The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), today announced that it is accepting letters of intent (LOI) for Grant Round 13 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 with …

Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for the treatment and prevention of addiction and related disorders, today announced the appointment of Cary J. Claiborne as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Claiborne will continue to serve on the Board of Directors. In his new role, Mr. Claiborne will be responsible for overseeing …

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is proud to announce the launch of the NIH Technology Accelerator Challenge for Maternal Health (NTAC: Maternal Health) in conjunction with the White House Maternal Health Day of Action.  NTAC: Maternal Health is offering up to $1,000,000 in cash prizes to reward the development of low-cost, point-of-care molecular, cellular, and/or metabolic sensing …

Diffusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Diffusion” or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies that enhance the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to areas where it is needed most, today announced it has dosed the first participants in its Altitude Trial. The trial will evaluate the Company’s lead product candidate, trans sodium crocetinate (“TSC”), in normal …

Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) has announced a new name for CIT GAP Funds: Virginia Venture Partners. The family of funds places equity investments in Virginia’s high-growth based technology, life science, and cleantech companies at the earliest developmental stages. This new name reflects the investment program’s renewed commitment to the Commonwealth and enduring partnerships with Virginia’s high-tech …

Athari Biosciences, a rapid-growth, minority- and woman-owned startup focused on improving equity and inclusion across all facets of healthcare, announced it has selected Loudoun County, Virginia, for its new corporate headquarters. The project includes a wet lab, a tech lab, research and development and office space and is expected to open in early 2022. The …

Landos Biopharma Inc. ,a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing its LANCE® Advanced A.I. platform to discover and develop novel oral small-molecule therapeutics for patients with autoimmune diseases, today announced that Josep Bassaganya-Riera, Ph.D., has stepped down as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Tim M. Mayleben, a member of the Landos Board, has been …

New York-based Marathon Asset Management LP announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Richmond-based privately held pharmaceutical company Kaléo Inc., which is known for treating allergic anaphylaxis and opioids overdoses. The total base purchase price is approximately $310 million in cash, less certain adjustments and includes potential net revenue-based milestone payments of …

ATCC, the world’s premier biological materials management and standards organization, announced that it has been awarded a seven-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a ceiling value of $545 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With this contract, ATCC will support NIAID’s …

BrainBox HeadSmart II Study Investigators Aim to Provide Clinicians with First-Ever Biomarkers and other Functional measurements for Acute Traumatic Encephalopathy (ATE.) A clinical trial of multi-modal diagnostic/prognostic test, already underway, is published in Frontiers in Neurology/NeuroTrauma. Investigators in a major clinical trial of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI or concussion) describe for the …

Euclid Systems Corporation, a global leader in advanced orthokeratology and proactive myopia management, today announced two exceptional additions to its leadership team as well as the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Sterling, Virginia. The changes come at a time when Euclid’s next-generation of Ortho-K lens, Euclid MAX, is helping to combat the battle against …

HemoShear Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that a second target identified utilizing the company’s REVEAL-Tx™ human disease modeling platform has been selected by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) for further drug discovery activities for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This marks the successful completion of HemoShear’s exclusive collaboration with Takeda to discover novel targets and develop therapeutics for …

Seven years after its founding as a startup business in Richmond, Grenova Inc. has moved into a new phase of development as a company. “We have been growing quite significantly,” said Ali Safavi, the founder and CEO of Grenova, which has a mission to reduce waste, pollution and costs in the global laboratory industry. Grenova, …

The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC),  announced that it has awarded $1.9 million in grants to three life and bioscience projects in the Commonwealth of Virginia. These grants, which will be met with significant matching funds from partner companies, were awarded through Grant Round 12 of Virginia Catalyst’s …

CEL-SCI Corporation announced it has completed the expansion of its existing dedicated Multikine* (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) cGMP manufacturing facility. The expansion was undertaken in anticipation of filing a Biologics License Application (BLA) which, if approved, will allow Multikine produced in the facility to be commercially distributed. The construction, which began in 2020, expanded the facility and …

RIVANNA®, developers of imaging-based medical solutions, announced that they have received a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for the design and development of a computer-aided 3D …

ATCC, the world’s premier biological materials management and standards organization, today announced it has hired Greg Ballish as its new Chief Commercial Officer. In his role, Ballish will head ATCC’s sales and marketing operations and partner with Ruth Cheng, Ph.D., Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer and Vice President of Corporate Development of ATCC, to oversee …

Contraline, Inc., a venture-backed medical device company devoted to providing men and couples with long-lasting, safe, and effective male contraception, has closed $10.7 million in its Series A financing. The financing round was led by MBX Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage healthcare and life sciences companies. Additional investors in Contraline include: …

AgroSpheres, Inc. has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $999,653 to progress its R&D collaboration with the University of Tennessee on an RNAi biological insecticide targeting fall armyworm (FAW). Larvae of FAW are one of the most economically devastating insect pests in its native region …

The ongoing struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of its delta variant have highlighted the critical role of Virginia’s life sciences companies in combating significant public health threats. In near-record time, biotechnology companies developed effective COVID treatments, vaccines and tests, all while being a major economic and jobs driver in the commonwealth. However, …

Virginia sugar alternatives company Bonumose Inc. will invest $27.7 million to expand in Albemarle County in a partnership with The Hershey Co. to research and develop reduced or zero sugar chocolate products, creating 64 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam announced. Bonumose will move into 36,000 square feet of the former State Farm building to increase production …

State and local officials gathered for the grand opening of the newest building at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 139,000-square-foot addition, which opened to researchers and staff last summer. The building, located at 4 Riverside Circle on the Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences campus, …

Landos Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: LABP), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing its LANCE® Advanced A.I. platform to discover and develop novel therapeutics for patients with autoimmune diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for LABP-104, a novel, oral, systemically distributed LANCL2 agonist, for …

Virginia Tech’s Advancement Division recently added Martha Quinn to its team as assistant vice president of advancement for health sciences and technology and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Quinn, who started on Sept. 20, previously served as executive director of development at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center. Prior to that, she was …