Biohealth Innovation
Modern Healthcare last week released its annual list of the "Top 25 Innovators," recognizing leaders who initiate and lead change in the health care industry.
Methodology For the list, Modern Healthcare accepted nominations from Nov. 22, 2021 to Jan. 31, 2022.
To be eligible, nominees had to be at the director level or higher within a provider organization—including a hospital, health system, clinic, or physician group—or an insurer.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AmerisourceBergen, a global healthcare solutions company, today announced the establishment of AB Health Ventures, a dedicated corporate venture capital fund that will invest in and partner with emerging healthcare startup companies working to transform healthcare for people and animals globally. AB Health Ventures will build on AmerisourceBergen’s ongoing commitment to delivering innovation for its customers.
The impacts of various ongoing developments, from the metaverse’s increasing prominence to the forthcoming gubernatorial shift, on Maryland’s tech economy were on the minds of attendees and panelists alike at last Thursday’s Digital Transformation Summit.
The Maryland Tech Council hosted its third iteration of the annual convention, in which the economic development group looks at the Maryland tech economy’s future, at the Maryland Jockey Club in Laurel.
Image: (L to R) Fearless' design director Jordan Watts; Exelon's principal product designer Chris-Anne Correa; Mindgrub's research and experience design director Shannon Hosmer; Christine Jackson, director of digital Strategy for the National Aquarium; and Solomon Scott, engineering lead, for The Washington Post, speak on a panel during the third annual Digital Transformation Summit. - https://technical.ly
GERMANTOWN, Md., April 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — BiOneCure Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the IND for BIO-106, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) designed to target TROP-2 to treat a broad range of advanced solid tumors.
The clinical study cleared by the FDA, known as StarBridge-1, is a Phase I/II, multicenter, open-label study to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary anti-tumor activity of BIO-106 as monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced cancers.
John Newby is CEO of Virginia Bio, the nonprofit statewide trade association that serves and promotes the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth. VEDP Interim President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Newby about recent life sciences success stories in the Commonwealth and Virginia Bio’s efforts to grow the industry, including the recently announced industry hub, Virginia Bio-Connect.
TUSCON, AZ / ACCESSWIRE / April 5, 2022 / AURP, the leading nonprofit representing research parks, innovation districts and regional technology clusters, today announced a realignment of its executive team to optimize AURP’s continued success and global development strategies.
Vickie Palmer, current Director of Operations, has been appointed AURP CEO. Palmer assumes this executive leadership role following her 15 years of experience significantly expanding AURP’s membership and sponsorship community, plus overseeing AURP’s roster of events and programs. During her time with AURP, Palmer has led the organization’s membership, event management and overall operations while working closely with the organization’s CEO, Board of Directors and membership community.
OLATHE, Kan., April 06, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Innara Health, the industry leader in feeding development for newborns and infants born prematurely is collaborating with Cardinal Health on the redesign of the NTrainer System. The next generation NTrainer will be smaller, more intuitive, and easier to integrate into NICU feeding protocols.
"We are thrilled to have a globally recognized organization like Cardinal Health support Innara and the NTrainer. Not only is this collaboration validating for our clients and our team, but it is also a clear indication of Cardinal Health’s commitment to improving clinical outcomes through innovation. We look forward to seeing their contributions toward providing preterm infants with their best opportunity to develop, grow, and thrive," stated Innara Health CEO Chris Mathia.
Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc., a Gaithersburg, MD-based clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to providing therapies to treat infectious diseases, raised $20m in further funding.
The AMR Action Fund has joined an existing $41m Series B round as a co-investor. The round was initiated in May 2021 and led by Deerfield Management Company, with participation from a second institutional investor and Mayo Clinic. Martin Heidecker, PhD, Chief Investment Officer of the AMR Action Fund, will join APT’s Board of Directors.
Image: https://www.finsmes.com
Three portfolio companies have graduated from the Germantown Innovation Center (GIC), Montgomery County's business incubator program. The County's incubator program started in 1999 to foster the growth and development of young technology companies. Akan Biosciences, Intelligent Fusion Technology and Seraxis are the three County-based companies graduating from the program this spring.
"Montgomery County continues to be the epicenter of bio health and information technology in the region," said County Executive Marc Elrich. "Congratulations to Akan Bio, Intelligent Fusion Technology, and Seraxis on their graduation from our incubator. We are excited for their continued growth in the County. Montgomery County is committed to having an economic development environment that fosters growth and entrepreneurship, and these graduates are just the most recent example of the great work happening in our incubators and throughout the County."
