For the second consecutive year, a team of Johns Hopkins students from the Carey Business School took top prize at the annual MIT Sloan Operations Simulation Competition, held April 17-19 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A second Carey team captured third place.

The competition was the 16th of a global contest attracting participants from top business schools.

RICHMOND, Va. -- The pandemic has created an ongoing need for pediatric medicine and two organizations have partnered to tackle the issue. Founder of Phlow Corporation, Eric Edwards, M.D., PhD., and Kurt Newman M.D., President and CEO of the Children’s National Hospital share their insight as well as the mission and objective of the coalition. For more information, visit the website of the Children’s Hospital Coalition.

AM&AA brings back the world of middle-market mergers and acquisitions live and in-person this summer in Dallas, Texas!

Network with hundreds of decision-makers, including M&A advisors, capital providers, and investment bankers. Whether you’re on the buy or sell side, you won’t want to miss this must-attend industry event that will yield new deal connections and results.

ROCKVILLE, Md. & CARLSBAD, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc., (“ITI”), a privately-held clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms, announced today a worldwide license and development collaboration agreement with Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: LCTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell transplants for serious medical conditions. The collaboration will generate a novel product candidate derived from Lineage’s investigational allogeneic VAC cancer immunotherapy platform and targeting a proprietary Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA) construct provided by ITI, for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Lineage and ITI will collaborate in the manufacturing and clinical development of a novel VAC product candidate. Following the full development and delivery of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) VAC product material, ITI will assume full and independent clinical and commercial responsibility and further advancement of the program. Under the terms of the agreement, Lineage will be entitled to an upfront payment of $2 million paid in the first year and development and commercial milestones totaling $67 million across multiple indications. Lineage also will be eligible to receive royalties up to 10% on future product sales.

A Virginia Beach biotech accelerator program announced more than five years ago as a way to attract a booming, high-salary industry to the area has completed lab construction and is finally looking for tenants.

The VABeachBio Accelerator finished construction in February and is now accepting lease applications. The 5,700-sqaure-foot office and lab space is in the Convergence II office near the intersection of Independence Boulevard and Interstate 264.

Image: https://www.pilotonline.com

Collaboration to use Gain’s proprietary Site-Directed Enzyme Enhancement Therapy (SEE-Tx™) computational platform technology to identify new and previously difficult-to-drug oncology targets

BETHESDA, Md., April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GANX) (“Gain”) today announced a multi-target collaboration agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) to discover new product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Gain will use its proprietary SEE-Tx computational platform technology to identify new sites on target proteins for potential use in oncology. SEE-Tx applies a proprietary computational algorithm and supercomputer processing to the published 3D structure of proteins to discover new binding sites with the ability to modulate protein function. The intended output is newly-discovered targets or target protein interactions that can then be drugged for therapeutic benefit to intervene on protein misfolding.

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The purpose of this event is to bring Technology Transfer leaders, policy makers, thought leaders, and innovators in the Technology Transfer field together to discuss and exchange ideas on how to best qualify and quantify the impact of Technology Transfer on the stakeholders it serves.

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellphire Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing next-generation platelet-based hemostatic therapeutics for application across multiple medical indications, announced today that Michael Gaffney has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Gaffney brings deep health sector insight, extensive operational experience, and proven strategy and capital markets expertise to Cellphire. He will also join the Company's board.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize a strategic partnership to help build a stronger local relationship between federal labs and Montgomery County’s private sector, particularly small businesses.

COLUMBIA, Md. (April 20, 2021)—TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced today its Seed Fund invested $200K in TargetDocs, a Maryland-based technology startup. TEDCO’s Seed investment is part of an $850K funding round, which includes University System of Maryland Momentum Fund (Momentum Fund), the Hustle Fund, New Age Capital, Debut Capital, Dingman Center Angels, and Gaingels.

Largest Venture Capital Investors in Greater D.C. - Washington Business Journal

Image: https://www.bizjournals.com

U.S.-listed shares of GlaxoSmithKline GSK, 0.12% were down 1.4% in trading on Thursday after the Food and Drug Administration said it had granted accelerated approval to the company's endometrial cancer treatment. The immunotherapy, which was called dostarlimab and is now named Jemperli, is approved to treat patients with severe forms of this kind of cancer who have a genetic feature known as dMMR.

