For the second year, the Deshpande Foundation has announced it will sponsor up to three early-stage India-based life sciences companies that are chosen as finalists in the M2D2 $200K Challenge. This generous sponsorship will cover all travel and housing expenses for those teams, as well as tours around the Massachusetts life sciences innovation ecosystem and introductions to potential mentors and investors. 

The $200K Challenge is back for its ninth consecutive year! Hosted by M2D2, this event focuses on identifying and rewarding disruptive companies in the medical technology and biotechnology industries. We want to see your innovations brought to life.

Every year we receive scores of entries (nearly 150 in 2019) from life sciences entrepreneurs worldwide. India, China, and Australia are just a few of the many countries involved in the 2019 200K Challenge. Last year, our judges selected 12 winners—a Challenge record!

The 2019 Barracuda Bowl will take place on November 6^th at the offices of Mintz in Boston. At this event, you’ll have the chance to hear healthcare entrepreneurs pitch their innovations to a panel of investors and learn what investors think of the pitches. You will learn what to expect when you pitch!

M2D2 resident companies continue to make news in 2019. In June, Business Insider ranked the 100 most influential and interesting people in the food and drink industry. This list includes other notable names, like Sarah Kauss, founder of S’well, Meghan Markle, and Andy Levitt, founder of Purple Carrot. Abigail Barnes, CEO of Allergy Amulet, was listed at number 22! She was recognized for developing the Allergy Amulet, and the positive impact this food sensor will have for people managing food allergies.

Last week, another M2D2 resident company achieved a significant milestone. LaunchPad Medical received approval from the FDA to start a clinical study examing the safety and success of their bone adhesive biomaterial, Tetranite®.

About LaunchPad Medical

LaunchPad Medical, Inc. is primarily involved with the development of an injectable, self-setting osteoconductive bone adhesive material (Tetranite®). While the company’s focus is to use this technology within the dental market, they have also been working on developing adhesive applications for a larger scope of the orthopedics market. 

M2D2, its resident companies, and the medical device and biotech innovation community in Lowell and Worcester are pleased to welcome RQMIS Inc. as an M2D2 Platinum Corporate Sponsor.

Based in Amesbury, Massachusetts and with sister companies in the UK and Spain, RQMIS provides therapeutically focused, comprehensive regulatory consultation to the global medical device, pharmaceutical, combination product, dietary supplement and human tissue industry. As part of its M2D2 Sponsorship, RQMIS will participate in the $200K Challenge, including the call for applications, applicant screening, and judging the final competition showcase. Regularly throughout the year, RQMIS will offer educational sessions and host office hours to provide mentoring and share insights with M2D2 resident start-up companies.

This spring UMass Lowell Department of Chemical Engineering, and the UML’s Massachusetts Biomanufacturing Center received funding through the Massachusetts Life Science Center “Building Breakthroughs” program. The funding will support continuous bioprocessing manufacturing as an alternative to batch manufacturing. This new process is being explored in the manufacturing of small molecule drugs by the pharmaceutical industry. The research grant is part of a consortium that includes the M2D2 resident company (and 2018 $200K Challenge finalist) Versatope Therapeutics, who have developed an exosome-like vesicle technology currently used for vaccines. With this funding, these organizations are creating a truly transformative “continuous manufacturing” process for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Continue reading →