These free 1:1 virtual sessions are an opportunity to discuss your company with experts in diagnostics, therapeutics, digital health and medical devices. If you’re a growth-stage biohealth company looking for unbiased advice on your pitch deck, commercialization strategy, evidence development or entrepreneurial challenges, our EIRs can help.
To sign-up for any of the EIR dates in 2022, please follow this link.
GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altimmune, Inc., (Nasdaq: ALT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has enrolled the first subject in the 48-week Phase 2 MOMENTUM trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of pemvidutide1 in subjects with obesity or overweight. Pemvidutide is a novel, investigational GLP-1/glucagon dual receptor agonist under development for the treatment of obesity and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The Company also today announced the completion of enrollment in its 12-week Phase 1b clinical trial of pemvidutide in subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc. (“APT”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to providing therapies to treat infectious diseases, today announced that the AMR Action Fund has joined an existing $41 million Series B round as a co-investor. The round was initiated in May 2021 and led by Deerfield Management Company, with participation from a second institutional investor and Mayo Clinic. Proceeds of the AMR Action Fund’s investment are primarily intended to support APT’s clinical trials to address substantial unmet patient needs in Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) and Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis (DFO).
Image: ttps://www.businesswire.com
The Office of the Provost has appointed Brian Coblitz to be the new executive director of George Washington University’s Technology Commercialization Office (TCO).
TCO promotes and facilitates the transfer of technology developed at GW for the benefit of the university community and the public while leveraging GW resources by partnering with industry experts and entrepreneurs. Coblitz, who was previously interim director of the office and managed licensing for GW's life science technologies for nine years, has been with TCO since 2012.
Image: Brian Coblitz, executive director of GW Technology Commercialization Office. (Maansi Srivastava/GW Today) - https://gwtoday.gwu.edu
It’s decided. President Joe Biden’s new biomedical research agency for high-risk, cutting-edge research won’t have the full autonomy many backers had sought. Instead, it will sit within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But to give the agency a measure of independence, its director will report to the NIH director’s boss, the secretary of health and human services (HHS).
Image: Xavier Becerra, secretary of health and human services, testified today before a House of Representatives spending panel that oversees the National Institutes of Health.AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
FREDERICK, Md., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital diagnostics company Ellume, a producer of at-home COVID-19 test kits, today officially opened its new, 215,000 square foot production facility in Frederick, Maryland. Joined by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Ellume Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Sean Parsons inaugurated the new facility, which has the capacity to produce approximately 15 million COVID-19 Home Tests per month and will create hundreds of new jobs.
"From the very onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellume has been committed to supporting the U.S. government's response. With this new facility, we now have the capacity to substantially scale production to meet any future surge in demand for home tests, while also accelerating innovation in developing solutions for the public health needs of today and tomorrow," said Dr. Sean Parsons, Ellume Founder and CEO. "We are grateful for the support of the US Department of Defense, US Department of Health and Human Services, our partnerships with the State of Maryland, the Governor's office and Frederick County, as well as the highly skilled workforce in Maryland's Biotech Corridor who have helped make this facility a reality."
PASADENA, Calif., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexandria Venture Investments, the strategic venture capital platform of 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 was recognized by AgFunder in its "2022 AgriFoodTech Investment Report" as one of the top five most active U.S. investors in agrifoodtech by number of companies in which it invested (2021) for the second consecutive year. This significant recognition demonstrates Alexandria's leadership in venture activity that supports the next generation of companies in agrifoodtech. These impactful companies are accelerating and scaling technological innovation and broader transformations in the agrifoodtech sector, which are critical for the long-term health, accessibility, sustainability and resilience of the global food supply. Since 2000, Alexandria has diligently invested in and provided state-of-the-art infrastructure for innovative agrifoodtech companies advancing novel approaches with vast potential to address challenges related to sustainability, agriculture, food and nutrition.
We are excited to announce that Virginia Bio Connect has launched the first centralized asset resource portal VABIOCONNECT.ORG! This portal is your destination for Virginia’s life sciences resources, jobs, and events. It’s a place to connect and follow people and organizations from the ecosystem. Visit https://vabioconnect.org/ and create your profile today!
MEDA Angels is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Partnership with Tech Coast Angels (TCA) of Southern California. TCA, founded in 1997, is a leading source of angel investor funding of seed-stage and early-stage companies. It has invested more than $255 million in more than 500 companies and has helped attract more than $1.7 billion in additional capital/follow-on rounds.
