Innovation + Job News

Buying a home in Baltimore just got $1000 less expensive for potential homebuyers. Baltimore Housing has increased its funding commitment to Live Baltimore's popular "Buying Into Baltimore" event. A total of $200,000 will be made available this fall for qualified event participants. First time homebuyers can now receive $4,000, towards their homes. Prior to the funding increase the grants were $3,000. A total of 50 awards will be available.

This fall's "Buying Into Baltimore" event will take place on Saturday, September 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School, 3500 Hillen Road. It will feature the City's East Side neighborhoods.

Live Baltimore has organized the biannual "Buying into Baltimore" program since 1998. It includes neighborhood tours, educational workshops and an exhibitor fair.Participation in the tours as well as homeownership counseling qaulifies participants to receive funds for the downpayment or closing costs of a city home. Baltimore Housing provides the funding and administers the money, structured as five-year forgivable loans.

"We are very excited about this increased commitment by Baltimore Housing to encourage homeownership," says Anna Custer, Live Baltimore executive director. "With the expiration of the federal homebuyer tax credit, many potential buyers are sitting on the sidelines. We're hopeful this bigger award will help buyers get back in the game."

To receive the funds, participants must:

1) live in the desired home as the primary owner/occupant,

2) possess a valid homeownership counseling certificate,

3) participate in the "Buying into Baltimore" tour and have the tour ticket validated at four homes,

4) buy in the eastern part of Baltimore (see Live Baltimore website for boundary details),

5) purchase a home that is less than $417,000, and

6) sign the home sales contract after the event takes place.

Funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants must close on a house within 90 days of the eastern region fair to receive the $4,000 award. There are no income restrictions on this program, nor does a recipient have to be a first-time homebuyer. Full details about the award and the event are available on the organization's website: www.livebaltimore.com/bib.

"The market is ripe with great opportunities for first time home buyers," says Baltimore Housing Commissioner, Paul T. Graziano. "Baltimore is a great place to live and low interest rates matched with our $4000 in financial assistance could help the perspective home buyer capitalize immensely on the current market."

Source: Live Baltimore
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program (MIPS), an initiative of the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech) at the University of Maryland, has awarded $3.3 million to 16 teams of Maryland companies and faculty developing commercially promising technology products. All the funding goes to the faculty members conducting the research and development on company products.

Projects for this round of funding include floating wetlands to clean the Chesapeake Bay, bolts that change color as they are tightened, faster Internet-via-satellite upstream, wireless sensors for monitoring home energy use, bioremediation for restaurant oil, and a backup mass-emergency electrical system. Treatments, vaccines or tests for anthrax, malaria, influenza, staph infections and infertility are also included.

Totaling $3.3 million, the projects combine $1.9 million from participating companies and $1.4 million from MIPS. Funding supports research in the laboratories of participating university faculty, who work closely with partner companies to advance their products.

Nine company partners are in Montgomery County; four are in the Baltimore area, one is in Howard County, one is in Frederick and one is in Frostburg.

Projects awarded include:

• Silver Spring-based Bio-Quick Corporation and Richard Zhao, associate professor and division head, pathology, University of Maryland, Baltimore received $195,570 for the clinical study of Bio-Quick's ultrasound-facilitated tissue preservation system, which cuts down the time it takes medical and research facilities to preserve tissue samples from two days to one hour.

• Ellicott City-based BlueWing Environmental Solutions & Technologies LLC and Joshua McGrath, assistant professor, environmental science & technology, University of Maryland, College Park was awarded $139,000 to develop BioHaven Floating Islands, which closely model natural floating island systems commonly found in clean waterways, to remove harmful nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from impaired waters such as the Chesapeake Bay.

• Rockville-based Cellex Inc. and Richard Zhao, associate professor and division head, pathology, University of Maryland, Baltimore recieved $172,600 to perform a second phase clinical evaluation on the QFLU test, which simultaneously diagnoses influenza and detects flu virus drug resistance in point-of-care settings.

• Frederick-based Cerona Networks Corporation and John Baras, Lockheed Martin Chair in Systems Engineering, and professor, electrical and computer engineering and Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park was awarded $161,500 to develop algorithms for Internet via satellite communications to improve upload speeds from users to the Internet, support more subscribers per satellite and enable communications on the move.

