• Initial Phase 1/2 data presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition 
• Phase 1/2 study of NEXI-002 as a monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients who have failed ≥3 prior lines of therapy is ongoing

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Dec. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NexImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: NEXI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to immunotherapy designed to orchestrate a targeted immune response by directing the function of antigen-specific T cells, today announced preliminary Phase 1/2 results from an ongoing study of NEXI-002, a patient-derived multi-antigen-specific CD8+ T cell treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have failed ≥3 prior lines of therapy. The data on low doses of NEXI-002, presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, showed a promising safety and tolerability profile and evidence of immunologic and clinical activity.

OVERVIEW

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI), is a Montgomery County innovation intermediary which translates market-relevant research into commercial success by bringing together management, funding, and markets. BHI is seeking a life sciences professional with consulting, market research and/or portfolio management experience to join the BHI's team and serve as a Senior Analyst, Ph.D. to manage and support the Analyst team through training and front facing of potential start-up CEOs and Companies.

POSITION DESCRIPTION – Senior Analyst, Ph.D.

The Senior Analyst will manage the analysts and provide project support and guidance to the team as well as to new entrepreneurs on projects including SBIR Grants, corporate and private investments. This will entail market, technology, regulatory and other business intelligence research to support BHI consulting, coaching of companies and the Analyst team profit center. This is a hands-on leadership position. 

Download the Full Job Description.

Athari Biosciences has selected Loudoun County for its new corporate headquarters.

The project includes a wet lab, a tech lab, research and development and office space and is expected to open in early 2022. The project is expected to create 50 jobs with a total investment of $5 million, according to the county’s Department of Economic Development.

The Board of Supervisors will consider a cash incentive of $120,000 to support the completion of the lab space at its Dec. 7 meeting. The incentive has been proposed by the economic development department, which worked with Athari’s leadership team in the search for the firm’s long-term home in the region.

About a decade before becoming NIH Director—a position from which he will step down at year’s end—Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., was at the center of one of the hottest debates in the nascent days of genomics: How many protein-coding sequences comprise the human genome?

Image: Francis Collins

CoSolve is a biannual, global Open Innovation programme seeking collaborators with innovative solutions to real research challenges. These challenges lie within our R&D research focus areas and require solutions that are immediately translatable. We are looking for collaborators from start-ups and early stage biotechs with expertise in these specialised areas, who can bring innovative ideas that can be rapidly translated into tangible solutions. Working together, your ideas could help shape the development and delivery of new therapies and bring them to patients sooner.

The company said Thursday it’s implementing “a two-pronged variant strategy” for the variant.

Possible Life Sciences and Biotechnology Office Building Coming to Pike & Rose in Location Currently Occupied by Bark Social

We recently learned of plans for a potential new office building that could be constructed at 935 Prose Street in Pike & Rose, the current site of Bark Social. 

The plans, authored by Scheer Partners, state that the new building will be a 10-story trophy-class, state-of-the-art research/lab building that marries iconic design, and superior lab functionality. The architectural plans show lab space, office space, a fitness center, outdoor green terrace, conference facility, and more. 

Image: https://mocoshow.com

SILVER SPRING, Md. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR), a public benefit corporation with a purpose to provide a brighter future for patients, today announced that the company has been named on Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022. This award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on December 2, 2021, available on Newsweek’s website, recognizes the top 500 most responsible companies in the United States, spanning 14 industries.

In an interview with PharmaShots, Dr. Murat Kalayoglu, MD, Ph.D., President, and Chief Executive Officer at Cartesian Therapeutics shared his insights on the P-I/IIa study of Descartes-08 for the treatment of the chronic autoimmune disorder generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG)

Shots:

• Descartes-08 is an autologous T-cell product that is engineered with RNA to encode for CAR 
• The company focuses to use RNA instead of DNA to engineer the cell target that helps to target antigen without increasing the risk of these cells proliferating out of control and causing the typical CAR-T cell toxicities 
• Cartesian has currently three RNA cell therapies i.e., Descartes-08 & Descartes-11 which are being developed for multiple myeloma, high-risk patients, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma while Descartes-30 is an off-the-shelf, RNA engineered cell therapy. The company is expected to complete the P-II studies in 2022 and registration studies in 2024

A Baltimore startup that uses computer software to develop cancer drugs has raised $1.5 million in new funding, according to a recent filing.

