Good afternoon NMBio members and colleagues:
As we approach the second half of the year, we’re looking forward to continuing NMBio’s commitment to build visibility for our ecosystem by sharing important member news, as well as local, regional and national events and pending legislation that could impact the life science sector.
We are currently focused on organizing two marque events for this fall as well as planning for the BIO 2022 International Convention in San Diego. The first fall event involves Los Alamos National Labs. As you may know, LANL, which employs more than 300 bio scientists, is moving more than 500 non-research employees from Los Alamos to Santa Fe. We are collaborating with the Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation to plan and hold a September event which matches NM life science and health care businesses with laboratory’s know how, capabilities, and technology. NMBio will recruit members interested in participating. LANL will provide laboratory connections and expertise. Our two organizations will co-host the event at LANL’s new facility.
Our second event will be the annual Knowledge Fair and Expo. Once again, it will be held in late October or the first week of November. I’m targeting Richard Bendis to be one of our two or three keynote speakers. He has just released a report on the critical factors that helped the BioHealth Capital Region (the Maryland-DC-Virginia corridor) emerge as a major bioscience hub (there are lessons to be emulated by us). Bendis deserves a great deal of credit for being the sparkplug that helped drive the region’s growth. He is Founder, President and CEO BioHealth Innovation, Inc. BHI is an innovation intermediary that translates market-relevant research into commercial success by connecting management, funding, and markets.
Richard is former economic development professional that I worked with in Philadelphia before he started a daily commute by Amtrak to Bethesda. He is a successful entrepreneur, corporate executive, angel investor, investment banker, innovation and technology-based economic development leader, international speaker and consultant in the technology and healthcare industries. He serves as the founding President and CEO of Innovation America, a national public-private partnership focused on accelerating the growth of innovation economy in America. He has provided global consulting services to more than15 countries and 20 states, several cities and regions, along with international organizations including the United Nations, NATO, UK Trade and Industry, European Commission, the French Embassy, the German Marshall Fund, The Canadian Consulate, the International Science Parks and other global entities. He has been voted as one of the nation’s top 5 speakers on innovation and creativity; also voted 4th best innovation blogger. Please take the time to read how the BioHealth Capital Region emerged as a nationally recognized bioscience hub.
Board members and I are also seeking your suggested topics and speakers for the Knowledge Fair. Please forward to me by August 15. In addition, we’re seeking volunteers to help us market sponsorships, exhibit space and ticket sales. If interested, please contact me asap. The Knowledge Fair is the one event that helps us balance our books.
Even though it is almost a year off, we have already begun planning for the 2022 BIO International Convention; it will take place June 13-16, in San Diego. If you are interested in showcasing your company to the biotech industries leading national and international firms and 18,000 estimated attendees, please contact me now. Once again, we will host a NM Pavilion. Now’s the time for us to lock in a premier location for the trade show booth. Also, now’s the time to file for grants that will reimburse you for participating in the trade show booth (on average, this will save your firm $3,500 to $4,000). The grants do not cover transportation to the event or lodging. Since the event is short flight from Albuquerque, we’re inviting Governor Lujan Grisham, Secretary Alicia Keyes and Myrriah Tomar to attend and host a late afternoon social event at our booth that will include NM food, beer and wine. Many of states and international countries do this; this would be a first for NM. The tourism department can help organize this event and potentially cover the cost (it‘s payback: it will get the opportunity to market NM to thousands of attendees). We’ll also be on the lookout for a speaking role for the governor at the conference. The BIO convention is an opportunity to market our growing cluster of startups nationally and internationally for a very reasonable financial commitment.
Several of our member companies have recently been making headline news. We’re recognizing several of the most recent in the text that follows. Please call or email with your news so I can share your successes with our community as well as the media.
Best regards,
Greg
Greg Byrnes
Executive Director
NMBio
610-731-3671 (M)
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Save the Date: August 5
The keynote speaker for our August Lunch & Learn event is Mark Francis, Digital Health Integration Officer, Electronic Caregiver(ECG). The Las Cruces based company is an innovative health technology and service company. Mark came to ECG after twelve years leading new product development efforts for Intel Corporation and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Earlier in his career, Mark was the CEO of Life ElderCare, CEO of Community Solutions, VP of Health Hero Network, and member of the Board of Directors for Harrison Clinical Research, a global CRO. Mark was educated at Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh. He has been awarded 17 patents.
ECG’s products are modernizing home health care. It’s currently developing an artificial-based virtual care giver. It has also developed a scalable, secure, infectious disease and COVID-19 risk assessment solutions with the highest standards of information security and data protection. It has more than 150 full time employees and is one of the fastest growing health and safety monitoring companies in the US.
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Access up to $150,000 a Year to Accelerate Product Development with Assistance from Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs
The New Mexico Technology Readiness (TGGR) Initiative addresses the gap of knowledge transfer and technology advancement when a New Mexico business has a license to a laboratory technology or is engaged in a research partnership. It gives these New Mexico businesses the ability to leverage research and technology development and expertise from Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories to expedite product development. Eligible New Mexico businesses can access up to $150,000 a year to work with a national laboratory researcher in advancing the technology closer to a commercialization milestone. The TRGR Initiative is a tax credit the national laboratories capped at $4.5M over a three-year pilot.