• Takoma Park-based CoolCAD Electronics LLC and Shuvra Bhattacharyya, professor, electrical and computer engineering and Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland, College Park will use its $150,000 grant to develop a cost- and power-consumption-optimized wireless sensor network for monitoring energy use in residential and commercial buildings.

• Lutherville-based Corridor Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Gerald Rosen, professor, pharmaceutical sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore will test the use of a compound against bacillus anthracis, the bacterium that causes anthrax with its $223,031 award.

• Olney-based EcoEmergence Corporation and Jianhong Meng, director, Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition, University of Maryland, College Park will developing the first industry standard test to evaluate the efficacy of bioremediation products (including EcoEmergence's bacteria mixture) for fats, oils and grease, which clog sewer systems and have a negative impact on the environment using its $440,745 in MTech funds.

• Baltimore-based Encore Path, Inc. and Jill Whitall, professor, physical therapy and rehabilitation science, University of Maryland, Baltimore will use the $138,872 award developing a new rehabilitative TREADTRAC Device to facilitate the recovery of walking in individuals with stroke in clinical and, eventually, community settings.

• Baltimore-based Fyodor Biotechnologies, Inc. and Ganesh Sriram, assistant professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering, University of Maryland, College Park will use the $180,330 developing and optimizing a yeast-based platform to reliably produce the drug artemisinin, a therapeutic effective against malaria and other diseases.

• Frostburg-based Instant Access Networks LLC and Hilkat Soysal, lecturer, physics and engineering, Frostburg State University will put the funds toward the $225,000 development of an economically viable backup electricity system by combining battery and hydrogen storage with renewable energy sources to provide power for mission-critical infrastructures in the case of a disaster when the electric grid becomes unavailable for a long period of time.

• Germantown-based Integrated BioTherapeutics, Inc. and Mary-Claire Roghmann, professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore will use the $137,277 developing a toxin-based vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus, a common cause of both hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections and bacterial sepsis.

• Halethorpe-based KYDES Pharmaceuticals, LLC and Stephen Hoag, professor, pharmaceutical sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore will use the $300,399 to develop compounds that deactivate drugs such as opiates, amphetamines and benzodiazepines when they are tampered with to prevent their abuse.

• Rockville-based Opticul Diagnostics Corporation and Richard Venezia, professor, pathology, University of Maryland, Baltimore will put the $325,849 towards pre-clinical and clinical testing of Opticul's rapid, point-of-care test system for antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium that causes staph infections such as MRSA.

• Gaithersburg-based Pregmama, LLC and Istvan Merchenthaler, professor, epidemiology and preventative medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore will use the $143,278 to develop a therapeutic regimen called Fertamax to prevent egg aneuploidy, infertility, miscarriages, and trisomic pregnancies for women over 35.

• Bethesda-based StarEnergyCo, Inc. and Nam Sun Wang, professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering, University of Maryland, College Park will use the $225,848 award to develop an economical, turn-key process to produce astaxanthin--useful as an antioxidant and as a pigment in aquaculture--from algae and using carbon dioxide emitted from ethanol plants.

• Bethesda-based Stress Indicators Inc.and Chandrashekhar Thamire, professor, mechanical engineering, University of Maryland, College Park will be use $200,000 developing a reliable process for manufacturing the company's High Resolution (HR) Smartbolts, fasteners which are fitted with special visual tension indicators that show whether a joint is loose or tight with a clear, reversible color change.

Source: Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Two guys are sitting in their hammocks when one turns to the other and says, "Hey let's hit a happy hour." Sounds like the opening line of a joke, but for Brian Chaplin, a Baltimore-area bartender, and Tom Camposano, a fireman, it turned into their big idea.

"We looked at our iPhone because we thought we'd be able to find a good solution. But we couldn't find anything we were happy with that had had good information," Chaplin recalls.

So the two decided to create their own app. They hired a developer to write the code and Chaplin bought TK and a book on how to use them. Their goal was to design an app that offered users the most accurate and up to date information.

The easiest way to do that was the pair decided was to have bars subscribe to the service. Bars receive access to a private website that allows them to update their information whenever they choose. The new details are instantly available.

