As cars zoom along Darnestown Road, drivers can glimpse the gently sloping pastures of historic Belward Farm, a wide swath of green in the middle of Montgomery County that has seen little change since the Civil War.¶ Even as tract mansions, shopping centers, roads and office parks have sprouted nearby, Belward has endured, looking today much as it did in the 19th century. Not long ago, Belward Farm was home to an 80-head herd of black Angus cattle, two miniature horses and a donkey, whose owner, Elizabeth Beall Banks, was a feisty opponent of development.

GSK is inviting academic scientists to enter their most innovative drug research proposals into its 2014 Discovery Fast Track Challenge – a programme designed to accelerate the translation of early-stage research into game-changing new medicines. 

Building on the success of its first programme in 2013, which ran in the US and Canada, GSK is implementing the crowdsourcing challenge for a second year and expanding it to include Europe. Scientists whose entries are selected will collaborate with GSK’s Discovery Partnerships with Academia (DPAc) team, the sponsor of the challenge, to test their hypotheses on potential disease pathways or targets against GSK’s extensive library of compounds.

Dramatic change in angel investing means both threats and opportunities for the angel investment community and the tens of thousands of entrepreneurs they support, according to the Angel Capital Association (ACA), the world's leading professional association for angel investors. The global angel investing community will debate and assess this new environment at the 2014 ACA Summit, "Angel Impact: Entrepreneurial and Economic Success," March 26-28, 2014, in Washington, D.C.

U.S. angel investors – individuals who support startup companies with passion, experience and funding - in 2012 invested nearly $23 billion in about 67,000 ventures, according to estimates by the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire. Their impact on the economy is huge, as the kinds of innovative startups angels invest in create all of the net new jobs in the country, according to reports by the Census Bureau and Kauffman Foundation.

Accelerator programs and incubators are growing rapidly in number within the health care industry, with most replicating standard tech incubator models. But one organization has worked to redefine what an accelerator program can look like in the health space by joining one of the country’s largest and most influential associations in its landmark effort to court healthcare innovation. Dr. Ross Tonkens, a cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer in Cary, North Carolina has directed the creation of the Science and Technology Accelerator Program inside the American Heart Association (AHA), that targets and supports ground-breaking ideas from residents to senior clinicians.

Dr. Lucian Iancovici is an investment manager at Qualcomm Ventures with a focus on the Qualcomm Life Fund, a $100 million digital health fund. He manages the fund’s investments in Fitbit and PracticeFusion. This week at HIMSS, Iancovici was a keynote speaker at a venture forum to explore investment trends in healthcare and the different approaches digital health startups are taking to take on pain points in the industry.

In an interview with MedCity News, Iancovici identified a few emerging patterns he sees in digital health centered around mobilizing, organizing and analyzing patient data to catalyze changes in healthcare.

Fifteen university research teams from Maryland will receive a total of $4.1 million to work with local companies to turn their research into products that could one day be sold on the commercial market.

The grants were awarded by the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program to projects that pair researchers at University System of Maryland schools with local businesses. The $4.1 million is a combination of MIPS grants and matching funding provided by participating companies.

GSK is inviting academic scientists to enter their most innovative drug research proposals into its 2014 Discovery Fast Track Challenge– a program designed to accelerate the translation of early-stage research into game-changing new medicines.  

Building on the success of its first program in 2013, which ran in the United States and Canada, GSK is implementing the challenge for a second year and expanding it to include Europe. Scientists who participate in the challenge are asked to submit details about the biological targets or pathways they are researching and the scientific rationale detailing how this early stage research could direct future drug development.

It pays to have a college diploma -- and preferably more than one.

A worker who holds a bachelor's degree will typically earn 77 percent more than a colleague who didn't go beyond high school, says a new U.S. Census Bureau report. And a person with a master's degree will earn 17 percent more than an individual with a B.A. or B.S.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett today announced that investors in 10 local biotech companies will receive $500,000 in return for investing more than $7 million in local companies that qualified for the County’s local biotech tax credit supplement program. “Again in 2013, our biotech sector will benefit from the County’s local biotech tax credit supplement program,” said Leggett. “It is another indication that our biotech companies are thriving and that Montgomery County supports their ongoing growth and success financially, along with targeted programmatic support.”

