ZURICH (Reuters) - Drugmaker Roche on Friday said it had received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a test to quickly detect whether a patient has SARS-CoV-2 or one of two forms of influenza

HOUSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Corporation (NYSE: KRA), a leading global producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, is seeking regulatory approval for BIAXAM, a novel sulfonated polymer technology with long-lasting self-disinfecting properties that has been demonstrated in studies to quickly inactivate up to 99.99% of SARS-CoV-2 (virus that causes COVID-19) and other microbes.

HOUSTON, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Corporation (NYSE: KRA), a leading global producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, is seeking regulatory approval for BIAXAM, a novel sulfonated polymer technology with long-lasting self-disinfecting properties that has been demonstrated in studies to quickly inactivate up to 99.99% of SARS-CoV-2 (virus that causes COVID-19) and other microbes.

SR One, a venture capital firm focused on the biotech space, is looking to raised up to $400m for its new fund.

The firm has yet to register any capital for SR One Capital Fund I, according to the latest US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

It is unclear whether the $400m figure on the document is just a target or will also be a hardcap for the fundraise.

Emergent BioSolutions will further strengthen its contract development and manufacturing capabilities by expanding into viral vector and gene therapy by investing $75 million in its Canton facility.

The facility is focused on the development and manufacturing of drug substances for live viral vaccines, including the company’s smallpox vaccine.

“Emergent’s expansion into advanced therapy CDMO services is based on our biologics expertise and a strong understanding of our customers’ current and future needs,” said Sean Kirk, executive vice president, manufacturing and technical operations at Emergent BioSolutions. “We are investing in our people, plants and products to meet the growing demand for precision treatments and to help get these therapies to patients.”

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (Aurinia) is a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company (Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:AUP); NASDAQ (NASDAQ:AUPH) focused on commercializing therapies for rare autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, the company announced in March 2020 that it had established its U.S. commercial center of operations in Rockville, Maryland, which is actively staffing up with key personnel. Among the key leaders, Aurinia attracted were two veteran industry executives with deep ties to the region: former top MedImmune executives Peter Greenleaf and Max Donley are the company’s CEO and EVP, Internal Operations and Strategy, respectively. They both joined Aurinia’s leadership team in 2019

Maryland is the epicenter of biotech and life science innovation in the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR). The state is home to a burgeoning life science ecosystem, including a rapidly growing cell and gene therapy industry, a robust and growing advanced biomanufacturing environment, and a deep network of leading research universities and critical government life science research entities.

Graybug Vision, an Ocular disease biotech, filed with the SEC on September 4, 2020 for an $86 million IPO on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol GRAY. SVB Leerink, Piper Sandler, Needham & Co. and Wedbush PacGrow are the joint underwriters on the offering, for which pricing terms were not disclosed.

BALTIMORE, Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GlycoT Therapeutics LLC, a UM Ventures start-up company based on intellectual property (IP) developed at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), has executed a sublicense agreement for its glycoengineering technology with Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (Daiichi Sankyo; www.daiichisankyo.com). The agreement grants Daiichi Sankyo worldwide and non-exclusive rights to IP that GlycoT currently licenses from UMB and UMCP, and includes an undisclosed upfront payment, annual fees, and adequate royalties of sales to GlycoT.

Doylestown PA, USA and Abingdon, Oxon, UK, 15 September 2020 – Emergex Vaccines Holding Limited (‘Emergex’), a company tackling major global infectious disease threats through the development of synthetic ‘set point’ vaccines which prime the T-Cell immune response, today announces the determination of a Class I MHC expression library, or ligandome, for SARS-Cov-2 infected cells, in collaboration with George Mason University (‘GMU’), National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, Virginia, USA.

“5 Questions With……” is a weekly BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people in the BioHealth Capital Region to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated. This edition features 5 Questions with Tammi Thomas, Vice President, Marketing & Communications at TEDCO.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

Interactive remarks with the world's top leaders in innovation and inspiration  Plan for up-to-the-moment discussions on global issues including projected outcomes from the U.S. 2020 Presidential election.

Are you and early stage company with innovative biohealth technology? Have you considered non-dilutive funding to advance your technology? Learn more about whether or not federal or state non-dilutive funding makes sense for you. Discuss potential strategies for success. Sign up for a free 1:1 advice and feedback regarding non-dilutive funding strategy and applications with BHI staff who have helped companies secured SBIR, STTR and other awards—at twice the national average win rate.   This program is open to anyone, though scheduling priority is given to Montgomery County companies, courtesy support from MCEDC.

Click here to schedule a time.

