Alpha Cognition Launches Nasdaq Listing and Public Offering
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Alpha Cognition Inc. has priced its public offering of 8.7 million shares, raising $50 million. Trading on Nasdaq under the symbol "ACOG" begins on November 12, 2024. Proceeds will fund the launch of ZUNVEYL™, its FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drug, along with research, development, and operational needs.
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Barricade Therapeutics Secures CPRIT Grant to
Advance Innovative Colorectal Cancer Therapy
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Barricade Therapeutics, Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative colorectal cancer treatments, has been awarded a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
The funding, $14 million, is part of CPRIT’s Texas Therapeutics Company Awards for Product Development Research, will advance the Phase 1 clinical development of Barricade’s promising therapeutic candidate, BT-1501, targeted at APCmut advanced colorectal cancer patients.
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North Texas Clinical-Stage Autoimmune Company Secures Support for Drug Advancement
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Forte Biosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in autoimmune and autoimmune-related diseases, announced the successful close of an oversubscribed $53 million equity financing round. The financing will go towards supporting the clinical advancement of FB102, a monoclonal antibody therapy with multiple indications of autoimmune related diseases.
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Secretome Receives Funding to Initiate Clinical Trials
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Secretome Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies derived from neonatal cardiac progenitor cells (nCPCs), announced the successful close of a $20 million funding round. The investment will support the initiation of clinical trials for the company’s lead candidate, STM-01, and accelerate its innovative pipeline. By the end of 2024, Secretome plans to launch two multiple-ascending dose Phase 1 trials for STM-01.
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Texas ACS CAN Policy Forum Focuses on Diversity in Clinical Trials
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(from left to right) Craig Rosenfeld, M.D. (CPRIT Oversight Committee), Jeff Fehlis (ACS South Region Executive Vice President),
Texas Senator Tan Parker, Teresa Rutherford (ACS CAN Volunteer), and Tommy Taylor (CPRIT Oversight Committee)
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The Texas ACS CAN team hosted its third policy forum of 2024. The standing-room only North Texas event was attended by over 125 stakeholders, two CPRIT Oversight Committee members and Texas Senator Tan Parker. Also attending was Collin McLochlin, North Texas Regional Director for US Senator John Cornyn.
The event focused on diversity and clinical trials, and included speakers from Texas Oncology, University of TX Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center and Genentech, as well as ACS South Region Executive Vice President Jeff Fehlis.
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Texas Senate Unveils Plan for
Dementia Prevention Research Institute
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The Texas Senate has proposed the creation of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), a new initiative modeled after the successful Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). DPRIT would operate as a decade-long program focused exclusively on advancing research, developing treatments, and finding cures for dementia-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
This initiative aims to attract world-class researchers and companies to Texas, requiring them to establish operations within the state, further bolstering local investment in medical innovation. The proposal must gain legislative approval and voter endorsement as a constitutional amendment to move forward.
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Celebrate the Holiday Season with BioNTX
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Dallas - Pegasus Park
December 5, 2024
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Fort Worth - The Holly
December 10, 2024
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DFW Airport Recognized as 2024 Texan by Nature 20 Honoree
for Outstanding Sustainability Efforts
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Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has been named one of the 2024 Texan by Nature 20 (TxN 20) honorees, highlighting the airport’s exceptional commitment to sustainability and conservation. This recognition is part of the sixth annual TxN 20 initiative, which celebrates Texas-based businesses that demonstrate outstanding leadership in environmental stewardship.
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Texas Woman’s University Team Wins
Top Prize at NASA Design Competition
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(from left to right) Makiyah Brittmon, Josey Salazar, Erin Rocha,
Hannah Schnettler, and Karolyn Skoby
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Texas Woman's University team, Team Pleiades, won the top prize at a NASA-sponsored statewide design competition for the fifth time in the last seven years. The all-female team, the only kinesiology department represented, competed against 19 college teams, primarily made up of engineering students.
Their project, focused on health-related applications in space, was recognized for its relevance to life in space. This victory adds to the TWU School of Health Promotion and Kinesiology's impressive track record, with 11 top-four finishes in the last 13 semesters.
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City of DeSoto EDC Leadership Recognized as Top 50
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DeSoto is the ideal location for your business in Texas where innovation meets opportunity across multiple industries. The city's projected job growth rate is over 75% over the next decade.
Earlier this year the DeSoto Economic Development Corporation announced the development of DeSoto Professional Park, an expansive 80-acre business and professional park. The park will house the DeSoto Life Science Innovation Core.
The City of DeSoto's very own Antoine Long has been recognized as one of North America's Top 50 Economic Developers for 2024!
