News
08/22/2024
ReAlta Life Sciences Invigorates Executive Team with Appointments of David Marek as Chief Executive Officer and Paolo Martini, Ph.D., as Chief Research and Development Officer
ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc. (“ReAlta” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address rare and acute inflammatory diseases, today announced two distinguished biopharmaceutical veterans to lead the Company: David Marek appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Paolo Martini, Ph.D., appointed as Chief Research and Development …
08/21/2024
Senior health science industry innovation leader joins Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
A senior business leader in the development and translation of biomedical science innovation through the commercialization pipeline has joined Virginia Tech to facilitate the growth of the academic health sciences research enterprise through building strategic industry partnerships and facilitating commercialization of discoveries. Sally Allain, formerly the head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS @ Washington, …
08/20/2024
Children’s National Hospital, Additional Ventures offer grants for pediatric cardiology devices
The Alliance for Pediatric Device Innovation (APDI), a nonprofit consortium led by Children’s National Hospital and funded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announces today it is partnering with Additional Ventures, a nonprofit foundation focused on accelerating research progress and improving clinical care for individuals born with single ventricle heart defects, to solicit proposals …
08/19/2024
ReAlta Granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation for RLS-0071 for the Treatment of Steroid-Refractory Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease
ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address rare and acute inflammatory diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation to RLS-0071, the Company’s lead therapeutic candidate, for the treatment of hospitalized patients …
08/15/2024
Air Force awards $1.8M to VCU startup to advance development of drug treating massive blood loss
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University could soon launch a clinical trial to test an intravenous solution that its inventor, a School of Medicine physiologist and surgery professor, says might treat massive blood loss in trauma patients. Perfusion Medical Inc., a VCU startup working to commercialize the drug called PM-208, has received $1.8 million from the …
08/14/2024
Rivus Pharmaceuticals’ Phase 2a HuMAIN Trial Meets Primary Endpoint of Weight Loss and Secondary Endpoints in Patients with Obesity-Related Heart Failure
Rivus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving metabolic health, today announced its Phase 2a HuMAIN clinical trial of HU6 in patients with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) met its primary endpoint of weight reduction. HU6, an oral, once-daily potentially first-in-class investigational treatment, is a Controlled Metabolic Accelerator (CMA), which …
08/06/2024
Richmond Times-Dispatch Op-Ed: For-profit middlemen are threatening Virginia’s biotech ecosystem
Virginia patients continue to struggle to balance health care costs with other daily living necessities. As state legislators explore different paths to improve access to care for communities across the commonwealth, commonsense solutions that will effectively lower costs and other barriers that patients face at the pharmacy counter must be at the forefront. To improve …
07/25/2024
Growth of Early-Stage Resident Companies Marks the Third Anniversary of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS @ Washington, DC
Celebration of the three-year anniversary of JLABS @ Washington, DC (JLABS DC), it’s great timing to highlight recent accomplishments and milestones reached by incubating and regional companies. Additionally, JLABS DC is excited to share new access to specialized lab equipment to support more innovators within the region. Since the start of 2024, there has been …
07/19/2024
Capra Biosciences Lands $7.5 Million Project Agreement To Demonstrate Platform To Rapidly Scale Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing
Many ingredients that make up the pharmaceuticals Americans rely on are manufactured overseas. When supply chain issues or shortages occur, as witnessed during the COVID pandemic, it can negatively impact millions of Americans and affect national security. The White House issued an Executive Order in 2022 to stimulate U.S. biomanufacturing. Increasing American biomanufacturing, will provide …
07/18/2024
Virginia Companies Expand into Global Markets through Commonwealth’s Trade Accelerator Program
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that 11 companies across the Commonwealth have graduated from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership’s (VEDP) Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program and 14 companies have joined the two-year program. VALET, which now has 402 graduated companies, assists Virginia exporters that have firmly established domestic operations and are committed to international …
07/18/2024
Robert Ward appointed as Activation Capital’s interim president and chief executive officer
The Virginia Biotechnology Research Park Authority Board appointed Robert Ward as interim president and chief executive officer of Activation Capital, an innovation ecosystem development organization, effective today. Ward is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience leading organizations, driving strategy and innovation, developing high performing teams and executing complex transactions. Ward has served …
07/17/2024
Carilion CEO Nancy Howell Agee to Retire
Nancy Howell Agee, who led Carilion through more than a decade of transformative change, will step down as CEO Sept. 30. Steve Arner, who was promoted to president in May 2023, will succeed Agee and become president and CEO Oct. 1. The leadership transition comes after Agee’s long and distinguished career at Carilion, beginning as …
