Ohio’s bioscience industry is in growth mode. Proof (and jobs) will be on display at BioOhio’s May 23 Biomedical & Pharma Career Fair in Columbus. The free event will be held from 11:00am to 4:00pm at the Holiday Inn Columbus-Worthington.

Fourteen employers will come from cities throughout Ohio, including PharmaForce (central Ohio), Ben Venue Laboratories (NE Ohio), Nationwide Children’s Hospital (central), Aptalis Pharma (west central Ohio), AMRESCO (NE), Invacare Corporation (NE), Teva Women’s Health (SW), and Diagnostic Hybrids (SE Ohio), among others. Five additional companies, including Meridian Bioscience and Proxy Biomedical, will display job openings in “virtual booth” space.

These organizations will be seeking candidates for positions related to medical research and development, manufacturing, engineering, quality and regulatory, IT, study management, chemistry, marketing, and more. More than 275 job seekers from all corners of the state are registered to attend the sixth annual installment of BioOhio’s career fair. Biomedical job seekers can still register here.

After last year’s event, a contract research organization recruiter said the in-person career fair exceeded expectations. “It was surprising that so many people new to the workplace with so much energy, enthusiasm and skill could be brought together in one place,” she said. “We have literally ten’s of potential new job hires with whom we will be following up as a result of this single day’s activity.”

Shortly after last year’s fair, a job seeker e-mailed, “I am very grateful to BioOhio for providing a forum for biotech/bioscience companies to find good candidates and likewise, for candidates to find good companies all in one place. I have accepted a position as a Regulatory Affairs Manager.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring resumés and dress professionally. Details are available at www.bioohio.com/event1.aspx.

photo source: gawkerassets.com/lifehacker.com

The Ohio Third Frontier and YourEncore will hold a workshop and bidder’s conference for potential applicants to the Technology Validation and Start-up Fund Program (TVSF) on May 24 at 10am at TechColumbus.

Eligible Lead Applicants for Phase 1 TVSF awards  are technology transfer offices of Ohio institutions of higher education and other not-for-profit research organizations. Phase I funds are intended to generate the proof or milestone needed to move technology to the point that it is ready to be licensed by an Ohio start-up company. Phase 2 awards are for Ohio start-ups that intend to license validated technology from a Phase 1 eligible organization. 

The workshop will be targeted to informing potential applicants of the intent and details of the TVSF program and the business milestones which need to be achieved in the evaluation areas to fulfill the intent of the program. Ohio Dept. of Development staff will be in attendance to answer any questions related to the application process.

In late April, the Ohio Third Frontier Commission recommended $948,109 in funding through the TVSF.

Bethesda Inc., a health care leader in Greater Cincinnati for nearly 115 years, will begin funding programs that help transform how health care is delivered in southwest Ohio.

“Bethesda Inc.’s legacy is in developing the best possible health care resources,” said James Pearce, Bethesda Inc. board chairman.  “The grants will further our mission to support health care innovation, collaboration, education and research in the region.” 

Grants considered in 2012 will be in two categories: transformational and innovation. Transformational grants will support large, multi-year projects. Innovation grants will support smaller projects that create an immediate benefit in health care delivery. Full details can be found at www.Bethesda-Inc.com/grants.

Top leaders representing America’s advanced medical technology and diagnostics industry came together in Columbus on Monday to discuss pressing public policy issues affecting job creation and medical innovation and to call for the repeal of the more than $20 billion medical device tax set to begin in January 2013.

In Nanofiber Solutions lab (from left), U.S. Reps. Jim Renacci and Pat Tiberi, AdvaMed's Steve Ubl, and Nanofiber Solutions' Jed Johnson and Ross Kayuha

U.S. Reps. Patrick J. Tiberi (R-Ohio) and Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) joined Walt Rosebrough, president and CEO of Mentor, Ohio-based STERIS, and Mike Lynch, executive vice president of Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health, along with AdvaMed President & CEO Stephen Ubl and BioOhio President & CEO Tony Dennis, in the policy discussion. The press came too; see event coverage here (video), there, and here.  

The group had a simple message: The medical technology industry is not only critical to quality health care, but also to the creation of innovative new jobs in Ohio and across the country. 

Medical technology companies – in Ohio and throughout the U.S. – are world leaders in the development of new medical devices, diagnostics and essential equipment for patients worldwide, but that leadership is at risk.

“Our industry can be a partner in job creation and an engine for growth for our national economic recovery but public policies need to support that growth and allow us to compete on the global stage. Repealing the device tax is an important first step,” Ubl said.

