How will protein engineering unleash a new era of therapeutic possibilities for BioHealth and the BioHealth Capital Region? Join us on this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis as Rich chats with Dr. Luis Alvarez, Founder & CEO of Theradaptive, who is at the forefront of protein engineering technology. Learn about Theradaptive’s ingenious approach to overcoming the challenges of naturally occurring proteins, elevating the efficacy and safety of therapeutics through precision-targeted delivery, and mitigating off-target side effects. From spinal fusion and orthopedics to soft tissue repair and targeted chemotherapeutics, Theradaptive’s breakthrough technology is set to transform the lives of millions grappling with debilitating conditions linked to loss of tissue function. Be part of the conversation that’s unlocking a world of untapped potential in the convergence of protein engineering and therapeutic discovery. Listen now here or via your favorite podcasting platforms:

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A graduate of West Point, Dr. Luis Alvarez served in the U.S. Army for 20 years. Following a combat tour and seeing fellow servicemembers forced to undergo delayed amputations due to tissue damage, he was motivated to pursue a Ph.D. in biological engineering at MIT, where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow. Dr. Alvarez founded Theradaptive following his time in the Army, using what he learned from his research to create a platform that can now deliver biologics in a highly targeted way. Previously, he was the founding deputy director of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Regenerative Medicine Program Office as well as lead for the DoD’s $720 million nerve agent pharmaceutical countermeasures program. As CEO and co-founder, Dr. Alvarez has seen the Theradaptive team grow from two to 32 people. The FDA granted the company three breakthrough designations for various spine indications, accelerating the process of reaching approval.

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Ready to explore the frontiers of cancer therapeutics? Discover how AUM Biosciences, with a key presence in Montgomery County, Maryland, in the BioHealth Capital Region, is revolutionizing the development of innovative oncology medicines and transforming the fight against cancer resistance. Join us on this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis as we chat with Vishal Doshi, Chairman & CEO of AUM Biosciences, a visionary leader in the biotech industry. Tune in to the conversation that's sparking new hope in the battle against cancer.

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Want to be on the cutting edge of disease treatment? Learn how companies like Immunyx Pharma are changing the landscape of immune modulation in the battle against diseases with the JLABS/BARDA Blue Knight program on this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis.

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Lucy Alexander, Capabilities Lead, Global Supply Chain & Strategy with AstraZeneca, joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss leading world-class supply chain operations, developing new strategies, and the continued growth of AZ in the BioHealth Capital Region.

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Jacob Greenwood, Director of Business Development at CRB, joins BioTalk with Rich Bendis to discuss engineering in the industry, the Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter of ISPE, and his career in the BioHealth Capital Region.

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BHI Life Science Business Strategists Monique Bennett and Kelly Murphy join host Rich Bendis to talk about BioHealth Commercialization, Proposal Assistance, and Submissions for Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups

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Linshom Medical CEO, Ric Hughen, joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss his career, their respiratory monitor, and growing a company in the BioHealth Capital Region.

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Richard Hughen’s thirty years of medical device experience spans three Fortune 500 and three start-up companies with two successful exits to date. He is currently CEO of Linshom Medical, a start-up that is first to deliver continuous predictive respiratory monitoring (CPRM) to the patient bedside and home.

New BHI Executives-In-Residence, Jennifer Butler and Luis Gutierrez, join VP Economic Development Sarah Miller on BioTalk with Rich Bendis to discuss the recent launch of this program and cultivating the local life sciences ecosystem by working with start-up and growth-stage companies in diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, bioinformatics, AI/machine learning and therapeutics within Montgomery County, Maryland.

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The Polaris Genomics Leadership team of CEO Charles Cathlin, MPH, CSO Tshaka Cunningham, PhD, and CMO Anne Naclerio, MD, MPH visit BioTalk to discuss competing in the 7th Annual Crab Trap Competition, being a Veteran-Owned Business and growing in BioHealth Capital Region.

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Neuroene Therapeutics Co-Founder and CEO Sherine Chan, Ph.D., joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss winning the 7th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap, their drug discovery platform and being located at JLABS @ Washington, DC.

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Brett Shealy, Executive Director of the Life Sciences Banking Team with J.P.Morgan, joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss his Career, BioHealth Investment, and the upcoming 2022 BioHealth Capital Region Forum/Investment Conference/Crab Trap.