MEDA Angels, an angel investor group established in 2019, was founded by seasoned physician- and scientist-investors. Its healthcare-centric membership includes 50+ physicians, scientists, and other healthcare experts, as well as legal, financial, and regulatory professionals. Since its inception, MEDA Angels has invested in 12 companies, totaling nearly $2 million. With one exit providing a 2x ROI & 80% IRR, the unrealized gains from its existing portfolio investments stand at 1.9x ROI and 86% IRR.
WHEN: Today, Wednesday, March 30, 2022
WHERE: CNBC’s “Healthy Returns Summit: Reality, Recovery and Opportunity”
Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato and CNBC’s Senior Health & Science Reporter Meg Tirrell live during CNBC’s “Healthy Returns Summit: Reality, Recovery and Opportunity” today, Wednesday, March 30th.
Image: https://www.jnj.com/leadership/joaquin-duato
Researchers say the sensor combines accuracy levels approaching that of PCR testing with the speed of rapid antigen tests, and could be used for mass testing at airports, schools, and hospitals
Catherine Graham March 29, 2022
A COVID-19 sensor developed at Johns Hopkins University could revolutionize virus testing by adding accuracy and speed to a process that frustrated many during the pandemic.
In a new study published today in Nano Letters, the researchers describe the sensor, which requires no sample preparation and minimal operator expertise, offering a strong advantage over existing testing methods, especially for population-wide testing.
President Joe Biden didn’t forget research today, when he submitted to Congress a 2023 budget request that calls for a 9.5% increase in domestic discretionary spending. Biden is asking for a 19% increase at the National Science Foundation (NSF), a 9.6% boost for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 4.5% more for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science, and a 5% hike for NASA’s science missions. Once again, fighting climate change and boosting sustainable energy technologies also rank high among Biden’s research priorities.
Image: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-biden/
As increasing effort and attention gets spent on making entrepreneur ecosystems more inclusive and diverse, women entrepreneurs still face challenges that their male counterparts may not.
That might include imposter syndrome stemming from being the only woman or person of color in a room of investors. It might mean few available business-building resources, or connections to those resources. Or a first-time entrepreneur might also be balancing uneven family responsibilities or taking care of a newborn.
Image: Startup Grind Maryland's March event speakers. (Image via startupgrind.com)
For venture capital, more money has led to new challenges. With U.S. venture smashing records for funds raised and funds deployed in 2021, the sector has become more competitive on both sides of the table: Entrepreneurs are able to be more selective about who they invite onto their cap tables, and VCs are fielding increased demand from limited partners (LPs) who want access to venture deals at earlier stages.
What does this mean for the future of the U.S. venture ecosystem? One place to look for new trends is the formation of first funds by new venture firms, which are developing unique strategies to compete for early-stage deals.
Image: https://carta.com/
These free 1:1 virtual sessions are an opportunity to discuss your company with experts in diagnostics, therapeutics, digital health and medical devices. If you’re a growth-stage biohealth company looking for unbiased advice on your pitch deck, commercialization strategy, evidence development or entrepreneurial challenges, our EIRs can help.
To sign-up for any of the EIR dates in 2022, please follow this link.
Innovation is a principal driver of U.S. economic growth. In 2022, the U.S. will spend nearly $600 billion on research and development — more than any other country in the world and more than 25% of the world’s total — helping the nation rank third on the Global Innovation Index. According to the results of the ranking, knowledge and technology outputs are America’s particular strengths. Some of the biggest innovations the U.S. has produced recently are the COVID-19 vaccines.
Image: https://wallethub.com
MedTech Innovator is the largest and highest performing accelerator of medical technology in the world and the medtech industry’s premiere showcase and competition for innovative medical device, digital health and diagnostic companies.
Although it’s not yet a state, DC was recognized in a new report as the country’s most innovative state, while its northern neighbor of Maryland landed three spots down at fourth place.
The report from WalletHub, a DC-based financial advice site, concluded that the district embraces economic and technological creativity more than any of the 50 actual states. Titled 2022’s Most & Least Innovative States, the study found that DC continues to grow innovation in its education, funding, research and new business creation realms. Meanwhile, Maryland came in at #4 and Virginia at #6 — a testament to the tech sector’s strength throughout the DMV and beyond — while Massachusetts and Washington state took the #2 and #3 spots.
