WILMINGTON, DE (March 2, 2026) – BioConnect DE marked another major milestone in Delaware’s growing life sciences workforce ecosystem, celebrating the graduation of its second cohort of 25 trainees from the Biomanufacturing Training Program.

The ceremony, held at EastSide Charter School in Wilmington on March 2, 2026, recognized participants who successfully completed the program’s intensive, tuition-free 8-week training, designed to prepare individuals for entry-level roles in biomanufacturing—positions that typically do not require a four-year degree. Notably, the second cohort achieved a 100 percent graduation rate, underscoring both the strength of the program model and the commitment of its participants.

BioConnect DE is delivered through the Delaware Center for Life Science Education and Training, in partnership with the Delaware BioScience Association (Delaware Bio) and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI) at the University of Delaware, and is supported by federal funding, industry investment, and community collaboration. This collaborative model is central to BioConnect DE’s mission to expand access to careers and strengthen Delaware’s life sciences workforce pipeline.

“This cohort reflects what’s possible when we intentionally align education, industry, and community,” said Katie Lakofsky, Executive Director of BioConnect DE. “These individuals are not only job-ready but they are equipped with the technical skills, professionalism, and confidence to contribute on day one. This is how we build a sustainable workforce.”

“BioConnect DE is uniquely Delaware,” AstraZeneca Learning & Development Specialist Valerie Ranieri said during the ceremony. “It’s an example of what happens when a state brings industry, educators, and government together to design a workforce model that meets real employer needs while opening real doors for people across our communities. By focusing on non-degree pathways and hands-on, employer-informed training, BioConnect DE is removing barriers, building confidence, and translating potential into opportunity.”

Addressing Workforce Needs at Scale

The continued success of the BioConnect DE program reflects a broader, data-driven response to workforce demands across Delaware’s life sciences sector. Industry assessments and employer engagement have consistently highlighted the need for skilled talent in advanced manufacturing and operational roles.

These findings align with national priorities, including recent recommendations from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, which emphasize the urgency of building a robust domestic biomanufacturing workforce to support U.S. competitiveness and national security.

In response, the BioConnect DE curriculum was designed in close collaboration with employers to ensure alignment with real-world job requirements. The program also incorporates intentional outreach and community engagement strategies to raise awareness of career pathways and attract diverse talent into the sector.

Preparing Talent for Immediate Impact

The $3 million, three-year pilot program focuses on recruiting and training individuals in basic laboratory and advanced biomanufacturing skills, including quality management systems, current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), Good Documentation Practices and cleanroom procedures.

Participants also benefit from direct engagement with industry professionals through guest lectures and employer interactions with representatives from organizations such as AstraZeneca, Datwyler, Noramco, Tru Global, and the University of Delaware.

“Partnerships like this make training relevant, accelerate workforce readiness, and help ensure that when opportunity knocks, talent is truly prepared to step in and contribute,” Ranieri said. AstraZeneca has been a key partner for this training program, hiring several past graduates and currently interviewing graduates from this graduating class for open positions.

As part of the program, students completed a collaborative capstone project, designing and delivering a training session, building skills in communication, teamwork, and technical instruction. Training was conducted at EastSide Charter School’s Chemours STEM Hub, providing a modern, hands-on learning environment.

Recruitment is wrapping up for the third cohort of 25 students, scheduled to begin training on April 13, 2026.

Expanding Access to Life Sciences Careers

The program continues to attract individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including healthcare, retail, hospitality, and other industries, creating new entry points into Delaware’s life sciences sector. Graduate Edward Powell, whose mother participated in the inaugural cohort, described the program as a transformative opportunity:

“I’ve always been interested in STEM, but this program gave me a real pathway to pursue it,” Powell said. “Biomanufacturing offers a hands-on career where precision and teamwork matter. I’m excited to continue building my skills and contribute to an industry that has real impact.”

Strong Community and Industry Support

The graduation ceremony featured remarks from key partners, including EastSide Charter School CEO Aaron Bass, AstraZeneca representative Valerie Ranieri, and BioConnect DE participants, highlighting the collaborative nature of the initiative.

Employers across Delaware’s life sciences sector are actively engaging with BioConnect DE graduates through mock interviews, site tours and guest lectures. Additional engagement activities and hiring efforts are ongoing as graduates transition into the workforce.

The BioConnect DE Training Class of Winter 2026

Ahmed Childs, Alexandra Campbell, Bengir al Labib, Chanae Edwards, Crystal Patterson, Donieshia Phares, Edward Powell, Guadalupe Aguilar, Irene Doles-Faheem, Jade Petroski, Jhalil Adams, Jinhee Oh, Joshua Banks, Melinda Porter, NaTalia Nelson, Nicholas Curley, Perpetual Sampson, Raheem Roberts, Seth Raines, Shawna Hand, Stella Chen, Tabitha Burchard, Timothy Ryan McCarley, Tysha Sheppard, William Banks.

About BioConnect DE
Launched by the Delaware Center for Life Science Education and Training, a nonprofit affiliate of the Delaware BioScience Association and in partnership with the University of Delaware, BioConnect DE serves as a central hub for job seekers, employers and training programs to advance career pathways in the biosciences. For more information about BioConnect DE and the Biomanufacturing Training Program, visit www.bioconnectde.org.

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The award is the latest in a series of major recognitions for BioCurie, bringing both funding and validation as the company continues to invest in its technology, team, and partnerships.

Most importantly, this is tremendous news for patients. BioCurie’s work has the potential to accelerate access to more affordable cell and gene therapies for cancer and other deadly, debilitating diseases.

BioCurie’s progress reflects not only Irene’s vision and leadership, but also the palpable strength of an ecosystem that so many individuals and organizations have worked tirelessly to build over a two-decade period – the twenty years not coincidentally, since Delaware Bio was founded. The company’s early momentum has been supported by initiatives such as the EDGE Grants and, more recently, a $1 million investment from the Delaware Accelerator and Seed Capital Program.

And the focused, nurturing efforts of organizations including the Delaware Technology Park, the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, the Small Business Development Center and Innovation Space have been essential to creating the conditions for many a BioCurie’s success.

This is still the early stages for BioCurie. The same is true for Delaware’s life science sector… and while we are blessed with an abundance of major recent achievements to celebrate – the latest being Novartis’ multi-billion dollar acquisition of Synnovation Therapeutics portfolio of developmental cancer therapies and Wilmington PharmaTech’s announced $50 million investment to double their manufacturing capability – future success is in no way guaranteed.

The path to actually having a product on the market, much less profitability, is an arduous, expensive and uncertain one for homegrown life science enterprises. The full potential of our early-stage science and technology companies can only be realized through continued investment in the unique assets and impactful collaboration that make Delaware distinctive – and competitive with other venues.

That’s why we are actively advocating a series of proposals designed to ensure our state remains a great place for founders to start and grow new businesses. This includes creation of a new vehicle to provide matching support to young Delaware companies that win prestigious, non-dilutive federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants. Such a program would incentivize the most innovative of our small companies to stay and grow here in Delaware, and, frankly, would simply bring us up to par with neighboring states and municipalities.

Recruiting and retaining the very best scientific talent in the world is another industry must, and we are seeking continuation of the STAR Fund, a successful new program we helped launch last year with the state. The STAR Fund keeps top STEM talent from our universities in Delaware by helping pay down student loan debt. Twenty STEM graduates benefited from the STAR Fund last year, talented young people with many options outside our state.

These are just two examples of opportunities to enhance our state’s attractiveness as the best place possible for life science innovation and investment to thrive. The industry is an agreed priority for state leaders on all sides and our policies must keep up with the dynamics of a highly-competitive global market – one where many states, regions and even countries would love nothing more than to make companies like BioCurie their own.

Synnovation will receive total cash consideration of up to $3 billion, consisting of $2 billion in upfront cash and up to $1 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments

WILMINGTON, DEL – March 20, 2026 – Synnovation Therapeutics, LLC (“Synnovation”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a diverse pipeline of novel small-molecule targeted therapies in oncology and immunology today announced a definitive agreement for Novartis to acquire Pikavation Therapeutics, Inc. (“Pikavation”) and its portfolio of PI3Kα inhibitor programs, including SNV4818. Pikavation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Synnovation. SNV4818 is a potentially best-in-class pan-mutant selective PI3Kα inhibitor currently in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer and other solid tumors

“We believe Novartis’s global capabilities and commitment to patients with cancer will accelerate the development of SNV4818 for patients with PI3Kα mutation–driven solid tumors beyond what Synnovation could achieve alone,” said Wenqing Yao, Ph.D, Chief Executive Officer of Synnovation. “This acquisition reflects the strength of the Synnovation team and our drug discovery and development capabilities. We will continue advancing other promising programs in our R&D pipeline, including our selective PARP1 inhibitor, SNV1521, as well as additional oncology and immunology projects.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay Synnovation $2 billion upfront in cash, and up to $1 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, for a total potential cash consideration of up to $3 billion. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2026. Closing of the transaction is contingent on completion of review under antitrust laws, including the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Synnovation will retain ownership of its other research and development subsidiaries. Novartis will be solely responsible for future development and commercialization of SNV4818 and other PI3Kα inhibitor programs and Synnovation will continue operating as an independent entity and while independently advancing its pipeline.

Centerview Partners LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Synnovation and Goodwin Procter LLP is serving as its legal advisor, with Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. also providing legal advice.

About Synnovation Therapeutics

Synnovation is dedicated to the discovery and development of best-in-class therapeutics that can improve the lives of patients. By leveraging our deep expertise in biology and a world class medicinal chemistry team, we are building a diverse pipeline of novel small molecule targeted therapies. Our mission is to efficiently advance these agents into clinical trials with the goal of transforming care through patient-focused precision medicine. Synnovation’s pipeline also includes SNV1521, a potentially best-in-class, next generation PARP1-selective inhibitor currently in Phase 1, and multiple additional oncology and immunology programs. For more information, please visit www.synnovationtx.com

About Novartis

Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach more than 300 million people worldwide.

Contact

Corey O’Keeffe

Third Rock Ventures

corey@thirdrockventures.com

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) awarded BioCurie up to $9.3 million to accelerate the development of scalable, data-driven genomic medicine production.

While gene therapies have demonstrated transformative clinical potential, manufacturing remains one of the largest bottlenecks to broad patient access, noted a number of market reports. High development costs, variable yields, and lengthy process optimization cycles continue to slow commercialization and limit scalability across the industry.

Under the ARPA‑H award, BioCurie officials say the company will design, build, and validate an AI‑powered digital platform that replaces trial-and-error process development with intelligent computational modeling and simulation. By integrating advanced modeling, machine learning, and real-world manufacturing data, the platform aims to reduce development timelines and improve process robustness across viral and non-viral gene therapy production, according to Irene Rombel, CEO of BioCurie and principal investigator on the ARPA-H project.

“AI will fundamentally reshape how advanced therapies are developed and manufactured,” said Rombel. “This ARPA-H award validates our vision and accelerates our ability to deliver a scalable, digital-first manufacturing platform to therapy developers and manufacturers. Our mission is clear: bring disease-modifying and curative genomic medicines to patients faster and more affordably.”