The U.S. experiences cycles in liquidity because, well, we just aren’t that creative. In 2006 to 2007 we saw waves of consumer tech IPOs, then the inevitable ebb, followed by the flow of enterprise tech IPOs from 2010 to 2013. But while high profile brands like Twitter and FireEye dominated the news, did you know that 38 healthcare firms went public, compared to 28 in technology? In 2013 we saw healthcare IT investments break records, exceeding $1.9 billion in total investments. And digital health has only scratched the surface: I believe that healthcare IT IPOs will quadruple enterprise tech IPOs this year.

The healthcare IT market is ripe for IPOs for several reasons.

The University of Maryland (UM) BioPark and UM Ventures announced today that Advanced Metrics, a successful early-stage UM, Baltimore (UMB) startup has moved from offices on the University's campus to the BioPark. Advanced Metrics is leveraging software development and data expertise to provide solutions for the healthcare industry. It has moved quickly into commercialization since establishment only a year ago. Two employees will develop the company's technologies at the BioPark. The company also has additional staff in Mountville, Pennsylvania.

"Moving to the UM BioPark allows us to grow in an innovation-rich environment, where a variety of scientific companies operate," said Steven Herr, Ph.D., CEO of Advanced Metrics. "We aspire to be innovative and agile, and to work in a smart way for healthcare practitioners and families. Moving to the BioPark and surrounding ourselves with innovative peers is an ideal step towards accomplishing our

BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, announced today that it received 510(k) clearance and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Waiver from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the BD Veritor™ System for Rapid Detection of Group A Strep . This is the first commercially available rapid Group A Strep test system that incorporates a digital result to receive CLIA Waiver. The new assay is cleared for use in hospitals, outpatient clinics and other patient-care settings.

Group A Strep is the most common bacterial cause of pharyngitis. More accurately determining the etiology of pharyngitis can help providers make more appropriate antibiotic treatment decisions.

William G. “Bill” Robertson plans to leave his post as president and chief executive of Gaithersburg-based health system Adventist HealthCare in April to lead MultiCare Health System, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington state.

Robertson has led Adventist — one of the largest private employers in Maryland, with more than 6,200 employees — since 2000. His last day will be April 4, Adventist HealthCare Board of Trustees Chairman David E. Weigley announced Monday.

Twenty-somethings can be a tough crowd to please. They’re glued to their smartphones, opinionated, and entirely dependent on technology. When facing an illness, they’ll jump head-first into the information-abyss of a Google search. By the time they make it to the doctor’s office, they’ve already digested 15 academic studies and 10 online articles.

As the Pew Center points out, this hyper-connected behavior is a double edged sword — on the one hand, millennial patients have the resources to be their most empowered and informed. The problem? These young information-seekers risk falling prey to poorly researched online articles, bad advice on social media, and the impulse to self-medicate to avoid expensive ER visits. Not to mention, some members of this demographic are deluded enough to think that they’re ‘too healthy for healthcare.’

NexImmune, an immunotherapy company developing products for the treatment of cancer, today announced a new scientific publication by NexImmune co-founder Dr. Jonathan Schneck and colleagues that provides an important advance in the use of its proprietary Artificial Immune (AIMä) Technology for cellular therapy of cancer.  The study, published this week in ACS Nano, demonstrated the use of nanoparticle artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (aAPC), a key component of the AIM technology, with applied magnetic fields to activate and expand naive, normally poorly responsive T cell populations.  Significantly, activated cells were highly effective for treating cancer in a mouse model system.   

Activating naive T cells has been a key, but elusive goal of immunotherapy as these cells are more effective than differentiated T cell subtypes for treating cancer.  Once activated, naive T cells have a higher proliferative capacity and a greater ability to generate strong, long-term T cell responses important for immunotherapy. Thus, this study describes a novel approach whereby AIM aAPC can potentially be coupled to magnetic-field-enhanced activation of T cells to increase the yield and activity of antigen-specific T cells expanded from naive precursors, thereby improving cellular therapy for cancer.   

20/20 GeneSystems, Inc. (“20/20”) announced today that the National Cancer Institute has awarded the company a cost-sharing Phase II Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) contract to develop, optimize, and validate (analytically and clinically) a test to help predict whether a patient with advanced stage kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma) is likely to benefit from anti-angiogenic therapy. The anticipated end result is a diagnostic test that will indicate to oncologists the appropriate treatment for patients.