Are you and early stage company with innovative biohealth technology? Have you considered non-dilutive funding to advance your technology? Learn more about whether or not federal or state non-dilutive funding makes sense for you. Discuss potential strategies for success. Sign up for a free 1:1 advice and feedback regarding non-dilutive funding strategy and applications with BHI staff who have helped companies secured SBIR, STTR and other awards—at twice the national average win rate.   This program is open to anyone, though scheduling priority is given to Montgomery County companies, courtesy support from MCEDC.

Click here to schedule a time.

2020 has shown us the demands that are made on tech to keep our society running. Whether it’s teams pivoting from in-office meetings to 100+ person Zoom chats or state governments having trouble processing unemployment because of overloaded systems, good tech, especially good civic tech is needed now more than ever.

Baltimore, Md. (Sept. 14, 2020) – Dr. Anne Khademian, a Presidential Fellow and professor at Virginia Tech, has been appointed executive director of the Universities at Shady Grove, the University System of Maryland (USM) regional higher education center offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs from nine USM institutions at its campus in Rockville, Md.

This invitation-only event is free for executive level biotech leaders and is presented by the Association of University Research Parks, AstraZeneca, BioHealth Innovation, Children’s National Health System, Emergent BioSolutions, George Mason University, J.P. Morgan, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Department of Commerce, Virginia Bio, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.

Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC set the bar high for biotech innovation. So please join us for our 6th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum that will highlight the accomplishments of today and chart our successes of tomorrow.

We are excited to bring you an exceptional line up of speakers to this virtual event!

*Please note that attendees’ name might be recorded if participating in the chat function during the event.

A special BioTalk with former Crab Trap winners from the BioHealth Capital Region Forum. David Narrow, CEO of Sonavex, Bruce Lichorowic, President & CEO, Dave Saunders, CTO & Co-Founder of Galen Robotics, and Vijay Ravindran, Co-Founder & CEO of Floreo, Inc. give updates on their companies since winning the Crab Trap competition in previous years.

Listen now via Apple https://apple.co/3iHuNPv, Google https://bit.ly/2DXClOI, Spotify https://spoti.fi/3bXhgAx, TuneIn https://bit.ly/3iuENvc, or YouTube Audio https://bit.ly/33smGzz

The morning after the world learned that a closely watched clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine had been halted last week over safety concerns, the company’s chief executive disclosed that a person given the vaccine had experienced serious neurological symptoms.

Image: Pascal Soriot, chief executive of the drug company AstraZeneca, in Washington in February.Credit...Erin Schaff/The New York Times

The cleverest of enemies thrive on surprise attacks. Viruses—and coronaviruses in particular—know this well. Remaining hidden in animal hosts for decades, they mutate steadily, sometimes serendipitously morphing into more effective and efficient infectious agents. When a strain with just the right combination of genetic codes that spell trouble for people makes the leap from animal to human, the ambush begins.

Image: Illustration by Peter Greenwood for TIME - https://time.com

Don't miss your change to be named the BioHealth Startup with the Most Commectial Potential at the BHCR Forum, win $10,000 and more!

Applications due: 9/24

Finalists notified by: 10/2

Mandatory presenter coaching for finalists: 10/7

Are you a start-up in Maryland, DC or Virginia seeking feedback on your biohealth business idea, pitch deck, or commercialization plan? Schedule your complimentary virtual feedback session with BHI Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and Analysts on one of the following dates: 8/26. (45 minute blocks of time beginning at 9:00 in the morning. Pre-registration is required; sign up www.tinyurl.com/EIRFeedback. For questions/more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Richmond, VA, Sept. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) Board of Directors today announced Bob Stolle as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer and President of CIT. Stolle previously served as CIT’s Senior Vice President of Policy and Regional Initiatives as well as the head of CIT’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Division.

“Virginia’s entrepreneurship community has grown tremendously during Ed Albrigo’s tenure at CIT, and we are grateful for his dedicated service to our Commonwealth,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “I am pleased to welcome Bob Stolle to lead the agency and its efforts to advance our innovation economy.”

Image: The Center for Innovative Technology Announces Bob Stolle as Chief Executive Officer and President - https://www.globenewswire.com

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Governor Larry Hogan today announced the acquisition of 250,000 rapid point-of-care antigen tests, which will be deployed to nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and correctional and juvenile detention centers across the state. The purchase makes Maryland, the founding member of the bipartisan interstate testing compact with the Rockefeller Foundation, the first state in the compact to move forward with an order for rapid antigen tests.

Image: https://www.thebaynet.com

Seoul Office Will Be Opening to Develop Immunomic Therapeutics Investigational Cell Therapy for Brain Cancer

September 10, 2020 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time SEOUL–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc., (“ITI”), a privately-held clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms, originating in the United States recently opened its first office in South Korea. This continues to build on ITI’s overall strategy to be the partner-of-choice for innovative biotechnology companies in emerging centers of excellence worldwide.

