During the fall semester, students at Johns Hopkins who were interested in starting a company had some new options to turn to as they looked to develop their ideas and meet other entrepreneurs at the university.

Maryland is open for business and here’s another way our state supports companies seeking capital. Maryland Commerce has launched a new, searchable site that lets you search and find just the right program to fund your business. With the ability to filter by type of program, category or keyword, the Financial Incentives database is a great place to find grants, tax credits, loans and training. Give it a try!

The pharmaceutical industry as a whole is set to benefit from the tax reform vote to take place this week. The general reduction in corporate taxes and a special tax deduction for cash repatriated from overseas should see companies post improved returns to shareholders and a whole lot of cash freed up right away.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Mumbai-based Lupin’s Tydemy. The product is a generic version of Bayer’s Safyral (drospirenone, ethinyl estradiol, and levomefolate calcium tablets, 3 mg/0.03 mg/0.451 mg and levomefolate calcium tablets, 0.451 mg).

A new research initiative by the University of Maryland’s Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) and the University of Pittsburgh could finally uncover how T-cells—the “killer cells” that defend the body from microbes—are alerted to hazardous invaders in the body.  Funded by a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research will be the first to combine X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for a unique view of the cell’s alert system, which could lead to innovative therapeutics to fight viruses and tumors.

gel-e Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage medical device company, announces the 510(k) clearance of its adhesive bandage by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) use.

This new bandage clearance expands the Company’s label to include the management of moderately to heavily exuding chronic wounds and acute wounds. Under medical supervision, this new adhesive bandage may be used for the management of pressure sores, diabetic ulcers, leg ulcers, donor sites and graft sites, surgical wounds, skin abrasions and lacerations, 1st and 2nd degree burns and traumatic wounds. No medical supervision is required for usage in the management of minor cuts, minor scalds and 1st degree burns, and minor abrasions and lacerations. This newly cleared bandage complements gel-e’s existing vascular closure device cleared for the “management of bleeding wounds such as vascular access sites and percutaneous catheters or tubes.”

On the evening of Nov. 7, Steffanie Strathdee sent out a cryptic tweet: “#Phage researchers! I am working with a team to get Burkholderia cepacia phages to treat a 25 y old woman with CF whose infection has failed all #antibiotics. We need lytic non-lysogenic phage URGENTLY to find suitable phage matches. Email if you can help!” The message was retweeted nearly 400 times.

Humans and bacteria have been clashing for as long as both have inhabited the Earth, and for decades now, humans have had the upper hand. Starting with penicillin in 1942, antibiotics have brought previously untreatable maladies like tuberculosis under control and made surgery far safer.

MockV Solutions, Inc. (MockV or the Company), a biotechnology company developing non-infectious viral clearance prediction products that address the unmet needs of process development scientists as they establish biopharmaceutical manufacturing platforms, announced today the receipt of a Phase I grant from the National Center for Advancing Translations Sciences under auspices of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of the National Institutes of Health. The $250,000 grant under the Award Number R43TR002231 is focused on demonstrating the utility of a non-infectious Minute Virus of Mice-Virus Like Particle for predicting viral clearance during biopharmaceutical process development.

Andreessen Horowitz, a Menlo Park, CA-based venture capital firm, has launched its $450m second bio fund.

Bio Fund II will focus on investing in companies at the intersection of biology and engineering.

Immunotherapy draws the lion's share of attention from top VCs, but startups focused on other types of cancer therapies, such as protein targeting, are also starting to gain recognition.

Scientists at George Mason University have developed a nanotechnology that for the first time can measure a sugar molecule in urine that identifies tuberculosis with high sensitivity and specificity, setting the stage for a rapid, highly accurate and far less-invasive urine test of the disease that could potentially prove to be the difference between life and death in many underdeveloped parts of the world.

Governor Larry Hogan today announced a series of new initiatives to spur job creation and economic growth in Maryland and further establish the state’s leadership in key STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) industries. The governor was joined by Commerce Secretary Mike Gill, Labor Secretary Kelly Schulz, University System of Maryland Chancellor Robert Caret, Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver, and numerous officials from the counties benefiting from the governor’s expanded jobs initiative.

Tech firms leased more office space in D.C. over a recent 12-month period than the prior year, while coworking spaces signed on for fewer square feet.

Those trends come according to the latest DC Development Report, which was released by the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership at the organization’s annual meeting on Tuesday. WDCEP partners with commercial real estate services firm CBRE on the report, and the results come from a “development census” taken in August.

Are you interested in investing in Montgomery County's future workforce? Sign up to be a career experience host for WorkSource Montgomery's Summer RISE program at Summer-rise.com! 

Play a key role in a successful initiative that provides Real Interesting Summer Experiences to rising Montgomery County Public School's juniors and seniors. Last summer, the program supported career exploration and industry insights for more than 360 students with the help of over 185 host organizations.  Summer RISE 2017 hosts had rewarding experiences, saying their students were professional, creative, engaged and motivated to learn.  