This project brings together a consortium of gene therapy specialists across academia and industry, including Caring Cross, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the Pennsylvania-based CDMO Center for Breakthrough Medicines. The University City Science Center in Philadelphia provided strategic support in the development and coordination of the ARPA-H proposal, helping align consortium partners and federal funding strategy, noted a BioCurie spokesperson, who added that the company’s platform is designed to serve biopharmaceutical developers and manufacturing organizations seeking to de-risk process development, reduce costs, and scale production more predictably.

Daria Fedyukina, PhD, program manager at ARPA-H, leads this project for the agency.

As Merck received its latest FDA nod for Keytruda in ovarian cancer, Agilent gained the green light for its accompanying test to identify patients who can best benefit from the drug.

The test, PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx, becomes the only FDA-approved companion diagnostic to help find patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer or primary peritoneal carcinoma, whose tumors express PD-L1 and who could therefore benefit from Keytruda.

Merck's drug gained a license for this indication Feb. 10, adding to a long and growing list of oncology uses for the megablockbuster.

This approval also marks the seventh FDA-approved companion use for Agilent’s diagnostic to identify patients who can receive Keytruda.

The test allows pathologists to seek out PD-L1 expression when a patient is diagnosed and tap Keytruda if they qualify.

Last week, Merck reported 2025 sales of Keytruda at $31.7 billion, an increase of 7% year over year and 49% of the company’s total revenue.

Delaware researchers and physicians are involved in precision medicine in general and genetic therapy specifically—especially a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, which allows scientists to perform microsurgery on the body’s DNA.

This past June, KJ Muldoon, less than a year old, made medical history in Philadelphia as the world’s first patient to be treated with personalized gene-editing therapy, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine. Muldoon inherited two mutated genes that prevented the breakdown of ammonia, which could have destroyed his liver.

Eric Kmiec, chief science officer at ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute and CEO of the institute’s spinoff company, CorriXR Therapeutics, is one of a cadre of Delaware researchers and physicians involved in precision medicine in general and genetic therapy specifically—especially a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, which allows scientists to perform microsurgery on the body’s DNA.

“We were all very excited for the baby’s family and for the great demonstration of how the technology works in humans—that it’s safe for patients and that it can reverse genetic disease. …It’s especially relevant for those of us studying rare diseases and cancer care,” he says. “The exciting thing is that CRISPR can be used to guide therapeutics to certain parts of the body and put them directly where they are needed. We’re developing them for every organ.”

The process is what Nicholas J. Petrelli, M.D., medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute at ChristianaCare, refers to as “personalized medicine,” where even patients with the same type of cancer, the most-prominent CRISPR therapeutic target, may still be treated individually.

In the case of CorriXR, Kmiec and his team are developing products to be used as adjunct therapy in cancer patients by knocking out genes that hinder existing cancer treatments from working effectively. The process, if successful, should also lessen the serious side effects of broad-spectrum chemotherapy.

Kmiec says the company is currently working on two fronts that will hopefully allow clinical trials to begin in 2026. “The FDA first wants you to be able to show you can manufacture the product before entering clinical trials,” he says, “and we are now working on signing a contract with a CRISPR drug manufacturer.”

Additionally, CorriXR held a technology conference this past June to get input from key leaders in the field. “The feedback we got was [that] they thought we should expand use in clinical trials to a basket of cancers, including tumors of the head and neck, skin, and pancreas,” he adds. “The universal opinion was that ‘you guys are tumor agnostic.’”

Another Delaware company, Cellergy Pharma, is also in the early stages of developing a gene therapy, called CAR T to fight uncontrollable severe allergic asthma and severe food allergies, says CEO Chris Cano. “We’re also developing a universal CAR T in oncology and working on a new antibody therapy.”

Although baby Muldoon was the first patient to receive gene therapy, the hope is that gene-related therapy will become commonplace in the near future.

NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wilmington PharmaTech (“WPT”), a U.S.-based specialty contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) focused on complex custom small molecule API, today announced that it has appointed Mike Shearer to the role of Chief Commercial Officer, where he will play a pivotal role in driving growth, strengthening client partnerships, and furthering the organization’s position as a trusted partner for API development and manufacturing. Shearer will report to Hui-Yin “Harry” Li, Ph.D., WPT’s Founder and CEO.

Commenting on the appointment, Kent Payne, Ph.D., Managing Director at Wilmington PharmaTech and Operating Partner at Curewell Capital, said, “Having worked with Mike for more than two decades, I know that, beyond his track record of excellent commercial execution, he brings a strategic, client-centric approach to every engagement. His leadership and vision will help ensure that WPT continues to meet the evolving API needs of biopharmaceutical innovators today, while also preparing for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow, particularly the growing need for U.S.-based API manufacturing and high-potent supply.”

Shearer brings more than 24 years of experience across leading CDMOs and pharmaceutical services organizations. Prior to joining WPT, he spent over 21 years at Catalent, where he held multiple senior leadership roles. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Rx Early Phase Development and Zydis®, leading global commercial teams and supporting a diverse portfolio of advanced drug delivery solutions. Throughout his tenure, Shearer successfully led cross-functional, global teams and developed commercial strategies that drove sustained business growth.

“I am excited to join WPT’s deeply experienced leadership team to focus on the Company’s next phase of growth with the support of Curewell Capital,” commented Shearer. “I am excited that WPT offers a highly compelling combination of deep chemistry and substantial, flexible manufacturing infrastructure in their newly expanded campus in Wilmington, Delaware.”

Shearer holds a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University, Philadelphia, and a master’s from the University of California, Davis.

About Wilmington PharmaTech

With deep scientific experience developed across hundreds of drug substance programs and over 180 IND submissions, Wilmington PharmaTech provides complete small molecule API development and manufacturing solutions for complex and accelerated discovery, clinical, and commercial needs. WPT provides end-to-end support across the entire drug development lifecycle for small molecule API, combining the deep science of a contract research organization with the fast efficiency of a contract development and manufacturing organization including custom synthesis and seamless support from medicinal chemistry to methods and process development, integrated and stand-alone analytical services, starting materials supply and scaled U.S.-based cGMP API manufacturing. Wilmington PharmaTech is headquartered in Newark, Delaware, where it has dedicated clinical and commercial factories at its 54-acre campus, as well as an accelerated development and analytical support facility in Suzhou, China. For additional information, please visit www.wilmingtonpharmatech.com.

About Curewell Capital

Curewell is a Los Angeles–based private equity firm focused on building industry-leading middle-market healthcare companies headquartered in North America. Drawing upon decades of investment and operating experience across healthcare services, pharmaceutical services, medical devices, and healthcare technology, Curewell seeks to partner with founders and management teams leading premier companies that improve patient outcomes, create efficiencies, and foster innovation. Curewell’s proprietary GRO™ framework is tailored to each company to drive long-term value through growth and operational excellence. For additional information, please visit www.curewellcapital.com.

Contacts

Curewell Capital
info@curewellcapital.com
(310) 361-1510

Jan 8 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca on Thursday appointed company insider Rick Suarez as the head of its U.S. biopharmaceuticals unit to lead the drugmaker's $50 billion investment plan in the company's largest market.

The drugmaker announced the investments last year in response to President Donald Trump's tariff policy. The plan, which will be implemented over five years, includes construction of a $4.5 billion manufacturing facility in Virginia, AstraZeneca’s largest single manufacturing investment globally.

Suarez, who joined AstraZeneca in 1999, has served as country president for Spain since 2020, and has over 20 years of U.S. healthcare experience, the company said.

AstraZeneca, under the overall leadership of CEO Pascal Soriot, has sought to balance the Trump administration's demands on the pharmaceutical sector with a deal to lower drug prices for millions of Americans and a full listing of its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Anglo-Swedish company was also the first non-U.S. drugmaker to enter a deal with the White House on drug-pricing in November, and several other pharmaceutical firms have followed its example.

From the start of February, AstraZeneca plans to move to a full U.S. listing, rather than the current depositary receipts structure.

Suarez, during his tenure in Spain, has overseen the launch of a new global hub in Barcelona and led the company's digital health initiatives.

Suarez will take over his new responsibilities immediately and will be based at AstraZeneca's U.S. headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware.

New Castle, DE — January 6, 2026 — ABS Bio, Inc., a leader in biospecimen sourcing, cell culture services and biorepository solutions for the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, today announced the acquisition of Cureline, Inc., a South San Francisco, California-based provider of specimen procurement and histology services.

The combined entity creates an expanded, complementary service offering with nearly 300 clinical collection sites around the world. Together, the organizations will deliver broader, faster services to biopharma discovery and diagnostics clients.

“As we continue to expand ABS Bio’s capabilities, Cureline is the perfect strategic fit. Their team, services, and location align seamlessly with our mission and complement our existing strengths. We’re excited to welcome them aboard to deliver an enhanced service offering to our mutual clients,” commented ABS Bio CEO Ehab Alramahy. “Uniting ABS Bio and Cureline positions us to meet more client needs, deliver faster results, and meaningfully elevate the productivity of the research we support.”

Cureline Founder & CEO, Olga Potapova, Ph.D., added, “We are excited to join forces with ABS Bio. Their client-focused, science-first culture makes them an ideal fit for Cureline, our customers and research partners. We are confident that, together, we will bring a robust service offering that will delight our current and future clients.”

Since 1990, ABS Bio has provided nearly all of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies with mission critical biomaterial services. In 2024, ABS Bio was acquired by 3 Boomerang Capital, a leading healthcare-focused private equity firm. Cureline, founded in 2003 is privately held. Acquisition terms were not disclosed.
Headquartered at its 54-acre campus in Delaware, WPT operates two adjacent state-of-the-art facilities with extensive cGMP manufacturing capabilities, including dedicated high potency API (HPAPI) suites, as well as registered starting material (RSM) support and R&D facility in Suzhou, China. The Delaware campus also includes substantial permitted greenfield space for future complex biopharmaceutical manufacturing expansion, positioning WPT as a strategic partner for biopharmaceutical innovators seeking dedicated U.S.-based capacity.

About ABS Bio

Founded in 1990, ABS Bio has made research and discovery faster, easier, and more reliable for pharmaceutical and biotech developers. With a suite of custom services—including biospecimen sourcing, cell culture, and integrated biostorage—ABS Bio enables research teams to focus on core objectives while ensuring mission-critical functions are fulfilled with precision and quality. Based in New Castle, DE, ABS Bio is distinguished by consistently high satisfaction ratings from clients ranging from large pharma to emerging biotech. For more information, visit ABSBio.com.

About Cureline

Cureline is a global translational and precision medicine CRO (contract research organization) that provides biobanking and laboratory services for drug research and development, focusing on drug R&D and diagnostic development. Founded in 2003, the company’s services include acquiring and managing human biospecimens, performing translational histopathology and digital pathology, and conducting biomarker discovery and validation for clients in the biopharmaceutical industry and academia.

