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”).

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(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)

BrainBox HeadSmart II Study Investigators Aim to Provide Clinicians with First-Ever Biomarkers and other Functional measurements for Acute Traumatic Encephalopathy (ATE.) A clinical trial of multi-modal diagnostic/prognostic test, already underway, is published in Frontiers in Neurology/NeuroTrauma.

Investigators in a major clinical trial of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI or concussion) describe for the first time objective diagnostic criteria, based on blood biomarkers and neurologic testing, for acute traumatic encephalopathy (ATE), the immediate physiologic consequence the injury.

Acute Traumatic Encephalopathy (ATE) represents the condition of an objective measure of TBI associated symptoms or dysfunction that occur as long as 90 days following an acute head injury, according to the investigators. It may be manifest by neuropsychiatric dysfunction, imaging pathology, or biomarker abnormalities in a patient presenting with a history consistent with TBI. Objective criteria for ATE have the potential to advance the understanding of mild TBI and significantly improve its subsequent clinical management.

COLUMBIA, Md., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced today the findings of an independent study detailing the impact of TEDCO's six core programs to the state of Maryland.

Conducted by the University of Baltimore's Jacob France Institute, the study found that TEDCO provides significant value to the state's start-up community, supporting 10,433 Maryland jobs and more than $2.3 billion in statewide economic activity as of 2021.

Montgomery County announced that it has collaborated with M&T Bank to establish a Small Business Accelerator Program to aid minority business owners.

The Montgomery County Office of Human Rights and M&T Bank announced this week that they will partner to host a new 10-week business accelerator program to small businesses based in the county.

The program, set to begin January 11, 2022, will be free for participants and will feature business mentors, coaches and subject matter experts.

Image: https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org - From Tweet

The University of Maryland secured its place among the nation’s top schools for entrepreneurship in new rankings that reflect its commitment to innovation education during the height of virtual learning amid the pandemic.

In the 2022 edition of the annual rankings, announced today by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, UMD placed No. 10 for undergraduate entrepreneurship education across all institutions—its seventh consecutive year in the top 10 and 10th straight year in the top 25—and No. 4 among public universities. It was also listed at No. 24 for graduate entrepreneurship education. New this year, The Princeton Review ranked schools regionally, and UMD came in at No. 2 in the Northeast.

Image: MFA in performance alum Rob Jansen leads a workshop, "The Art of Presence: How to Warm Up for a Presentation," at the Startup UMD Suite in the Diamondback Garage. UMD's efforts to support entrepreneurs and innovators were recognized yesterday by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. Photo by Emma Howells

PASADENA, Calif. and DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 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, today announced that it is advancing the revolution for complex integrated R&D and next-gen manufacturing in Research Triangle, N.C. through its strategic partnerships with top-tier emerging biotechnology companies, along with its acquisition of purpose-focused development sites in the region, to enable their increased control over the quality of their medicines, patient access, supply chains, and their intellectual property, critical processes and talent.  

Although women account for nearly half of entry-level jobs in the healthcare industry, female clinician-scientist executives continue to be sparse among healthcare leadership ranks. Less than a third of C-suite roles – approximately 26 percent – are filled by women and tend to focus on human resources or marketing, according to a recent analysis by Becker’s Hospital Review.

Image: Kolaleh Eskandanian, PhD, MBA, PMP, vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National Hospital, spoke on gender gaps in healthcare leadership during the 6th annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference hosted by Becker’s Healthcare.

GERMANTOWN, Md., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Maryland-based biotech company Deka Biosciences ("Deka") today announced that it has successfully closed a USD 20 Million Series A financing with a syndicate of life science investors led by Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment arm of Bayer AG, and new investor Lumira Ventures. Additional investors include O-Bio (Echo Investment Capital), Viva BioInnovator, and Alexandria Venture Investments.

