Washington, D.C.–based cybersecurity investment firm Strategic Cyber Ventures released its first annual report on The State of 2018 Cybersecurity Investing that includes some key findings about the DMV.

2019 has kicked off with a wave of innovative health care solutions highlighted at mega-conferences like CES and the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference - from the introduction of the first wearable blood pressure monitor to virtual home health care for seniors to online vision tests allowing patients to renew prescriptions from anywhere at anytime. We are truly living through an age of disruption spurred by technological advances.

United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) today announced the closing of the transactions contemplated by its license agreement with Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARNA). Under the agreement, United Therapeutics acquired exclusive, worldwide rights to develop and manufacture the Phase 3 investigational drug candidate ralinepag, a next-generation, oral, selective and potent prostacyclin receptor agonist in development for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).  Upon closing, United Therapeutics paid Arena $800 million. Arena is also entitled to potential milestone payments of up to $400 million based on the achievement of certain regulatory events as well as low double-digit tiered royalties on annual net sales of ralinepag products.    

We need to chart a new course.

Cell therapy offers a treasure chest of new medicines, but there is still much to learn about cell activities and how to deliver these potential benefits before science and the industry can fully fulfill on their promise. One of cell therapy’s earliest pioneering companies is MaxCyte, based in Gaithersburg, MD and in the United Kingdom.  Leading MaxCyte is president and CEO Doug Doerfler, a biotech pioneer who has more than 35 years of experience in the discovery, development, commercialization and international financing of biotechnology products and companies. He was also a founder of MaxCyte in July 1998.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of death in the western society, being ranked third most lethal neoplasia in the United States in both men and women.1 In 2014, the American Cancer Society estimated that approximately 136,830 new cases of CRC will be diagnosed in the United States, with more than 50,000 Americans expected to die due to disease progression or complications.1,2 The lifetime cancer-related costs are considerable and differ by cancer site, disease stage, age at diagnosis, and treatment phase. Considering direct healthcare costs, CRC is the second most important neoplasia with estimated expenses of more than $14 billion.3,4

Four Maryland colleges are expanding tech-focused programming with funding from a state program.

The Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund was created to spur research in scientific and technical fields at colleges and universities in the state.

One major focus for legislators during this year’s session is how to bring down the cost of health care, as everyday Marylanders struggle to afford the cost they pay at the pharmacy counter. Despite disagreements between different groups within and beyond health care, there is broad consensus that something must be done about the cost patients pay without denying Marylanders the world-class treatments available to them, many of which are made right here in Maryland.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Council President Nancy Navarro are the guests of Montgomery Community Media’s January Small Business Network (SBN) session.

The digital transformation of healthcare will see significant growth in the next 12 months fueled by institutional interest in driving down costs and improving patient engagement. Expect increased pharma investment, improving regulatory status, payer engagement with digital tools and better telemedicine connectivity through consolidation.

The FDA is witnessing a surge of cell and gene therapy products entering early development, evidenced by a large upswing in the number of investigational new drug (IND) applications. Based on this activity, we anticipate that the number of product approvals for cell and gene therapies will grow in the coming years, reflecting significant scientific advancement and the clinical promise of these new innovations.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have been awarded $2.1 million by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study whether paying patients to take their medicine and tracking their doses with video software can help patients stick with their treatment for opioid addiction.

The health data security company has outgrown its offices near Little Italy.

BioSpace is proud to present its NextGen Bio “Class of 2019,” a list of 20 up-and-coming life science companies in North America that launched* no earlier than 2017.

A global resource that includes data on thousands of inherited variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes is available to the public. The BRCA Exchange was created through the BRCA Challenge, a long-term demonstration project initiated by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) to enhance sharing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 data. The resource, available through a website and a new smartphone app, allows clinicians to review expert classifications of variants in these major cancer predisposition genes as part of their individual assessment of complex questions related to cancer prevention, screening, and intervention for high-risk patients.

Gov. Hogan’s new fiscal 2020 budget is officially on the table, and it’s getting a preliminary thumbs up from the Democratic leadership in the General Assembly.

This year’s budget may go above and beyond when it comes to kids.

There’s an app for everything these days — including a plethora for people with pets.

Thanks to the streamlined design of most current apps, you don’t have to be technically savvy to know how to download and use them on your smartphones or tablets.