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Wednesday proposed expanding a state tax break for manufacturers that create new jobs, calling for lawmakers to extend the credits to more industries and jurisdictions.

In the world of D.C. funding, it seems like not much has changed. In 2016, our list of the top 8 venture capital deals for D.C. startups fell between $20 million and $100 million. In 2017, that range for the top 15 falls between $20 million and $190 million, with big name investors swaying the top ranks.

Five years after getting started with a $32 million Series A, the crew at Allakos in San Carlos, CA are getting a $100 million mega-round to put their lead drug to the test.

Martine Rothblatt has already made a career out of chasing firsts — be it with creating Sirius satellite radio or more recently racing to make her Silver Spring biotech, United Therapeutics Corp., the first to manufacture an unlimited supply of human organs.

Today, the Greater Washington Partnership (the Partnership), a civic alliance of CEOs that together employ more than 175,000 workers in the region, released a new report that outlines why developing, attracting and retaining digital technology workers will be imperative for the Capital Region’s future growth and economic competitiveness.

If you were overwhelmed by the news in 2017, you aren’t alone. Every day seemed to bring monumental developments in all spheres of current events, from international relations and gender inequality to health care and domestic energy policy. Science was at the forefront often, so we’ve catalogued the two most important developments in each of five topic areas based on our editor’s top picks and our most popular articles. If getting the daily news feels like drinking from a fire hose, this list can help you stay focused on the science developments that matter.

Efficiency is all about making the optimal use of your resources. For Life Sciences organizations, efficiency is all about their sales forces reaching the right physician at the right time with the right message. Yet, the current tools are woefully inadequate.

Fresh off receiving $125,000 in new funding from a TEDCO initiative to back more Maryland incubators, Annapolis-based FounderTrac named members of its 2018 cohort last week.

BioHealth Innovation is partnering with Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures to provide assistance to faculty innovators and entrepreneurs interested in applying for federal SBIR/STTR funding.   Whether you are located at Johns Hopkins, another university off campus location, don't miss the the opportunity to learn more information about this type of funding, sign up now for office hours at JHU Fast Forward, December 12^th, 11-2pm, 1812 Ashland Ave, by appt: Book Time or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Wound monitoring technology startup Tissue Analytics has established an eight person office in Kansas City, Kansas following its hire of former Cerner staffer there who set up the office as part of his new role as vice president of sales, according to a story by the Kansas City Business Journal.  It marks an expansion for the company which previously was based out of one office in Baltimore.

GlaxoSmithKline will scout for deal opportunities in cancer medicine, as well as immunology, as the drugmaker seeks to rebuild its presence in oncology, its new head of pharmaceuticals told Reuters.

For many companies, universities have become essential innovation partners. However, companies often struggle to establish and run university partnerships effectively.

A pitch competition held in Annapolis last week had an eye toward innovation on the farm – whether the growing was on land or water.

For the first time, the Rural Maryland Council Summit included the AgPitch Competition. Westminster-based MidAtlantic Farm Credit was an organizer of the Dec. 1 event. The pitch competition featured five entrepreneurs.

Even though the federal government avoided a shutdown last week — at least temporarily — continued uncertainty in the nation’s budget process could hurt Maryland’s economy.

Congress agreed Thursday night to a spending bill that will keep the government funded and running through Dec. 22, but the short-term extension may not do much to ease concerns in a state where so many workers and jobs are tied to federal spending.

“The American Angel (pdf),” a new comprehensive national study released yesterday, provides a detailed picture of angel investors--who they are, where they live, and how they make investment decisions.

BioBuzz: What is ATOM and why should people know about it?

Jim: It is a public–private consortium designed to improve the oncology drug discovery process by bringing together the expertise and resources of the FNLCR, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), GSK, and the University of California–San Francisco (UCSF).

VLP Therapeutics was established in 2013 with the mission to develop innovative medical treatments which can transform traditional vaccines and targeted antibody therapies to address global unmet medical needs. Its vision is to combat 21st century global public health problems through its revolutionary next generation i-αVLP technology platform. VLP is currently developing vaccines to treat cancer and infectious diseases such as Malaria and Dengue Fever.

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC said it finally has a full team in place at its vaccine hub in Rockville and is ready to take on some of the region's most well-known biotech competitors with part of its product lineup.

University of Maryland, Baltimore startup Harpoon Medical was acquired by Edwards Lifesciences for $100 million, Edwards announced Wednesday. The deal could rise to $150 million if Harpoon meets pre-specified milestones. Harpoon's primary product is a device designed to facilitate beating-heart, minimally invasive, echo-guided mitral valve repair. Clinical trials have shown that the product leads to positive safety