“This is a significant industry for Ohio,” Dennis said, ”not just for corporate expansions and new companies, but also because it provides a path for the continued revival of our manufacturing sector with more traditional companies diversifying into medical devices.”

Medical technology is one of the only American manufacturing sectors that has a net trade surplus, exporting $5.4 billion more than it imports. It also accounts for 40 percent of the global technology market. But the U.S.’s lead has shrunk dramatically in the last decade, and we stand to lose further ground with the new tax.

To preserve and protect those jobs and the life-changing innovations created locally, AdvaMed, its member companies, and its state affiliates like BioOhio have developed a comprehensive Competitiveness Agenda. The agenda focuses on innovation, regulatory, reimbursement, tax and trade policies to drive the U.S. medical technology industry’s future growth and success. 

In Ohio alone, medical technology manufacturers employ more than 35,300 people, paying an average annual wage of $42,689.

What concerns companies STERIS and Cardinal Health is that the 2.3 percent device tax will hinder medical innovation and result in the loss of up to 43,000 American jobs – some possibly in Ohio.

“Much-needed med-tech jobs growth is at risk in Ohio,” said Rosebrough of STERIS. “We have the opportunity to continue to lead the world in medical technology, but only if we all work together to improve the competitive position of American companies.”

Cardinal Health’s Lynch echoed Rosebrough’s sentiment, “Repeal of the device tax will help real jobs in real places like Dublin, Ohio. Repealing it will enable companies like ours to enable healthcare to be more effective and efficient. And repeal will help ensure our industry can continue to innovate and compete successful around the globe.”

Check BioOhio’s Flickr photostream for more photos.

Products from five Ohio biomedical companies are getting to tour the country, helping celebrate outstanding U.S. manufacturers that are proud to make their products in the USA.

The “Make It In America” product display features products from 150 U.S. companies, including BioOhio members Cervilenz (made by Interplex), Future Path Medical, CleveMed, Joey Medical (made by DG Medical) and Flocel. The exhibit made its first appearance at last week’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership conference in Orlando, Manufacturing Innovation 2012.

Four Ohio high school seniors have been awarded the 2012 BioOhio Scholarship, designed to encourage and advance bioscience-related STEM education and career interests in Ohio. BioOhio received 345 applications this year, compared to 194 applications in 2011 (a nice little 44% increase for those scoring at home).

This year’s recipients of the non-renewable $1,250 scholarships are:

• Emily Harker of Mentor High School. Emily will attend Case Western Reserve University with plans to pursue a double major in biomedical engineering and polymer science.
• Lauren Chen of Bay High School in Bay Village. Lauren will attend The Ohio State University, where she will major in biomedical science.
• Vivek Chhabria of Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell. Vivek will attend The Ohio State University and pursue a degree in biomedical engineering.
• Natasha Williamson of Northland High School. Natasha will pursue a biomedical engineering degree at Wright State University.

To be considered for a scholarship, the student must live in Ohio, be a senior or senior-equivalent in good standing, and enroll at an Ohio college with plans to pursue a bioscience-related degree. Application evaluations emphasized letters of recommendation and an essay describing their interest in the bioscience field and how they will prepare for a bioscience career. 

In her essay, Emily Harker expressed her vision, “Maybe I will help discover a way to make a useable beating heart with induced pluripotent stem cells, or maybe I will discover a polymer that can be used to improve joint replacements.”

Lauren Chen’s experience as a Cleveland Clinic medical laboratory intern helped bring her future into focus. “Through this opportunity,” she wrote, “I connected my childhood passion for science with an increasing interest in cell biology research.”

Vivek Chhabria’s career outlook received a boost from his internship at BioOhio-member EXCMR. “I witnessed the energy of the field,” he said in his essay. “I saw its potential, and it made me realize that with our population constantly increasing—as well as its longevity—understanding the enigmas of the medical world is going to be more important than ever.”

During her sophomore year, Natasha Williamson lost her mother to lung and brain cancer. Nathasha said that her mother’s passing has inspired her to be the first in her family to earn a college degree. “I want to study the field of science and hopefully, one day, find a cure to cancer,” she wrote.

A non-profit organization charged with accelerating bioscience business, research, and education throughout the state, BioOhio established the BioOhio Scholarship Fund in October 2009 with $15,000. This investment has been divided equally over the first three years of the scholarship fund, with plans on sustaining and increasing the fund through private, tax-deductible donations (make one via PayPal today!). Since 2010 the scholarship fund has received more than $9,400 in private contributions, $6,000 of which came from Hinckley, Ohio-based Clinical RM and the company’s Make a Difference Initiative.

photo source: StephhxBby on Flickr

Medical technology companies—in Ohio and across the country—are world leaders in the development of new medical devices, diagnostics and essential equipment for patients worldwide, but that leadership is at risk. To outline challenges and opportunities facing the medtech industry, AdvaMed and BioOhio will hold a press conference and advocacy event in Columbus on May 14 at noon.