Rasio Therapeutics is part of Early Charm Ventures, a Baltimore company focused on running and growing startups. The $1.5 million investment comes from BlueDot Bio, a relatively new investment company, said Ken Malone, managing director of Early Charm Ventures.

Click here to read more via Bizjournals (subscription required)

Peterborough, 30 November 2021

• Gut health could be boosted without reliance on antibiotics and other medicines
• Bacteriophages are natural and abundant
• Exploration aligns with AB Agri's sustainability agenda for food production

AB Agri has partnered with US biotechnology company Intralytix to explore the use of bacteriophages – the natural viruses of bacteria – in animal feed as an alternative to antibiotics and other drugs.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (7News) — The Omicron variant is quickly becoming a household name but the hope is that it won’t enter households here in the D.C. area.

After what happened a few months ago with the Delta variant many are growing more concerned with this variant especially because on the surface preliminarily it appears to be more stubborn.

Most scientists believe it’s not a question of if but when it will become an issue here in the United States, so a handful of companies are already working on vaccines to combat it.

In Gaithersburg, Maryland, Novavax says it has already started working on a version of its COVID-19 vaccine to target this new variant detected in South Africa.

Click here to read more via 7News

Venture capital investment in global healthtech companies is projected to reach $42 billion by the end of the year, according to Silicon Valley Bank's latest report, "The Future of HealthTech."

The first three quarters of 2021 closed with what SVB called an astounding $34 billion invested globally across 1,040 deals.

U.S.-based virtual and hybrid care companies raised north of $9.6 billion in 2021, and the report projected $3 billion in funding for U.S. mental health companies this year. The majority of funding (60%) came from 98 mega rounds, led by the largest mega-round in healthtech history: Devoted Health's $1.2 billion Series D funding.

As the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 5 million lives, a group of researchers is working to get ahead of the next killer pathogen.

They aim to identify and establish a bank of warrior antibodies in Maryland, close to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. The antibodies would be derived from a who’s who of viruses most likely to wreak havoc, such as coronaviruses, influenzas, and flaviviruses that cause Zika and debilitating conditions such as encephalitis.

Creative Bio-Peptides, Inc., an emerging drug development company focused on the development of leading-edge multi-chemokine antagonist therapeutic peptides for neuroinflammatory/neurodegenerative conditions, has been awarded $5.8M in non-dilutive funding from three NIH agencies.

“BHI congratulates Creative Bio-Peptides on this significant accomplishment and recognition by the National Institutes of Health,” said Rich Bendis, President & CEO, BioHealth Innovation. “We are proud of our partnership with Creative Bio-Peptides and how both teams worked together in successfully submitting multiple proposals which were funded in this extremely competitive SBIR process.”

Two of the three grants each represent multi-million-dollar funding over a 2-year period as part of the NIH’s HEAL Initiative, committed to providing safe non-opioid pain treatments for the 50 million Americans living with daily chronic pain as well as the 2 million Americans living with dependency or addiction to opioids.

PASADENA, Calif., Nov. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexandria Venture Investments, the strategic venture capital platform of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an urban office REIT and the first, longest-tenured and pioneering owner, operator and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, agtech and technology campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, has accelerated its efforts to support the agrifoodtech sector by investing in innovative companies that are developing groundbreaking technologies to meaningfully improve human health and nutrition, as well as those companies that are combating climate change through sustainable agriculture technologies and practices. Recognized by AgFunder as one of the top five most active U.S.-based investors in the agrifoodtech sector in 2021, Alexandria Venture Investments is on track to double its investment activity this year, a move supported broadly by the increase in private capital that has flowed into the sector from climate change-focused funds. Venture investing in the overall agrifoodtech sector has grown dramatically in recent years, from $8.9 billion in 2016 to $24 billion in the first half of 2021 alone, amounting to a more than fourfold increase in funding over the last five years. 

Montgomery County failed in its bid lure Amazon, the e-commerce giant that opted to build its second headquarters in Arlington, Va.

But top county officials have an alternate vision for the area surrounding the White Flint Metro station — a “life sciences hub” that exploits the presence of the close-by National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration.

“My goal is to produce a signature project that restates Montgomery County’s case as the leading life sciences center in the country,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) in an interview. “(White Flint) is sitting on the Metro. It’s right down from the Beltway, and there’s a ton of under-developed property there.”