Amid the international effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maccura Biotechnology, headquartered in the city of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province, is still able to keep up with changing demands. The Maryland Department of Commerce first met with the well-established, global diagnostics company in 2018 with the help of the Maryland Center China.

BETHESDA, Md., April 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GANX) (“Gain”) today announced a multi-target collaboration agreement with Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) to discover new product candidates for the treatment of cancer. Gain will use its proprietary SEE-Tx computational platform technology to identify new sites on target proteins for potential use in oncology. SEE-Tx applies a proprietary computational algorithm and supercomputer processing to the published 3D structure of proteins to discover new binding sites with the ability to modulate protein function. The intended output is newly-discovered targets or target protein interactions that can then be drugged for therapeutic benefit to intervene on protein misfolding.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — United Therapeutics has applied for a priority review voucher and submitted a new drug application to the United States Food and Drug Administration, the company announced this week.  The drug, Tyvaso DPI™, is a novel dry powder inhalation formulation of treprostinil, and, if approved, will be used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The company estimates there are about 30,000 treatable patients in the United States, according to a statement.

Each quarter we bring you an update from our Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS Portfolio of companies across our 13 sites, from San Diego to Shanghai. Beyond news of our companies milestones, we also report on the diversity of our JLABS Portfolio leadership as we seek to reflect the patients we serve.

Meanwhile, we look ahead this spring and beyond to the first companies moving into our JLABS @ Washington, DC site, built in collaboration with Children's National Hospital and BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority). You can always find our latest stats and companies via our JLABS Portfolio Navigator.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 21, 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 that Chad Rubin has been appointed to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs. Mr. Rubin will be responsible for all corporate communications, along with involvement in investor and capital markets activities. He joins NexImmune with more than 20 years of experience in investor relations, investment banking and capital markets within the biotechnology sector.

NEW YORK – Qiagen said on Tuesday that it has received a CE-IVD mark for its Artus SARS-CoV-2 Prep&Amp UM Kit for high-throughput PCR-based COVID-19 testing.

The kit is now commercially available in the EU and other markets accepting the CE-IVD mark, and Qiagen has submitted an Emergency Use Authorization application for the assay to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The Quantum Startup Foundry (QSF) at the University of Maryland brings together the resources needed—physical and virtual—to support entrepreneurs and startups in accelerating quantum technologies’ time to market. QSF will bring entrepreneurs together with industry and government customers, investors, technical mentors, leading-edge research and IP, and quantum-specific infrastructure (equipment, tools, facilities). Located in the Washington, DC metro area, QSF offers the perfect landing and launch spot for quantum companies.

A group of top lawmakers of both parties in both chambers of Congress on Wednesday reintroduced legislation that aims to spend $110 billion on vital technologies to sustain American leadership and spur competitiveness against China.

The draft bill, known as the Endless Frontier Act, championed by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., is matched by a companion bill in the House by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.

The Matan Cos. will add biotech manufacturing and research space to one of its existing office campuses in Germantown to meet the surge in demand from local life sciences firms.

The new construction is slated for the Milestone Business Park, located just off Interstate 270 at the Father Hurley Boulevard exit, the Frederick-based developer told the Washington Business Journal. Matan plans to add three new buildings totaling 532,000 square feet, constructing them on some of the site’s ample parking lots and rebranding the campus as “Milestone Innovation Park.”

Image: Matan Cos. plans to add three new biotech-focused manufacturing and research buildings at its Milestone office park in Germantown. HIGH ROCK STUDIOS

Did you miss our 3-day Workshop featuring experts from NIH, HHS, NCI, NSF, USAMRDC, NIA, MTech, BHI, and others? Videos and Slide decks are now available by visiting http://www.biohealthinnovation.org/events/sbir-workshop-documents today.

With its unique system of intramural and extramural research programs, funding for academic and corporate product development, along with its supporting foundations, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a vibrant public “innovation ecosystem” that has changed not only the face of healthcare, but has also led to the creation of the biotech industry in the U.S. Whether your interest in the overall healthcare environment is scientific, medical, educational or commercial, there is something here for you.