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Lyda Hill Honored for Transformative Contributions
to Science and Public Health
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Lyda Hill and Lyda Hill Philanthropies have been awarded the TAMEST Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award for their commitment to advancing science and innovation.
Through extensive philanthropic efforts, including support for MD Anderson, UT Southwestern, and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Hill has played a pivotal role in driving transformative research and public health initiatives..
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Alloy Therapeutics Partners with CMT Research Foundation to Develop Innovative CMT Treatments
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The CMT Research Foundation has partnered with 82VS, the venture studio of Alloy Therapeutics, to develop Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugate (AOC) therapeutics for CMT.
The project aims to improve oligonucleotide delivery to peripheral nerves using transferrin receptor (TfR1) antibodies, potentially enabling treatments for all types of CMT. This collaboration with patient advocacy groups seeks to accelerate the development of effective therapies for CMT.
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Etira Announces First Patient Dosed in ERX-315 Phase 1 Trial
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Etira has successfully dosed the first patient in its Phase 1 clinical trial of ERX-315 at The Kinghorn Cancer Center (TKCC) in Sydney, Australia. ERX-315 is a first-in-class small molecule therapy designed to induce catastrophic endoplasmic reticulum stress in cancer cells, leading to their death while sparing normal cells.
The trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of ERX-315 in patients with advanced solid tumors unresponsive to existing therapies. Preclinical studies have shown ERX-315’s effectiveness against various cancers, including breast, ovarian, pancreatic, liver, and endometrial cancers.
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Island Pharmaceuticals Advances ISLA-101 Phase 2a Dengue Trial
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Island Pharmaceuticals Ltd has made significant progress in its Phase 2a clinical trial of ISLA-101, a potential preventive treatment for dengue fever. In this trial, participants received ISLA-101 prior to exposure to a weakened dengue virus, aiming to evaluate the drug’s ability to prevent or reduce viremia and symptoms compared to a placebo. The company has now collected key samples to analyze changes in viral load, pharmacokinetics, and other blood metrics.
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Lantern Pharma Expands HARMONIC™ Trial to Asia
with First Patient Dosed in Japan
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Lantern Pharma has dosed the first patient in Japan as part of its Phase 2 HARMONIC™ trial, evaluating LP-300 in never-smoker non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who have progressed after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapies. The expansion into Japan targets a region with a notably higher prevalence of never-smoker NSCLC cases, where up to 40% of lung cancer diagnoses occur in non-smokers.
With additional sites in Taiwan actively screening patients, this expansion builds on promising U.S. trial results that demonstrated high clinical benefit and response rates, aiming to accelerate enrollment and address critical unmet needs in NSCLC treatment.
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Osteal Therapeutics Achieves Breakthrough
in Rapid Treatment for Joint Infections
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Osteal Therapeutics has announced promising 12-month results from the APEX clinical trials of VT-X7 KIT, offering a faster and more effective approach to treating periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) of the hip or knee. The studies compared a 7-day exchange arthroplasty with intra-articular antibiotic irrigation using VT-X7 to the traditional two-stage exchange arthroplasty across 152 patients at 23 U.S. centers.
VT-X7 demonstrated a 19% higher treatment success rate (71% vs. 52%) and reduced the median time to revision arthroplasty from 98 days to just 7 days, marking a significant advance in PJI care.
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ReCode Therapeutics Secures CF Foundation
Funding for Gene Correction Program
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ReCode Therapeutics has received funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to support its gene correction program for cystic fibrosis, developed in partnership with Intellia Therapeutics using CRISPR-based technology. The funding will help advance treatments for CF genotypes that do not respond to current CFTR modulators. This initiative complements ReCode's ongoing efforts with its inhaled mRNA program, RCT2100, aiming to expand disease-modifying treatment options for cystic fibrosis.
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Spark Biomedical Earns ISO 13485:2016 and
MDSAP Certifications to Support Global Expansion
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Spark Biomedical has achieved ISO 13485:2016 and MDSAP Quality Certifications, marking a key milestone in its commitment to quality and safety in healthcare. These certifications enable Spark to expand its wearable neurostimulation solutions globally, with plans to enter Canada and Australia in Q4 2024 and other key markets in 2025. The certifications affirm Spark's adherence to high standards throughout the product lifecycle, ensuring the delivery of life-changing technologies to patients worldwide.
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Driving the Biotech Revolution in North Texas
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In this episode, Gabby Everett, Ph.D., Director of Business Operations Strategy & Site Head at BioLabs Pegasus Park, and Kelly Cloud, Vice President of Economic Development – Life Sciences at the Dallas Regional Chamber, explore the dynamic biotech ecosystem in North Texas.
