AMPEL BioSolutions  announced a genomic precision medicine test for chronic kidney diseases, such as Lupus Nephritis, that could save lives by predicting kidney damage before it is irreversible and providing decision support for prophylactic therapies.  Genes that drive the inflammatory pathways characteristic of different stages of kidney damage are revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers …

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research institute, has been awarded a $4.95 million contract, with options to fund up to $21 million, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop drugs to increase the nation’s therapeutic arsenal against new or existing viral pathogens. The funds are part of the US government’s …

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 …

CytoRecovery, Inc., a leader in marker free technologies for the enrichment, sorting, and recovery of live cells, announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has approved its application to receive a Phase II SBIR Research Grant. Titled “Bioelectrical Cell Enrichment, Sorting, and Recovery with On-Chip Sample Prep and Monitoring,” the grant will provide $952,558 in …

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that Engineered BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to advancing cost effective, state-of-the-art medicine, will invest $6.1 million to expand in the City of Danville. The company will expand from its current lab space in the Dan River Business Development Center into its first standalone manufacturing facility at …

Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment and prevention of addiction and related disorders, announced it has entered into an option agreement for the sale of the assets of Purnovate, Inc. (“Purnovate”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Adial, to Adenomed, LLC (“Adenomed”), a new company formed by Purnovate …

AMPEL BioSolutions announced a breakthrough in precision and personalized medicine that could revolutionize the way doctors treat chronic pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia. Revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Lupus Science and Medicine, the paper details AMPEL’s breakthrough approach to characterize the underlying disease activity from gene expression data obtained from patient blood samples. The FibroGENE® lab …

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 …

Each year, Virginia Bio recruits volunteer judges from the membership to attend the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair to select the top three winners in the field of biosciences. The time commitment is limited to a pre-event online review of the submissions to select the finalists and then a few hours onsite at the …

Kevin Leslie will be Old Dominion University’s first associate vice president for innovation and commercialization, the Norfolk-based university announced Friday. Leslie will improve ODU’s technology transfer operation to better identify, develop and market faculty, staff and student intellectual property and startups. He also will lead federal and other grant applications related to innovation and ecosystem …

Curate Biosciences  announced the commercial launch of its Curate® Cell Processing System. The first-of-its-kind Curate System produces better starting materials for CAR-T cancer therapies and other cell therapies. Its exceptionally gentle microfluidic process recovers about 90% of white blood cells with elimination of more than 90% of red cells and 99% of platelets from patient-sourced …

Richmond, VA (Richmond Bizsense/ January 23, 2023 – A Utah-based nonprofit pharmaceutical manufacturer is gearing up to kick off production at its new Petersburg plant about two years after breaking ground. With construction largely complete on the $140 million facility, Civica Rx expects to start making insulin there this year, Senior Vice President Allan Coukell …

Charlottesville, VA, /Virginia Business/ – The University of Virginia will build a biotechnology institute funded with a $100 million donation from Charlottesville investor Paul Manning and his wife, Diane, the university announced Friday. Along with the Mannings’ gift, U.Va. will contribute $150 million, and the state has allocated $50 million in initial investments for the institute …

Fairfax, VA –  Deployed military personnel frequently face numerous health and safety hazards as part of their daily activities in service to their nation. Among many dangers is the possibility of encountering hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs), a group of highly infectious pathogens such as the Ebola virus. Many of these diseases do not currently have …

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 …

  Forest, VA /The News and Advance/ – In 2011, Forest resident and former auditor Neil Jackson was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma — a type of cancer that affects the bones and joints. It is a rare cancer that accounts for about 20% of bone tumors. After undergoing life-threatening surgery and surviving, Jackson, now 73, was …

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 …

Deal Strengthens Zimmer Biomet’s Growing Sports Medicine Portfolio and Supports Continued Company Transformation WARSAW, Ind., /PRNewswire/ — Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZBH), a global medical technology leader, today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Embody, Inc., a privately-held medical device company focused on soft tissue healing, for $155 million at …

Americans living with diabetes are sometimes forced to pay $350 for a vial of lifesaving insulin. But a nonprofit pharmaceutical company coming to Petersburg plans to sell the medicine at no more than $30 a vial. The nonprofit, Civica Inc., is nearing completion on a 140,000-square-foot facility in the city’s southeast corner and plans to …

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, …

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (Virginia Bio), the statewide, nonprofit trade association representing Virginia’s life sciences industry, looks ahead to the industry’s next 30 years. Proudly serving an industry that brings 26,000 jobs and $8 billion into the Commonwealth, Virginia Bio recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with members and supporters. Founded in 1992 amid the “Dot.com” …