Image: Dr Joseph J.Kinyoun, NIH Founder - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced that Rhonda Henry has joined the company as President of Emmes BioPharma.

"Naming a leader of our biopharma group is a major, positive step in our strategy to expand and diversify our business," said Dr. Christine Dingivan, Chief Executive Officer of Emmes.

It might surprise you to learn that many of the innovations deployed to counter the coronavirus were once obscure Pentagon-funded projects to defend soldiers from contagious diseases and biological weapons. The life-saving vaccine developed in record time owes a debt to these programs. To learn more, we met the man who has been leading the rapid vaccine effort, retired Colonel Matt Hepburn. An army infectious disease physician, he spent years with the secretive defense advanced research projects agency or DARPA, working on technology he hopes will ensure COVID-19 is the last pandemic.

As the CEO of a 2,000-plus person Maryland-based company involved in the COVID-19 response, I have a high tolerance for the obligations that come with it — like spending endless hours trying to explain complicated manufacturing processes to reporters who just learned we existed. Or battling back the misinformation that is used to find fault with the people who are the spine of our nation’s world-leading response to this pandemic.

Image: Manufacturing associates work on a COVID-19 vaccine in one of four flexible manufacturing suites at Emergent BioSolutions' Bayview facility. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun) (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun) 

Topic: GW-CAN Givitas Webinar

Description

Who: GW Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Industry Experts

What: A 45-minute webinar to educate the GW CAN entrepreneurial community on Givitas. We will cover the benefits of Givitas and how to sign up and use Givitas.

Time Apr 21, 2021 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

LUND, Sweden, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Alligator Bioscience (Nasdaq Stockholm: ATORX) today announced that it has entered into a joint research collaboration with MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The research collaboration will lead to the expansion of Alligator’s proprietary patient specific immunotherapy Neo-X-Prime™ by incorporating MacroGenics’ proprietary DART® and TRIDENT® multi-specific platforms against two undisclosed targets.

Image: https://biobuzz.io

Margot Connor has over 25 years of experience in diversified Life Science industries bringing executive level expertise to business operations, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions. When Connor took the helm at RoosterBio in 2015, the start-up had only five employees. The company has since grown rapidly to become a leader in the stem cell biomanufacturing industry. It now has about 40 employees in a state-of-the-art facility in Frederick.

Image: https://i95business.com

ROCKVILLE, Md., Apr. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — American Gene Technologies (AGT), an emerging gene and cell therapy company, announced today that Gaingels, a leading venture investment syndicate in service of the LGBT+ community and its allies, made an investment in AGT to support the Phase 1 clinical trial of an HIV cure. The Phase 1 human trial is investigating the safety of AGT103-T, a single dose, autologous cell therapy intended to cure the disease.

This investment places Gaingels alongside private investors who believe deeply in AGT’s mission, rapid drug development platform, and gene and cell therapy programs for HIV, cancer, and PKU.

Image: https://www.americangene.com

Antibodies that target the glycan cap epitope on the ebolavirus glycoprotein (GP) are common in the adaptive response of survivors. A subset is known to be broadly neutralizing, but the details of their epitopes and basis for neutralization are not well understood. Here, we present cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of diverse glycan cap antibodies that variably synergize with GP base-binding antibodies. These structures describe a conserved site of vulnerability that anchors the mucin-like domains (MLDs) to the glycan cap, which we call the MLD anchor and cradle. Antibodies that bind to the MLD cradle share common features, including use of IGHV1-69 and IGHJ6 germline genes, which exploit hydrophobic residues and form β-hairpin structures to mimic the MLD anchor, disrupt MLD attachment, destabilize GP quaternary structure, and block cleavage events required for receptor binding. Our results provide a molecular basis for ebolavirus neutralization by broadly reactive glycan cap antibodies.

Image: https://www.cell.com

We are proud to announce that U.S. News & World Report has designated the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, located at our hospital, as the number one training program for pediatrics in the country! Please join us in congratulating our faculty, staff and trainees who consistently strive to make our department an exceptional place to work and learn.

Image: https://www.linkedin.com

Dr. James Crowe, Director, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center,  is on the forefront of groundbreaking vaccine development.