{"id":2076,"date":"2020-10-01T19:34:41","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T00:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/?p=2076"},"modified":"2020-10-02T09:18:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T14:18:10","slug":"video-2020-m2d2-200k-challenge-winners-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/2020\/10\/01\/video-2020-m2d2-200k-challenge-winners-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"[VIDEO] 2020 M2D2 $200K Challenge Winners Announced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The pandemic kept us from gathering, networking, and toasting at the Boston headquarters of Mintz as we have in previous years. But more than 200 entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, academics, and insiders gathered virtually after work on Thursday, October 1 for the 2020 M2D2 $200K Challenge Awards Celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The 15 Finalists (chosen from nearly 250 entries) had made their pitches two weeks earlier, and now they would learn who would win a share of $200,000 in sponsor-provided, in-kind support. Even bigger: Who would win the first-ever Grand Prize\u2014$50,000 in non-dilutive funding from Massachusetts Life Sciences Center?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some opening words…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bill Geary of Mintz, a major M2D2 and $200K Challenge Sponsor, opened the evening with welcoming remarks that sketched the history of the Challenge, from its start with a mere $50,000 purse and just two dozen entries. “The quality of the companies entering the Challenge is incredible,” he said, “and it gets better and better each year. That bodes well for the life sciences sector.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bridgette Keller of Mintz<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bridgette Keller, an associate in Mintz’s health law practice, next gave keynote remarks on the very timely topic of bioethics in research. She began by outlining the four central principles of ethics: benificence, nonmalfeasance, respect for autonomy, and justice. She then spoke to the inherent tension among these principles that results in the course of research and clinical trials and how biotech and medtech entrepreneurs can navigate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then it was time to announce the winners\u2014and here they are, with their winning pitches:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry Partner Awards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AMGEN AWARD to Prolifagen<\/a>,<\/strong> for a medicine for regeneration of cardiac muscle in patients with large myocardial infarcts, with the objective to prevent development of heart failure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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