Acquisition strengthens Parkinson’s disease portfolio and diversifies revenue and cash flow

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUPN) today announced that it has successfully completed its previously announced acquisition of Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADMS).

“Adamas fits squarely within our corporate development strategy, adding a late-stage commercial product with significant revenue,” said Jack Khattar, President and CEO of Supernus Pharmaceuticals. “In addition, the acquisition adds a new growth catalyst, diversifies our revenue base and cash flow, and is expected to be significantly accretive in 2022.”

Compelling Strategic Rationale

• Strengthens Parkinson’s disease portfolio with GOCOVRI® (amantadine) extended release capsules, the first and only FDA-approved medicine indicated for the treatment of both OFF and dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease receiving levodopa-based therapy and Osmolex ER® (amantadine) extended release tablets, approved for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and drug-induced extrapyramidal reactions in adult patients.
• Diversifies and increases revenue base and cash flow, and combined with the acquisition of US WorldMeds CNS products in 2020, significantly reduces the reliance on net sales of Trokendi XR®.
• Potential synergies of $60 million to $80 million in year one due to strong overlap with existing infrastructure.
• The acquisition is expected to be significantly accretive in 2022.

November 26, 2021

HILDEN, Germany & GERMANTOWN, Maryland--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced its polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests remain accurate and effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections in light of the emergence of a new variant of concern detected in South Africa.

QIAGEN has successfully assessed its SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests against the genetic mutations of the variant, which is known by its scientific name, B.1.1.529. The assessment was made against data available in the GISAID and GenBank public databases.

Study uses data to reveal the cities with the most developed healthtech ecosystems in the world, and identify the cities that are leading the technological advancement of different healthcare sectors, including telemedicine and mental health.

• Out of the 85 best cities for healthtech in the world, Boston ranks #1.
• Boston is the highest ranking city in the index and the global capital of biometric data gathering, hearing aids, cardiovascular and gynaecology. New York and San Francisco rank second and third.
• Taipei leads the index for R&D funding levels in healthtech, followed by Beijing and Boston.
• Boston has the highest number of healthtech startups, ahead of San Francisco and Singapore. 
• Healthtech employees in Zurich receive the highest salaries, followed by Basel and San Jose (USA). Employees in Beijing receive the lowest salaries for the same job roles.

Berlin, Germany, November 2021 - software development company Moove-It.com has released a study that analyzes the healthtech capabilities of 85 global cities. As a company that helps organizations use technology for positive impact in multiple industries including healthcare, Moove It decided to conduct a study to identify which global locations have the most developed healthtech ecosystems. To do this, they assessed each city against a range of factors related to investment, corporate infrastructure, human capital, and their healthtech credentials in different sectors. The resulting index gives insight into which cities have the most robust healthtech ecosystems, and which are the global capitals of healthtech in different healthcare sectors.

Industry veteran to lead regenerative cell therapy products company

November 18, 2021

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LifeSprout, Inc., a privately held regenerative medicine company founded with technology licensed from Johns Hopkins University, today announced the appointment of Michael Kranda as CEO and member of the board of directors.

“We’re pleased to have attracted an executive of Michael’s caliber to lead LifeSprout at this pivotal time for the company as we proceed to leverage the full potential of our regenerative cell therapy platform,” said Sashank Reddy, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder of LifeSprout.

“I welcome the opportunity to lead the LifeSprout team, and collaborate with the thought leaders in tissue engineering, nano biotechnology, and materials science from Johns Hopkins to establish a new standard of bio stimulatory products for cell therapy applications,” said Kranda, LifeSprout, Inc. CEO.

November 22, 2021

TYSONS, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Red Cell Partners (“Red Cell”), an investment and incubation firm that backs, builds, and scales technology-led companies in healthcare and defense, today announced the formation of Zephyr AI, Inc. (“Zephyr AI”).

Zephyr AI’s mission is to transform drug discovery, redefine personalized medicine, and empower healthcare systems to achieve better patient outcomes at lower cost. Zephyr AI integrates artificial intelligence with extensive datasets to upend traditional “guess and test” drug development and personalized medicine processes to unearth novel therapeutics, new applications for existing therapeutics, and advanced biomarkers for individualized treatments.