About 3 Boomerang Capital

3 Boomerang Capital is a lower middle market healthcare private equity firm committed to fostering creative investment partnerships with healthcare entrepreneurs across North America and Western Europe. 3BC’s areas of investment focus span four key healthcare sectors: Biopharma outsourcing, medical device and diagnostic manufacturing, information technology and tech-enabled services, and alternate site care. The firm specializes in backing founder-led businesses, providing the guidance and resources needed for successful growth and innovation in the healthcare market. By strategically concentrating on four core areas, 3 Boomerang Capital is well-equipped to deliver on its mission of empowering healthcare entrepreneurs and propelling healthcare businesses to new heights. The firm is currently investing out of its flagship fund, 3 Boomerang Capital I, LP, a $376 million investment vehicle. For more information, visit 3boomerang.com.

Foresee Pharmaceuticals has shown that a long-acting version of its injectable prostate cancer med Camcevi can help patients with central precocious puberty (CPP), potentially opening the door to a new treatment option for children with the premature puberty condition.

The company tested a 42 mg dose of its GnRH agonist leuprolide mesylate, coded as FP-001, given every six months in its phase 3 Casppian study to gauge how the drug affects serum luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations. After a GnRHa stimulation test at week 24 of the study, 94% of evaluated patients experienced serum LH suppression to more than 4 mIU/mL at 60 minutes, a statistically significant marker that exceeded the pre-specified criteria for success, Foresee said in a Dec. 24 press release.

“Meeting this rigorous primary endpoint with such a high threshold of 94% is a significant milestone,” the company's SVP of clinical development, Bassem Elmankabadi, M.D., said in the release. “It underscores the potential of FP-001 to offer a meaningful new treatment option, potentially improving convenience and adherence of children with CPP."

With the “robust efficacy data” in hand, Foresee is confident in its long-acting offering as a “potential best-in-class therapy,” CEO and founder Ben Chien, Ph.D., added in the release. The Taiwan-based company will present the full study results at an upcoming scientific conference and plans to engage with global regulatory authorities to discuss submitting a new drug application by mid-year.

Camcevi, in its 42 mg, six-month dosing formulation, was first approved in 2021 as a treatment for advanced prostate cancer, which Accord BioPharma markets in the U.S. The drug was made using Foresee’s stabilized injectable formulation (SIF) technology, allowing for ready-to-use injectables with tailor-made therapeutic durations.

In August, the FDA approved a 21-mg dose version of Camcevi in its advanced prostate cancer indication, this one with an every-three-months dosing schedule. At the time, Chien called the nod a “key step in our efforts to build Foresee as a profitable and growing business.”

The company has long been eyeing the drug’s potential in CPP, a rare condition marked by premature activation of the pituitary-gonadal axis, prompting early puberty onset.

Other GnRH meds — like AbbVie's Lupron, which also contains leuprolide — have been able to carve out an edge in both CPP and prostate cancer. GnRH agonists like leuprolide are the typical standard-of-care treatment for the disease, which, if left untreated, is linked to psychosocial challenges and can negatively impact growth.

Foresee’s ambition in CPP is bolstered by three positive recommendations from the trial's independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board. The most recent update in February was a recommendation that the company continue the trial without modification, following the April 2024 board suggestion to use a “minor” amended protocol.

FP-001’s safety signals in the Casppian study were “consistent with the established class profile of GnRH agonists,” with the most common adverse events typically mild to moderate in severity, chief medical officer Yisheng Lee, M.D., commented in the recent release.

The company is also studying long-acting Camcevi in a phase 3 trial in patients with premenopausal breast cancer in China. Elsewhere, Foresee is testing two oral MMP-12 inhibitors in immune-fibrotic diseases.

NEWARK, Del., Oct. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, NIIMBL (the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals) announced that a NIIMBL-led team will receive $10.5 Million in funding through the Gates Grand Challenges Program to advance exceptionally low-cost monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacturing. Over the three-year award, key partners including Sartorius, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Enquyst Technologies, and the University of Delaware will demonstrate technologies that are expected to substantially reduce the cost to manufacture therapeutic antibodies, thereby enabling broader access to these types of medicines. Additional contributors include Penn State, Michigan Technological University, and University College London.

"We are excited by the opportunity to demonstrate that there are existing solutions developed by industry and academic partners that can significantly reduce cost of goods and accelerate timelines," said Kelvin Lee, NIIMBL Institute Director. "We are honored to receive this grant from the Gates Foundation which will enable this exceptional team to deliver meaningful advances to antibody production efficiency."

MAbs offer targeted treatments for a range of conditions such as infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmune disorders that affect millions globally but are expensive to produce due to complexity in the manufacturing process, strict regulatory compliance, expensive raw materials, and infrastructure investments. This project team brings together specialized expertise in technologies, economic modeling, and manufacturing processes. The team will coordinate efforts over the lifespan of the award to test and demonstrate new approaches to mAb manufacturing that can be used as a basis to achieve the "$10 per gram" goal set out by the Gates Grand Challenge.

"We are enthusiastic about this opportunity to coordinate the innovations that Sartorius brings with promising, novel workflows," said Benham Partopour, Principal Scientist at Sartorius Corporate Research. "This funding will help bring life-saving therapies to patients."

"Optimization and intensification of the downstream purification process offer the exciting possibility of breaking through to the $10/g overall target," said Todd Przybycien, professor and department head of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. "We are excited to advance the precipitation-based process we have developed with our collaborator at Penn State as part of the manufacturing solution to sustainably meet the global need for monoclonal antibodies."

"Enquyst has been eager to scale up our disruptive downstream processing technology and to deliver substantial cost reductions to the global biologics market," said Enquyst's founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Jason Criscione. "The framework that we've proposed in this project is an exciting step toward achieving this goal, and we are grateful for the support from the foundation."

This particular Grand Challenge is in honor of Dr. Steve Hadley, former Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation, who championed the reduction of mAbs manufacturing costs to make life-saving treatments affordable and accessible.

About NIIMBL

The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) is a public-private partnership whose mission is to accelerate biopharmaceutical innovation, support the development of standards that enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a world-leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, fundamentally advancing U.S. competitiveness in this industry. NIIMBL is part of Manufacturing USA®, a diverse network of federally sponsored manufacturing innovation institutes, and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. Department of Commerce with significant additional support from its members. For information, visit www.niimbl.org. 

Contacts

News Media
Daniel Maiese
Communications Manager
302-831-3824
dmaiese@udel.edu

DBT readers will have noted with interest the unprecedented series of announcements by leading global biopharma companies on planned investments in their US manufacturing and R&D.

The sums are staggering – the latest being GSK’s $30 billion pledge towards US-based research and manufacturing operations. From the industry publication Fierce Pharma:

“The U.S. has enjoyed a surge of pharma investment in the wake of the Trump administration’s import tariff threats, with Roche pledging to spend $50 billion, Johnson & Johnson unveiling a $55 billion plan that includes bolstering its medtech business, and Sanofi and Novartis each committing to spend at least $20 billion in the U.S. by the end of the decade.

And Eli Lilly recently announced that Goochland County, Virginia, will be the site of its new $5 billion manufacturing plant—the first of four that the Indianapolis drugmaker has planned as part of its own $27 billion U.S. pledge.”

AstraZeneca also recently announced $50 billion in new US manufacturing investment and, of course, most noteworthy for Delaware, we have Merck’s recent groundbreaking on a $1billion biomanufacturing site at the CRISP campus just outside Wilmington, part of more than $70 billion in new R&D and manufacturing company by that company in the US.

All told, the investments in innovation and high-tech operations push well into the hundreds of billions.

This massive wave of investment will mean long-term opportunities for US communities and domestic industry innovation. That includes hundreds of thousands of construction and contracting jobs and thousands more great careers with industry leaders, many of which don’t require college degrees.

The revitalized industrial capacity will also spark new technologies, startups and spinoffs – a whole subsector of entrepreneurial activity around advanced manufacturing, efforts NIIMBL (the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals) right here in Delaware is already facilitating. And it is inspiring new workforce development efforts like our own BioConnect DE – forcing smarter and faster approaches in engaging, mobilizing, training and deploying STEM talent into these exciting new roles.

For its part, Delaware can and should continue to benefit from this manufacturing renaissance, but that requires understanding and meeting industry needs – being a place where companies are dying to invest and grow their operations because of talent, infrastructure and a great business climate.

Of course manufacturing is only one key area of industry investment and China has steadily eroded the US – and Delaware’s – global leadership perch in scientific innovation. We must continue to improve and expedite the process by which breakthrough therapies and technologies come to market. That demands a strategic, comprehensive approach that nurtures the life science ecosystem from the earliest stages, incentivizes and rewards investment in cutting edge science and catalyzes more productive university-industry collaboration.

It also means having regulatory bodies moving at the speed of business, and I was pleased to recently hear FDA Commissioner Marty Makary detail his efforts to transform the agency’s process for approving new therapeutics, including hastening the application of technologies like AI to get cutting-edge medicines to patients faster.

One significant example of that modernization plan is the newly announced Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) pilot program, which will dramatically shorten the new medicine review timeline by convening a multidisciplinary team of physicians and scientists for a team-based review, condensing the standard 10-12 month review timeline into 1-2 months.

We recently had the opportunity to discuss these issues with state legislators and other policymakers at AstraZeneca’s thriving Newark manufacturing facility, one of several site visits we’ve conducted with the Life Science Caucus over the last year with the purpose of giving state leaders direct exposure to everything happening in Delaware Bio member labs, manufacturing floors and incubation spaces.

The discussion was timely – the Newark site has grown considerably over the last several years, adding hundreds of new employees and serving an increasingly critical role in the company’s global supply chain. It also comes on the heels of the August graduation of the first BioConnect DE biomanufacturing training program class and AstraZeneca Newark’s hiring of several of the graduates.

These are all great wins for our state and country, and, most critically, meaningful progress in expanding access to the innovation our members devote their lives to delivering.

Michael Fleming is the president and CEO of the Delaware Bioscience Association.

NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wilmington PharmaTech (“WPT”), a U.S.-based specialty contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) focused on custom small molecule API development and manufacturing, today announced a majority investment by Curewell Capital (“Curewell”), a Los Angeles-based private equity firm focused on building industry-leading healthcare companies. Hui-Yin “Harry” Li, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of WPT, will retain a significant ownership stake and will continue to lead the business alongside the management team. The partnership with Curewell will provide significant growth capital to expand WPT’s manufacturing capacity and further scale its end-to-end capabilities in producing a full range of small molecule API in the U.S.

Founded in 2003, WPT has built extensive expertise across hundreds of novel drug substance programs, spanning complex synthesis, medicinal chemistry, scale-up, and GMP supply. The company offers comprehensive API development, analytical, and manufacturing solutions that seamlessly bridge from early discovery and clinical development through scale up and commercial supply.

Headquartered at its 54-acre campus in Delaware, WPT operates two adjacent state-of-the-art facilities with extensive cGMP manufacturing capabilities, including dedicated high potency API (HPAPI) suites, as well as registered starting material (RSM) support and R&D facility in Suzhou, China. The Delaware campus also includes substantial permitted greenfield space for future complex biopharmaceutical manufacturing expansion, positioning WPT as a strategic partner for biopharmaceutical innovators seeking dedicated U.S.-based capacity.