Featured speakers will include U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Tiberi (12th-OH), U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci (16th-OH), STERIS President and CEO Walter Rosebrough, Cardinal Health Executive Vice President Mike Lynch, BioOhio President & CEO Tony Dennis, and AdvaMed President and CEO Stephen Ubl. Members of the media as well as medtech company representatives are encouraged to attend.

In Ohio alone, medical technology manufacturers employ more than 35,300 people, paying an average annual wage of $42,689. To preserve and protect those jobs and the life-changing innovations created locally, AdvaMed has developed a comprehensive “Competitiveness Agenda.” The agenda focuses on innovation, regulatory, reimbursement, tax and trade policies designed to drive the U.S. medical technology industry’s future growth and success. Efforts to repeal a 2.3% excise tax on medical devices slated to go into effect in 2013 will receive special emphasis during the event.

The event will be held at TechColumbus, 1275 Kinnear Road. To reserve your seat, e-mail BioOhio’s Matt Schutte.

AssureRx Health has launched a personalized medicine test for the growing number of children and adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The new pharmacogenomic test can assist clinicians with important medication decisions that result from genomic differences in how individual patients tolerate ADHD medications.

GeneSightRx ADHD analyzes variations in three genes that influence how a patient might metabolize certain medications used to treat ADHD in children and adults. Understanding a patient’s unique genomic profile may help a clinician individualize a patient’s medication selection and avoid side effects that often occur with these medications.

The GeneSightRx ADHD analysis is based on pharmacogenomics, FDA-approved manufacturer’s drug labels, published peer reviewed research, and proven pharmacology. The new ADHD test complements GeneSightRx Psychotropic, a psychiatric pharmacogenomic product that tests important genomic variants affecting metabolism to psychiatric medications for individual patients.

ADHD diagnoses increased 66 percent from 6.2 million in 2000 to 10.4 million in 2010, according to a recent study published in Academic Pediatrics. ADHD is the most common childhood disorder and can continue into adulthood.

When a clinician orders the GeneSight Rx test, a DNA sample is taken from the patient with a simple, non-invasive cheek swab. The specimen is sent overnight to AssureRx Health’s CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory. The ordering clinician receives the patient report via a secure online portal that presents the patient’s genomic information in an easy-to-read and clinically actionable format.

photo source: Scientific American, PASIEKA/SPL/Photo Researchers, Inc.

Seems like a good timet o pause and reflect on all the good Ohio bioscience news we offer up in the NewsTicker column (over there on the left).

• In-depth story in today’s Dispatch about the economic impact of health care research in Ohio. Features a quote from BioOhio’s Tony Dennis and uses BioOhio analysis in the accompanying NIH chart.
• First Customer program in Columbus hooks biomedical companies up with hospital systems and research institutions.
• Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies and Thermalin Diabetes both secure $4.5 million NIH grants to move toward commercialization.
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s new $180 million research tower at will give Children’s the largest pediatric research facility in the country.
• The dean of Ohio’s science fairs, Lynn Elfner, helped hone minds, shape careers of thousands. Thanks Lynn, and congratulations!

BioOhio-member Valtronic, a world leader in designing and manufacturing micro-electronics for medical implants, needs room to grow its U.S. operations. Valtronics USA just acquired a 60,000 square foot facility in Solon, about a mile away from its current location. 

Valtronic USA’s new headquarters will house all U.S. operations, including engineering, manufacturing, sales and administrative staff. Valtronic’s world headquarters are in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland.

The facility will also allow Valtronic to offer additional production capacity, expand engineering and prototyping areas, and add workforce training areas. The additional space is critical to sustain the company’s growth in the medical, advanced industrial and aerospace markets.

“With growth in excess of 20% since 2010 we want to position ourselves for a 50% increase in sales over the next few years,” commented CEO Jay Wimer. “We are confident that the expanded operation will offer our customers the services and manufacturing bandwidth they seek.

“We appreciate the support from the City of Solon, Cuyahoga County as well as the State of Ohio in providing us with incentive to encourage our future growth and success.”

Valtronic expects the move to begin early in this year’s third quarter. The company plans to add 50 news jobs in the next 2-3 years to its current workforce of 89.

photo credit: Qmed.com