AnthroTronix (www.atinc.com), an award-winning research and development (R&D) company that designs human-inspired products that define the future of mobile technology, recently awarded the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine a subcontract to use AnthroTronix’s technology to study ways to improve clinical care in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). This subcontract is in support of a U.S Army Rapid Innovation Fund project at AnthroTronix.

Researcher Adam Kaplin, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will lead the research. The subcontract supports the work designed to enhance patient care, specifically related to the application of AnthroTronix’s Defense Automated Neurobehavioral Assessment (DANA), mobile brain vitals health assessment tool.

Discovery Communications - Monday, March 31, 2014

Please join Montgomery County’s business, nonprofit, philanthropic, government, education and resident leaders in a discussion about building the workforce of the future.   

To begin, Montgomery Moving Forward is focusing on jobs – learning together, advocating together and experimenting together-- so that more residents achieve self-sufficiency, more local businesses find qualified workers, more communities contribute to and share in countywide prosperity and so the County can establish lasting pathways to success for our changing community.   Symposium Planning Committee: representatives of A Wider Circle; CollegeTracks; Community Foundation for Montgomery County/Community Foundation for the National Capital Region; Jewish Social Service Agency; Identity; LAYC/Maryland Multicultural Youth Center; Montgomery Business Development Corporation; Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy; Montgomery College; Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families; Montgomery County Council; Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, Workforce Services Division; Montgomery County Public Schools; Universities at Shady Grove; Workforce Solutions Group 

Scott Block has always been interested in entrepreneurship. As an undergraduate , he looked for opportunities to get involved in start-ups at the University of Maryland, and he helped a few other students build Web applications for their own business ideas. Over time, he saw how difficult it was for those entrepreneurial students to connect with others like them on campus.

Two other students, Avi Eisenberger and Justin Searles, shared Block’s frustration. The three decided to work together to solve the problem by creating a place for student entrepreneurs to come together online, share ideas and track their ventures. The team created a platform and app called VentureBoard.

UCSF and electronics giant Samsung are establishing a center for digital health care innovation, they said Friday, an endeavor that seeks to accelerate the development of mobile technologies for preventive health care.

The lab, to be located on UCSF's Mission Bay campus, will function as a kind of cross-cultural exchange, the rare kind of space where technologists and innovators will be able to validate technologies like smartphone apps or wearable sensors alongside top medical researchers. At the same time, researchers and clinicians will be able to funnel ideas through Samsung designers and engineers.

Roger Jeffs hopes that someday all medicines will be classified as orphan drugs. Allow the president and COO of United Therapeutics (Nasdaq: UTHR) to explain. He wants the pharmaceutical world to get to a place where every drug is so specifically targeted that it would apply to only a few people worldwid

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Cangene Corporation for $222 million in cash. After payment by Cangene of transaction related costs, Emergent expects to receive approximately $40 million of cash from Cangene in connection with closing. The completion of the acquisition follows the successful conclusion of all closing conditions, including approval by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and a positive vote by Cangene shareholders at a special shareholder meeting held on February 12, 2014. The transaction is consistent with Emergent’s growth plan in that it diversifies the company’s revenue mix, adds commercial product sales and contributes to earnings growth.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites small businesses to submit Phase I research applications under this Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO). Firms with strong research capabilities in any of the areas listed in Section 9 of the Full Announcement/FFO document are encouraged to participate. Applications not addressing one of the Subtopics in Section 9 are not responsive to this FFO. NIST offers two types of Subtopics in Section 9 of this FFO: standard research “R” and tech transfer “TT” Subtopics. Both “R” and “TT” subtopics are intended to cultivate private sector innovation and foster and encourage participation by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation.

Keeping your computer safe is always a top priority for students, government officials and nine-to-fivers paranoid about losing their tech investment, or worse – face a security breach. Thanks to a new product from University of Maryland-based CoolCAD Electronics LLC, though, you may not have to worry about your computer's well-being any more.

The startup from College Park just launched a 30-day Kickstarter campaign for its new GateKeeper Chain security product, a trendy-looking little key fob that automatically locks your computer when you leave. Then, once you return, it unlocks.

Faculty researchers from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University were recognized for their groundbreaking research and its impact on human health with 2014 BioMaryland LIFE (Leading Innovative Faculty Entrepreneurs) awards. Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary Dominick Murray and BioMaryland Center Executive Director Dr. Judy Britz presented the awards to Dr. Jonathan Powell of the Johns Hopkins University Kimmel Cancer Center to further develop a new therapeutic agent for diabetes type II; and to Dr. Eduardo Davila of the University of Maryland, Baltimore for his T-cell based universal immunotherapy platform to fight cancer. First awarded in 2010, the LIFE prizes are two $50,000 grants funded by the BioMaryland Center along with the two universities to help advance research in biotech and biopharma, medical devices, or diagnostics that have the greatest potential for commercial application.

