I walked into the conference room, eager to hear a presentation on the same topic as my ongoing Ph.D. project. But my enthusiasm didn’t last long. As a scientist with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the text-laden slides were difficult for me to process while I simultaneously tried to listen to what the presenter had to say. My mind began to wander, only to snap back to the talk when I heard the sound of clapping. Afterward, I was faced with awkward conversations during the coffee break as colleagues asked for my opinion on the research and I had no real answer to give them. The experience was frustrating, but it also helped me think about how I can craft my own presentations to interest all scientists—including audience members with ADHD.

Image: https://www.science.org/

Six and a half years ago, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, announced a $3 billion commitment to basic science research over a decade, including $600 million to create a biomedical research hub in San Francisco in collaboration with researchers from the University of California at San Francisco, the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University. In late 2021 they promised another $3.4 billion toward science.

Image: Angela Detweiler, a scientist in the genome sequencing laboratory at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub in San Francisco, briefs Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, cofounders and co-CEOs of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), on the lab’s instruments.CODY PICKENS FOR FORBES

The Covid 19 pandemic created immense challenges for the Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutical and Medical Device Industries, and for companies researching, developing, and manufacturing Rx products around the world. In 2020 and 2021 (and to some degree, continuing today) all processes were dramatically impacted by the pandemic as many employees, consultants, and others were restricted from physically working in the office or manufacturing facility, resulting in skeleton crews and largely remote workers.

Theradaptive, a Frederick-based biotechnology company specializing in therapeutic delivery platforms, Wednesday announced a $4 million Technology & Therapeutic Development Award (TTDA) from the Department of Defense through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

The contract will fund its OsteoAdapt regenerative therapeutic product for spine and trauma repair to first in human clinical studies.

Theradaptive’s OsteoAdapt product was granted three breakthrough medical device designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2021 and 2022 for various spinal indications. OsteoAdapt is created by combining AMP2 protein, a novel bone regenerative biologic, with ReBOSSIS, a 510K-approved implant material. OsteoAdapt has the capability to precisely direct bone regrowth where it is needed in the body.

The funds from the DOD contract will enable Theradaptive to continue its work to meet regulatory requirements and scale up Good Manufacturing Practices-compliant manufacturing of the OsteoAdapt product in preparation for clinical studies. After a request for an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) is submitted to the FDA for approval, Theradaptive will initiate human clinical trials.

Click here to read more via The Daily Record

“I told Bruce Jarrell, I had told Jennifer [Litchman], please don't do this. You know, don't put me on the wall yet!” pleaded University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD, to the laughter of nearly 100 friends, colleagues, and former colleagues at a Feb. 23 ceremony held to unveil his official portrait as a past president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). “For God's sakes, I'm an active faculty member here. I'm not done,” he continued to more laughter.

After Perman and current UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, unveiled the portrait together, Perman agreed artist Jacqueline Jasper’s work was “beautiful” and thanked her, still appearing very self-conscious.

A "biocomputer" powered by human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers who expect such technology to exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study.

The team outlines their plan for "organoid intelligence" today in the journal Frontiers in Science.

Image: Thomas Hartung with brain organoids in his lab at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. CREDIT:WILL KIRK/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

If you have a bold, ambitious idea and feel you would be a good fit for ARPA-H, please complete the form below and submit your cover letter, CV, and idea or concept that addresses the ARPA-(H)eilmeier Questions.

ARPA-H will support concepts brought to life directly from Program Managers that have not only identified a key problem in health today, but are also passionate about a vision to bring forward revolutionary solutions to solve the problem, and do so in an equitable way. ARPA-H embraces a culture of open innovation and empowers its program managers to fearlessly pursue health breakthroughs that cannot readily be accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity.

Program managers at ARPA-H will serve a term-limited appointment of three years, and no more than six years total, to ensure a constant rotation of new ideas and diverse perspectives.

MARYLAND - February 22 2023 – Today, Theradaptive, a leading biotechnology company specializing in therapeutic delivery platforms, announces a Technology & Therapeutic Development Award (TTDA) of $4 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The contract will fund its OsteoAdapt regenerative therapeutic product for spine and trauma repair to first in human clinical studies.

Theradaptive’s OsteoAdapt product was granted three breakthrough medical device designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2021 and 2022 for various spinal indications. OsteoAdapt is created by combining AMP2 protein, a novel bone regenerative biologic, with ReBOSSIS, a 510K-approved implant material. OsteoAdapt has the capability to precisely direct bone regrowth where it is needed in the body.