Image: A visualization of WalletHub's findings. (Image via WalletHub report)
BALTIMORE, MD, March 24, 2022 – The University of Maryland (UM) BioPark today announced its newest tenant, NextStep Robotics Inc., a therapeutic device and robotics company creating advanced solutions to alleviate and eventually eliminate foot drop symptoms. NextStep, a company based on technology licensed from University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), will use its new 3,600-sq. ft. space to build out its manufacturing capabilities as well as a state-of-the-art biomechanics laboratory including advanced motion analysis systems.
“We are thrilled that NextStep Robotics selected the BioPark as their headquarters,” said Jane Shaab, associate vice president for economic development UMB and executive director of the BioPark. “Being located on UMB’s campus, the BioPark creates prime opportunities for our tenants to partner with and access the University’s incredible researchers, medical facilities, and resources.”
PASADENA, Calif., March 24, 2022 /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 its executive chairman and founder, Joel S. Marcus, will be honored at the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation's groundbreaking ceremony in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, March 25, 2022, to commemorate the historic mission-critical milestone in the development of the national museum. Representing Alexandria at the ceremony, Mr. Marcus, who serves on the board of directors of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, will join other foundation board members, major museum donors, government officials and 15 Medal of Honor recipients to commemorate the foundation's remarkable progress toward its goal to build a permanent home for a new national museum in Arlington, Texas. The events will be livestreamed for the public to watch.
HILDEN, Germany & GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today marked World TB Day by announcing its QuantiFERON blood test has been used to screen patients for tuberculosis (TB) infection more than 100 million times since its launch – an achievement that cements its status as the gold standard in the fight against this contagious and often deadly disease.
Used to test patients in over 130 countries, the fourth generation QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus assay identifies interferon-gamma released by T-cells following recognition of TB specific antigens as a marker of TB infection. Interferon gamma release assays (IGRA) require only one patient visit to a healthcare provider and are more accurate than the traditional two-visit skin test that has been used for over a century to detect the latent form of the infection.
Darryll J. Pines, President, University of Maryland, Joins BioTalk to discuss all things relating the University to the BioHealth Capital Region from Quantum to Workforce Development to Diversity and Equality
Listen now on Apple https://apple.co/3Iq9gqf, Google https://bit.ly/37NHFms, Spotify https://spoti.fi/3KZNziz, Amazon https://amzn.to/3ImyYvP, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/3IrYakN
Darryll J. Pines serves as president of the University of Maryland as well as the Glenn L. Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering.
Formerly the Nariman Farvardin Professor of Engineering and dean of UMD’s A. James Clark School of Engineering, where he has been on the faculty since 1995, Pines amassed a record of academic leadership and research accomplishments that have dramatically elevated the school’s rankings and stature nationally and internationally. In 2019, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his “inspirational leadership and contributions to engineering education.”
FREDERICK, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Maryland Tech Council, the largest technology and life sciences trade association in the state, today announced it has received $2.45 million in federal funding to accelerate innovation in Maryland. The community project funding is included in the fiscal year 2022 omnibus appropriations bill and made possible by the leadership of Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD), chair of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government subcommittee.
To make innovation a priority, hospitals and health systems must harness innovation efforts from the pandemic to stay ahead of the curve. Here, four health system and hospital innovation leaders share habits that are killing innovation.
Christine Brocato. System VP, Strategic Innovation of CommonSpirit Health (Chicago). Health systems are just recovering from the last COVID surge and there's a lot of concern about staffing levels and financials, which has hindered innovation as health systems have been focusing on immediate issues rather than future investments in innovation.
The Prince William County Department of Economic Development, in partnership with Holladay Properties, cordially invites you to the Northern Virginia Bioscience Center Grand Opening Celebration on March 29, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.
Join us to commemorate the completion of 30,000 square feet in new commercial wet lab space reflecting more than $17.3 million in capital investment. Meet with elected officials from the Board of County Supervisors, GMU faculty and researchers, biotech business owners, and many more.
Lunch will be provided with attendee giveaways and opportunities to tour tenant spaces. Attendance is free, but please RSVP at pwcded.org/nvbc-rsvp by Friday, March 25, to advise of your attendance. We hope to see you there!
Two years after beginning a collaborative strategic visioning process, only to pause in response to the urgent demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins University is relaunching the work of evaluating Johns Hopkins' Ten by Twenty strategic vision and mapping the next phase of the university's future.