Contacts:
Los Alamos: Julia Wise, jlwise@lanl.gov 505-665-5827
Sandia: Genaro Montoya, gmontoy@sandia.gov 505-284-0625 |
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VisionQuest Biomedical Receives National Institutes of Health Grant
VisionQuest Biomedical Inc. recently received an award of nearly $1 million to help commercialize new artificial intelligence technology designed to diagnose an eye condition caused by malaria. The long-time NMBio member company develops artificial intelligence-based imaging technologies meant to help identify health conditions. It offers products for detecting diabetic retinopathy and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Another of its products, called ASPIRE, is used to detect malarial retinopathy, abnormalities in a person’s retina that are a complication of malaria.
That technology has received nearly $2 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop and commercialize the technology since last September, coming in the form of two awards, according to the federal health agency. The company will use money from the NIH for securing regulatory clearances and marketing the ASPIRE software, which is being tested at malaria clinics in Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya. The money will also enable the company to expand the use of the technology in Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ghana. The counties will “be the springboard to access all malaria-affected countries in Africa,” said Simon Barriga, CEO and Founder.
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for most of the world’s malaria cases and deaths, per the World Health Organization. VisionQuest expects to have a product ready for market by the end of next year with sales starting in early 2023. The device will be available to certain hospitals, primary care clinics and community healthcare facilities. The ASPIRE technology works to deliver a diagnosis by analyzing an image of the retina captured with a smartphone, according to the company. |
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AI in Drug Discovery Cuts Timelines From 5+ Years to Months
IDTechEx have recently published a new report, “AI in Drug Discovery 2021: Players, Technologies, and Applications“, covering the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), in the drug discovery process. The industry has received significant attention from investors and key players in the biopharma industry during 2020, and 2021 continues to be a very exciting year for the industry.
The development of pharmaceutical drugs is a long and costly process. Companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries typically spend more than $1 billion to bring a drug to market, in a process that often lasts 10 – 15 years. Moreover, the drug development process is very risky – up to 90% of drugs being developed do not reach commercialization. A technology that can contribute significantly to addressing any of these 3 pain points has the potential to quickly grow into a multibillion-dollar industry. AI has been successfully applied to speed up virtual screening, de novo drug discovery, and can be utilized to optimize compounds to have drug-like properties. Processes that typically take several years can be reduced to a matter of months.
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Avisa Diagnostics and iBeam Materials are two of five New Mexico, high-growth potential companies awarded Science & Technology Business Start Up Grants at $25,000 each. The grant specifically targets high-growth companies that have the potential to create jobs in New Mexico and/or garner private investment, and can provide economic benefit to the state greater than the award amount. Avisa offers an innovative approach to treating lung infections with rapid diagnostics to guide better clinical outcomes. The Avisa BreathTest produces a biomarker that identifies pulmonary infections with results in less than 10 minutes, allowing for quicker and more precise treatments for patients iBeam Materials, has developed technology that enables microLED displays that are super-bright, paper-thin, flexible, and power-efficient using a low-cost, scalable approach. iBeam was one of a few companies selected for strategic investments by Samsung Ventures in the microLED space. |
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Breakthrough FDA Device Designation: Understanding Regulatory & Reimbursement Implications: August 4 Webinar
Hosted by AdvaMed, this webinar – 2 pm MT — will feature presentations from key FDA and CMS staff, followed by an engaging roundtable discussion and Q&A with FDA, CMS and industry professionals. Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions upon registration or during the webinar. Registration for the webinar is free for AdvaMed members and government employees. Learn more.
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Develop Your Professional Skills with Bio Online Learning
Through a curated network of education alliance partners, BIO offers industry professionals executive training and development resources for accelerating career growth. Whether entering the life sciences profession, exploring a new focus area or training an entire department on a new discipline, BIO offers access to a diverse portfolio of relevant online educational content. BIO Member discounts are available. Learn more. |
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Must Reading:
Background: Advancements in biotechnology are recognized as one of the most important scientific achievements of the 20th Century. The emergence of biotechnology profoundly impacted the health of the world, and the economic vitality of regions where bio clusters and bioresearch parks grew. This article explores some of the historical and policy implications undergirding this development in the United States and the importance of alignment of life science research activity, public policies, and leadership to build place-based communities of biotechnology innovation.
Read More
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BIO published the report in June in partnership with Coqual. Read the full report here |
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If your company is contemplating an IPO, your board can play an important role. Here are the critical questions boards should ask before taking a company public. |
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IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SUCCESS BY LISTENING TO THESE PODCASTS
· Brand Fit– Building your brand..
· Thrive LOUD – Podcast-Entrepreneurial experience.
· Life Sciences Success Podcast– Interviews with successful life entrepreneurs |
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UPS: Super-Sized Shipping Savings for NMBio Members
Through its partnership with BIO, NMBio offers its members the opportunity to take advantage of the BIO Business Solutions® programs nationally recognized service providers – ranging from AON to Clean Harbours to Office Depot. Click on this link to learn more: https://www.bio.org/save/new-mexico-biotechnology-biomedical-association-nmbio This month, we’re promoting UPS. https://www.bio.org/save/ups There is no fee for NMBio members to participate. All the service providers offer discounts. |
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