Deka Biosciences 2021 Novel cytokine-based therapies have the potential to provide patients with innovative curative treatment options for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and many types of infectious diseases. Understanding the known function of each cytokine, Deka has developed Diakines™ – intentionally engineered therapeutic proteins that are designed to deliver clinically validated cytokines, coupled in combination in the Diakine™ structure, to diseased tissue. Deka has also combined this therapeutic platform with companion diagnostic assays that ensure delivery of each Diakine™ to patients that will benefit the most.

935 Prose is a 10-story trophy-class, state-of-the-art research/lab building that marries iconic design, and superior lab functionality. It is positioned to recruit and retain the best-and-brightest scientific talent and will set a new standard for life science facilities. Located in the heart of North Bethesda’s nationally-acclaimed, metro-accessible, Pike & Rose mixed-use neighborhood.

Image: From PDF

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced a partnership with MedGenome aimed at accelerating breakthrough treatments, powered by human genomics, for rare disease patients.

"This is an exciting opportunity to partner with the leading genetic testing laboratory in India and South Asia to use our collective expertise to help bring faster and more innovative treatments to patients around the world who are suffering from rare diseases and desperately awaiting new therapies," said Emmes Chief Executive Officer Dr. Christine Dingivan.

The first phase of TwinLabs, a life sciences complex in Rockville, Md., has been fully pre-leased, with four companies taking the entire 25,000 square feet of space, according to JLL, which is handling leasing for the property.

A joint venture between Bethesda, Md.-based GlenLine Investments and Singerman Real Estate of Chicago is redeveloping two buildings adjacent to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases HQ into Class A lab space, after making major capital improvements. The duo acquired the 74,500-square-foot asset in 2020. 

Image: TWINLABS AT 5640 FISHERS LANE. PHOTO: JLL

In this riveting What’s Ahead conversation you’ll hear how Martine Rothblatt, creator of SiriusXM, left the communications field entirely to hunt for a cure for a rare, mortal disease with which her daughter was diagnosed. The pressure was intense, as patients usually died within two to three years of diagnosis. After immense effort—and setbacks—Rothblatt and her team came up with an effective treatment, which saved her daughter and thousands of others.

Are you a biohealth start-up in Maryland, DC or Virginia seeking feedback on your biohealth business idea, pitch deck, or commercialization plan? Schedule your feedback session with BHI EIRs on one of the following dates. Pre-registration is required; Sign up here tinyurl.com/EIRfeedback

For questions/more information, contact BHI.

Study results demonstrate first small molecule approach to significantly reduce phosphorylated and aggregated -synuclein and increase GCase protein levels with transport to the lysosomes in iPSC dopaminergic neurons

Results presented at Michael J. Fox Foundation's Therapeutic Development Webinar

BETHESDA, Md, Nov. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GANX) ("Gain", or the "Company"), a biotechnology company directly addressing the urgent need for effective neurodegenerative therapies, today announced data from the Company's study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). The study, evaluating two lead Structurally Targeted Allosteric Regulators (STARs) compounds – GT-02287 and GT-02329 – for the treatment of Gaucher and GBA1 Parkinson's Disease, demonstrated highly statistically significant effects on all tested phenotypes representing a key breakthrough in the potential to treat neurodegenerative disorders characterized by misfolded proteins including Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's, Gaucher's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. Study results were presented at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research's Innovating from Drug Discover to the Clinic: Novel Approaches to PD Therapeutic Development webinar.

BALTIMORE, Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- South Duvall and Sagamore Ventures have announced a partnership to bring more than 100,000 square feet of biotech laboratory space to City Garage in Port Covington, Baltimore, over the next 10 years, with approximately 75,000 square feet being delivered in the next year, announced Scheer Partners, which brokered the transaction.

"Baltimore is home to many world class institutions, but there's been a true need for space built for research and development," said Matthew Brown, Director of Acquisitions, South Duvall. "City Garage and Port Covington will be the perfect place for the innovative life science community to grow in Baltimore."

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- REGENXBIO Inc. (Nasdaq: RGNX) today announced the closing of its Collaboration and License Agreement with AbbVie to develop and commercialize RGX-314, a potential one-time gene therapy for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and other chronic retinal diseases. As previously announced on September 13, 2021, under the terms of the agreement, REGENXBIO will receive an upfront payment from AbbVie of $370 million with the potential for REGENXBIO to receive up to $1.38 billion in additional development, regulatory and commercial milestones.