COLUMBIA, Md. (February 28, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $250,000 investment in NasaClip, a woman- and minority-led startup which created a new device to assist in a painless, hands-free method for stopping nosebleeds. This investment came from TEDCO’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI).

“Oftentimes, nosebleeds are non-life threatening, but patients will still go to the emergency department for them,” said Elizabeth Clayborne, MD, CEO and founder of NasaClip. “Unfortunately, the care for nosebleeds can be invasive, painful, and costly; that’s why we created NasaClip. Using NasaClip, patients can treat themselves while remaining in the comfort of their own home. TEDCO’s financial investment will help advance this much needed medical device. ”

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., February 28, 2023 -- AMPEL BioSolutions today announced a genomic precision medicine test for chronic kidney diseases, such as Lupus Nephritis, that could save lives by predicting kidney damage before it is irreversible and providing decision support for prophylactic therapies.  Genes that drive the inflammatory pathways characteristic of different stages of kidney damage are revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Immunology.  AMPEL's breakthrough approach identified markers in kidney biopsy samples that drive pathways that can be targeted by drugs.  The NephroGENE^® lab test, only a concept for the last few years, is now ready for development for practical use as a decision support biomarker test to manage kidney disease.

AMPEL's innovation is crucial to provide decision support for day-to-day patient care as well as effective drug development.  Currently, physicians rely on microscopic examination of kidney biopsies to assess the severity of disease and there is no current way to predict drug options.  Today's publication identifies the molecular pathways at every stage of damage leading to end stage renal disease as well as targets of medications to slow down the immune driven damage.  And translation of key genes in animal models used for Lupus Nephritis drug development with human patients is essential to increase the success rate of clinical trials and provide earlier confirmation of the applicability of pre-clinical work to human disease.

I write today to announce that Dr. Tatiana Litvin-Vechnyak, currently Associate Vice President for Innovation Ventures at Rutgers University, will serve as Georgetown University’s new Vice President for Technology Commercialization starting February 1, 2023.

Dr. Litvin-Vechnyak brings significant experience and expertise to this critical role, having led the Rutgers Innovation Ventures team’s management of approximately 1,260 technologies, 2,600 patent assets, 800 licenses and 90 startup companies. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Cornell University Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences and a B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Clark University. She has done Postdoctoral Research at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey where she was a recipient of the Gallo Award for Outstanding Cancer Research. Dr. Litvin-Vechnyak is a Registered Patent Agent; has served on a number of boards over the years, including the Research & Development Council of New Jersey; and was recently elected to the Board of Directors of AUTM -the Association of University Technology Managers.

Catalyze Preclinical Services Program

The Preclinical Services Program expands the support available to innovators with a heart, lung, blood, or sleep to include preclinical development activities from end-stage proof-of-concept through preclinical development and US regulatory submissions. Preclinical services are tailored to the development needs of each product. Applicants can request specific services required to advance their technology to the clinic or regulatory submission. Once a project is selected for support, the level of support and services provided are negotiated between the Principal Investigator and NHLBI.

GAITHERSBURG, MD / ACCESSWIRE / February 23, 2023 / BullFrog AI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BFRG; BFRGW) ("Bullfrog AI" or the "Company"), a digital technology company using machine learning to usher in a new era of precision medicine, today announced a co-development arrangement with the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), a world-leading institution in genomics research and innovation, for the design and validation of a synthetic HSV-1 (herpes simplex type 1) virus particle targeting colorectal cancer.

Exciting News: #AGT CEO, Jeff Galvin, won “the most prestigious leadership award in the life sciences industry” — The Life Sciences Voice Top Industry Leaders Award! It recognizes the industry's most creative minds working on important initiatives and delivering extraordinary results. Read more. https://bit.ly/3IMfVyC

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.

Listen now via Apple https://apple.co/3lO9SQZ, Google https://bit.ly/41g3diC, Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xG8OkN, Amazon https://amzn.to/3SfEKpQ, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/3xG9M0I

NCI SBIR is hosting an informational webinarExit Disclaimer on funding and resources designed to assist cancer technology innovators get their projects to the market. This presentation is appropriate for both established small businesses and researchers interested in translating technologies to patients and/or marketplace.  Program Directors Sarra Djemil and William Bozza will cover topics, including:

On Friday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller came to North Bethesda to meet with local leaders about a new research facility planned for the area.

“In order for this to be Maryland’s decade, it means it also must be Montgomery County’s decade,” Moore said following a meeting with leaders including County Executive Marc Elrich and county councilmembers. “And this is going to be an important component to actually making that happen.”

