Latest news with #RuchikaNijhara
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund Announces Call for Applications for the July 2025 Cycle
Application deadline is July 9, 2025 COLUMBIA, Md., June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission ("Commission") is pleased to announce the release of Requests for Applications (RFAs) for the July 2025 funding cycle. The deadline for application submissions is July 9, 2025. The upcoming cycle supports a broad spectrum of grant programs, including early-stage basic research, translational efforts, clinical trials and manufacturing support. Maryland-based academic institutions, nonprofits and companies are encouraged to apply. Additionally, companies/non-profit entities outside Maryland are eligible to apply, provided the funded research occurs within the state. Supplemental funding is available for research projects involving collaboration between public and private sectors, accelerating the development of therapies for unmet medical needs. "Despite ongoing uncertainties in federal funding, Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) remains unwavering in its commitment to support Maryland's pioneering stem cell scientists and companies. Our dedication to advancing innovative therapies continues undeterred, and we are grateful for the steadfast support from Maryland Governor Moore's administration and the General Assembly to help us succeed in this critical mission," said Ruchika Nijhara, Ph.D., executive director of MSCRF. "These funding opportunities are another big step in helping Maryland lead the way in stem cell and regenerative medicine research. Investing in innovative science and encouraging collaboration will open the door to life-changing therapies and help Maryland's biotech community thrive in a way that benefits everyone," said Rachel Brewster, Ph.D., chair of the Commission. To date, MSCRF has supported over 700 research projects, investing over $230 million. In May 2025 alone, over $18 million was allocated to 52 projects spanning all stages of technology development, from basic research to clinical application and manufacturing. Key Dates: Application Submission Deadline: July 9, 2025 (before 5 PM) Application Submission Portal Opens: June 18, 2025 Grant Awards Announcement: September 2025 For full details on RFAs and application instructions, visit For questions or assistance, contact mscrfinfo@ MSCRF remains committed to advancing innovative research, supporting economic growth and positioning Maryland as a premier hub for regenerative medicine. About the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission and Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission, through Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, focuses on identifying and funding cutting-edge research and innovation in the field of regenerative medicine in Maryland. Our Accelerating Cures initiative comprises programs that help transition human stem cell-based technologies from the bench to the bedside as well as mechanisms to build and grow stem cell companies in Maryland. About TEDCOTEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at Media ContactTammi Thomas, Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO, tthomas@ Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, rkalinyak@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund Awards Over $18 Million to Drive Breakthroughs in Regenerative Medicine
Awardees receive funding to accelerate research and development of stem cell therapies COLUMBIA, Md., May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission ("Commission") announced awarding over $18 million in grants aimed at accelerating cutting-edge stem cell and regenerative medicine research across Maryland. This funding supports 52 investigators from top Maryland based research institutions and companies working on almost 50 different medical conditions and diseases including sickle cell anemia, diabetes, cancers and chronic pain to diseases directed to heart, bone, blood, digestive and neurological conditions. This year's grant recipients feature innovative companies such as Seraxis Inc., Britecyte Inc., SereNeuro Therapeutics Inc. and Diagnostic Biochips, Inc. They are joined by academic researchers from Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, Baltimore, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences/Henry Jackson Foundation. The University of Maryland, Eastern Shore is newly represented among this year's funded institutions, strengthening statewide support for regenerative medicine research. "We are especially proud to support the first stem cell research grant application from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. It is exciting to see Maryland's regenerative medicine community continue to expand," stated Ruchika Nijhara, Ph.D. executive director of Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF). "New companies are emerging and our existing portfolio companies with MSCRF-funded projects are advancing to human clinical trials, bringing discoveries closer to patients and fulfilling the mission of MSCRF." Awardees submitted proposals in response to the Commission's Request for Applications (RFAs) for the second funding round of fiscal year 2025. Earlier in the fiscal year, the Commission also allocated over $4.5 million in additional research grants to public and private entities in Maryland. Since its establishment under the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006, MSCRF has invested over $200 million in 650+ projects, generating $525 million in economic activity and creating over 2,000 jobs statewide. "We recognize the life-saving potential of the research