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What do you get when you combine a networking happy hour for STEM researchers, an engaging expert panel discussion and a host of exciting STEM inventions? The answer is one exciting event: the Maryland Innovation Initiative’s Pop-up at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and Innovate Maryland: Invention of the Year Awards!

TEDCO and the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) were on hand to sponsor Innovate Maryland’s Invention of the Year Awards, held at The Hall on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. Innovation was all around, encompassed by the various finalists and the Invention of the Year winner: a solar-powered system that uses all-natural, partly plant-based materials to extract drinkable water from the toughest environments.

Maryland is home to many talented researchers — in fact, it has the highest concentration of Ph.D.s of any state in the country, while also ranking #1 for its technology and science workforce. The MII recognizes the commercial possibilities coming out of the state’s creative faculty and supports these innovators by serving as a catalyst to both spur exciting startup projects at Maryland’s research universities and ignite an entrepreneurial mindset among faculty. Both of these elements were on

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On May 26, 2023, Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (including its wholly-owned subsidiaries, “Emergent”), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Emergent Product Development Gaithersburg Inc., received a contract modification from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (“ASPR”), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), exercising and funding the third of nine annual contract term extension options (the “Third Option Exercise”) for Emergent to supply ACAM2000® (Smallpox (Vaccinia) Vaccine, Live) into the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (the “SNS”). The Third Option Exercise is valued at approximately $120 million.

The Third Option Exercise was made under a bilateral modification of Emergent’s existing 10-year contract (the “Contract”) awarded by ASPR on August 30, 2019. The period of performance under the Third Option Exercise requires Emergent to deliver doses of ACAM2000 into the SNS by June 30, 2023.

The preceding description of the Third Option Exercise does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Third Option Exercise. The Third Option Exercise, with relevant redactions to protect confidential and sensitive information, is expected to be filed as an exhibit to Emergent’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2023. The Contract is filed as a material agreement of Emergent as exhibit 10.48 with Emergent’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

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GAITHERSBURG, Md.May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hememics Biotechnologies, Inc., developer of first-in-class, handheld, multiplexed biosensor platform that can test antibodies, antigens and molecular targets simultaneously, announced today the closing of a $2 million Seed 2 financing round. Participants of this round include a strategic investor, existing investors and Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO).

"I am extremely proud of what the company has achieved with the limited amount of resources," said John Warden, Jr., CEO and Co-founder of Hememics Biotechnologies, Inc. "We have generated extremely favorable results from more than 100,000 biosensor experiments in the past nine months. The new funding will allow us to finalize our design, receive third-party validation, and develop early commercial customers." 

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GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. (APT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of phage-based therapies to combat bacterial infections, is pleased to announce a collaboration and license agreement with the Israeli Phage Therapy Center (IPTC) of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Medical Center. Researchers at the IPTC have discovered several phages that have exceptionally broad coverage against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Under the agreement, Hadasit and Yissum, the technology transfer companies of Hadassah and the Hebrew University, grants APT exclusive rights to make, use, and sell licensed phages for human therapy, with the right to sublicense through multiple tiers. APT also has the first right to evaluate additional phages discovered by IPTC researchers for inclusion in APT’s phage bank. As consideration for the license and first right of refusal, APT made an upfront payment and will pay royalties from net sales on any therapeutic composition comprising a licensed phage.

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Rockville, MD, United States, May 23, 2023 – Advanced BioScience Laboratories (ABL), a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for biotherapies,
oncolytics and viral vector vaccines, today announces it has been awarded a contract for ‘Resources to Advance Pediatrics and HIV Prevention Science (RAPPS)’ by the Division of AIDS
(DAIDS) within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This seven-year contract has a total potential funding value of $98.9 million. ABL will provide DAIDS with (i) preclinical gap-filling, (ii) animal models, (iii) bioanalytical services, (iv)
product manufacturing and (v) other scientific and quality/regulatory services to support preclinical research, development of pediatric formulations and advancement of next generation non-vaccine Biomedical HIV Prevention products (nBPs) such as IntraVaginal Rings (IVRs), long-acting injectables and Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs) composed of a combination of drugs that can target prevention of pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and/or HIV.