Southern Maryland’s economic potential lies in the region’s higher education institutions producing highly technical and skilled workers, according to area leaders.

Military officials, educators, business leaders and others discussed Southern Maryland’s potential economic growth Monday during a forum at the Prince Frederick campus of the College of Southern Maryland.

It’s a bit surreal to go to a science fair at a hospital. But the group of health IT companies from DreamIt Venture’s accelerator coupled with demonstrations of technology from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania helped set the scene for a new initiative by DreamIt that’s starting at CHOP. The program is designed to help companies and institutions develop enterprise software and commercially viable companies.

DreamIt Ventures’ Open Canvas@CHOP is a one-year program at the pediatric hospital to help it further develop its reputation for pediatric innovation but in enterprise software. The program will also see two teams from the institution take part in DreamIt Health’s next accelerator class in Philadelphia this summer.

An entrepreneurial culture is alive and well in the nation's capital, bolstered by a wave of successful startups of various shapes and sizes that are creating jobs and improving the world. In pursuing continued economic growth that is not dependent upon federal funds, the D.C. community must focus on encouraging and supporting more entrepreneurs. One clear path to accelerating the evolution of a startup culture, highlighted by the University of Maryland's recent recognition as the top public university for technology entrepreneurship in the 2013 StartEngine College Index, is through our local institutions of higher education. Their curricula, access to space and technology, and vast alumni networks make universities the perfect home for entrepreneurship, and their efforts to create a new generation of entrepreneurs need our community's support.

Illumina Inc. is launching what it bills as the world’s first genomics incubator, saying it has teamed up with technology billionaire Yuri Milner and Silicon Valley Bank to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in startups.

The San Diego maker of genome sequencing equipment said that it plans to offer aspiring genomics businesses both funding and access to lab equipment. Work would take place in the San Francisco Bay Area.

These top venture capitalists don’t wait for biotech startups to come to them. They create companies themselves.

The path to greatness in biotechnology runs through a vale of tears. Mark Levin wants to remember that.

For Marie Johnson, coming up with a better way to detect coronary artery disease is both a business and a personal mission.

Johnson is CEO of AUM Cardiovascular, a Minnesota medical device company that’s developing a potentially cheaper, simpler, eight-minute test to detect signs of coronary artery disease — the primary cause of heart attack.

Just what is a "National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence," anyway?

I've heard this question muttered repeatedly, in one form or another, in the course of covering the ongoing bio vs. cyber dispute over the future of the William Hanna Center for Innovation at Shady Grove.

Cangene Corporation ("Cangene") (TSX: CNJ) today announced that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued a final order approving the Plan of Arrangement for the previously announced acquisition of Cangene by Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS). Under the court-approved Plan of Arrangement, Cangene shareholders will receive US$3.24 per share (C$3.56(1) per share) in cash, for an aggregate purchase price of US$222 million (approximately C$244 million(2) ).

Cangene previously announced that the waiting period mandated under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 in connection with the transaction expired on January 28, 2014. On February 12, 2014, the Plan of Arrangement was approved by approximately 99.95% of the votes cast at a special meeting of Cangene's common shareholders, which constituted more than 90.1% of the outstanding Cangene common shares.

Federal and Maryland officials signed an agreement on Tuesday with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg to develop new cyber security technology and provide opportunities for students in the state.

The agreement plans to expand on a February 2012 collaboration agreement signed by NIST, Maryland officials and Montgomery County officials to establish the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.

Epidarex Capital, a leading international early-stage life science venture capital fund, has invested in Confluence Life Sciences Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the rapid discovery and development of drugs to address unmet needs in cancer and chronic inflammatory disease.

Confluence’s innovative KINect Technology Platform enables the identification and development of new protein kinase drugs in a fraction of the time of other approaches.  Confluence’s team of world-class drug developers has created a pipeline of drug candidates which focus on creating kinase inhibitors targeting hard-to-treat cancers.  Confluence’s lead program targets the kinase TAK1, which is important in cancer cell transformation, metastasis, tumor growth and drug resistance, especially in pancreatic and other cancers such as breast and colon.