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Crab Trap Judges and Sponsors, Sally Allain, MSc., MBA Head, JLABS @ Washington, DC Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, Srujana Cherukuri, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Noble Life Sciences, Inc. & Lora Green, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, join Rich Bendis on BioTalk to preview the event taking place live on September 21^st, 2022 at USP in Rockville. For the first time in its history, this year’s Crab Trap winner will be eligible for a package of prizes worth more than $50,000.

Prizes for the qualifying Crab Trap winner include:

• A $10,000 cash prize from Wilson Sonsini
• A $5,000 cash from Montgomery County (for a firm headquartered in Montgomery County)
• A one-year residency at JLABS @ Washington, D.C.
• Preclinical CRO services from Noble Life Sciences.

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Gary L. Disbrow, Ph.D., Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), visits BioTalk to discuss his career, advancing research, development, and collaboration in BioHealth.

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Brian Castleberry, Maryland Department of Commerce Regional Manager - Middle East, Africa and India, Office of International Investment and Trade, and & Robin Wiener, President, Get Real Health, Join Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss International Collaborations, Maryland Biotech, and Collaborations.

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Vita Therapeutics CEO & Co-founder Douglas Falk chats with Rich Bendis to discuss his career, their platforms, and moving into the University of Maryland BioPark.

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Douglas Falk, MS is the Co-founder and CEO of Vita Therapeutics, a biotechnology company generating state-of-the-art cellular therapeutics for the treatment of muscular dystrophies and solid tumors. He has experience in healthcare equity research investing as a former Principal at Brown Advisory. He has led direct investment into more than 30 biotechnology companies and is a Board Member of Johns Hopkins University’s Biotech Investment Group.

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Dave Saunders, CTO & Co-Founder of Galen Robotics, joins Rich Bendis before their 5/6/2022 Open House in Baltimore. (RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to attend) Also, view a demo of their technology at https://bit.ly/GalenRobotics. Rich and Dave and I discuss Digital Surgery, Choosing Baltimore, and their Design Philosophy.

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Mike Gill, Maryland Commerce Secretary, visits BioTalk to discuss Life Sciences in the State, growing the economy, and how we can continue building on our successes.

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Secretary Mike Gill is a business leader with four decades of experience as an entrepreneur, technology executive, investment banker, and public servant. He was tapped by Governor Larry Hogan in 2014 to lead the Maryland Department of Commerce as its first-ever Secretary and was asked by the Governor to again lead the Department in December 2021.

QIAGEN Associate Director of IP & Licensing, Raymond Blanchard, chats with Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss innovation, intellectual property and having a large footprint in the BioHealth Capital Region.=

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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

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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.” 

Ken Malone, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Early Charm Ventures, Joins BioTalk to discuss his career path, loving Baltimore, and what he sees as next for the BioHealth Capital Region

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Ken Malone is a co-founder of Early Charm Ventures, a venture studio founded in 2012 in Baltimore (Charm City) that converts science to business. Early Charm specializes in taking brilliant scientific discoveries made at universities and turning them into companies focused on growth. They don’t chase quick exits. They build companies that create sustainable value.

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Ron Kurz, Sr. Director & GM at Canon Virginia, Inc., joins BioTalk to discuss his career, growth opportunities, and Canon’s role in the BioHealth Capital Region

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Marty Rosendale, Chief Executive Officer of the Maryland Tech Council, joins BioTalk to discuss MTCs Programs, Accessing Capital, and Goals for 2022

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Ron Piervincenzi, Ph.D., CEO of United States Pharmacopeia, sits down with host, Rich Bendis, to discuss USP’s growth since his last visit, the nature of their organization, and plans on hosting the 2022 BioHealth Capital Region Forum in person at their beautiful building in Rockville, Maryland.

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Geoffrey Lynn, SVP, Synthetic Immunotherapies, Vaccitech, visits Rich Bendis to discuss his career from NIH, to CEO of Avidea, to their merger with Vaccitech.

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Dr. Geoffrey Lynn is leveraging his background in synthetic chemistry and cellular immunology to lead Avidea’s efforts to develop precision immunotherapies for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Lynn has expertise in designing, GMP manufacturing and assessing safety, efficacy & MOA of polymer-drug conjugate / nanoparticle technologies for immunotherapeutic applications. Previously, Dr. Lynn was a visiting scientist in the laboratory of Professor Christopher Jewell at the Fischell Department of Engineering at UMD and trained as a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Robert Seder at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Lynn attended medical school at Johns Hopkins University; obtained a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Oxford as an NIH-Oxford and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow; and received his B.S. in chemistry from Elon University, where he was a Goldwater Scholar.

