OBI & OTRADI February 2021 Newsletter

OBI Client Company Wins

Congratulations on your hard work!

AbSci Collaborates with Xyphos Biosciences

OBI graduate company AbSci has announced an exciting partnership with Xyphos, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas. This collaboration will utilize AbSci’s trademarked Protein Printing technology in the development of Xyphos Biosciences’ cell line, essential for Xyphos’ immuno-oncology program. AbSci specializes in next generation biologics built on complex protein scaffolds. For more information, see full press release here.

BIP Corp Program Begins March 5

Moving your idea or technology beyond the lab or clinic can be challenging. BIP Corp is a five-week experiential course designed to help you and your team assess and validate your biomedical technology. You’ll gain the basic knowledge and tools to initiate innovation and commercialization of your technology, and a competitive business case to secure funding, partnerships and further research opportunities.

Oregon Clinical & Translational Research Institute‘s BIP Corp runs March 5 – April 9, is entirely virtual, and offered at no-cost. Click here for more information and registration.

Mentor of the Month:
Pete Murray

Pete Murray began mentoring in the OBI Mentoring Program last month. He and his mentee have already begun making progress in the mentee’s company goals. Pete has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of California Santa Barbara, and MS in Engineering from Boston University, and an MBA also from Boston University. Pete founded Skender Manufacturing in 2018 as President and COO. He is part of Murray Consultants, advising several early stage/start up companies in the Portland area and Western US. Pete’s focus is in commercialization and scaling of products/services/organizational development.

Thank you, Pete, for all you do for our community!

New Data Show Retail Medicine Prices Fell in 2019

In 2019, retail prescription medicine prices declined by 0.4%, on average, according to National Health Expenditures (NHE) data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published recently in Health Affairs. While retail prescription medicine spending grew 5.7% that same year, this increase was due to more patients getting the medicines they need, not higher prices. More information here.

Oregon Bio Professional Development

Did you know that Oregon Bioscience Association has several BioPro professional development courses? The Project Management: Foundations and Best Practices online course introduces students to the foundations of successful project management, especially in a technology environment. Students will learn key project management concepts, then immediately apply them in a hands-on team simulation. This course approaches project management from the standpoint of managing a single, stand-alone project that is small to medium in size. It takes students through the project life cycle in the same sequence they would face when managing a real project in the workplace.

Upcoming training dates are February 15, 16, 22, and 23 – four half-days – from 8:00 AM-12:30 PM each day. For more details and registration, as well as information about their other BioPro offerings, see their course page.

OTBC Virtual Incubation Program

OTBC‘s Virtual Incubation Program (VIP) for rural-Oregon entrepreneurs starts its next 8 week series in February. VIP is for early-stage entrepreneurs who need information and advice on how to test, develop and fund their idea so they can take it from concept to the launch of a successful company. The VIP is entrepreneur education and group mentoring in an 8-week program that walks you through the process of testing your idea, starting and funding a company.  Learn more about VIP and register here.

Ensuring Vaccine Safety and Distribution

Less than a year after identifying the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, biopharmaceutical researchers have made tremendous progress toward developing safe and effective vaccines. As we enter the next phase of our fight against COVID-19, ensuring sufficient manufacturing capacity, maintaining our commitment to safety, and supporting the effective, equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines is paramount to continued success. Link to full article.

Zoom in on STEM Education
Happy Hour

Support Saturday Academy and have some fun at their annual fundraiser on March 11, 2021, where you’ll Zoom in on STEM education. Use a “foldoscope” with samples, and try desserts and a signature Discovery cocktail during this exciting event.

Tickets are on sale now until March 1. See all the details for Saturday Academy Happy Hour.

Lonza’s Virtual Roadshow

Lonza Pharma & Biotech helps support early development services to prepare a successful transition to the clinic. They have upcoming virtual roadshow dates where you can schedule a tailored discussion with their experts, to help provide benefit to your company’s early stage biologic therapies. See their flyer with additional information and to schedule a time to discuss your project in more detail. Dedicated dates and times are February 8–12 and March 15–19, 2021, from 8:00 AM–1:00 PM PST.

