Developing an ecosystem for life sciences startups takes a lot of energy and support. The Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), a program of George Mason University and the Virginia SBDC, has been laying the groundwork to support these emerging companies and has tapped two new life sciences mentors to provide guidance for entrepreneurs.
A serial entrepreneur and ecosystem builder, Julie Lenzer is currently the Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Maryland and Founding Director for the newly-launched Quantum Startup Foundry. In these roles, she is charged with fostering and deploying innovation to drive economic and social impact from both university-affiliated and community-based innovators and oversees the university’s tech transfer office, the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Veteran’s Business Outreach Center (VBOC), the Mixed/Augmented/Virtual Reality Innovation Center (MAVRIC), as well as university engagement with the Discovery District (UMD’s 150-acre research park). An active angel investor, she is also on the investment committee of the $10M Maryland Momentum Fund and UMD’s newly-launched Discovery Fund.
John Mumm is a serial biotechnology entrepreneur who, as a young researcher, demonstrated the importance of the cytokine, interleukin -10 (IL-10), in activating the immune system to destroy tumors. That research led to the use of Pegylated IL-10 to treat patients with pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors through his work at ARMO Biosciences, a company he founded and was later acquired by Eli Lilly in 2018.
Late in 2019, Fulton Bank launched a brand-new division to support emerging Life Science and Technology companies. Many traditional banks have historically shied away from these types of companies, which often operate in pre-revenue business models that are more complicated to assess. However, if successful, these companies represent some of the greatest potential for growth and economic impact.
Hear from inventors from the National Cancer Institute and the Frederick National Laboratory about technologies primed for commercialization and/or collaboration; great opportunity for biotech stakeholders and companies of all sizes, [….]
TEDCO Talks’, a video series launched by TEDCO in November 2020, serves as a platform for individuals to hear from thought leaders on economic development in the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR), and particularly in Maryland. These 30-minute virtual ‘fireside chats’ cover a range of topics, such as advice to small businesses dealing with COVID-19, available funding programs and benefits, diversity and inclusion, and more.
“Fiscal Year 2021 was an extraordinary one for Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures despite the challenges of the pandemic,” Executive Director Christy Wyskiel told BioBuzz in an email. “We took full advantage of the momentum from the last few years.”
TTC is planning a technology opportunities webinar on July 13, 2021 from 11:00 am – noon, EST. Attendees will hear from the NCI’s Dr. Genoveffa Franchini about a new HIV [….]
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Technology Transfer Center (TTC) will host a webinar to highlight a cancer therapeutic technology for collaborative development and/or licensing. The webinar presented by the technology inventor, Dr. Joel Morris, will highlight NCI’s novel, therapeutic fluorinated cytidine compound that shows high efficacy against colon cancer and leukemia. Studies indicated that the therapeutic compound can produce complete regression in xenograph mouse models with minimal effects on body weight. Registration is free.
As one of the world’s top bio hubs, the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) is rife with life science assets. The region has been at the forefront of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine race and it is rapidly becoming a center for advanced manufacturing. The BHCR cell and gene therapy ecosystem is thriving, and the area boasts one of the richest and most diverse tapestries of life science talent and workforce development programming. What’s more, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia are home to several dynamic university systems that keep the talent and tech transfer pipeline humming and full.