Bars can also use the app's "dispatch" function to send blasts out to app users to alert them to last minute drink and dining specials, or any other information they want to get out. "That's limited only by their creativity. We wanted it to be more than just a tool to send out information, but also a means of communication too," Chaplin explains.

The application also needed to have a user-friendly interface, be fun to use and have the look and feel of Baltimore, says Chaplin. "There're a bunch of happy hour apps out there that are national, but they don't give you that warm and fuzzy feeling. We put that into it and people have really responded well to it."

One year later, and Chaplin and Camposano's Dilly Dally Apps, Llc, released the app. "We kept adding new features and making it better, but finally we got it to the point where we think it's a cool thing."

A one-year subscription to the service is $250. Chaplin says they kept the price low to make it possible for any bar owner to join the service. "We want to capture the majority of bars. That was another problem with the other apps, they were missing a lot of bars. So we set the price low so that bars would be interested in joining."

The free "Baltimore Happy Hour" app is available at the Apple App Store. It includes a map which displays participating bars with a drop down menu to select specific neighborhoods. There's also a list of member bars and the dispatch page where bars post their alerts. The taxi page enables users to call a cab with a single click and contact page for users to interact with the app's owners.

Users of the app can also send updates via buttons linked to their Twitter and Facebook accounts or email their friends to let them know which bar they'll be headed to that day. The messages will include the name of the bar and that day's special.

Chaplin says that he hopes to generate a grassroots movement among the app's users. "They can help us spread the word by showing the app to bar owners and also liking our Facebook page."

Future plans include an app for the Droid as well as expansion into the suburbs to the north and south of the city.

Source: Brian Chaplin, Dilly Dally Apps
Writer: Walaika Haskins

By creating an entirely new layer of ad inventory that serves a video ad in front of any type of web page, ShortTail's D:30 Platform is designed to create a more sustainable ad model for websites. The D:30 has been effectively leveraged by marketers in all major brand categories to efficiently extend their existing television/video ad creative online and provide consistent brand messaging. Significantly, any publisher will now be able to meaningfully participate in the video ad marketplace with hundreds of brand advertisers by deploying a simple ad tag.

The companies will be able to offer clients an end-to-end solution by leveraging each other's technologies and expertise. While ShortTail has focused on creating new video ad inventory for publishers, TidalTV has built a state-of-the-art system that enables advertisers to reach their desired audience with highly impactful video ad placements and no waste. TidalTV's technology leverages the power of data and optimal ad decisioning to guarantee delivery of a brand's message against a target demographic.

"We're excited to bring this offering to the advertising and publisher communities," says Scott Ferber, CEO of TidalTV. "It delivers a scalable video advertising solution to the marketplace across high quality content, and by leveraging our optimal ad decisioning technology, TidalTV can ensure that the right ad reaches the right audience -- creating increased effectiveness for branded advertisers and a more relevant ad experience for the consumer."

"One of the reasons I am so excited about this partnership is that while we have focused on different industry segments, our companies share a belief that video must be at the core of online advertising," says David Payne, President & CEO of ShortTail. "By removing the artificial constraints on pre-roll, and opening up the opportunity for publishers without a lot of video views to generate material video revenue, ShortTail is helping redefine what the online ad model can be -- one that is sustainable and elegant without garish skins, flying cars, or pay walls. If it's archaic to believe that TV ads online aren't a better ad model than two-dimensional teeth whitening ads, then call me a dinosaur."


Source: TidalTV
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) is asking for public comments on the proposed goals for Plan It 2035, the next long-range transportation plan for the Baltimore region.

Plan It 2035 will outline how to best allocate funding to meet the region's transportation needs and challenges over the next 25 years. Federal law requires that each metropolitan area's long-range transportation plan be updated every 4 years. Three years have passed since the latest plan - Transportation Outlook 2035 - was approved. Now it's time to take another look at our transportation systems and the challenges the region will face over the next quarter-century.