Gabby shares her experience supporting startups and fostering innovation at BioLabs, while Kelly discusses the regional economic development strategies that are helping position North Texas as a leader in the biotech sector.
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NIIMBL Releases Action Plan for Flexible Antibody Manufacturing
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The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) has launched an action plan to improve the flexibility of antibody manufacturing, enabling faster responses in health emergencies. Antibody therapies are crucial for treating conditions like cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases such as COVID-19. The plan highlights the need for next-generation technologies to rapidly scale production, reduce time to market, and target multiple diseases and variants.
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Polsinelli Achieves Top Rankings on Law360 Pulse Leaderboard
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Polsinelli has earned recognition on the prestigious 2024 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard, highlighting its strong performance in U.S. litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and registered offerings. The firm secured the 35th spot on the Practice Footprint list, reflecting its extensive national reach and diverse practice areas. Additionally, Polsinelli climbed six spots to rank 72nd overall, underscoring its growth and commitment to excellence across its more than 24 locations nationwide.
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Baylor Students Named University Innovation Fellows to Foster Scientific and Entrepreneurial Campus Innovation
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Four Baylor University students have been selected as University Innovation Fellows, a prestigious program run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). The fellows, from diverse academic fields, were nominated by faculty and completed a six-week online training. The program empowers them to foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and design thinking on campus.
The Baylor fellows have already launched a sustainability initiative to reduce food waste in campus dining facilities in partnership with Chartwells and are working on other interdisciplinary projects.
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(from left to right) Baylor University Innovation Fellows: Warren Huang, Carter Lewis, Ethan Friend and Spencer Yim
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Tarleton State University Instructor Named
Regents Professor for Excellence in Kinesiology
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Dr. Joe Priest, a faculty member at Tarleton State University’s School of Kinesiology, has been honored as a 2023-2024 Regents Professor by The Texas A&M System Board of Regents. With 33 years of service, Dr. Priest is recognized for his dedication to academic excellence and student success.
Notably, he established the Laboratory for Wellness and Motor Behavior (LWMB) in 1994, which serves as a hands-on learning space for students pursuing careers in healthcare. His commitment to "exercise as medicine" has positively impacted students and individuals living with conditions like paralysis.
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UTA Opens New Clinical Research Imaging Center
to Boost Health Research
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UTDesign teams at the University of Texas at Dallas earned top honors at two major national engineering competitions. A senior design team won first place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Student Manufacturing Design Competition for developing an automated assembly device for Amphenol Fiber Systems, while another team placed second for creating a semiautomated machine for Cobalt Product Solutions. These successes continue UT Dallas' tradition of excellence, with 11 first-place wins at national competitions since 2014.
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UTD Engineering Teams Earn National Recognition
at ASME and Capstone Design Competitions
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(from left to right) Lana Vu and Michael Jost won second placeplaced second at the Capstone Design Conference.
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(from left to right) Dane Chronister, Cameron Cash, Genesis Di Mattia, Hayden Ellis, Jason Thomas and Tristan Linn won the top award at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers annual Student Manufacturing Design Competition.
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UTDesign teams at the University of Texas at Dallas earned top honors at two major national engineering competitions. A senior design team won first place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Student Manufacturing Design Competition for developing an automated assembly device for Amphenol Fiber Systems, while another team placed second for creating a semiautomated machine for Cobalt Product Solutions. These successes continue UT Dallas' tradition of excellence, with 11 first-place wins at national competitions since 2014.
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UNT Health Science Center Expands Smartphone-Based
Alcohol Treatment Research
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Dr. Scott Walters, Regents Professor of Population and Community Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, and research partners from the University of Oklahoma, have received funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to expand their previous work using a smartphone app to reduce alcohol consumption among adults experiencing homelessness.
This new grant builds on a 2018 pilot study that used machine learning to predict drinking episodes and send personalized treatment messages to participants. The project, extending through April 2029, includes additional collaborators, such as Dr. Jason Oliver from the OU College of Medicine, and aims to refine and scale the intervention to help at-risk populations manage alcohol use.
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UT Southwestern Epidemiologist Honored with Prestigious
AHA Distinguished Scientist Award
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Dr. Jiang He, Chair Designate of Epidemiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been honored with the American Heart Association’s Distinguished Scientist award, its highest commendation. This prestigious recognition highlights his extensive contributions to advancing the understanding and prevention of cardiometabolic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease.
