included such luminaries as Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak (Apple Computer, Inc.), Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. (Bechtel Group, Inc.), David Packard (Hewlett-Packard Company), Clarence L. Johnson (Lockheed Corporation), Edwin H. Land (Polaroid Corporation) and Edith Flanigen (Union Carbide).

This is an opportunity to hear from NIST's leadership about their important mission, a multi-million dollar laboratory expansion, cybersecurity implementation, and vendor opportunities in construction and IT.

Participants will also have the opportunity to meet representatives from many of the NIST Operating Units and contracting officials at exhibitor tables, speak one-on-one with the panelists, and network with fellow government contractors.

Roche will partner with the Lead Discovery Center (LDC) to identify and advance drug discovery projects intended to address diseases of unmet medical need across several areas. The value of the collaboration and the diseases to be addressed were not disclosed by the LDC, which announced the partnership today.

British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline is reportedly discussing terms of a medtech joint venture with US chipmaker Qualcomm.

Talks between the two companies to form a partnership to develop medical technology are "preliminary and nothing has been decided", reports Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources privy to the information. The Financial Times says the deal could be worth as much as $1 billion, and GSK reportedly has hired lawyers to help negotiate the terms of the joint venture with Qualcomm. If confirmed, FT expects the companies "to pool financial and human resources in a joint effort to develop new technology for use in the pharmaceuticals industry."

WIB has collaborated with BioProcess International (BPI), the biopharmaceutical industry´s leading scientific publication, to publish a four-part WIB/BPI special report series in 2016. The mission of this special report series is to provide a unique and interactive platform to reach and educate women (and all professionals) working in the life sciences with insight, mentorship, and leadership support through all stages of career development. Each edition of the WIB/BPI special report series will focus on critical issues all biotechnology professionals need to know, understand and manage in order to climb the corporate ladder and achieve the highest levels of leadership.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) today announced an expansion of its Research & Development (R&D) investment strategy to include early-stage companies on the leading edge of scientific innovation, providing them with both equity and access to resources for research in promising areas aligned with Pfizer’s core interests. The first four investments of the newly focused initiative include $46 million in financing to companies at early stages of the discovery process that are actively exploring Conditionally Active Biologics (CABs), immuno-oncology, neurodegenerative technologies and gene therapy. Additional opportunities will continue to be identified by Pfizer’s scientific leadership through their active involvement, and Pfizer will help recipient companies fully explore their platforms in the hopes of advancing new therapeutic pathways.

Welcome to ARP Network Quarterly Notes! Our goal is to keep you informed about ARP Network and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) current information. We hope that the notes build networking opportunities for businesses to connect with ARP Network Members.

February 16, 2016 2:30pm EST

Are you a scientist, entrepreneur, business developer, investor or economic development professional working in the area of human nutrition, animals, plants or sustainable agriculture? Are you interested in collaborating with world class scientists to scale up promising technologies? If these questions resonate with you, then this is a webinar for you!

ARS utilization centers are available for establishing partnerships to scale-up ARS research into commercial processes. Each of these state-of-the-art utilization centers has a unique set of resources, facilities, technical experts and scientific research capabilities for the industrial scaleup of lab-based technologies

It's wise to think ahead when it comes to cancer, says William Nelson, one of the nation's leading oncologists and director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University.

That includes taking steps like avoiding tobacco and tanning beds, especially when you're young.

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama announced a "moonshot" program to cure cancer. Obama named Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died from brain cancer last year, to lead the government effort, which could even have bipartisan appeal. In 2015, House Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which raises funding and lowers barriers for audacious medical research. (The Senate is considering its own version.) The bill's sponsor (and Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee), Fred Upton, tweeted his support for the Obama-Biden effort.

The Washington region could hit the billion-dollar mark in cybersecurity venture funding in 2016. Jonathan Aberman, managing director of Amplifier Ventures, a seed and early-stage venture capital fund based in McLean, said big fourth-quarter investments in cybersecurity companies helped boost overall venture funding in 2015 – and will continue to grow in 2016. He said the Washington region, a growing center for cybersecurity business and research overall, will see more big deals in 2016.

An ambitious effort to spark employment and redevelopment in Central West Baltimore is set for a public launch Monday.

The effort, called the Innovation Village, labels itself as Baltimore's first innovation district and spans some of the areas hardest hit in April's unrest.

Frederick software startup Luminal has raised $20 million and is changing its name to Fugue.

The Series C round was led by New Enterprise Associates, with investment from Core Capital. The new financing brings the company’s total funding to $34 million.

T. Rowe Price sunk gobs of money into companies such as Cloudera, Dropbox, Apptio and Evernote in recent years, oftentimes at lofty valuations.

Now, the giant mutual fund manager is resetting some of those bets. According to a report in The Information (subscription required), T. Rowe Price has marked down its stakes in a number of companies.

May 8 - 11, 2016 - Grand Hyatt Washington DC in Washington, DC

Health Datapalooza is a national conference focused on liberating health data, and bringing together the companies, startups, academics, government agencies, and individuals with the newest and most innovative and effective uses of health data to improve patient outcomes.

More innovation will be the determining factor in achieving greater progress. Countries’ economic and trade policies can either help or hurt global innovation. For example, policies such as robust investment in and tax incentives for research and education support global innovation. In contrast, policies such as export subsidies or forced localization harm global innovation.

To better reflect the remarkable progress and groundbreaking innovations its members achieve in healing, fueling and feeding the world, BIO – the world's largest biotechnology trade association – is changing its name to Biotechnology Innovation Organization. The organization will continue to use the shortened, “BIO” name.

In the more than 22 years since its founding, BIO – formerly Biotechnology Industry Organization – has united scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers and the public to advance breakthrough cures and products in fields ranging from health, food and agricultural to industrial and environmental.