One of the first steps the BRTB is taking in this process is to develop goals for Plan It 2035. The draft goals are:

1. Improve Transportation System Safety
2. Preserve the Existing Infrastructure
3. Improve Accessibility
4. Increase Mobility
5. Preserve the Environment
6. Improve Transportation System Security
7. Promote Prosperity and Economic Opportunity
8. Foster Inter-jurisdictional Participation and Cooperation

Each draft goal includes strategies for implementation. The goals and strategies may be viewed online.

The draft goals are open for public review and comment through Tuesday, September 14.

A public meeting to answer questions and accept comments will be held on Tuesday, August 31 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21224). Comments may be submitted at this public meeting or during the Public Comment Opportunity at the BRTB meeting** on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 9:00 am (tentative vote).

The public is also invited to review and comment on the proposed goals for Plan It 2035 in writing. Comments may be submitted to:

The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board
2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD 21224
Fax: 410-732-8248
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: Public comment form

Comments submitted by mail must be received no later than 3 days after the end of the comment period to be considered.

According to Fortune's Managing Editor Andy Serwer, "The troubled economy is on all of our minds these days, but sometimes we forget that even in the long slog we seem to be in, entrepreneurs are hard at work creating the next Cisco or Amgen or Starbucks."

"We are extremely proud to be recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Fastest-Growing Companies," says Michael S. McDevitt, Medifast's CEO. "Everyone at Medifast continues to work tirelessly toward our long-term goal of helping Americans regain control of their health. Medifast is committed to providing clinically proven, innovative and superior quality products to support our multi-platform distribution channels."

"Our business model is demonstrating tremendous results by addressing each individual client's weight-loss and weight-maintenance needs. We look forward to building on this success over the next several years," he continues.

Medifast has been recommended by over 20,000 doctors since 1980. Clients can expect to lose up to two to five pounds per week on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan, which consists of eating five Medifast Meals and one Lean & Green Meal per day. Medifast provides customers over 70 different menu options, as well as a variety of support options to assist customers on their weight-loss journey.

To qualify for Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies, foreign or domestic companies had to meet the following criteria: be trading on a major U.S. stock exchange; file quarterly reports with the SEC; have a minimum market capitalization of $250 million and a stock price of at least $5 on June 30, 2010; and have been trading continuously since June 30, 2007. The company must also have revenue and net income of at least $50 million and $10 million, respectively, for the four quarters ended on or before April 30, 2010. Finally, the company must have posted an annualized growth in revenue and earnings per share of at least 15% annually over the three years ended on or before April 30, 2010.

Companies that meet the above criteria were ranked by revenue growth rate, EPS growth rate, and three-year annualized total return for the period ended June 30, 2010. (To compute the revenue and EPS growth rates, FORTUNE uses a trailing four quarters log linear least square regression fit.) The overall rank was based on the sum of the three ranks. Once the 100 companies were identified, they were then re-ranked within the 100, using the three equally weighted variables. If there is a tie, the company with the larger four-quarter revenue receives the higher rank.

The University of Maryland, in partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), has received a $7.9 million federal grant to acquire a superconducting 950 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) magnet that will help researchers unravel the mysteries of molecules and develop new agents to treat cancer, AIDS and other diseases.

The grant is among the largest of its kind ever awarded by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of the National Institutes of Health. The funds were made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The NMR is scheduled to be installed in November, 2011 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. It will be shared equally among the three campuses and used by researchers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Only one other site in the United States currently has a 950 MHz NMR spectrometer, and the University of Maryland partnership will be the only academic institutions in the country to have this powerful technology.

David Fushman, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Maryland, is a co-director of the grant, and will lead the College Park team that includes several biochemists and cell biologists whose research will be enhanced by the new NMR spectrometer.

David J. Weber, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the NMR core facility there, and AIDS researcher Michael F. Summers, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UMBC, are co-directors with Professor Fushman.

The eight-ton magnet produces a supercharged magnetic field that enables scientists to investigate the three-dimensional structure of biological molecules and study their interaction with the highest degree of resolution.

"This 950 Mhz NMR is optimal for studying large molecules," explains Fushman, an expert in protein structure and dynamics who is associated with the university's Center for Biomolecular Structure and Organization (CBSO). "This will allow us to move into studying larger protein complexes that include more than 1000 amino acids. We can begin to decipher interactions between proteins that we could not easily do before."