supported by our grant awardees. Sustained MSCRF funding is essential to advancing these efforts, particularly in today's challenging funding landscape," emphasized Rachel Brewster, Ph.D., chair of the Commission. "We remain committed to helping innovative scientists and companies move cutting-edge stem cell research from the lab to patient care." The Commission will soon release RFAs for the first round of fiscal year 2026 funding, with applications due in July 2025, to continue fostering innovative research and advancing promising cures through the various programs of MSCRF. The second round of MSCRF awards for the 2025 fiscal year includes the following: Launch: These awards are to encourage new and new-to-the-field faculty to bring innovative research and technology to the regenerative medicine field. Totaling $3,440,434, the Launch Award recipients are Dr. Ryan D Sochol from the University of Maryland, College Park; Drs. Whitney Parker, Sui Seng Tee, Vivek Garg and Zubair M Ahmed from the University of Maryland, Baltimore; Dr. Erin Green from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Drs. Qun Li, Mahaa Umapathi, Marjan Gharagozloo and Xiao Yang from Johns Hopkins University. Commercialization: These awards are for companies to develop new human stem cell-based products in Maryland. Totaling $992,710, the Commercialization Award recipients are Diagnostic Biochips, Inc. (Dr. Brian Jamieson); and Daniel Saragnese from SereNeuro Therapeutics, Inc. Clinical: This award is for public and private entities that wish to conduct human stem cell-based clinical trials in the State of Maryland. Totaling $1,499,145, the Clinical Award recipients are Dr. Heather Symons from John Hopkins University; and Dr. Alla Danilkovitch from Britecyte, Inc. Manufacturing Assistance: These awards provide entities with funding to support the manufacturing processes/infrastructure of stem cell therapy products in Maryland. Totaling $918,534, the Manufacturing Assistance Award recipient is Seraxis, Inc. (Dr. William Rust). Validation: This award supports faculty at Maryland-based Universities/Research institutes with intellectual property for human stem cell-based technologies that require additional validation. Totaling $350,000, the Validation Award recipient is Dr. Elias T. Zambidis from John Hopkins University. Discovery: These awards fund innovative ideas to develop novel human stem cell-based technologies and cures. Totaling $9,948,617, the Discovery Award recipients include Dr. Younggeon Jin from University of Maryland, College Park; Drs. Seth Ament, Curt Civin and Ricardo Feldman, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore; Dr. Jiabing Fan from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Daniel Lobo, Ph.D., from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Kathleen Pratt, Ph.D., from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences/Henry Jackson Foundation; and Drs. Lena Smirnova, Hee Cheol Cho, William B. Dalton, Linda Resar, Jeff W. Bulte, Xitiz Chamling, Nicholas Maragakis, Alan D. Friedman, Pan Li, Jiou Wang, Hilary Vernon, Alyssa N Coyne, Gabsang Lee, Brian O'Rourke, Rajini Rao, Jill Fahrner, Xizhen Lian, Shaun Kunisaki, Tae-In Kam, Arens Taga, Ludovic Zimmerlin and Farah Mohamed from Johns Hopkins University. Post-Doctoral Fellowship: These awards support exceptional post-doctoral fellows conducting research in Maryland. Totaling $910,000 the Postdoctoral Fellowship Award recipients include Drs. Sterling P Arjona and Siddharth Shah from the University of Maryland, Baltimore; Dr. Luis Carlos Pinzon Herrera from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Drs. Hira Butt, Willem T Buys, Longfei Li and Niannian Xu from John Hopkins University. More information on current MSCRF awardees and funding opportunities is available on MSCRF website. Visit us at About the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission and Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission, through Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, focuses on identifying and funding cutting-edge research and innovation in the field of regenerative medicine in Maryland. Our Accelerating Cures initiative comprises programs that help transition human stem cell-based technologies from the bench to the bedside as well as mechanisms to build and grow stem cell companies in Maryland. About TEDCOTEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at Media ContactTammi Thomas, Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO, tthomas@ Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, rkalinyak@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Technical.ly
10-03-2025
- Health
- Technical.ly
This stem cell research fund is transforming patient care in Maryland
As executive director of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund, Ruchika Nijhara has seen the program's work literally change lives, including the life of a 4-year old patient. This patient suffered from a rare genetic disease that caused his immune cells to not work properly. Between constantly getting pneumonia and coming in to receive interferon gamma shots, he spent a significant amount of his childhood in the hospital. His health was always in question before the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) helped alter the course of his life. The MSCRF is an independent program within TEDCO created to promote state-funded human stem cell research and medical treatments through grants to public and private entities in Maryland. It focuses on identifying and fostering cutting-edge research and innovation in the field of regenerative medicine. That's exactly what the young patient needed. He was treated at Johns Hopkins University by Heather Symons and was cured at 10-years old. Now, he's 16 and participating in the STEM field himself. 