Company News

Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, announced plans to develop the 102,000-square foot Innovation Center in the Bio+Tech Park in Richmond, Virginia. The 34-acre Bio+Tech Park is a commercial life sciences hub in downtown Richmond adjacent to the VCU Medical Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, and is home to over 70 companies, research institutes, …

ReAlta Life Sciences (“ReAlta”), Inc., a company addressing life-threatening rare diseases through harnessing the power of the immune system, today announced exciting new proof-of-mechanism data from the company’s Phase 1b Inhaled LPS clinical trial of RLS-0071 presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference on May 23, 2023. RLS-0071 is the Company’s lead dual action …

Consumers are increasingly in pursuit of healthier diets, including plant-based diets, Mediterranean style diets and ones high in fiber. Along with these diet changes, though, can come digestive distress from specific dietary elements called FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols). FODMAPs can include lactose, found in dairy products; galactans, found in legumes; and fructans, …

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), today announced that it has awarded $2 million in grants to four life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia, pending execution of the grant agreements. These grants, which will be met with significant matching funds from partner companies, were awarded …

Nancy Agee remains CEO of Roanoke health care system Roanoke, VA /Virginia Business/ Carilion Clinic has promoted its executive vice president and chief operating officer, Steve Arner, to president of the Roanoke-based nonprofit health system. He will remain COO while taking on new duties as president, Carilion said in its announcement Tuesday. Nancy Howell Agee, …

The company behind a pig-to-human heart transplant in 2022 is building a new research and development hub in Southwest Virginia to raise pigs for their hearts and kidneys, for transplantation into people. In March 2022, the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig died, two months after the groundbreaking surgery at the …

LifeNet Health expands its portfolio of wound care solutions, adding revolutionary products such as TheraSkin®, with the acquisition of the Bioventus Inc. wound care division. This step strengthens LifeNet Health’s position as a global leader in regenerative medicine offering next-level wound care. “Non-healing wounds are a modern healthcare crisis,” said LifeNet Health President and CEO …

Agricultural biotech startup AgroSpheres will invest $25 million to expand in Albemarle County, creating an estimated 50 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday. The company will increase production at its facility at 1180 Seminole Trail and build a research and development and demonstration facility for new products, which will be a pilot plant for a …

Aspirin, the original wonder drug, and its use as an analgesic and fever reducer can be traced back to 500 BC. Over the decades of the 20th and 21st centuries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of aspirin to manage and treat several health conditions, including in the prevention of …

Capra Biosciences is scaling up their novel bioreactor technology to produce sustainable chemicals in Northern Virginia. This project was funded through a special BioMADE Project Call focused on advancing bioreactor design and development, thanks to support from Schmidt Futures. The expansion will jump start Virginia’s bioeconomy and place the state on the map for biochemical …

The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) announced that Carilion Medical Center has been awarded a Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) grant for $75,000. VIPC’s CCF programs have distributed over $47 million to Virginia-based startups, entrepreneurs and university-based inventors since 2012. Carilion Medical Center is a non-profit healthcare organization based in Roanoke, Va. The principal investigator for …

ModifyHealth™, an innovative food-as-medicine platform and provider of medically tailored meals, welcomes VTC Ventures as a strategic addition to its Series B investment led by RC Capital and Nashville Capital Network. The funding will support ModifyHealth’s continued growth of its category-leading food-as-medicine solutions and further expansion of its nationwide operations to deliver meaningful patient outcomes. …

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), announced that it is accepting letters of intent (LOI) for Grant Round 15 to fund the development and commercialization of life science projects that address major unmet needs for improving human health and advance Virginia’s economy. “When you combine world class research …

CivicaScriptTM, which is dedicated to bringing lower-cost generic medicines to U.S. consumers, and SortPak, which delivers pre-sorted medications to patients at no extra cost to patients or health plans, are partnering to provide CivicaScript medicines in packaging designed to maximize patient convenience, savings and medication compliance. SortPak offers two packaging options to make it easier …

Euclid Vision Corp., a global leader in specialty contact lenses and proactive myopia management initiatives, is pleased to announce the continued expansion of its U.S. sales team with the addition of Jon R. Hudson, ABOC, NCLEC, who has joined the company as account executive for Texas, and Central and Southern U.S. territories. Jon brings 24 years …

Richmond biotech BrainBox Solutions Inc., the maker of an artificial intelligence-enabled concussion test, has earned a broad patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a set of eight biomarkers that correlate to specific findings on MRI tests. CEO Donna Edmonds said in a statement the biomarkers covered by the patent include indicators of …

Phlow Corp., a U.S.-based public benefit corporation and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO),  announced that it has closed a $36 million Series B capital raise as part of its mission to protect America’s medicine cabinet. Since its launch in 2020, Phlow has been working to leverage advanced development and manufacturing processes to re-imagine the …

The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (VTCRC) announced that three companies have been selected to join Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS (JLABS). Under a collaboration between VTCRC and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC, established to support innovators in the Blacksburg-Roanoke region with the aim to accelerate emerging biotech and life science startups, the selected companies will …

Granules is ready to start shipping medications right from Prince William County. The India-based pharmaceutical maker opened up its new packaging and distribution facility just outside Manassas, promising to bring 57 new jobs to the county as part of a $12.5 million investment. Representatives for the $65 billion manufacturer said the move will strengthen the …

The Children’s National Board of Directors announced that Michelle Riley-Brown, MHA, FACHE, has been named as the new president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Children’s National Hospital. On July 1, Riley-Brown will succeed Kurt Newman, M.D. , who is retiring after 11 years as president and CEO. Riley-Brown is an accomplished executive with over …

During the past several years, industry demand for a skilled life science workforce has been surging. In Virginia, while there are currently shortages in almost all health-related professions, little is known about whether there is an adequate supply of life science workers to meet the needs of employers. Now George Mason University is working toward …

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new contract with nonprofit drugmaker Civica Rx, a move that brings the state one step closer to creating its own line of insulin to bring down the cost of the drug. Once the medicines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Newsom said at a press conference …

From designing battery electric spotter tractors to developing individualized neuro-oncology treatments for aggressive gliomas, the five companies accepted into RAMP’s Spring 2023 Cohort span the gamut of technology, health science and life science innovation. “We are thrilled to welcome these inspiring entrepreneurs and help them accelerate their vision,” said RAMP director Lisa Garcia. “Not only …

A new manufacturing facility has officially opened its doors in Charlottesville, VA, dedicated to the production of tagatose, a sweet plant-based material with numerous health benefits. The facility, owned and operated by Bonumose, will produce high-quality tagatose for use in a wide range of food and beverage products. Tagatose is 90% as sweet as table …