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Bill visits BioTalk to talk about being a serial entrepreneur, biotech executive, and their recent acquisition of Avidea Technologies.

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Ellington West, CEO & Co-founder of Sonavi Labs, joins BioTalk to discuss their building the startup, their medical device, and raising funds in the BioHealth Capital Region.

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Amritha Jaishankar, PhD, Executive Director, Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF), joins BioTalk to discuss her career, investing in Maryland, and accelerating cures.

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Mr. Hakdo Kim, President, Korea SMEs & Startups Agency KOSME), joins Rich Bendis from the BHI Offices to discuss their biotech mission, their relationship with Maryland, and opportunities to expand in the United States

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Divya Chadha Manek was appointed as the NIHR CRN’s Head of Commercial Business Development in 2015 then in 2020, Divya was seconded to the UK Vaccines Taskforce (VTF) which was set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to lead the UK’s search for a safe and effective vaccine. Divya was responsible for supporting global pharmaceutical companies to rapidly generate the evidence required for marketing authorisation of COVID-19 vaccines. Divya also played a pivotal role in conceptualising and developing the NHS Vaccine Research Registry.

Alex Philippidis, Senior Business Editor of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, returned to the Forum to give his annual update on the GEN rankings of the Top 10 Bio Clusters in the United States. The BioHealth Capital Region is currently ranked #4 with a goal to be Top 3 by 2023 , and Alex briefly discusses each of the 10 top clusters and discuss how they have performed during the Pandemic. He also mentions the Up and Coming Regions of the Country.

Pete Briskman, Executive Managing Director and Co-Lead for the Mid-Atlantic Life Sciences Practice, follows Alex and does a deep dive into specifically the BioHealth Capital Region’s outstanding performance over the last year.

Watch now by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV6YjIGdIhg

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The session from the BioHealth Capital Region Forum focuses on a vision for a new science entity, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). This new NIH Institute would accelerate biomedical innovation and adoption of technologies and approaches to revolutionize healthcare and medicine. Tara A. Schwetz, Ph.D. is the Assistant Director for Biomedical Science Initiatives in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). She is currently on detail to OSTP from her role as Associate Deputy Director (ADEPD), National Institutes of Health (NIH). During her tenure as ADEPD, Dr. Schwetz also served as the acting Director of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Prior to assuming these roles, she was the Chief of the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Branch in the Office of the Director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Schwetz led several efforts while at NIAID, including conducting an evaluation of the Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance to facilitate evidence-based decision-making and developing the NIAID Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Research. Previously, Dr. Schwetz served as the Senior Advisor to the Principal Deputy Director of NIH (DEPD), where she coordinated efforts such as Reimagine HHS, the NIH rigor and reproducibility activities, and the first NIH-Wide Strategic Plan. Dr. Schwetz also served in the dual role of the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Interim Associate Program Director and the Special Assistant to the DEPD. Prior to these roles, she was a Health Science Policy Analyst at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, where she helped develop the National Pain Strategy. Dr. Schwetz started her career at NIH as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at NINR. She received a BS in biochemistry with honors from Florida State University and a PhD in biophysics from the University of South Florida, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

Listen to the audio as Rich Bendis, President and CEO of BioHealth Innovation conducts a fireside chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) since 1984. Dr. Fauci oversees an annual budget of over $6 Billion and has advised 7 President’s on many domestic and global health issues. He has an extensive portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat many existing and emerging infectious diseases.

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Dr. Xavier Barril, Chief Scientific Officer, Gain Therapeutics, and Hartaj Singh, Managing Director and Senior Analyst, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Join BioTalk to discuss Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Drug Discovery Wall Street’s Views on this Exciting Science.

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Lily Qi, Representative for the 15th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. Joins BioTalk to discuss her career, Biotech in Montgomery County, and being a supporter of the BioHealth Capital Region

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Jeff Galvin, CEO of American Gene Technologies and Rich Bendis, CEO and President of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. have a fireside chat about the rapid evolution of the BioHealth Capital Region.

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Click here to view the video interview between Jeff and Rich.