“Together with Curewell Capital, we look forward to accelerating our growth strategy by leveraging our core competencies, and we are committed to further expanding our capabilities and capacity to better serve our global biopharmaceutical partners,” said Dr. Li. “Wilmington PharmaTech is the ideal partner for innovators seeking to solve complex challenges in process R&D and manufacturing, enhance cost-efficiency, and accelerate the speed of the production process to bring new therapies to patients faster.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Dr. Li and his outstanding team, who have built an exceptional organization with deep scientific expertise and a strong reputation for excellence within the pharma science community,” added Michael Dal Bello, Partner at Curewell Capital. “Our investment will help WPT accelerate its next phase of growth amid strong market demand for specialized development capabilities and dependable, high-quality manufacturing capacity in the U.S.”

Potter Anderson served as legal advisor to Wilmington PharmaTech. Kirkland & Ellis served as legal advisor to Curewell Capital.

About Wilmington PharmaTech

With deep scientific experience developed across hundreds of drug substance programs and over 180 IND submissions, Wilmington PharmaTech provides complete small molecule API development and manufacturing solutions for complex and accelerated discovery, clinical, and commercial needs. WPT provides end-to-end support across the entire drug development lifecycle for small molecule API, combining the deep science of a contract research organization with the fast efficiency of a contract development and manufacturing organization including custom synthesis and seamless support from medicinal chemistry to methods and process development, integrated and stand-alone analytical services, starting materials supply and scaled U.S.-based cGMP API manufacturing. Wilmington PharmaTech is headquartered in Newark, Delaware, where it has dedicated clinical and commercial factories at its 54-acre campus, as well as an accelerated development and analytical support facility in Suzhou, China. For additional information, please visit www.wilmingtonpharmatech.com.

About Curewell Capital

Curewell is a Los Angeles–based private equity firm focused on building industry-leading middle-market healthcare companies headquartered in North America. Drawing upon decades of investment and operating experience across healthcare services, pharmaceutical services, medical devices, and healthcare technology, Curewell seeks to partner with founders and management teams leading premier companies that improve patient outcomes, create efficiencies, and foster innovation. Curewell’s proprietary GRO™ framework is tailored to each company to drive long-term value through growth and operational excellence. For additional information, please visit www.curewellcapital.com.

Contacts

Curewell Capital
info@curewellcapital.com
(310) 361-1510

WILMINGTON — Almost 40 years later, LabWare is developing software that assists thousands of laboratories around the world analyze and manage critical data, and its latest upgrade is to health programs to help further streamline operations.

LabWare debuted its Clinical Health Solution 5.06 at the end of September, an upgraded version of its clinical health solution platform. This version uses automation to streamline laboratory workflows and quality assurance processes. The latest version underwent an extensive validation process using automated tools that simulate user behavior, cutting testing time from weeks to just hours.

Public health labs and clinical diagnosticians can use the upgraded software’s enhanced data visualization and processes to track and coordinate with external or referral labs.

The launch of Clinical Health Solution 5.06 is just another way that LabWare works to provide information management systems to customers across the globe. Founded in 1987 by Vance Kershner, the privately held company serves more than 29,000 laboratories in 125 countries and employs about 1,000 people worldwide, including roughly 100 in Delaware.

“One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that virtually anything in front of you, a product that has been testing, more than likely LabWare has been a part of that,” Labware Director of Clinical Solutions Edward Krasovec said.

He credits the company’s ability to work closely with its customers to maintain that quality and offer new solutions as needs change over time.

LabWare’s customer engagement model is based on ongoing collaboration. Company leaders say they receive messages from customers every day — from troubleshooting questions to requests for new features — and use that feedback to shape future updates.

“We design solutions to solve a problem in a generic way, so they can be applied across industries,” he added. “A solution that helps a pharmaceutical client might also work for a refinery in Texas. That kind of cross-pollination has been a cornerstone of our success.”

Despite its global reach, LabWare has remained closely tied to Delaware’s scientific community. The company is an active member of the Delaware BioScience Association and maintains partnerships with the University of Delaware, NIIMBL at the STAR Campus and other regional organizations focused on science and technology.

LabWare continues to hire locally, drawing from a mix of graduates, including, but not limited to, computer science, biology and chemistry scholars. Company representatives said they look for problem-solvers as much as programmers, people who can be comfortable blending technology with scientific reasoning.

LabWare’s expertise was leveraged during the COVID-19 pandemic by the state of Delaware as they looked to software-related solutions to support the increase in disease testing statewide.

Over the years, the company has built a loyal customer base that includes major corporations such as DuPont, LabWare’s first client, which remains with the firm after more than three decades. The company also supports clients like UL and NSF, whose quality testing work spans everything from smartphones to plumbing fixtures.

“There was one customer this year. . . called Ingredient has 5,000 files and every one of those, the data is going through LabWare,” Krasovec said. “It’s a neat thing that when you look at something and you can say that’s likely LabWare has touched the data that has led that product to my desktop or into my hand.”

CorriXR Therapeutics has embarked on a major investment round in support of its efforts to improve cancer treatment.

The Delaware-based life sciences company, spun out of the ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute in 2022, has set a $20 million goal for the Series A fundraising, according to founder Dr. Eric Kmiec.

Kmiec, who is also CorriXR's CEO, said the firm is progressing toward its goal in tranches and discussions are underway with "two major venture capital firms." He declined to identify them.

CorriXR launched with $6.5 million in seed funding led by ChristianaCare, Brookhaven Bio and Cortado Ventures. ChristianaCare continued its support of CorriXR earlier this year with a $3.5 million follow-on investment, and CorriXR landed $1 million from the state of Delaware in August.

The state investment was the first under Delaware's Accelerator & Seed Capital Program to reach seven figures. The program, administered by the Division of Small Business, received $60.9 million in federal funding through the U.S. Treasury Department’s State Small Business Credit Initiative, which aims to expand access to capital for startups and early stage businesses.

C.J. Bell, director of the Division of Small Business, said supporting the scale-up of companies like CorriXR is part of the state's blueprint for making Delaware a "Mid-Atlantic hub for innovation."

CorriXR will use the Series A funds to advance its lead program — focused on developing next-generation treatments for solid tumors, particularly head and neck cancer and lung cancer — toward human clinical testing.

“The investments are critical as we complete preclinical studies, scale-up manufacturing, and prepare our investigational new drug submission," Kmiec said.

Kmiec also serves as executive director and chief scientific officer of ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute, which was launched 10 years ago to explore the potential of CRISPR-directed gene editing applications for battling cancer and inherited diseases.

CRISPR, an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, is a gene-editing technology that allows scientists to precisely cut, correct and modify DNA to treat genetic conditions.

CorriXR was established to commercialize the institute's gene-editing therapies, the most advanced of which targets head and neck cancer and lung cancer. The company's strategy is to use its technology as an adjunct treatment, combining it with standard therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy to make them more effective and less toxic.

Kmiec served as the company's founding CEO until Deborah Moorad, who spent three years as an adviser at Cortado Ventures, was appointed to the post in late 2023.

Moorad, now Oklahoma's Secretary of Commerce, left the company last December, and Kmiec stepped back into the CEO role.

It's not a job he expects to hold long-term.

"My role is really to continue to expand the development side," Kmiec said. "We are now starting to expand our management team. There will be a new CEO and a CMO and things like that. I'm happy to have been carrying the torch in this marathon, but I'm ready to pass it off to people who can take it to the next level. I will stay on as the company's chief scientific officer."

The company has grown to 15 employees and has a sponsored research agreement with the Gene Editing Institute. It made a key hire in January, naming former Spark Therapeutics executive Jan Case as its chief operating officer.

“She was head of R&D [operation and program management] at Spark for a number of years and was involved in their Luxturna program,” Kmiec said, referring to the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited disease. "She’s transformed us from a strong R&D group into a true translational research team [moving discoveries from the lab to the patient’s bedside]. She’s also brought on several consultants from Spark. We’re like Spark Junior right now.”

Spark Therapeutics laid off more than 330 employees during the summer as part of a restructuring by parent company Roche, which acquired the Philadelphia company for $4.8 billion in 2019.

CorriXR plans to file its investigational new drug application with the FDA, which would allow it to begin human clinical testing, in the first part of next year. If approved, the company would begin a Phase 1 clinical trial of its gene-editing therapy in patients with head and neck cancer in late 2026 or early 2027.

Kmiec said the therapy is unique because it’s designed to disable the NRF2 gene in solid tumors using a novel CRISPR-directed approach to disrupt the tumor’s drug-resistance mechanisms. Elevated levels of NRF2, over time, have been linked to increased chemotherapy resistance and tumor growth.

CorriXR is "rewriting the rules of cancer treatment" by altering the genetic code of the tumor microenvironment, Kmiec explained, making cancer cells more vulnerable to standard therapies — potentially leading to better outcomes and fewer side effects.

"Our mission is to power down the regulatory genes that control the tumor microenvironment," he said. "By doing so, we prevent the tumor cell from fighting back."

Kmiec said CorriXR is also studying the ability of its approach to disable a second target, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), to treat lung cancer. EGFR is a protein that, when mutated, accelerates tumor growth by continually signaling cancer cells to divide.

CorriXR believes its gene-editing approach can be applied to more than 30 types of squamous cell carcinomas. When combined with existing cancer therapies, it has the potential to improve treatment efficiency at lower doses, expand patient eligibility, and reduce dropout rates due to side effects.

Delaware has long been recognized as a leader in the life sciences, with major institutions such as the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) making their home in the First State.

In the emerging field of precision medicine — which “takes into account individual variability in genes, environment and lifestyle for each person” to treat and prevent disease, according to the Precision Medicine Initiative — Delaware has also earned recognition. In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration Tech Hubs program designated the Greater Philadelphia Region Precision Medicine Tech Hub — a region that includes Delaware.

Beyond the importance of the regional hub announcement, Delaware already has a robust record in the development of precision medicine at all levels — from research and development to manufacturing protocols to clinical education and the discipline’s application in practice at medical facilities in Delaware. Read on for three stories of Delaware companies leading the way at the intersection of precision medicine research and technology.

BioCurie
Named in honor of scientist Marie Curie, Wilmington-based startup BioCurie is developing the first AI-driven software platform to transform cell, gene and nucleic acid therapy (CGT) production. These advanced therapies are difficult and costly to develop and manufacture, creating a major pain point in the biopharmaceutical industry. BioCurie’s patent-pending software platform will enable biopharma companies and contract manufacturers to predict optimal manufacturing conditions — drastically improving the speed, quality and cost of these lifesaving therapies.

Dr. Irene Rombel, CEO and co-founder, saw the unmet need in the industry, and seized the opportunity to solve it by harnessing data and AI before it was “cool.” She joined forces with Chief Scientist and Co-Founder Professor Richard Braatz from MIT, a world leader in AI for biomanufacturing, who shared her vision. With the help of funding from an Encouraging Growth, Development and Expansion (EDGE) Grant from the State of Delaware, they developed the first prototype of their software platform. BioCurie is currently in contract with a top 25 pharmaceutical company and will launch the first AI-driven software product for gene therapy production in 2025.