With a career spanning over three decades, Dr. He has authored more than 750 peer-reviewed research articles, garnered over 170,000 citations, and served as a principal or co-investigator for more than 50 NIH-funded studies. His work not only shapes the field but also influences the next generation of scientists, having mentored over 100 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members.
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Unlock Exclusive BioNTX Member Discounts
on Biotech Primer’s On-Demand Courses
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BioNTX is excited to offer members exclusive discounts on Biotech Primer’s on-demand courses, covering essential topics in biopharmaceutical and medical device industries—from foundational science to commercialization and global regulatory processes.
Taught by industry veterans, these courses deliver practical insights and knowledge you can immediately apply. Select courses also offer NASBA-compliant CPE credits for added professional development. Learn at your own pace, on your own schedule, from anywhere.
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Accelerate Your Biotech Career with
LinkedIn Branding & Networking
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Join BioNTX for a webinar to learn innovative LinkedIn personal branding and networking strategies to land your dream job, C-suite role, consulting gig, or next internal promotion. Gain valuable insights and practical advice to ensure your career success from a seasoned Executive Career Coach and an Executive Search professional.
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FUNDING & MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
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NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions
Program ends May 8, 2027
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The purpose of this Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions is to support small scale research grants at institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the NIH, with an emphasis on providing biomedical research experiences primarily for undergraduate students, and enhancing the research environment at applicant institutions.
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Upcoming Events & Opportunities
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The Black Healthcare and Innovation Summit
Join the Leverage Network for the Black Healthcare and Innovation Summit (BHIS). The theme this year is Breaking Barriers, where they will explore innovative approaches to overcoming systemic obstacles in access and delivery of healthcare services and products.
December 4th-5th | Dallas, TX
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Creating "Win-Win" R&D Collaborations with the U.S. Government
Join BioAustin for a webinar to learn how to partner with the R&D elements of the Federal government for 'win-win' collaborations that will spur medical product development. Find out which legal tools the Federal government uses to invest in breakthrough technology, which Agencies have funding for specific types of medical products, and how to protect your company's intellectual property.
December 5th | Online
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DEC THE HALLS: The Big Pitch
Join The DEC for the holidays at The Big Pitch—where their 2024 program pitch winners face off in a high-stakes competition! These top innovators will battle it out, delivering their best pitches yet, all for the ultimate title and grand prize. Get ready for big ideas, fierce competition, and the chance to witness the next big thing.
December 5th | Dallas, TX
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BIO BREAK: Dallas' Life Sciences Happy Hour
Join us in celebrating the thriving Life Sciences community of Dallas with McDermott, Deloitte, and BioNTX at BIO BREAK, a monthly happy hour designed for networking and collaboration. Don't miss this invaluable opportunity to engage with fellow industry professionals, exchange ideas, and foster new connections at the innovative setting of Pegasus Park.
December 5th | Dallas, TX
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New Year, New Career: LinkedIn Playbook for Personal Branding & Networking
Join BioNTX to learn innovative LinkedIn personal branding and networking strategies to land your dream job, C-suite role, consulting gig, or next internal promotion. Gain valuable insights and practical advice to ensure your career success from a seasoned Executive Career Coach and an Executive Search professional.
December 10th | Virtual
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BIO BREAK: Fort Worth's Life Sciences Happy Hour
Start off the holiday season with the first BIO BREAK in Fort Worth, a relaxed and welcoming happy hour for the life science community. This event is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the season while building connections, catching up with familiar faces, and meeting new peers who share your passion for innovation. Whether you are looking to expand your network or simply unwind after a busy day, we would love to see you there!
December 10th | Fort Worth, TX
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Techstars Physical Health Demo Day
Join Techstars for their demo day as they showcase the 2024 cohort. After three months of rigorous product development, customer discovery, and mentorship, the 2024 Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth founders are eager to showcase their growth and development.Demo Day is your exclusive chance to witness firsthand the future of physical health innovation.
December 11th | Fort Worth, TX
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Investor Connect with Nextech Invest
Join Launch Bio and Silicon Valley Bank for a virtual event with Nextech, a global therapeutics-focused venture capital firm headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland with affiliate offices in Boston and San Francisco. They invest in companies developing promising therapeutics for oncology and oncology-adjacent disease areas. Apply for consideration.
December 12th | Virtual
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Happy Thanksgiving from BioNTX!
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Dear BioNTX Members and Friends,
This season, we want to express our sincere thanks for your continued support and partnership. Your dedication plays a vital role in driving innovation and strengthening our ecosystem in North Texas.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful and restful Thanksgiving!
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