Pharma major Lupin announced that it has received approval for its Levothyroxine Sodium Tablets USP, 25 mcg, 50 mcg, 75 mcg,  88 mcg, 100 mcg, 112 mcg, 125 mcg, 137 mcg, 150 mcg, 175 mcg, 200 mcg, and 300 mcg from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a generic version of AbbVie, Inc’s Synthroid Tablets, 25 mcg, 50 mcg, 75 mcg, 88 mcg, 100 mcg, 112 mcg, 125 mcg, 137 mcg, 150 mcg, 175 mcg, 200 mcg, and 300 mcg.

Milken Institute publishes its 2018 State Technology and Science Index.

Growing up in Devon in the 1980s, brothers James* and Matt* had to be careful with their antics–a cut or bruise could land them in hospital.

To those who have been following the space, it’s no surprise that 2018 has been a record year for venture capital investing in healthcare. With $28.8 billion raised through the end of November (and big deals like the $400 million Series C raised by Relay Therapeutics last week) startups in the sector have raised more money this year than any year before in the last 10 years that VC funding database Pitchbook has tracked investments in the space.

Biotech landlord and developer Alexandria Real Estate Equities has purchased an office complex in Palo Alto's Stanford Research Park from Stanford University for $100.3 million.

Maryland universities are creating new academic programs they say could help the state adapt to a changing innovation economy and help meet needs for tomorrow's educators. The Education Policy and Student Life committee of the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents moved forward this week with eight new programs proposed from system universities.

Maryland’s overall venture capital haul for 2018 totaled crossed the billion-dollar mark for the first time since 2001, according to the PwC/CB Insights MoneyTree report.

Without a doubt, Frederick’s life sciences and biotechnology industry is closing out the year with strong growth, and starting 2019 with a solid foundation built on numerous innovative organizations and several areas of expertise.  

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and its board are pleased to welcome Bill Tompkins as Chief Operating Officer. Bill brings to Montgomery County a strong corporate and trade association background, having served in multiple senior level roles for Fortune 500 and other organizations.

The hire is well known in the business community for her previous roles at local organizations.

Pappas Capital has raised $85.8 million toward a venture-capital fund, according to a filing with the SEC.

A. M. Pappas Life Science Ventures V attracted capital from 29 LPs.

Study participants will use emocha's platform to video record themselves each day for 24 weeks as they take buprenorphine.

While the high cost of living in San Francisco has famously grabbed headlines, the costs of simply meeting there, even for a few days, are becoming untenable for some.

As 9,000 official badge holders—alongside what could feel like three times as many unofficial attendees—swarmed downtown San Francisco for the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, much of the opening small talk in the hastily bedless hotel suites-turned-meeting rooms began with, “Can you believe some of these prices?”

BIO, in partnership with the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), is proud to announce today that we are launching Innovature, an initiative to engage people in a dialogue on the promise of innovation in food and agriculture and the tangible benefits it brings to our planet, our health, and our food.

The goal of Innovature is to grow awareness, acceptance and adoption of gene editing in food and agriculture, and seed positive ground for future innovations that address some of society's most pressing challenges, such as climate change, hunger and sustainability.

Popper and Co., a strategy consulting and transaction advisory firm guiding medical technology and life sciences companies working on the leading-edge of diagnostics and patient management, announced today the addition of Vincent Linder, PhD and Gene Vivino to its growing team of industry and clinical senior advisors. Both Dr. Linder and Mr. Vivino provide strong industry knowledge and extensive operating experience, in addition to broad networks in both Europe and Asia. 

To date, the conversation around CAR-T cell therapies in cancers has focused on the most visible considerations: efficacy, toxicity and cost. But while those factors are important, another one deserves equal consideration: manufacturing.

Join us for the January 23, 2019 for PATHFINDER INNOVATION PROGRAM

Learn more about:

• Overview and Reporting Requirements for Type of Entity
• Impact of Accounting Methods 
• Start-up Company Issues
• International Investment
• Tax Law Changes
• State Tax Concerns
• Tax Planning

Schedule

12:00 p.m - Networking Lunch

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. - Discussion with Q&A*  - Tom Christiana, Partner – Aronson, LLC

1:30 – 4:00 p.m. - One-on-one Meetings**

RSVP by noon, January 22, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

No charge to attend but pre-registration is required.*Attend in person (1 Church St, Rockville) or by videoconference**Attendance at discussion is required to participate in 1:1

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