“We are transforming the current labor-intensive hit-or-miss approach to CGT manufacturing to a new data-driven paradigm, with the goal of ‘right first time,’” says Rombel. “Patients’ lives depend on it.”

Rombel believes that Delaware is a prime spot for the company to prosper. “Delaware has the distinct advantage of being a small business-friendly state where we have access to key decision makers,” says Rombel. “Our location also gives us the benefit of proximity to NIIMBL, the largest consortium for innovating biomanufacturing, as well as being part of the greater Philadelphia region, home to many CGT companies and future customers.”

In addition, BioCurie can tap into talent at the University of Delaware (UD) and Delaware Technical Community College. Rombel is committed to giving back and recently participated in a popular workshop on “AI’s Role in Transforming Science and Innovation” at UD. “By working closely with academia,” she says, “we will help ensure that we’re inspiring and training our future workforce for exciting careers in the TechBio industry.”

ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute

Having worked in the precision medicine space for more than three decades, Dr. Eric Kmiec at ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute has seen the concept of gene editing morph from merely a concept into clinical reality. As the Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Kmiec believes that the gene editing tool known as CRISPR technology — originally used to help sickle cell anemia patients — has the potential for a much broader application in oncology and even cardiovascular disease.

“All patients are different genetically and we know that cancer functions at the genetic level. We have to target the gene to solve the problem,” explains Kmiec.

ChristianaCare’s patient-centric approach, addressing health disparities among different ethnic and socioeconomic groups, wants all patients regardless of their background to have access to CRISPR technology. The Institute is particularly focused on using CRISPR technology for head, neck, esophageal and lung cancer. These cancers disproportionately affect those who smoke, use tobacco and drink alcohol excessively. While cancer treatments such as immunotherapy, radiation and chemotherapy are effective, they are harsh and some patients even decide
to halt treatment.

Chemotherapy resistance is generally controlled, at least partially, at the genetic level. By exploiting what CRISPR does naturally, which is in effect cut or splice DNA, scientists can disable certain cancer-specific genes that are preventing available therapies from working effectively. This approach can enhance the effect of standard-of-care chemotherapies so that lower doses can be given.

Kmiec believes that having the Gene Editing Institute embedded within the ChristianaCare health system in Delaware is a great advantage for its research. In fact, the National Institutes of Health often include Delaware as a model in population health studies, especially in health disparities, because its population diversity and healthcare-access issues are reflective of broader national concerns.

“We don’t only want to be using CRISPR technology on people who can afford it. We want everyone to have access to it,” Kmiec says. “We’ve gone through the hype of when CRISPR was first introduced, but now with the emergence of CRISPR being used in vivo, directly delivering it into tumors, it is an exciting time to be researching it.”

Innovative Precision Health

Clinical trial recruitment is a challenging and costly endeavor for pharmaceutical companies as they hope to bring a drug to market. But Newark-based startup Innovative Precision Health is hoping to streamline that process for pharmaceutical companies and research organizations.

The company has a database of 160 million patients in the U.S., and of that number, 60 million have seen a doctor within the last two years. By analyzing the database, the company is able to pinpoint which patients meet very stringent clinical trial criteria.

“We use a fine-tooth comb to streamline the process, by using AI, which results in saving the pharmaceutical companies money and time. The process before was time-consuming, as researchers often spent long periods analyzing doctors’ notes, which can now be done in seconds using our complex algorithms and tools,” says Sury Gupta, the vice president of engineering at Innovative Precision Health. The company is focused primarily on qualifying patients for trials in the neurology, cardiology and gastroenterology space.

Gupta believes Delaware is a prime spot for the startup. “It is on the up and up, and we are part of the ecosystem that the University of Delaware has built around the south side. Our location in the [FinTech Innovation Hub] building is critical and it is a very supportive community, plus we have access to talented data scientists at the university.”

How Agilent’s Resolve handheld raman spectrometer is saving lives around the world

BY PETER OSBORNE

It was 11 p.m. when Robert Stokes got the call. A border agency had intercepted large containers of an unknown material, making it dangerous to test directly. Opening the containers could mix the substance with air and create a hazard.

The agency scanned the containers with its Resolve handheld raman spectrometer and sent the spectral data to Agilent Technologies’ 24-hour Reachback support service. Stokes, on duty that night for the global network of Ph.D. scientists, analyzed the results.

“It was one of these date drugs,” Stokes remembers. “A material that’s dropped into people’s drinks to make them incapacitated and then potentially vulnerable to assault or worse.”

When the operation concluded hours later, Stokes sat back and realized the impact: “There would have been something like two million doses of that material on the streets if our technology hadn’t helped intercept it.”

This is the real-world power of Agilent’s Resolve handheld raman spectrometer, which just earned the title of 2025’s Coolest Thing Made in Delaware from the annual Delaware State Chamber competition, decided in a March Madness-style bracket by voters across the state.

The rugged, field-portable device provides emergency responders the ability to quickly analyze unknown powders and liquids through sealed, opaque containers without destroying the sample during hazardous materials operations. It’s protecting communities worldwide from a Delaware manufacturing base and has been ranked by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as the top-performing handheld Raman system available.

Technology That Delivers Results

The Resolve uses proprietary Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) technology to identify materials through opaque containers. Here’s how it works: The unit shoots a laser into the substance at different angles — one offset to see through the barrier, another straight ahead to reach the substance behind it. The device subtracts the barrier’s spectrum from the total reading, giving an accurate match from its extensive library of known materials.

“It’s like a tricorder from ‘Star Trek,’” explains Stokes, Agilent’s director of detection security. “You can walk up to any object or material — whether it’s on a surface or inside a container — point at it, and the spectrometer will identify what that material is.”

The analysis takes less than 28 seconds. No sample preparation. No opening dangerous containers. No exposure to unknown substances.

Eric Aubrey, who sells these devices across the U.S. and Canada from Delaware, puts it simply: “It’s like witchcraft when you see it in person. Everyone who sees the demonstration wants to buy it.”

That proved true shortly after Aubrey demonstrated the device to the hazmat team in Virginia Beach. He received a call about an eviction warrant where something looked suspicious. The Resolve quickly identified 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate. The suspect also had aluminum powder and fireworks — enough explosive material to level a building. The discovery led to an immediate arrest and a hospital trip that saved the homeowner’s life, because officials trusted the Resolve’s readings and knew he was in danger before he showed symptoms.

More Than Law Enforcement

While security applications grab headlines, the Resolve serves unexpected purposes that showcase its versatility. Aubrey has seen farmers use it to distinguish between legal hemp and illegal levels of THC, enabling them to adjust nutrients to stay within regulations. Army surgeons may be able to test supposedly expired blood bags in the field, potentially saving lives when fresh supplies aren’t available.

The device eliminates guesswork in dangerous situations. “Operators would have to spend additional time testing with traditional methods,” Aubrey explains. “With Resolve, you’re in and out much quicker. You can scan through dark containers without possible exposure to unknown substances.”

Stories like the date-rape drug interception play out regularly across multiple agencies. The 24-hour Reachback service connects field operators with Agilent scientists during live operations, whether it’s a planned raid or an emergency response.

The Delaware Connection

The device is part of serious manufacturing capability at Agilent’s Little Falls campus in Wilmington. While only a handful of people work directly on the Resolve, they’re part of Agilent’s substantial Delaware presence — nearly 800 employees — making it a significant local employer.

Grant Bucy, a manufacturing technician who builds the devices, personifies Delaware’s workforce development success. Starting at Delaware Technical Community College, he joined Agilent and now refines technology that literally saves lives.

“We want to make sure that when we test it, it goes through all the steps without any hiccups,” Bucy explains. The testing process reflects life-or-death stakes: 10 hours in freezing temperatures, 10 hours of overheating, thermal stress tests, and constant scanning to ensure consistent performance under extreme conditions.

The precision required is extraordinary. As Adam Blackford, associate vice president of instrument manufacturing and Delaware sites general manager, puts it: “One droplet of a sample in an Olympic swimming pool … we can detect it.”

Technology With Serious Credentials

The Resolve builds on nearly a century of scientific development. The breakthrough for seeing through barriers came in the 2000s, when Czech professor Pavel Matousek at Oxford invented SORS technology. Between 2013 and 2016, the U.S. Department of Defense funded development to make the technology portable and handheld.

The technology keeps evolving. Agilent releases library updates every six months, adding new threats as they emerge — recent fentanyl variants, nitazines (1,000 times more powerful than morphine), and even creative smuggling attempts including concealed animal parts like ivory and rhino horns, or a kilogram of methamphetamine hidden inside bicycle seats headed to Indonesia from Kenya.

“Emerging threats are driving growth,” Aubrey notes. “The technology is easily adaptable to combat new threats.”

The Business Reality

At $70,000 per unit, the Resolve represents a serious investment. “Budget becomes an issue,” Aubrey acknowledges. But consider the alternative: the Virginia Beach explosive discovery, the 2 million prevented date-rape drug doses, the lives saved through rapid identification of dangerous substances.

Many communities solve the cost challenge through cooperation. Police, fire departments, and port authorities often pool resources. But the device pays for itself the first time it prevents a disaster or saves a life.

That kind of value is exactly what decision-makers look for.

“When we set out to purchase a new Raman instrument, we looked at our current instrument at the time and the issues we had encountered in the past such as reliability in the field, lengthy result times, and ease of use for the field user,” says Brandon Pursell, hazardous materials program administrator for Montgomery County, Pa.

“Whenever we buy a new instrument, we understand we are making a very large commitment on something that may not get replaced for up to 10 years. ... When we go to justify such a purchase, we need to know our choice is not only fiscally responsible but will also deliver when called upon at an incident. ... After working with the Resolve, our committee unanimously decided that it would be the best instrument for our team.”

The Department of Homeland Security’s independent assessment ranked the Resolve as the top-performing handheld Raman system available. For agencies that need the best performance, cost becomes secondary to capability.

Building Delaware’s Future

Agilent actively develops local talent through partnerships with Delaware Technical Community College and university programs. In two years, 160 Delaware students have toured the facility, discovering that modern manufacturing incorporates 3D printing, robotics, and cutting-edge processes.

The company continues expanding its Delaware presence. Stokes hints at “very big news” within six months involving aviation security and another “world first” technology that will be manufactured in Delaware — proof that the state continues attracting advanced technology development.

The Resolve’s success demonstrates what happens when global innovation meets Delaware manufacturing capability. While the core technology was developed elsewhere, the precision manufacturing, quality testing, and continuous improvement happen right here in Little Falls.

The Impact Continues

The Resolve earned its “Coolest Thing Made in Delaware” title through measurable results. Whether preventing explosive disasters, stopping millions of doses of dangerous drugs, or enabling rapid response to unknown threats, this device shows Delaware manufacturing creates technology that protects communities.

In a world where threats hide behind innocent-looking packages, the Resolve gives responders superpowers. It showcases Delaware’s role in a global safety network, where local precision manufacturing enables worldwide protection — one detection at a time.