07/15/2024
Lupus Treatment with Omega3-Rich Krill Oil Improves Disease Activity
AMPEL BioSolutions, with collaborators Lupus Therapeutics and Aker Biomarine, revealed peer-reviewed results that supplementation with Omega3-rich Krill Oil improves disease activity of autoimmune Lupus patients. Omega3 lipids called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that are found in microscopic shrimp-like crustaceans called Krill from the waters around Antarctica are key to maintaining a low inflammatory state. Some …
07/15/2024
Inorganic Ventures acquires PURE Analytical Laboratories, Combining Unique Capabilities for Precision Manufacturing
Two privately held specialty chemical firms that provide high-purity materials and services for chemical applications, from renewable energy to food and beverages and consumer safety, are combining their capabilities to serve new and expanding precision markets. IV Labs Inc., the parent company of Inorganic Ventures, has acquired PURE Analytical Laboratories, one of the few companies that …
07/12/2024
Director named for Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Cancer Research Center
An accomplished biomedical engineer who studies the biophysical setting of brain cancer has been named director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC’s Cancer Research Center in Roanoke, Virginia. Jennifer Munson will organize the institute’s Cancer Research Center in Roanoke, while closely collaborating with its Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C., said Michael Friedlander, Virginia Tech’s vice …
07/11/2024
BrightSpec Adds Commercial Firepower to its Leadership Team and Board of Directors
BrightSpec, the market leader in Molecular Rotational Resonance (MRR) spectroscopy solutions, announced the appointment of two new executives to drive the commercialization of their growing portfolio of precision instruments and analytical tools. BrightSpec develops and commercializes instruments that harness the power of MRR spectroscopy, an innovative approach to rapidly and definitively characterize the unique three-dimensional …
07/11/2024
BIO-CAT Announces Safety Study on New Enzyme Addressing High FODMAP Foods
BIO-CAT, an industry-leading enzyme supplier headquartered in Virginia, is excited to announce the publication of a groundbreaking safety clinical trial manuscript featuring its proprietary ingredient, OPTIZIOME® Inulinase (now marketed as OPTIZIOME® Fructanase), in Gastro Hep Advances. Fructanase, also known as inulinase, was developed to address the unintended consequences of digestive discomfort from certain foods, more …
07/09/2024
ReAlta Life Sciences Strengthens Board of Directors with Appointment of Accomplished Financial Executive
ReAlta Life Sciences, Inc., a mid-stage clinical biotech company dedicated to saving lives by rebalancing the inflammatory response to address life-threatening diseases, announced the appointment of Emma Reeve to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. “We are very pleased to welcome Emma Reeve to our Board of Directors,” said Buzz Heidt, Chairman of ReAlta’s Board …
07/09/2024
CEL-SCI Appoints Robert Watson as Chairperson of the Board
CEL-SCI Corporation announced that Robert (“Bob”) Watson, who has served as a Director of the Company since 2017, has been appointed Chairperson of the Board. Bob is an accomplished business leader who began his career as an investment banker. With over four decades of experience across various healthcare markets, Bob brings extensive expertise in capital …
07/09/2024
Contraline’s First In-Human Trial Shows Safety with 12-Month Efficacy Signals of the ADAM™ Male Contraceptive Device
Contraline, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has announced promising initial safety and efficacy results from its First-in-Human clinical trial. The trial, which is evaluating the safety and preliminary efficacy of Contraline’s ADAM™, a non-permanent male contraceptive, has had its first patients demonstrate 12 months of efficacy in the study. ADAM™ is a water-soluble, biocompatible, and non-permanent …
07/09/2024
Serpin Pharma and HekaBio Sign Term Sheet for Groundbreaking Neuropathy Treatment
Serpin Pharma, a Virginia-based biopharmaceutical company, and HekaBio, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, have signed a term sheet to develop and commercialize SP163M, a novel peptide drug for preventing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). SP163M, a groundbreaking discovery by Serpin Pharma, is set to revolutionize pain management. This novel therapy protects nerves from the damaging effects of …
07/08/2024
Chandra Briggman is leaving Richmond’s Activation Capital
Chandra Briggman is exiting her role as president and CEO of Richmond’s Activation Capital. The independent authority of Virginia that promotes research, commercialization and innovation ecosystem development in the Richmond region said Monday that Briggman is leaving “to pursue new opportunities to build innovation ecosystems and drive economic development.” She’s been in the role a …
07/08/2024
Roquette and Bonumose Sign a Global Cooperation Agreement Supporting Tagatose Growth
Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients and a leading provider of pharmaceutical excipients, and Bonumose, a pioneer in enzymatic solutions for rare monosaccharide production, are pleased to announce the signing of a Cooperation Agreement that aims to advance the development of tagatose, a natural-origin sweetener with clinically proven health benefits. This collaboration combines Roquette’s …
06/27/2024
Virginia Catalyst announces Grant Round 16 awarded projects!
The Virginia Catalyst, also known as the Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC), today announced that it has awarded $3.18 million in grants to four 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 16. “Powerful collaborations …