Industry News

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), in partnership with the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA), released a new report on the best practices in state bioscience economic development measures, “The U.S. Biosciences Industry in the States: Best Practices in Innovation, Partnerships, and Job Creation.” The report, now in its seventh edition, analyzes the latest legislative …

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, …

Recent global disease outbreaks have had devastating impacts, triggering a renewed emphasis on preparation for potential known and unknown health threats. By proactively enhancing preparedness against emerging pathogens, we aim to minimize the scale of future outbreaks, protect vulnerable populations, and ultimately safeguard our health security. To that end, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, together with …

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, in collaboration with Carilion Clinic Innovation, Verge Alliance, and Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, is proud to launch the Advancing Oncology InnoVAtion QuickFire Challenge. Innovators from around the globe are invited to submit potential solutions aiming to transform patient outcomes in oncology in adult populations with potential applications in pediatric oncology. …

Lighthouse Labs has announced Art Espey as the new Managing Director, effective April 17. Art will replace outgoing Managing Director Paul Nolde, who will assume a similar role at Norfolk’s 757 Collab and 757 Angels organizations. Art has long been involved with Lighthouse Labs, having previously served on the organization’s Board of Directors as Founding …

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced more than $66 million in state grants for four projects within the Biotechnology, Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Cluster. These projects provide job creation, wage expansion, and broader economic growth throughout the Commonwealth. “In order to make Virginia a leader in biotechnology, life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing, we have to accelerate …

Richmond, VA /Virginia Business/ – Black History Month traces its origins to an annual weeklong observance started in 1926 by historian and scholar Carter G. Woodson, a Virginia native. And since then, the February celebration of Black history makers and events has been intertwined with commemorating successful business icons like fellow Virginia-born greats Maggie Walker …

Life sciences startup PS-Fertility Inc. will invest $1.4 million to build out a headquarters and laboratory in Albemarle County, the office of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. PS-Fertility is aiming to commercialize a male fertility diagnostic that was originally developed at the University of Virginia. The company will lease 4,000 square feet at 3030 …

The new role will oversee strategic initiatives to grow deep-tech entrepreneurship and a regional ecosystem conducive to health and life sciences company formation and scaleup. RICHMOND, Va., Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, announced today that it has appointed Michael Mancini, Ph.D., as its Vice President of Entrepreneurship & Ecosystem Development. The new role is part …

The latest funding highlights a series of investments into the Virginia Bio+Tech Park, complementing the City of Richmond’s investment into its Innovation District vision. RICHMOND, Va., – An omnibus spending bill funding the federal government for the fiscal year 2023 and signed by the president includes $1.5M for Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization. …

RICHMOND, Va., (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cellf BIO, a biotechnology company that manufactures bioengineered sphincters using autologous progenitor cells, announced today that it has begun its Phase 1 clinical trial for its BioSphincter™ Implant for the treatment of severe passive fecal incontinence (FI). The FDA cleared the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) …

Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ZB131 to begin enrolling expansion cohorts in early 2023 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., /PRNewswire/ — ZielBio, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering new treatments for cancer through its innovative drug discovery platform, has appointed Alan S. Bash as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer and member of the company’s Board of Directors. The appointment of …

Some start-ups can’t afford to build their own lab space or may only need lab space intermittently. Advocates believe that new lab space in Blacksburg and Roanoke will encourage economic development and entrepreneurship in the region. (Cardinal News, December 15, 2022) — The founders of Fermi Energy have an idea which, if it pans out, …

Richmond, VA, (Richmond Times Dispatch) – Chesterfield-based Indivior, already in the business of opioid addiction treatment, is branching into overdose protection. The global pharmaceutical company entered into an agreement to acquire Opiant Pharmaceuticals Inc. for a reported $145 million. Indivior is the company best known for producing Suboxone, a commonly used medication in treating opioid addiction. …

Established Industry Leader Rachel King will Serve as BIO’s Interim Leader WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) – the world’s largest science and public advocacy organization, representing 1,000 members — announced today that Rachel King, co-founder and former CEO of GlycoMimetics, Inc., has agreed to serve as interim President and CEO. King’s appointment follows Dr. Michelle …

The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) announced new grant funding totaling approximately $1.75 million to 24 Virginia small businesses through its Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF). CCF is a competitive program that seeks to fund high-potential, Virginia-based, for-profit technology companies at the pre-seed stage of commercialization and provides grants up to $75,000. Each award is matched …

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), announced that registration is open for the Catalyst Life Sciences Conference. The event will be held October 6-7, 2022 at the Omni Hotel in  Richmond, Virginia. This conference is designed for scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, incubators and biohubs, life science companies, technology transfer …

Roswell, GA and Greenville, SC – The Board of Directors of Southeast Life Sciences (SLS) has named Sam Konduros, Founder and President of Greenville-based SK Strategies, as Chief Executive Officer effective June 1, 2022. Mr. Konduros succeeds Jason Rupp in the leadership role, in which Mr. Rupp served from 2019 to 2022. Mr. Rupp’s tenure …

(WalletHub) – Innovation is a principal driver of U.S. economic growth. In 2022, the U.S. will spend nearly $600 billion on research and development — more than any other country in the world and more than 25% of the world’s total — helping the nation rank third on the Global Innovation Index. According to the results of …

Scientific equipment supplier will invest $97M in three new labs (Virginia Business) Massachusetts-based scientific equipment and software supply company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. will invest $97 million to expand its laboratory operations into three new locations in the Greater Richmond area, a project expected to create more than 500 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. …

Biotechnology Innovation Organization issued a statement in opposition to senate bill 376. The statement addressed to Richard L. Saslaw, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, explained the shortfalls of the proposed legislation and its negative impact on the innovation in bioscience. Read the entire statement below.   RE: BIO Statement in …

Activation Capital, a leading entrepreneurship and ecosystem development organization, announced the launch of a cluster accelerator to catalyze the growth of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D in Central Virginia. A coalition of private-public entities from Greater Petersburg and Greater Richmond helped form the accelerator, secured $2.5M in seed funding from GO Virginia and others, and …

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) is planning a Women’s Health Consensus Conference (WHCC) in October 2021, in response to a Congressional request to address NIH research efforts related to women’s health research as well as the following specific conditions, rising maternal morbidity and mortality rates, increasing rates …

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) invites biometric technology developers to apply to participate in the 2021 Biometric Technology Rally. Started in 2018, the Biometric Technology Rally challenges industry to deliver fast, accurate, and easy-to-use biometric recognition capabilities to improve security and user facilitation at checkpoint processing. Building on …