Governor Glenn Youngkin has announced the approval of over $66 million in state grants for four projects in the Biotechnology, Life Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Cluster that will help the BioHealth Capital Region continue to flourish as a top national biohub.

These initiatives are aimed at creating job opportunities, raising wages, and promoting economic growth throughout the Commonwealth. Governor Youngkin hopes that by accelerating the growth of the life sciences industry, Virginia will become a leading state in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, and improve economic opportunities in what are sometimes considered the BioHealth Capital Region’s “pocket hubs”.

Maryland business dedicated to developing telehealth solutions for remotely monitoring patients with eye and brain diseases

COLUMBIA, Md. (February 16, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) investment of $150,000 into JuneBrain Inc., an organization focused on creating new ways for physicians to remotely monitor their patients.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE: EBS) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell its travel health business to Bavarian Nordic (BVNRY) for a total value of up to $380 million, including potential future milestone payments. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Bavarian Nordic will acquire the rights to VIVOTIF®, indicated for the active immunization to prevent typhoid fever, and VAXCHORA®, indicated for the active immunization to prevent cholera, as well as the development-stage chikungunya vaccine candidate CHIKV VLP. Bavarian Nordic will also acquire Emergent’s manufacturing site in Bern, Switzerland, and development facilities in San Diego, California. Approximately 280 current Emergent employees are expected to join Bavarian Nordic as part of the transaction.

• If approved by the FDA, NARCAN Nasal Spray will be the first 4 mg naloxone nasal spray switched from prescription status to over-the-counter use

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Today, Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee have unanimously voted in favor (a total of 19 votes) that the benefit-risk profile of NARCAN® (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray is supportive of its use as a nonprescription opioid overdose reversal agent. Emergent presented an overview of its over-the-counter (OTC) development program, the medical need, Human Factors study data and seven years of post-marketing safety data. The FDA is not bound by the committees’ guidance but will take its advice into consideration.

The commitment and mission of growing the BioHealth Capital Region is being continued with new board member

ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, February 14, 2023 – The Board of Directors of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Michael Friedlander, Vice President for Health Sciences & Technology, Virginia Tech, to its Board of Directors. The BioHealth Innovation Board of Directors is a distinguished group of accomplished and respected leaders committed to the BioHealth Capital Region. Their wealth of experience and expertise provides invaluable guidance and support to BHI’s mission of translating market-relevant research into commercial success by connecting management, funding, and markets.

Modified agreement also includes the development of an updated vaccine in fall 2023

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced a modification to its existing agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the Department of Defense, to deliver up to 1.5 million doses of the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (NVX-CoV2373). This agreement will maintain the U.S. public's access to Novavax' vaccine and support the development of smaller dose vials, strain selection in line with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations, and a smooth transition to the commercial market.

By Sarah Ellinwood with contributions by Mark Nardone, Chris Frew, Sean Rae, Laura Frew, Jeff Caskey, and Heather Mudrick February 9, 2023

If you have lab experience and are looking to break out into industry or biotech, chances are you might be wondering what skills will make you competitive.

BioBuzz consulted with our colleagues, our expert recruiters at our sister company, Workforce Genetics, as well as perused scientist job listings to see what technical skills are in high demand.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

ATTN Awardees: #DYK that #NIAsbir has #Entrepreneurs-in-Residence? Our #EIRs, Diane Ignar, Ph.D., R.Ph., and John P. Reinhart, CPA, M.B.A., bring unique expertise and experience from the field. They provide innovator planning support, business development guidance, and more to #SBIR #STTR awardees. Learn more and connect with an #EIR today: bit.ly/3Ov55gH #NIAFunded

I want to share our team at NSF's $60 M initiative focused on driving more research translation out of universities, with a specific focus on universities with high research output but lower levels of research translation.

Accelerating Research Translation (ART) Program will provide institutions of higher education with $6 M (over 4 years) to:

• Create the necessary capacity and infrastructure to increase the speed and scale at which they translate technologies from lab to market
• Flexible seed funds to support promising projects with clear translational potential (up to 50% of budget)
• Develop training opportunities — especially for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers — to become entrepreneurs and/or seek translational research-oriented careers in the public and private sectors

First informational webinar is on February 21, 2023. RSVP here: https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_N-mFOgtjSkijCuOI7orPvw

Full program announcement: https://beta.nsf.gov/news/new-60-million-nsf-program-aims-increase-speed

Read more ...

Many parties are involved when a life sciences startup is raising capital. This program will explore strategic and tactical considerations of equity financing for life sciences companies from the legal, investor, and start up perspectives. The panel discussion will cover investor outreach, presentation materials and potential sources and types of equity capital.