WSU MAP Opportunity

Have you heard about the Business Growth Mentor & Analysis Program (MAP) at WSU Vancouver? Seniors who are majoring in business administration can provide no-cost student consulting for your small business or nonprofit organization. Whether you are looking for suggestions on how to address core challenges or are looking to grow and take your business to the next level, consider letting a MAP team help your organization.

Participating MAP clients receive approximately 500 hours of pro bono student consulting conducted under mentor and faculty supervision. Each MAP team works through proven process that helps them develop detailed recommendations and an implementation plan to help their client address a variety of challenges and goals. Each MAP project can be completed remotely and the time commitment for business owners is around 15 total hours over the course of a 16-week semester.

To learn more about the program from 3 former MAP clients, please watch: https://youtu.be/Dzqf_zd_kZA.

Have questions? Interested in becoming a MAP client this Fall? Contact Nolan Yaws-Gonzalez at nolan.yaws@wsu.edu.

ScienceTalk ’21 Conference
March 24-26, 2021

The challenges of 2020 have shown more than ever how important science communication is to the functioning of society. But, beyond that, it has highlighted our resilience as communicators, and the passion that we share to educate, inform, and entertain. Connect with your community of professional science communicators at SCIENCE TALK ’21 over three days of workshops, panel discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities. Learn, explore, and share with other Science Talkers!

Stanford Drug Discovery Symposium 2021

Dr. Sanjay Malhotra recently joined OHSU and started the Center for Experimental Therapeutics in the summer of 2020. Prior to that, he was at Stanford University and started the Stanford Drug Discovery Symposium, which has become one of the highest attended events at Stanford. Every year the SDDS has the participation of leaders in the field of biomedical sciences. The speakers in this year’s symposium will include two Nobel Laureates, scientific leaders from NIH, FDA, big pharmaceutical industries and Venture Capitalist groups.

Usually this event has a registration fee, but considering its educational importance and networking benefit, the organizers decided to make registration for SDDS 2021 free of charge. Their hope is that people interested in life sciences (business, academia, research, policy, philanthropy, etc.) from across the world will be able to participate and benefit from this event. As such, Dr. Malhotra invites all members and affiliates of the Oregon Bioscience Incubator and OTRADI to attend this event and have an opportunity to network with the wider community. Register here for the April 19-20 symposium.

PCC Bioscience Program Internships

Students in the Bioscience Technology program at Portland Community College are working towards completion of the bioscience technician certificate or degree and are seeking internship opportunities through the college’s cooperative education program. This is a credit‐for‐work experience program in which PCC students earn credit while gaining work experience and/or training, and laboratories and employers gain motivated, skilled workers for part‐time or short term positions. Many find that hiring an intern through the cooperative education program is an excellent way to get acquainted with potential employees.

For more information, visit pcc.edu/bio or contact Bioscience Technology faculty chair Josh Cary at josh.cary@pcc.edu.


Thank you to PhRMA for sponsoring OBI’s new biosafety cabinet!

Events

OBI EVENTS

Accelerate Biotech + Digital Health Virtual Happy Hour
March 4, 2021
5:00-6:30 PM
Register Here

 

Virtual Lunch & Learn: Licensing Deals
March 18, 2021
12:00-1:00 PM
Registration Open Soon

 

COMMUNITY & PARTNER EVENTS

University Lab Partners Presents:
How to Write a Great NSF Project Pitch
February 16, 2021
1:00-2:00 PM
Register Here

 

Cambia and PDXWIT:
Black Futures & Black History Month Happy Hour
February 17, 2021
5:00-6:15 PM
More Info

 

TAO Leader Launchpad: 
Revamp, Reignite, ReLaunch 2021
February 18, 2021
4:00-5:30 PM
Details Here

 

TAO: Support Equitable Funding with Black Founders Matter
February 19, 2021
9:00-10:00 AM
Register Here

 

PSBA Lunch & Learn: Steward Ownership
February 23, 2021
12:00-1:00 PM
Registration Page

 

PDXWIT Presents: Public Speaking
Tips for Empowering Yourself and Others
March 2, 2021
5:00-6:15 PM
Register here