– Potential to bring in-house cell-based therapies that potentiate checkpoint inhibitors

November 23, 2021 06:41 PM Eastern Standard Time

ROCKVILLE, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc., (“ITI”) a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing its proprietary nucleic acid immunotherapy platform, announced today an exclusive option to license or acquire a series of innovative technologies in the immuno-oncology space from iOncologi, Inc., (“iOi”).

Read more ...

(RTTNews) - Qiagen N.V. (QGEN) Friday announced its polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests remain accurate and effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections in light of the emergence of a new variant of concern detected in South Africa.

"The best way to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic is a combination of extensive vaccinations, rigorous testing with gold-standard PCR tests, aggressive surveillance of new variants and above all compassionate treatment for those infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus"

Montgomery County failed in its bid lure Amazon, the e-commerce giant that opted to build its second headquarters in Arlington, Va.

But top county officials have an alternate vision for the area surrounding the White Flint Metro station — a “life sciences hub” that exploits the presence of the close-by National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration.

Image: A depiction of what the White Flint area could become. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has hired an Annapolis veteran to lead efforts to redevelop the region into a "life sciences hub." Montgomery County Capital Budget photo. 

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 24, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Health Canada

Health Canada has completed its onsite inspection of the Emergent BioSolutions   facility in Baltimore, Maryland. The European Medicines Agency and South African Health Products Regulatory Authority also participated in this inspection remotely. All three regulators found the facility to be compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).

The Center for Innovative Technology is now known as the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation. But it’s more than just a name change.

The rebranding is seen as a vital step in helping to propel Virginia forward as a nationwide leader in innovation, startups and technology, said Bob Stolle, president and CEO of VIPC

Baltimore leaders are coalescing around a big vision to build a more inclusive tech economy over the next decade, but there will be many small steps required to get there.

It means involving the whole community. That’s why ecosystem-building org UpSurge Baltimore rallied more than 200 partners this year to center Baltimore’s growth as a tech hub through the lens of equitech. UpSurge launched in April with equitech as a framework for prioritizing startups and companies with diverse leadership, teams and products that address societal barriers. It also partnered with Techstars to bring an accelerator to Baltimore focused around that vision. Around the same time, it also launched UpSurge Teams to convene.

Image: Photo by Flickr user Sue, used under a Creative Commons license

COLUMBIA, Md., Nov. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced its recent round of funding, including investments in 12 start-up companies and funding to 36 university projects through the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). 

Established in 2012, the MII program was created as a partnership between the State of Maryland and five Maryland academic research institutions: Johns Hopkins University; Morgan State University; University of Maryland, Baltimore; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and University of Maryland, College Park. The program's mission is to accelerate promising technologies with significant commercial potential to market while leveraging each partner University's strengths.

Happy Thanksgiving from the BHI Team!

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

• Potential one-time gene therapy for the treatment of Duchenne, includes a novel, optimized microdystrophin transgene and REGENXBIO's proprietary NAV^® AAV8 vector
• Commercial-scale cGMP material to be used in clinical development
• Company on track to submit IND by end of 2021

REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation for RGX-202, a potential one-time gene therapy for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne). RGX-202 is designed to deliver a novel, optimized microdystrophin transgene with a unique C-terminal domain and a muscle specific promoter to support targeted therapy for improved resistance to muscle damage associated with Duchenne. RGX-202 uses REGENXBIO's proprietary NAV^® AAV8 vector. 

In institutions and companies, investigators spent some two decades working on RNA-based drugs and vaccines before COVID-19 afforded many of them an opportunity to apply all that research into patients, with support from governments and regulators eager to fight the pandemic.

For two once obscure companies—Moderna, which went public in 2018, and BioNTech, which followed a year later—that opportunity has translated into multiple billions of dollars in new revenues. Not surprisingly as a result, both companies far outpace the other public companies ranked by GEN this year among top RNA-based biopharma companies.

The first cohort of the Techstars Equitech Accelerator is bringing global startups to Baltimore, and supporting companies already growing from a base in the city.

On Thursday, the accelerator announced the first 12-company cohort for the Baltimore-based program, kicking off the programming phase for one of the key initatives aimed at making the city a top-tier tech hub through the lens of equitech. This framework, coined and championed by UpSurge Baltimore, prioritizes supporting companies that are led by underrepresented founders, building diverse teams and developing solutions that aim to address systemic societal challenges.

Image: The Baltimore skyline. (Photo by Flicker user Phil! Gold)