Under the collaboration, REGENXBIO will be responsible for completion of the ongoing trials of RGX-314. AbbVie and REGENXBIO will collaborate and share costs on additional trials of RGX-314, including the planned second pivotal trial evaluating subretinal delivery for the treatment of wet AMD and future trials. AbbVie will lead the clinical development and commercialization of RGX-314 globally. REGENXBIO will participate in U.S. commercialization efforts as provided under a mutually agreed upon commercialization plan.

VENLO, Netherlands & HILDEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced its commitment to a science-based target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in order to help limit global warming to 1.5˚C. This move supports the goals set out by the Paris Climate Agreement and marks an important milestone in QIAGEN’s sustainability efforts.

“Social and environmental responsibility are vital to our business. In pledging to become carbon neutral by 2050, we are taking these commitments to the next level and embedding environmental sustainability in everything we do.”

Tweet this QIAGEN’s ambition to reach net-zero by 2050 applies to its entire value chain and fulfills the criteria of the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between the non-profit disclosure specialist CDP, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The efforts to find a functional cure for HIV are speeding up for one Maryland company after the Data Safety and Monitoring Board found no serious, adverse events with the third patient, as was the case for the previous two, American Gene Technologies announced.

"One patient can be lucky. Two can be very lucky. Three is a trend, and so actually the Data Safety and Monitoring Board has decided that they will meet quarterly from now on. We don't need to check in with them between each patient, so that means we can greatly accelerate the clinical trial," said CEO and Founder of American Gene Technologies Jeff Galvin.

Ellington West, CEO & Co-founder of Sonavi Labs, joins BioTalk to discuss their building the startup, their medical device, and raising funds in the BioHealth Capital Region.

Listen via Apple https://apple.co/3H25FPN, Google https://bit.ly/3kfXaXH, Spotify https://spoti.fi/3kgBLxI, and TuneIn https://bit.ly/3H43oU6.

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC),  announced that it has awarded $1.9 million in grants to three life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These grants, which will be met with significant matching funds from partner companies, were awarded through Grant Round 12 of Virginia Catalyst’s ongoing mission to stimulate economic development by promoting collaborative projects that address large, unmet needs for improving human health, and that can create high-paying jobs in the Commonwealth.

“We are excited to continue our mission of supporting collaborations and fostering economic growth in Virginia’s life sciences, enabling the Commonwealth to compete on a national and global scale,” said Mike Grisham, CEO, Virginia Catalyst. “The critical mass achieved by these collaborations provides Virginia with competitive advantages over other states and has resulted in significant outside capital being invested to finance the commercialization of Virginia’s innovations and create significant high-paying jobs for the Commonwealth.”

Richmond, VA, Oct. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that CIT GAP Funds, the direct investment program of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA) has invested in Charlottesville, Va.-based Cerillo. Cerillo designs innovative laboratory technologies that allow scientists to collect data more efficiently and researchers to amplify their impact on the world. Cerillo will use CIT’s funding to expand sales and marketing efforts and to continue expanding its business operations and product development teams, which will position the company for rapid growth.

Germantown, MD (November 4, 2021) – Deka Biosciences is pleased to announce the appointment of six new members to its Scientific Advisory Board: Aurélien Marabelle, MD, PhD (Gustave Roussy), Aung Naing, MD, FACP (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Abhishek Tripathi, MD (OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center), Khusru Asadullah, MD (The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Dermatological Practice in Potsdam), Hans-Dieter Volk, MD (The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin), and Florin Selaru, MD (John’s Hopkins University). 

“It is my honor to welcome such a highly esteemed group of world leaders and experts in regulation of the immune system to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board” said Dr. John Mumm, CEO, Deka Biosciences. “Each member will be invaluable to Deka as we continue to develop our Diakines into the next generation targeted cytokine platform that drive cures in both cancer and in patients suffering from autoinflammatory disease.”