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ROCKVILLE, Md.May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation for RGX-121, an investigational one-time AAV Therapeutic for the treatment of Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II (MPS II), also known as Hunter syndrome. RMAT designation is designed to expedite the drug development and review processes for promising new treatments, including gene therapies, and recognizes that the preliminary clinical evidence from RGX-121 indicates its potential to address unmet medical needs for MPS II. RGX-121 is currently being studied in the CAMPSIITE™ trial that is enrolling MPS II patients as part of a pivotal program that incorporates material from the NAVXpress™ platform process manufactured at the REGENXBIO Manufacturing Innovation Center and continues to support plans to file Biologics License Application (BLA) in 2024 using the accelerated approval pathway.

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COLUMBIA, Md. (May 23, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a Venture Funds investment of $300,000 into Pathotrak, a biotechnology company.

Javier Atencia“Until Pathotrak, producers would need to wait for the results of pathogen tests, leading to costly warehousing and refrigeration costs,” said Javier Atencia, CEO and founder of Pathotrak. “Through our innovative solution, we are eliminating this need by cutting down the time it takes to get results, which will also help prevent costly recalls and food waste.”

Pathotrak, based in College Park, Md., is a business with the mission to create a world with fresher and safer food using cost-efficient innovative technology. This technology will allow the expedition of foodborne pathogen detection, providing companies and producers with faster results, and ultimately shortening what is typically a 22-hour process down to under six hours. This rapid detection process has the potential to decrease food waste, allowing products to be placed on shelves up to an entire day earlier while also reducing the costs of food production—from the costly warehousing and refrigeration processes to the expensive recalls.

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Maryland medical device company supports patients and medical professionals through safer needle filtration device

COLUMBIA, Md. (May 22, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent Seed Funds investment of $250,000 into CarrTech Corp., a medical device company. TEDCO’s Seed Funds invest in early-stage, technology and life sciences companies and provides access to gap financing.

“The current eight-step process healthcare professionals are required to take to administer certain medicine is inefficient and high-risk of needlestick injuries and glass shard contamination to the patient,” said Sue Carr, founder of CarrTech Corp. “By eliminating the need to attach and detach multiple needles, patients are able to get access to the medication they need faster and safer.”

The most recent round of seed funding came from its Life Science Investment Fund; investments are for companies in the process of developing a technology for a product for human health that requires approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration prior to market.

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Pharmacy Times® interviewed Harsha Rajasimha, PhD, founder and CEO of Jeeva Informatics, on the potential to accelerate patient recruitment and solve clinical trial delays. Currently, the research, development, and approval process of a new drug by the FDA can take between 12 to 15 years. However, studies have shown patient recruitment issues are the cause of 85% of clinical trial delays.

Pharmacy Times: What are the different phases of the drug approval process by the FDA?

Harsha Rajasimha: Typically, drug approval process involves a preclinical phase, which enables first-in-human clinical trial for a new drug or entity. And that goes through phase 1, phase 2, phase 3 trials, typically. And sometimes there can be phase 1 and 2, or phase 2 and 3 combined, and stuff like that, and different types of trial designs these days, but typically phase 1, phase 2, phase 3, where phase 1 is entirely looking at safety of the drug in humans, because it's only tested in animals. Phase 2, looking at safety and efficacy at very low doses to make sure there is some drug effect. And phase 3 is full-fledged in a larger population, to assess the safety and efficacy profile across the range of doses in a range of patients in the target population. And after that, all of this data gets wrapped into an FDA submission for review. And the whole process from phase 1 to phase 3 and the review process can take about 7 years, typically, sometimes longer. And so, it's a very expensive and time-consuming process. And this process is often called the “Valley of Death,” because only 1 in 9, 1 out of 10 drugs actually make it through the regulatory approval. Most of them will fail at phase 1, or phase 2, or phase 3, about 30% at each phase. So, very few drugs make it to market.