The 950 MHz NMR spectrometer will enable University of Maryland researchers to delve deeper into the molecular mechanisms of proteins and nucleic acids in the body and to provide the much needed fundamental information from which drug therapies and other medical treatments can be based. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will utilize the technology in many areas of cancer research, including drug development, while UMBC researchers will focus on AIDS research.

Source: University of Maryland, Baltimore
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), in collaboration with Anne Arundel Health System (AAHS) and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), has established a new network of academic and community-based clinical researchers, the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network (JHCRN). The JHCRN, which will provide new opportunities for research collaborations, is designed to accelerate the transfer of new diagnostic, treatment, and disease-prevention advances from the research arena to patient care.

The JHCRN creates a bridge for research between Hopkins and community-based medical centers by linking physician-scientists and staff from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions with community-based medical centers in the region. The network, which will ultimately have additional member institutions, will serve several purposes, the most important of which is to make clinical trials available to patients who may not ordinarily have access to them.

"This strategy started four years ago when the newly ICTR wanted to expand its capacity for doing research and to take advantage of the potential collaboration of physicians both at GBMC and Anne Arundel who wanted to collaborate with us to do joint trials, but we didn't have a mechanism for at that time," says Dr. Charles Balch, Deputy Director for Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research, JH Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Director, Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network.

"What's unique about it is that it's intended to facilitate collaborations of physicians in any specialty, although we've started initially in cancer because that's the most mature area of clinical trials in many facilities. We're moving quickly into other areas such as diabetes, heart disease, vascular disease and so forth," he continues.

The JHCRN directly addresses the many complexities of conducting multisite and multi-institutional trials by providing investigators with a larger patient pool and a seamless platform that uses common research protocols. The goal of the network is to speed the approval of new trials while ensuring careful oversight of patient safety. Rapid start-up and timely completion of research studies, aided by widespread access to the clinical trials, will make promising therapies available for patient use more quickly.

The network was established through an initial agreement with charter affiliate AAHS in early 2009. This early collaboration was instrumental in clearing many of the organizational and legal barriers to shared research, a process that continues with the inclusion of newer affiliate GBMC. The initial focus of the JHCRN will be on expanding cancer-related clinical trials (including medical, surgical, and radiation therapy aspects of cancer treatment) and diabetes and surgical studies. Future collaborations will include a wide range of research areas, including intensive care; cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric, brain, and spine diseases; and radiology and nuclear medicine studies.

The JHCRN is a program of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), which is a part of a national consortium aimed at transforming how clinical and translational research is conducted at academic health centers around the country.

Network researchers from participating hospitals will use a centralized data system to coordinate information from diverse information technology and electronic medical records sources. Clinical research methodologies, data management, research reporting documentation, patient consent forms, and quality- and safety-control criteria will be standardized. With this uniformity, network hospitals can better develop and coordinate their own clinical research activities or joint clinical trials with other JHCRN institutions.

Source: Dr. Charles Balch, Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
Writer: Walaika Haskins

As the econmy continues to regain its footing, one of the few sectors that has seen continued growth is online retail sales. Unfortunately, many small business owners either don't have a website or haven't updated their site since it was launched. The LoveLocal Maryland initiative aims to help small business owners overcome this barrier to online sales success.

The initiative is designed to level the playing field between small and big businesses. It provides Maryland small business the easiest to use, most powerful, lowest cost web tools available. Launched August 2, its website, www.lovelocalmaryland.com , is available for use by businesses throughout Maryland.

Rates for using the site are $78 per year, plus a $19 set-up fee for members of organizations supporting LoveLocal Maryland and $98 plus $19 setup fee for for others.

The initiative is supported by nine of the largest business and trade associations in Maryland representing over 20,000 small businesses and WBAL-TV. The associations recognize that the vitality of Maryland's local economies is driven by the competitive success of Maryland small business.

For more information, businesses can contact [email protected].

Founders and Supporters

Maryland Chamber of Commerce

Maryland Retailers Association

Greater Baltimore Committee

WBAL-TV

Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Maryland Hotel and Lodging Association

Maryland Tourism Council

Maryland Restaurant Association

Maryland Association of CPAs

Maryland Bankers Association

Source: Andrew Kreinik, LoveLocal Maryland
Writer: Walaika Haskins