'This is what the potential of this field is, and our state has always been a leader in life sciences,' Nijhara said. 'We still can't match our funding to what California provides, but whatever we provide has not only shown significant economic impact, but the non-monetary value of our funding is innumerous.' The program was initiated back in 2006, when Sen. Paula Hollinger introduced a bill that aimed to boost funding for embryonic stem cell research. As first proposed, it would've allowed research on human embryos otherwise discarded from fertility clinics, but several critics countered that the proposal was akin to abortion. Even if the bill were to pass, it was unclear if then-Gov. Robert Erlich would sign it. So, Hollinger tweaked the bill's language to provide funding for various kinds of adult stem cell research. While the adult cells are not considered as promising for research purposes, they are less controversial. The approval of this bill led to the establishment of the MSCRF under the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006. $200+ million to help patients and strengthen the region Part of the goal of the MSCRF is to foster economic development in the region, according to Nijhara. 'We don't want the money to go out [of Maryland],' she said. 'We want to promote economic development in the state. We want to build collaborations and a stronger ecosystem in the state while at the same time making sure that we stay committed to our mission, which is to advance the field to reach patients through curative treatments.' When the fund first launched in 2007, it offered two grants, both primarily targeted toward academic research. In 2017, the MSCRF expanded to include six grant programs, allowing the fund to offer support for clinical trials and help companies secure research sites within the state. With the launch of the Manufacturing Assistance Program in 2023, the MSCRF now offers seven grant programs — Launch, Discovery, Validation, Commercialization, Clinical, Post-doctoral Fellowships and Manufacturing Assistance — all to accelerate research and commercialization of human stem cell-based technologies. These grants help scientists, companies and research organizations accelerate and advance the commercialization of innovative stem cell technologies for a positive impact on human lives. For instance, one MSCRF grant funded research for an innovative technique developed at Johns Hopkins that allows sickle cell anemia patients who don't have the exact genetic makeup in the family to get a transplant, even when they only have half a match. 'Through MSCRF, the Maryland life sciences ecosystem continues to expand, building a community of research and collaboration across the public private sectors,' said Troy LeMaile-Stovall, TEDCO CEO. 'The work that Ruchika and her team do every day leads to a better Maryland, while also promoting hope, enabling cures and building the resources for a better tomorrow.' To date, the MSCRF has allocated $208 million in funding to 600 research projects and 41 different entities within the state such as companies, academic institutions, nonprofits and other organizations. In addition to Johns Hopkins, this includes big players like the Kennedy Krieger Institute, the Lieber Institute of Brain and the entire university system of Maryland. An impressive 75% of the companies the fund has supported since its inception are still in existence. The fund's mission remains to develop new medical strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of human diseases, injuries and conditions through human stem cells. Accelerating research with targeted investments This mission is why the MSCRF invests in unique companies like RoosterBio. Founded in 2013, RoosterBio provides standardized, scalable stem cell products and biomanufacturing solutions to support regenerative medicine, cell therapy and tissue engineering. RoosterBio accelerates human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (hMSC) and exosome/extracellular vesicle (EV) product and process development to boost the implementation of scalable advanced therapies. 'We're helping to de-risk the industry because people can now test out their product concepts at a fraction of the cost, in a fraction of the time,' said Jon Rowley, founder and chief product officer of the company. Over the past decade, the MSCRF has invested $1.89 million in RoosterBio through four grants. This investment has resulted in a near 40x return to the state, as RoosterBio has brought in $25 million in venture capital funding and more than $50 million in revenues over that span. While the MSCRF's impact within the state is evident, one underrated benefit of the program is its ability to boost Maryland's external connections. Last year, the MSCRF opened its doors to companies outside of Maryland, as long as the research conducted was done within the state. 'The MSCRF has been extremely successful in bringing visibility to the great research and opportunities we have here in the state,' said LeMaile-Stovall. 'We must learn how to fail fast, pivot faster and relaunch the next version even faster. That's part of the scientific process, to try, experiment, learn and retry again. This is all part of both the innovation and entrepreneurial process.' This eagerness to try different things will be critical as we continue to explore stem cell product development. 'We're only just starting to scratch the surface on knowing how to get these products developed that they work after they've been manufactured at scale and then onto the market,' Rowley said.