Merck’s state-of-the-art Wilmington facility is bringing the next generation of biopharma manufacturing to Delaware

BY DAVE MARALDO

As we move through an era of extraordinary medical breakthroughs, companies and governments must keep pace with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities able to produce science’s next-generation therapies for patients.

Drug development continues to evolve beyond oral, small-molecule medicines and traditional monoclonal antibodies to more complex products like potent antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and other innovations that represent the future of medicine.

Merck’s upcoming biologics center of excellence in Wilmington is a prime example of the investment and pioneering technologies needed to manufacture these products that could revolutionize treatment in areas like oncology and immunology.

The new $1 billion, 470,000-square-foot commercialization and manufacturing facility at Wilmington’s Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park (CRISP) will be a cornerstone of our ongoing U.S. capital investment. It will include laboratory, manufacturing, and warehouse capabilities within Delaware’s hub for life sciences, research and development (R&D), and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

A FLEXIBLE FACILITY READY FOR THE FUTURE

At Merck Wilmington Biotech, we’ll incorporate data-driven processes, digital solutions, and AI, and we expect these advances will help us commercialize biologics faster than ever, bringing them to patients more quickly than we thought possible just a decade ago. With the Wilmington facility’s planned capabilities, we see the potential to adapt and launch our innovative products within months — a remarkable manufacturing breakthrough.

Importantly, the flexible facility will be ready to take on not only ADCs but also other biologic technologies and emerging modalities in an agile way. To support it, we’ll need a skilled, technical workforce comprised of top talent in advanced manufacturing, R&D, quality control, and operations. CRISP’s proximity to prestigious higher education institutions and Delaware’s growing biotech sector makes it a natural home for this new class of products.

The state’s supportive ecosystem offers excellent opportunities for future development, even beyond the 500 full-time jobs Merck Wilmington Biotech is expected to create. CRISP offers a unique combination of strategic location, strong local partnerships, and a supportive state and local government. The project will also support thousands of construction and contract jobs throughout its development phases.

AN EXCITING FUTURE FOR BIOTECH

Cutting-edge sites like Merck Wilmington Biotech are as important as the products they’ll deliver. With this facility, we intend to establish a new U.S. home for manufacturing our cancer treatment, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), the world’s best-selling medicine. We’ll be executing on our supply chain strategy of producing medicines regionally while preparing for our growing biologics portfolio. The site will be built in phases. Its laboratories will come online in 2028, and it will fully support launches from our diverse pipeline by 2030.

Our CRISP facility is just the beginning. With our ongoing investment in Delaware biotech, we are investing in a future supply of lifesaving products while we help establish not just our facility but the entire state as a biologics center of excellence.

We’re proud to support community growth, and prouder still of what an advanced manufacturing site like Merck Wilmington Biotech might achieve for patients. It’s all part of an exciting future for Merck biotech, Delaware, and patients as we work together to streamline our production of medicines and accelerate their delivery for the people who count on us.

Dave Maraldo is the senior vice president of operations for Merck’s Manufacturing Division.

Delaware’s top economic development office has high hopes that the return of one of the most significant research and development tax deductions will spur a double down in investments from the state’s biopharmaceutical companies and manufacturers.

When President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), it once again allowed companies to deduct their domestic R&D costs upfront instead of stretching it out over five years. That opens the door for Delaware’s big companies in advanced manufacturing and rising start-ups in the biotech sector to see a major deduction on their tax bill.

It’s a move that has many in Delaware taking notice — and those in the state’s economic development community hope to get the next generation of companies to the next level.

“This is a big deal, because with start-up companies in particular, they’re not sure what’s going to happen next quarter, let alone five years down the road,” Delaware Prosperity Partnership Director of Innovation Noah Olson said. “It’s a source of income for some of these companies that have a long way to generate revenue, let alone become profitable.”

Inside the $12.5 trillion in tax provisions in the OBBBA, there’s two other major tax provision shifts that could also free up more cash flow for manufacturers. But the return of the R&D expense provision is likely top of the mind of small businesses and finance officers at the state’s largest companies.

Since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made it law for companies to amortize, or spread out, R&D costs over the course of five years, companies have been lobbying to return to the full upfront deduction as a way to return that rush of funds back into expensive drug trials, salary costs or a new lab or production line.

For example, Delaware’s corporate giant DuPont spent $531 million on R&D costs alone last year. Incyte, perhaps the state’s rising star on the NASDAQ, spent $2.6 billion in R&D in 2024, a 60% hike from the previous year.

But while there’s plenty of tax breaks for big businesses in OBBBA, many tax experts interviewed by the Delaware Business Times said the biggest win may be for early-stage companies that are still investing millions in development and may not have a viable product on the market yet.

“In the case of small businesses, there were times they were looking at a six-figure tax bill if they complied with the rule [in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act] and they couldn’t afford it. It would shut them down, and these are businesses with 100 employees,” said Les Bryson, a partner at specialty tax credit firm MSC.

Pushing Pause

For 44 years, companies have been able to take advantage of the full deduction for R&D costs. That all came to an end with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which created a new section that would require domestic investments to be amortized over five years and foreign R&D costs to be amortized over 15 years. This provision went into effect in 2022, midway through the tax year.

Bryson, a former chemist who now specializes in helping diverse businesses navigate the various state and federal tax credits, said that the midpoint conversion also hammered businesses even more. That meant a company that spent $150,000 on research and development would be taxed on $135,000 in 2022.

“That was when the wheels fell off for small and mid-sized businesses,” he said. “The R&D deduction was really the only thing that businesses could claim to take the sting out of that high tax bill after losing their deductions or delaying, deferring their deductions over that five-year period.”

Critics of the drastic shift in the R&D deduction policy warned that inflation could chip away at the potential value of these deductions, as well as discouraging U.S. executives from investing on American soil, with more companies now required to pay more in taxes upfront.

Independent analysis from Bipartisan Policy Center, a think-tank that promotes bipartisan policies, has found that the average gross domestic productivity in R&D was 6% between 2017 and 2022, but fell to 4% by the end of 2024.

For Bryson, that impact was seen in real time as he worked with small companies like startup medical device manufacturers and software companies and more. He saw some of them struggle while others closed up shop.

“These are companies that are bringing new products to market, making new manufacturing processes more efficient. They’re the ones that are innovating, because they’re not so tied to worries about the margins for shareholders so much,” he said. “It’s so heartbreaking to see a number of people I worked with have to sell their business.”

The “Big Three”

While some tax experts consider the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act a major overhaul, the OBBBA drew out many of the key business provisions that were already created. Aside from the return of the R&D deduction, there were two other provisions that made a return – and that companies are likely to benefit from.

The OBBBA included allowing companies to deduct business interest expenses of 30% of earnings before interest and taxes, starting after Dec. 2024. That grants businesses more leeway to deduct business interest quicker.

The third is a permanent reinstation of the option to claim 100% deduction on qualified property, also known as bonus depreciation, up to $2.5 million, which is effective on Jan. 20, 2025.

The bonus depreciation is a huge one for manufacturers and biotech companies, said Robert Zielinski, partner at The Bonadio Group. Without it, the bonus depreciation would have continued to phase out in 2027. In 2025, the bonus depreciation would have dropped to 40%.

“That remaining cost of the property would still be depreciated over its normal life. It’s a significant incentive for businesses to make capital expenses to be able to recover quicker,” Zielinski said.

The OBBBA also introduced several other lesser-known provisions that may be small pieces in the larger picture of whether a business would opt-in. For the first time, production properties are now qualified for the bonus depreciation, which could push manufacturers to get new sites online by 2031. But other limitations and individual state tax laws may mean it’s less of a tax break for businesses.

“If you look at it in a vacuum, it makes sense to take all the deductions upfront in 2025, but you really need to model it out. Even going back to bonus depreciation, you may want to take it, but you may be in a state that has decoupled from that rule,” he said.

What’s the windfall and who benefits

Thousands of companies are weighing their options right now with the tax provisions in the OBBBA, but very few are sharing what that impact would be like.

It’s safe to say right now that “it’s going to be significant,” said Dave Zion of the Zion Research Group. His office in Chadds Ford, Pa. assesses tax policy for hedge funds, pension funds and asset managers to develop investment strategies.

An analysis of the S&P 500 Healthcare Index by Zion Research Group found that the OBBBA provisions could boost free cash flow by 4%. That index includes drug development companies as well as insurance providers, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, and more.

It also assumes the companies would opt in to those provisions. Smaller companies that have a higher ratio of R&D spending versus revenue may want to continue the amortization to pay less in taxes, Zion said.

“For a small biopharma company that’s not profitable, I’d argue that this probably doesn’t mean that much at all because it’s not valuable to them. This is especially valuable if a company has enough taxable income to absorb it,” he said. “If you’re not generating taxable income, all you’re doing is carrying the loss forward.”

It could also set the stage for smaller biopharma companies that spend more of their revenue and face at least six years in clinical trials even before getting to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

On the flip side, the R&D deduction may be attractive if a company is taking an expensive risk like drug development. Having that tax break upfront versus spread out over the next five years may be meaningful depending on the company’s situation.

R&D in Delaware

Spreading out the R&D tax deduction has major implications for Delaware. Olson, who works closely with bioscience and tech companies, said he’s aware many have had to make tough hiring decisions and layoffs to cut costs in the past three years after the full deduction sunset.

In a small state that saw $2 billion in gross domestic product invested in R&D in 2022 and has outpaced the nation’s average, that cost is a heavy weight.

“Not every company can do what these companies are doing. They’re discovering drugs, and it’s a large investment for them. I got to think the impact this has on small companies in growth and the economic benefits they have through job creation outweighs the tax revenue,” he said.

Delaware’s major companies are also still privately working out what OBBBA means for their bottom line.

Incyte hinted that rapid policy shifts could have a risk for the business, citing the OBBBA as an example in its most recent second quarter report. Incyte has operations all over Europe as well as the U.S. The reclaiming of R&D expenses on American soil may be offset by a hike in the tax rate on income from manufacturing overseas. Incyte told DBT that it was still evaluating the impact of OBBBA.

Advanced manufacturing companies like DuPont and Chemours had mixed views. DuPont, which has been in Delaware for 200 years, files hundreds of tax returns in federal, state and local jurisdictions, as well as across other countries, creating a complex web for how the R&D deductions would land for the company. DuPont declined to comment for this story.

Chemours, which also has manufacturing sites across various states and in Europe and Asia, expects that it will see a portion of the valuation allowance to offset deferred taxable assets to be reported in the third quarter, due to the OBBBA.

When asked if the R&D tax deduction and bonus depreciation would impact Chemours’ plans for local or international investment, Chemours representatives said the company “recognizes the potential of such tax provisions to strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness” and remains committed to its presence in its communities.

For tax expert and Delaware State Chamber of Commerce Chair Marie Holliday, there’s more to be said for focusing on the long-term gains for keeping companies that want to be on the cutting edge of technology.

“You might not get the revenue from the company itself, but you would have all the higher paying positions in technology, science and people at doctorate levels coming into the state. That means we’d get the payroll taxes and state withholding on those taxes,” Holliday said.

“We need more tax revenue, and if we lose the biotech industry, we’re going to have a lot of problems,” she added. “So I believe this is a win for our state.”

