Bioscience Committee

 The GBC Bioscience Committee works directly with the industry to identify barriers to company formation and growth in Maryland. The committee then devises and implements strategies to overcome those barriers. These include expediting tech transfer and advocating for legislation that supports industry growth.
 

Committee Staff: Liz Pettengill (410) 727-2820, x41

Chair: This committee is chaired by David Block, MD, MBA, CEO of Gliknik.

Dr. Block is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Ruxton Pharmaceuticals and Gliknik. He has been in the bioscience industry for 17 years, 12 of which were in a series of commercial positions at DuPont Merck and DuPont Pharmaceuticals, including sales management, licensing, portfolio planning, market development and product launch.

He was executive vice president of international operations at the time of the sale of DuPont Pharmaceuticals to Bristol-Myers Squibb. From 2002-04, Dr. Block was the COO of Celera Genomics.

Members: Membership in the Bioscience Committee is by invitation only. This is to keep a constant ratio of largely company CEOs and service providers. Members include: Scott Allocco, CEO, BioMarker Strategies; Jonathan Cohen, CEO, 20/20 GeneSystems, Inc.; Eddy Agbo, CEO, Fyodor Biotechnologies, Inc.; Blake Paterson, CEO, Cerecor, Inc.; and Robert Estey, CEO, MastixMedica, Inc.

What does the committee do:
• Actively advocates for legislation at both the state and federal level to support the industry and help it grow. This includes annual efforts to increase the amount of the Maryland Biotech Tax Credit, working with the federal delegation to increase the percentage of funding that goes to commercial companies when SBIRs are awarded, and supporting legislation to change the makeup of the Life Sciences Advisory Board to include more company representation.
• Sponsors a Bioscience Speakers Series, now in its seventh year, that has featured speakers such as Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former Director of NIH; Peter Greenleaf, CEO of MedImmune; and Congressman Chris Van Hollen.
• Works directly with state legislators to design and implement new laws to advance the industry.
• Monitors changes in policy at both the state and federal level that would affect the industry.

What has the committee done:
• Helped establish the Maryland Biotechnology Center.
• Conducted a comprehensive survey of all 400 bioscience companies in Maryland to find out how they would like to see state resources utilized.
• Created and ran the Maryland Bioscience Awards for seven years.
• Held meetings to determine a long-term strategy for growing the bioscience industry in Baltimore and is now writing a report on that research.
• Created a "roadmap to commercialization" to show stakeholders where the gaps are in the road from bench to market.
• Sponsored creation of a new business model for translational medicine.
• Worked with DBED and other industry advocates to produce regulations favorable to the industry in the administration of the Biotech Tax Credit.

What is the value in joining: The Bioscience Committee is recognized as an effective advocacy and informational resource. Through this committee, the GBC partners with other bioscience industry groups to make sure the industry is always well represented. The committee draws its strength from the input of its members and from the strength of its voice, which is directly connected to the number and caliber of companies that join. This is also an excellent way to meet other members of the bioscience business community and to interface with our research universities.

Bioscience News

4/16/13 - Baltimore-based Graybug and CEO Christy Wyskiel of our bioscience committee have won the highly competitive Invest Maryland Challenge award of $100,000 in the category of the life sciences. Graybug is developing drugs to more effectively treat eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration. There were more than 260 companies nationwide that entered the competition. The announcement was made Monday night at a ceremony at the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Congratulations Christy!

4/12/13 - The Governor's budget that passed also included a grant to the BioTechnical Institute of Maryland for $250,000. Congratulations to Kathleen Weiss for her unflagging efforts to train the bio workforce.

4/12/13 - Bioscience committee member BD Diagnostics received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance to market the BD MAX Cdiff Assay in the United States. The assay, already in use in Europe, is designed to rapidly and accurately detect the toxin B Gene, which has been shown to cause disease in patients suspected of Clostridium difficile infection. Clostridium difficile is a bacteria that causes a gut infection that causes diarrhea and other serious intestinal conditions such as colitis, and is a growing threat in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care settings.

4/9/13 -The operating budget passed by Maryland lawmakers includes $10 million in available tax credits for biotechnology investment, a $2 million increase from the current fiscal year. Also passed was GBC-supported legislation that expands tax-credit eligibility for investors in Maryland biotechnology companies.

The R&D tax credit was increased from $6 million to $8 million and includes the provision for small businesses to receive a refundable tax credit as supported by the GBC.

4/2/13 - One of our committee members, Christy Wyskiel, CEO of Graybug, has been named as one of nine finalists in the Invest Maryland Challenge. This designation makes Graybug eligible for a $100,000 grant from the state of Maryland. Finalists were chosen from an initial field of 260 applicant companies in three fields.

Congratulations Graybug!

1/4/13 - Cambridge, Mass. is investing close to $2 billion in construction and building costs to develop an area of the city vacant for decades.

In following a growing trend, Kendall Square will house new buildings for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Novartis. The proximity to universities and hospitals, as well as competitors, seems to lead to a booming and competitive industry. (Read more, Source: New York Times)

12/5/12 - Grotech Ventures has been selected as the first private venture capital firm to receive funds to invest through the state’s $84 million InvestMaryland program. (Read more, Source: Baltimore Business Journal)

11/6/12 - Last week, Forest City Science+Technology Group launched a new Web site to showcase the science and people at the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins. (Read more)