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Maryland-based business protecting individuals and businesses from environmental hazards through the use of its innovative sensor technology

COLUMBIA, Md. (May 22, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) investment of nearly $400,000 into N5 Sensors, Inc. This SSBCI investment was made through TEDCO’s Seed Funds

“Environmental hazards are not always preventable, but detecting these hazards can support the safety of everyone in the area,” said Abhishek Motayed, Ph.D., CEO of N5 Sensors. “I’m thankful for TEDCO’s interest and support—with this additional funding, we can continue our research and find new ways to help provide safety to everyone.”

N5 Sensors, based in Rockville, Md., is a startup company with a mission to keep people safe form environmental hazards. This process is done using a cloud-connected ecosystem of smart sensors that utilize and leverage the endless possibilities of shared data and artificial intelligence. Through this approach, the company has developed a variety of products and solutions, each with the goal of helping individuals stay safe from various environmental hazards.

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Can you envision a world where precision medicine transforms healthcare as we know it? Tune in to this exciting episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, featuring Dr. Amrie Grammer, Co-Founder of AMPEL BioSolutions. In this enlightening discussion, Dr. Grammer unveils the secrets behind AMPEL's remarkable success in precision medicine, making this episode a must-listen. Learn about the groundbreaking genomic tests developed by AMPEL, providing decision support for autoimmune diseases, and delve into the role of artificial intelligence in predicting potential treatments.

Explore the immense potential for a revolution in healthcare as Dr. Grammer shares insights on understanding the human genome and AMPEL's cutting-edge work in harnessing Big Data and Machine Learning for personalized precision medicine. Don't miss this great episode and gain valuable insights into the future of data-driven health.

Listen now via your favorite podcast platform

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RICHMOND, VA – May 18, 2023 – The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), today announced that it has awarded $2 million in grants to four life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia, pending execution of the grant agreements. These grants, which will be met with significant matching funds from partner companies, were awarded through Grant Round 14 of Virginia Catalyst’s ongoing mission to stimulate economic development by promoting collaborative projects that address large, unmet needs for improving human health, and that can create high-paying jobs in the Commonwealth.

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PQE Group receives certification in the U.S. as a work environment where “you trust the people you work for, take pride in what you do, and have fun with the people you work with.”

May 18, 2023, Washington DC — PQE Group US is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work® for the second year in a row. This esteemed recognition is solely based on the feedback of our present employees regarding their work experience at PQE Group. This year, a remarkable 91% of our employees expressed their satisfaction with their workplace, which is 34 points higher than the average U.S. Company.
Great Place To Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. "Great Place to Work Certification is a highly coveted achievement that requires consistent and intentional dedication to the overall employee experience," says Sarah Lewis-Kulin, the Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place To Work. She emphasizes that Certification is the sole official recognition earned by the real-time feedback of employees regarding their company culture. “By successfully earning this recognition, it is evident that PQE Group stands out as one of the top companies to work for, providing a great workplace environment for its employees."

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Baltimore, Maryland--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2023) - Flavocure Biotech, Inc. ("Flavocure"), today announced that it has received clearance of its Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase I, first-in-human clinical study of Caflanone (FBL-03G) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for about 2% of all cancers and is associated with 5% of cancer‐related deaths. Caflanone treatment is combined with radiotherapy (RT) for enhanced efficacy against cancer cells.

"We are thrilled to obtain clearance to advance Caflanone (FBL-03G) into clinical trials and are excited about the prospects of what this new class of therapeutic agent may mean for cancer patients," said Dr. David G. Brooks, MD, Ph.D., Interim Chief Medical Officer of Flavocure Biotech, Inc. "This is an important milestone for our company, representing our first program to receive FDA clearance to proceed into a clinical trial. This new approach combining radiotherapy with our lead drug candidate, caflanone, leverages our groundbreaking science and has broad potential applicability in many therapeutic areas," said Dr. Ngeh J. Toyang, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder of Flavocure Biotech, Inc.