The Delaware Health Information Network or DHIN signs a master service agreement with a leading clinical trial site organization.

The agreement with Hightower Clinical will bring more clinical trials to Delaware as well as generate new treatment options and boost the drug and diagnostic development process.

This is the first time that Hightower will conduct clinical trials in Delaware.

According to DHIN, there are limited options to participate in clinical trials locally, as they generally take place at Delaware’s large medical centers. This agreement opens the door for more types of clinical trials to take place at more locations in the First State.

"So it could be something as simple as just finding a protocol, DHIN doing the data search and then contacting those physicians, or it can be the whole thing, you know, Hightower can train staff there at the physician's office on how to oversee a clinical trial, how to do those patient interactions. They can train a PI, so a principal investigator, who's really in charge of patient safety and running a study properly at a physician's office," said Emily Hubbard, the senior manager for clinical trial research at DHIN.

The agreement will also help reduce time and costs typically involved in finding trial participants.

"The greatest benefit is access to these clinical trials,” said Hubbard. “A lot of times people think that clinical trials are, oh gosh, you know, ‘I'm end stage, I've got nowhere else to go.’ That's not all clinical trials. So a lot of times there are options that are low cost, no cost that are available that our residents may not know about. So there may be treatments available, they're just not aware of them."

Hubbard notes this agreement doesn’t affect DHIN’s relationships with large medical centers in the state.

NEWARK — Delaware-based CorriXR Therapeutics secured a $1 million investment from Delaware as it prepares to launch the first-in-human clinical trials of its cancer-focused gene-editing therapy.

The funding, announced Monday, represents a significant milestone for the startup which spun out of ChristianaCare in 2022 as the health system’s first-ever commercial venture. Founded by longtime gene-editing researcher Dr. Eric Kmiec, CorriXR is developing CRISPR-based treatments designed to reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy by disabling specific genes that worsen patient side effects.

“Patients typically get sick during treatments, like chemotherapy,” Kmiec told the Delaware Business Times. “With CRISPR, if we can disable that gene, we can reduce the amount of chemo a patient has to take. In our cell-based and animal models for lung and neck cancer, it appears we’ve been successful.”

Governor Matt Meyer and Delaware Division of Small Business Director CJ Bell joined CorriXR leaders Monday to tour the company’s facilities on the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus. Kmiec praised state officials for a rigorous vetting process that included out-of-state reviewers to eliminate bias.

“The due diligence was quite good and thorough, not an easy task, and it shouldn’t be,” he told DBT. “The state’s investment brings us one step closer to the clinic.”

The funding, part of Delaware’s strategic innovation support, will go directly into product development rather than overhead, Kmiec noted — a decision that reflects both the urgency and the cost of advancing novel therapies through FDA approvals.

Kmiec has worked in gene editing for four decades, much of it at ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center. CorriXR has already attracted multimillion-dollar backing, including pre-seed and Series A funding rounds totaling several million dollars, alongside federal grants and internal lab foundation support.

ChristianaCare remains a shareholder, and Kmiec credits CEO Dr. Janice Nevin with giving the venture “enormous support” at its launch.

The state’s $1 million contribution is not CorriXR’s largest investment to date, but Kmiec emphasized its importance as a signal to outside investors and strategic partners.

While CorriXR is still a young company, Kmiec believes the path to profitability in gene editing is far shorter than in other biotech areas, especially given the urgent demand for new oncology treatments.

“Our goal is to reduce patient suffering. The faster we can get it to patients, the better,” Kmiec said, adding that profitability is also important for the for-profit company. “That could come from building the company further, partnering with a major pharma like Merck or AstraZeneca, or eventually being acquired. The return on investment in this space can be decades faster, but you have to be really good.”

He said strategic partnerships remain a likely avenue in the near future, bringing not only capital but also employment opportunities and industry guidance. But, for Kmiec, CorriXR’s progress is not just a scientific or business story but also a Delaware story with economic and life-saving undertones.

“One of the things I’m most proud of at CorriXR is our space at the STAR Campus, alongside the Gene Editing Institute,” he said. “We’re very pleased and proud to be part of the Delaware ecosystem. We all have to be rooting for the success of CorriXR here in Delaware. This is not just fun with science — it has to be a business.”

With clinical trials on the horizon, Kmiec sees this moment as an “inflection point” in the company’s careful, methodical journey.

“We’ve had trustworthy supporters along the way,” he said. “Now, with Delaware’s investment, we’re one step closer to making a real difference for cancer patients.”

Innovative Initiative Addresses Key National Security and State Economic Priority

Event Marks Milestone in Transformation of Delaware Life Science Workforce

New Program Sees 96 Percent Graduation Rate

WILMINGTON, DE (July 28, 2025) –Twenty-four individuals were recognized today as the first graduating class of an important new training program designed to mobilize Delaware’s life science workforce.

The Delaware Center for Life Science Education and Training and the Delaware BioScience Association (Delaware Bio) celebrated the first cohort of the BioConnect DE Biomanufacturing Training Program in a ceremony this morning at EastSide Charter School in Wilmington. The pilot program achieved a 96 percent graduation rate.

The event recognized successful completion of an intensive 8-week, tuition-free training program preparing participants for entry-level roles in Delaware’s growing life sciences sector, positions that typically do not require a college degree. Funded through a Congressionally Directed Spending grant, financial and other support from Delaware Bio and industry partners, the pilot initiative is a central pillar in BioConnect DE’s mission to expand and mobilize the state’s bioscience workforce.

“This graduation marks a critical step in addressing workforce gaps in the life sciences while creating new opportunities for individuals across our community,” said Katie Lakofsky, executive director of BioConnect DE. “We’re thrilled to celebrate our first group of graduates and excited to connect them with employers who are ready to invest in talent.”

“Today’s exciting celebration is the result of years of planning and focused, effective collaboration with partners across industry, the government and community organizations,” said Michael Fleming, president and CEO of Delaware Bio and founding chair of the Delaware Center for Life Science Education and Training. “But most importantly, it recognizes a remarkable group of individuals who – with many obligations and sacrifices – courageously raised their hands to serve patients and secure our state’s economic future.”

Program Conceived to Address Major State and National Economic Priorities

The BioConnect DE graduation comes after extensive assessment of Delaware life science industry employment needs and opportunities, which highlighted the imperative to accelerate development of a dynamic, prepared and resilient workforce for advanced manufacturing and operational roles.

This included multiple surveys and analyses, most recently the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology’s comprehensive report issued earlier this year urging immediate action for the US to remain competitive in the industry so vital to American economic interests.

The BioConnect DE biomanufacturing program curriculum was designed based on an in-depth review of employer needs and educational and training capabilities. An important facet of the program is extensive community outreach and communications to raise awareness of the great career opportunities in life sciences manufacturing.

Recruiting and Training a Dynamic Workforce to Meet Industry Needs

The $3 million, three-year pilot program recruits and trains individuals in basic laboratory and advanced biomanufacturing skills. The course featured several guest lectures from industry professionals representing Agilent, AstraZeneca, Tru Global, Talent Connect and the University of Delaware, providing students with valuable insights into real-world biomanufacturing environments.

In addition, students participated in a collaborative group project tasked with designing and presenting a training session to the class, providing hands-on experience in delivering training, communication and teamwork. Classroom sessions for the inaugural cohort were conducted in the EastSide Charter School’s new Chemours STEM Hub.

Graduates include individuals with backgrounds in healthcare, retail, hospitality, and other industries who are now equipped with essential skills in areas such as Quality Management Systems, current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), Good Documentation Practices, and Clean Room Procedures.

Graduates Hear from State and Community Leaders

Today’s ceremony included remarks from community and industry partners, including New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry, EastSide Charter STEM Hub director Ray Rhodes, industry representatives and BioConnect DE class members.

Job Placement Efforts Underway

Top local life science employers are actively engaged with BioConnect DE staff to consider program graduates for roles in their Delaware operations. Employers have received student resumes and profiles, participated in mock interviews, site tours and guest lectures and employer roundtable sessions will continue in the coming months for BioConnect DE graduates.

The Inaugural BioConnect DE Training Class of 2025

Glendora D Barksdale, Raquel Blandford, Salena Brown, Ashley Calloway, Metehan Cebeci, Sheila Chadman, Chandele Cheeks-Tunnell, Sam Davila, Samira Edwards, Tyler Flanagan, Melissa Golden, Erica Huss, Sarah LaTorre, Jorie Logan, Jerome Madison, Keneisha McIntosh, Taiylor Myers, Noel Samuel, Alize’ Ray, Chanise Roberson, Mikaelah Rollins, LoVesha Walton, Margaret Wright, Soleil Xavier

About BioConnect DE

Launched by the Delaware Center for Life Science Education and Training, a nonprofit affiliate of the Delaware BioScience Association, BioConnect DE serves as a central hub for job seekers, employers and training programs to advance career pathways in the biosciences. For more information about BioConnect DE and the Biomanufacturing Training Program, visit www.bioconnectde.org.

Contact:

Katie Lakofsky, Executive Director
katie@bioconnectde.org

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) today announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Bill Meury as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Bill Meury succeeds Hervé Hoppenot who will retire from the Company after 11 years of service. Mr. Hoppenot will serve as an advisor to the CEO and will remain as a member of the Board through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. In addition, Lead Independent Director Julian Baker has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Meury is a proven enterprise leader with expertise in organizational strategy, pipeline and commercial execution and capital allocation. He most recently served as CEO of Anthos Therapeutics, where he successfully scaled the company for its next stage of growth. Prior to that, he was CEO of Karuna Therapeutics, leading its transition into a fully integrated R&D and commercial organization. Before Karuna, Mr. Meury spent more than two decades at Allergan, serving as Chief Commercial Officer, managing a global business with fifty products, $16 billion in revenue and approximately 8,000 employees across a range of therapeutic areas.

“I am honored to join Incyte at this pivotal moment and thank Hervé for his support during this transition,” said Mr. Meury. “Incyte's track record for discovering innovative treatments for complex problems in human health is outstanding. My priority is to build upon our exceptional R&D and commercial capabilities to accelerate new product flow, drive sustainable growth and create value for all stakeholders. I look forward to working with the Incyte team to continue to grow the company for enduring success.”

"Bill is a decisive and collaborative leader who possesses the strategic planning and executional skills necessary to accelerate Incyte’s growth and maximize the tremendous opportunities we have in oncology and immunology," said Mr. Baker. “During our thoughtful succession process, Bill’s leadership experience stood out, including his ability to effectively translate scientific breakthroughs into business results. Bill is a great listener, a tireless learner and a direct and open communicator. I believe that he embraces Incyte’s values of hard work, commitment to excellence in science and business and dedication to bringing novel, innovative and life changing medicines to patients in need. In my new role as Chairman, I look forward to working closely with Bill to create long-term value for our shareholders.”