A 2016 decision to link the research labs at the University of Maryland College Park with those at the University of Maryland at Baltimore is paying dividends in the competition for federal COVID-19 research dollars, a top education official told a science advisory panel on Wednesday. 

The decision was a spinoff of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership Act, said Laurie Ellen Locasio, vice president for research at the two institutions. 

We’re dedicated to helping cutting-edge innovators and leading investors connect. VSVC3 will be an engaging and immersive [live] interactive virtual summit providing startups the opportunity to gain the visibility they need and investors access to vetted deal flow.

TED Talks began in 1984 as a conference originating in Silicon Valley where powerful voices in Technology, Entertainment, and Design came together to spread potent ideas with broad relevance. Today there are thousands of talks of 18 minutes or less, in more than 100 languages, covering topics ranging from science to global issues. Despite this diversity, all TED talks share a devotion to Ideas Worth Spreading.

Image: https://www.americangene.com

The National Institutes of Health today announced $129.3 million in scale-up and manufacturing support for a new set of COVID-19 testing technologies as part of its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative. NIH is awarding contracts to nine companies for technologies that include portable point-of-care tests for immediate results and high-throughput laboratories that can return results within 24 hours. These tests add to initial awards made to seven companies on July 31, 2020.

Image: MatMaCorp’s Solas 8 portable detection system for SARS-CoV-2 is designed to improve on-site testing capabilities of CLIA labs in rural communities.MatMaCorp

Pasadena, California-based Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. is planning a six-story, 169,812 sq. ft. lab and office building in Port Covington. The project is a collaboration between Alexandria and The Port Covington Development Team.

This building is proposed for lot E8 on the Chapter 1B Master Plan of the Port Covington project. This lot fronts a newly-aligned Cromwell St. and is adjacent to the northeast of the Rye Street Market complex. Rye Street Market is three connected buildings that make up 275,000 sq. ft. with 185,000 sq. ft. of office space, a 13,000 sq. ft. open-air market and food hall, 50,000 sq. ft. of pedestrian-oriented retail, a 12,000 sq. ft. meeting facility, and a 15,000 sq. ft. rooftop event space.

Virginia Tech’s research expenditures are up, in addition to an increase in sponsored awards by 15 percent, building upon the last fiscal year’s expenditure total of $542 million, despite the impact of COVID-19 felt nationally by higher education institutes, according to preliminary fiscal year end reports.

Image: Researchers Nisha Duggal (left) and James Weger-Lucarelli from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine are establishing a reverse genetics system for SARS-CoV-2 that will serve as the basis for vaccine design. Photo: Ray Meese, Virginia Tech. - https://theroanokestar.com

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) announced in July 2020 that it had completed the executive search for a new leader with the hiring of Troy LeMaile-Stovall, a seasoned leader with deep ties to the BioHealth Capital Region (BCHR).

LeMaile-Stovall just recently officially took the helm of TEDCO and we thought it a great time to catch up with him for a wide-ranging and insightful conversation about his background and vision for TEDCO and the BHCR biotech and life science ecosystem.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

Sally Allain, MSc., MBA, Head of JLABS @ Washington, D.C. joins Rich Bendis on BioTalk to discuss her career, the decision to open a BioHealth Capital Region location, and their new BLUE KNIGHT™ collaboration.

Listen now via Apple https://apple.co/35ivWc3, Google https://bit.ly/3k0vOlA, Spotify https://spoti.fi/2R84fuh, TuneIn https://bit.ly/2F0a0rN, and YouTube Audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHvb42ohtc.

As the world scrambles to develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, one big question looms: How will we face the next pandemic? Johnson & Johnson and the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) are teaming up once again to answer that.

Through a joint effort dubbed Blue Knight, the duo aims to boost innovation and “amplify” scientific and technological advancements to prepare for potential health threats—starting with COVID-19. They've picked seven startups from J&J’s global JLABS network to participate. The startups will receive up to $500,000 in support, as well as mentorship from BARDA and J&J to help them navigate R&D challenges and regulatory pathways and get medicines and tools to patients and healthcare workers as soon as possible.

Image: Startups chosen for the program may participate at JLABS locations in Washington, D.C., New York, San Diego or Toronto. If they don't need a physical location or lab space, they may participate virtually. (Johnson & Johnson)

Microbiology Team Leader - https://jobs.gsk.com/en-gb/jobs/241125?lang=it-it (we also have a video of the line manager talking about the role, if you can add it to the newsletter)

New Product Development Director – Voltaren - https://jobs.gsk.com/en-gb/jobs/251039?lang=en-us&previousLocale=en-GB  (we also have a line manager's video)

Senior Process Engineer - https://jobs.gsk.com/en-gb/jobs/258078?lang=en-us&previousLocale=en-GB