According to a new study published by George Mason University  researchers Dr. Robin Couch and Dr. Allyson Dailey, in collaboration with researchers at the  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), showed probiotics may play a pivotal role in preventive  medicine. High fat diets are a leading cause of obesity and can trigger the onset of metabolic …

Cerillo, a biotechnology company at the forefront of developing advanced research platforms for the study of the microbiome, hosted demonstrations of the company’s new co-culture duet system at ASM Microbe 2023. Cerillo’s co-culture system will enable researchers to observe and study individual microbial populations in real time and measure the growth of one microbial population alongside …

TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a Seed Funds investment of $250,000 into Astek Diagnostics, a life sciences company fighting antibiotic resistance through innovative technology. In addition to this investment through the Life Sciences Investment Fund – a funding opportunity under the umbrella of TEDCO’s Seed Funds – Astek Diagnostics has received an …

Euclid Vision Corporation (Euclid), a global leader in advanced orthokeratology (Ortho-K) lenses and proactive myopia management initiatives, is pleased to announce ABB Optical Group as a licensed manufacturer and distributor of the company’s Ortho-K lenses. ABB, known as the largest distributor of soft lenses in the United States, supplies nearly two-thirds of eye care professionals (ECPs) …

Cupron®, a renowned antimicrobial solutions provider – doing business as Cupron Performance Additives – is excited to announce the significant expansion of its offerings with the introduction of Cupron Sinerji™. This new adjuvant-enhanced platform offers superior antimicrobial efficacy across multiple substrates, all while maintaining an economical cost structure. Cupron Sinerji incorporates adjuvants into the copper-based …

Children’s National Hospital announced a $96 million investment from an anonymous donor family that strengthens its globally recognized leadership to transform rare childhood brain tumor research and care. It is one of the largest donations in the hospital’s history. It allows Children’s National to recruit more top talent and advance the most promising research for …

Charlottesville medical device company Luminoah Inc. has closed a $6 million Series A round it says it will use to complete the development of its mobile feeding tube device that collects data. The round was led by Charlottesville’s Fry’s Path Capital and included participation from Arlington’s Sands Capital, Charlottesville’s CAV Angels, Virginia Beach’s 757 Angels …

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, together with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), is proud to launch the BLUE KNIGHT™ Resident QuickFire Challenge: Accelerating Project NextGen. Current and alumni Blue Knight residents and their collaborators are invited to submit promising potential pre-clinical or clinical solutions for the opportunity to receive award funding from a …

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 …

CELLF BIO achieved a major milestone with the world’s first human implantation of BioSphincter™, an autologous bioengineered sphincter made of smooth muscle and differentiated neural stem cells. The Phase 1 clinical trial is being conducted to treat patients with fecal incontinence (FI), a condition that affects millions of people worldwide. The implantation surgery was performed …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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. …

Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc., has been named dean and William H. Goodwin Jr. Endowed Chair of the VCU College of Engineering, effective Aug. 1. Eskandarian currently serves as department head and Nicholas and Rebecca des Champs Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. “Azim Eskandarian has established himself as a highly …

The NOVA Biotechnology and Leadership in Education (NOBLE) Project will be funded by the National Science Foundation with more than $550,000 over the next three years. The goal of the NOBLE Project is to revitalize and grow the biotechnology program. The NOBLE Project seeks to recruit students throughout the entire NOVA service area, particularly minorities …

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 …

Virginia Western Community College and Radford University will sign an articulation agreement during a signing ceremony on Monday, May 1, on Virginia Western Campus, that will result in a cost-effective transition for students focusing on the field of biotechnology. Virginia Western students completing the Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in Science with a specialization in …

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 …