The panelists will also explore how to raise equity at various stages of the company’s life cycle, and how navigate fundraising hurdles such as the due diligence process, costs and commonly negotiated terms.

HERNDON, VA. (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 08, 2023

Global life expectancy has more than doubled over the last two centuries, from less than 30 years to more than 72 years.(1) Despite the advances during the ‘golden age of medicine’ throughout the first half of the 20th century, for persons living with rare diseases, 26% still die before the age of five, and depending on the severity of the disease, 37% have a reduced life expectancy.(2) Pharmaceutical companies were historically loathe to research and develop life-saving drugs and treatments for rare diseases because it wasn’t profitable marketing drugs to such a small segment of the population. Rare disease patients became known as ‘orphans,’ having been abandoned by prescription drug manufacturers.(3) In 1983, the U.S. Congress passed the Orphan Drug Act to incentivize drug manufacturers to pursue the development of drug treatments for rare diseases. Dr. Harsha Rajasimha is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Indo-US Organization for Rare Diseases (IndoUSrare), a not-for-profit organization that seeks to bridge the gap between the western and eastern hemispheres when it comes to orphan diseases. He notes, “It has been 40 years since this watershed moment in the research and development of treatments for rare diseases. While we celebrate our significant progress, we must continue to look toward the still foggy road ahead.”

2022 was an incredibly productive year for American scientists. Biopharmaceutical researchers conducted over 7,000 clinical programs, including more than 3,000 for cancer, 182 for cardiovascular diseases, 111 for Alzheimer's, and 57 for Type II diabetes. Importantly, 77% of these therapeutics originated at small biotech companies working toward their first breakthrough.

The biggest controversy surrounding the Bayh-Dole Act — which allows academic institutions and private contractors to own and manage inventions they make with federal funds — is the false claim that the law allows the government to relicense patents on these inventions to ensure that prices of resulting products are “reasonable.” While this claim has been widely bandied about, it has been rejected by every administration that has considered it for the past 20 years because that’s not how the law works. Still, attempts to undermine Bayh-Dole in this way continue.

Dear scientific community,

The European programme ApogeeBio has launched the 2nd international call for 12 postdoctoral positions in Genopole biocluster, Paris region (FR).

It offers attractive allocations, up to €3000 net monthly salary for 24 months duration and hosting possibilities in both academic and private sectors within Genopole campus

The deadline is extended to February 28, 2023

ApogeeBio programme and its partners provide the fellows with a support in the income mobility organization and in setting  their career development plan after the postodoc period.

Please so not hesitate to share with your networks. More here >>> https://bit.ly/ApogeeBio2022Call

KaloCyte’s experimental synthetic red blood cell product ErythroMer could provide a solution to the high need for treating trauma in both military and civilian settings. The company was tapped to participate in a federally-funded program to develop a synthetic blood substitute.

Image: https://biobuzz.io/

Richmond, Virginia, Feb. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phlow Corp., a U.S.-based public benefit corporation leveraging advanced manufacturing processes to re-imagine the domestic production of pharmaceutical products critical to U.S. healthcare, announced today the formation of the Phlow Business Advisory Board made up of internationally recognized pharmaceutical, biotech, and healthcare leaders who bring a wealth of knowledge and industry experience to the company; the addition of Melinda Hancock of Sentara Health System to Phlow’s Board of Directors; and the promotion of Dan Hackman from Chief Business Officer to President.

Stronger sales in Europe and the U.S. helped offset declining demand in Japan for the Medical Business Unit of Japanese industrial conglomerate Canon for the company’s fiscal 2022. The company said that sales in the medical division grew almost 7%, to the highest level in the history of the business unit.

For the year, Canon Medical saw sales of 513.3 billion yen ($3.970 billion), representing growth of 6.9% compared to the full-year 2021 numbers. The medical division’s income before taxes fell by 7% to 31.9 billion yen ($246.7 million) – the prior-year numbers were boosted by an increase in deductions related to a corporate acquisition.

Image: https://caseyinsights.com/

⦁ First placebo-controlled study of an engineered cell therapy

Gaithersburg, MD, January 31, 2023 – Cartesian Therapeutics, a fully integrated, clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering RNA cell therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer, has dosed the first participant in its Phase 2b randomized controlled trial (RCT) for generalized myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness and fatigue. The RCT will evaluate the efficacy and safety of the company’s lead asset, Descartes-08, a first-in-class, RNA-engineered chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (rCAR-T).