“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I want to thank Hervé for his unwavering service as Chairman and CEO of Incyte,” continued Baker. “It was at Hervé’s request last Fall that the Board of Directors engaged in a thorough succession planning process that led us to today’s transition. Hervé’s leadership and vision have been invaluable over the past decade, growing Incyte into a leading, diversified company. Hervé joined Incyte in 2014 when it was a single product, U.S.-only company. During Hervé’s tenure, Incyte launched six novel medicines plus two new indications for Jakafi, expanded commercial operations into Europe, Japan and Canada and grew revenues from $355 million dollars in 2013 to $4.2 billion today. Hervé fostered a culture of innovation and collaboration that will carry on at Incyte. I would like to thank him for his hard work and dedication to the Company, which I expect will continue through the coming years, and wish him the best in his retirement.”

“It has been a privilege to lead Incyte over the past eleven years,” said Mr. Hoppenot. “Guided by our mission to Solve On. and relying on great science, together we have achieved remarkable success in our effort to address unmet medical needs. I am proud to retire at a time when Incyte has the strongest management team, internal R&D pipeline and commercial portfolio ever. With Bill’s leadership, I am confident that the Company will continue its legacy of delivering transformative solutions to patients for many years to come.”

About Bill Meury

Bill Meury was formerly CEO of Anthos Therapeutic, a Blackstone Life Sciences portfolio company, which was acquired by Novartis in April 2025. Mr. Meury joined Anthos after leading Karuna Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on neuroscience, until its merger with Bristol Meyers Squibb in March 2024. Prior to Karuna, he served as a Partner at Hildred Capital Management, a private equity firm focusing on healthcare products and services. Prior to Hildred Capital Management, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Allergan, until the time of its acquisition by AbbVie, where he had responsibility for over 50 products with $16 billion in revenue and over $3 billion in operating investment. In this role, he led multiple global divisions totaling approximately 8,000 employees, including marketing, sales, business development, marketing analytics, managed care and customer service. Mr. Meury has experience across a broad range of therapeutics areas and has been involved with over 20 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals and new product launches. He also served as Allergan’s President, Branded Pharma and Executive Vice President, Commercial, North American Brands, and as Executive Vice President Commercial Operations, at Forest Laboratories prior to its acquisition by Allergan.

Mr. Meury currently serves on the board of directors of the Jed Foundation. He received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland.

About Julian Baker

Julian Baker is Managing Partner of Baker Bros. Advisors LP (“BBA”) a biotechnology-focused, long-term investment adviser. Mr. Baker founded BBA, together with his brother and Co-Managing Partner Dr. Felix Baker, in 2000. Prior to BBA, Mr. Baker and his brother were portfolio managers of a biotech-focused investment partnership at Tisch Financial Management from 1994 to 1999. Previously, Mr. Baker was employed from 1988 to 1993 by the private equity investment arm of Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation.

In addition to Incyte, Mr. Baker serves as Chairman of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Chairman of Denali Therapeutics and as a Director of Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Baker holds an A.B. Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University.

About Incyte

A global biopharmaceutical company on a mission to Solve On., Incyte follows the science to find solutions for patients with unmet medical needs. Through the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics, Incyte has established a portfolio of first-in-class medicines for patients and a strong pipeline of products in Oncology and Inflammation & Autoimmunity. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, Incyte has operations in North America, Europe and Asia.

For additional information on Incyte, please visit Incyte.com or follow us on social media: LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information set forth herein, the matters set forth in this release contain predictions, estimates and other forward-looking statements, including statements regarding: Mr. Hoppenot’s continuation as a member of the board and advisor; Incyte’s ability to accelerate new product flow, drive sustainable growth and create value for all stakeholders; and other statements relating to Incyte’s growth, the potential presented by Incyte’s portfolio and pipeline and Incyte's expectations for both near- and long-term success.

These forward-looking statements are based on Incyte’s current expectations and subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including unanticipated developments in and risks related to: the leadership change; further research and development and the results of clinical trials possibly being unsuccessful or insufficient to meet applicable regulatory standards or warrant continued development; the ability to enroll sufficient numbers of subjects in clinical trials and the ability to enroll subjects in accordance with planned schedules; determinations made by the FDA, EMA and other regulatory agencies; Incyte’s dependence on its relationships with and changes in the plans of its collaboration partners; the efficacy or safety of Incyte’s products and the products of Incyte’s collaboration partners; the acceptance of Incyte’s products and the products of Incyte’s collaboration partners in the marketplace; market competition; unexpected variations in the demand for Incyte’s products and the products of Incyte’s collaboration partners; the effects of announced or unexpected price regulation or limitations on reimbursement or coverage for Incyte’s products and the products of Incyte’s collaboration partners; sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution requirements, including Incyte’s and its collaboration partners’ ability to successfully commercialize and build commercial infrastructure for newly approved products and any additional products that become approved; and other risks detailed in Incyte’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. Incyte disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contacts

Media
media@incyte.com

WILMINGTON — Merck & Company’s newly announced $1 billion research and development lab will position the pharmaceutical company to be on the forefront of biotech breakthroughs, executives told top Delaware science leaders this week.

The $200 billion pharmaceutical company plans to manufacture next-generation biologics, placing Merck ahead of the curve for complex treatments. It’s so important that Merck Senior Vice President of Biologic Operations David Maraldo said equipment will be “installed on day one” that has the ability to link two molecules together in drug manufacturing.

“Finding better drugs which will allow for much better targeting as well as a toxicity profile than conventional therapies makes it really exciting to be at the forefront of biotech in Wilmington,” he said.

Maraldo spoke about plans for the Merck Wilmington campus on June 11 at a Delaware Bioscience Association meeting. Merck expects to open its lab by 2028 with the manufacturing component opening later in 2030.

During his presentation, Maraldo showed renderings as well as offered a top-down view of the company’s global presence. Delaware was chosen among Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Massachusetts and other states where Merck has facilities for the project and state officials approved $30 million in taxpayer-backed grants to help seal the deal.

In the long term, Merck could have the chance to extend its production of monoclonal antibody productions. At the end of 2024, the company was granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration acceptance for one such antibody to treat infants during RSV season.

“That would expand the scope of what we’re trying to do initially,” Maraldo said. “Our intent is to establish this as a U.S. hub for Keytruda. It will start as one of the first products being manufactured out of this asset.”

Keytrudua is Merck’s oncology star product, generating $29.5 billion in sales last year. Merck plans on phasing its contract production overseas to Delaware, as well as some lines from New York.

“The scope and driver behind this investment [in Wilmington] is how we continue to look ahead of what our manufacturing network will need, what are our core technologies that we have gaps in, where geographically we need to be situated to be able to drive innovation as fast as possible to the patient,” he said.

Merck plans to build 470,000 square feet of lab and office space at the site. That will include three production suites for analytical testing and warehousing for the biologics. The plan is to grow into the space into a full-fledged life science campus within the Chestnut Run Innovation and Science Park.

The pharmaceutical company has said preliminary plans include hiring at least 500 people when it opens its Wilmington site. Maraldo declined to give a breakdown of management and skilled tech workers. He did acknowledge that some of the products coming out of the Delaware site would be manufactured for the first time ever, so analytical skills will be highly sought after in candidates on “the shop floor” of the life sciences business.

Maraldo added that Merck saw a future where the company could work with the University of Delaware which Merck has routinely hired graduates from and which hosts the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals.

“We know there’s a lot of opportunity within the university system and the institutions that exist will provide us opportunities to build a workforce for the future,” he said. 

Delaware’s DNA: Life Sciences Conference highlights future workforce, partnership needs

Delaware has seen a 65% increase in new biotechnology companies over the past decade, according to a recent report by the Delaware BioScience Association and the Delaware Prosperity Partnership. This growth is important to public health — and to Delaware’s economy, accounting for thousands of jobs in a broad range of fields ranging from biopharmaceutical research and testing to medical device and equipment innovation.

But are collaborations between industry and academia underway to keep fueling fresh innovations? And is the skilled workforce available to fill bioscience open positions at companies across the state, such as lab chemist, R&D scientist, molecular lab technician, and other technical roles? Such questions were on the agenda at Delaware’s DNA Life Sciences Conference held May 8, at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington.

The conference, hosted by the Delaware BioScience Association and sponsored in part by the University of Delaware, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, brought together national biotech leaders, investors, startups and researchers to reflect on how far the vibrant life sciences ecosystem has come and to consider what lies on the horizon and where collaboration will be needed next.

Unpacking industry-academic partnership

UD’s Nicole Merli, director of University and industry relations, led a discussion with John Swartley, chief innovation officer at the University of Pennsylvania, about the value of university-industry partnerships in translating innovations and technology from the lab to society — a fitting topic during May, which is National Inventor’s Month.

Swartley described the arduous road to bring CAR-T cell therapy, a pioneering cancer treatment developed at Penn, to fruition in the 2010s. While today the immunotherapy treatment for cancer is considered more common, this wasn’t always the case. Translating the technology from research scale to commercial scale was challenging, he said. The manufacturing infrastructure didn’t exist yet and industry partnerships were hard to come by. Successful commercialization of the life-saving treatment would take collaboration, in this case with pharmaceutical giant Novartis, but there were learning curves around how to build relationships and share resources, personnel and [innovation] rights.

“Changing the culture toward a culture of relationships was not entirely smooth,” Swartley said.

As universities today increasingly think outside of federal funding to drive research innovation, Merli takes personally her role in building connections to address gaps in translating innovations from the lab to society. Partnerships, she said, are one way to drive innovations into communities where they can improve lives.

“Industry-university partnerships are mission critical because universities are notoriously engines of discovery,” said Merli, who holds a joint role with UD and the Delaware Bioscience Association. Her position was enabled by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Accelerating Research Translation (NSF ART) program, which is investing in capacity-building resources that enhance research impact. UD is an inaugural awardee of the NSF ART program.

“Faculty members are trained to be curiosity driven, but it's often companies that have the resources, the regulatory experience, the market reach and the ability to scale those discoveries into usable products and therapies and technologies,

Figuring out which projects will be attractive and how to partner in ways that are friendly and commercially viable can be tricky. It’s something Merli thinks about a lot. “When it's done right, creating those partnerships ensures that the ideas that we develop here in our labs don't just sit there and collect dust. They reach patients, farmers, manufacturers … they reach communities in ways that improve lives,” she said.
Without it, the price tag for any one of those items, along with the cost of the talent and business planning, could put a company under, ranging anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions or billions depending on the bioscience business and its needs.

UD is a nationally recognized R1 research university with deep expertise in life sciences, biotechnology, and bioengineering, with research spanning drug discovery, biomanufacturing, neuroscience, genomics, biomaterials and more. It is home to the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), a hub for interdisciplinary life sciences research and industry collaboration, and boasts sophisticated facilities, including the Ammon Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Innovation Center, a cutting-edge facility advancing biopharma research and training, that also houses NIIMBL.

Meanwhile, core facilities located at UD, such as the Delaware Bio-Imaging Center, the DNA Sequencing and Genotyping Center and bioinformatics, microscopy and microanalysis facilities provide researchers on and off campus with access to sophisticated equipment and results.

Merli considers herself an informal matchmaker of sorts. She meets regularly with UD engineers, chemists, synthetic biologists, plant biologists and other scientific experts to understand the technologies developing at UD, then engages with biotechnology companies across the state to understand their pain points and where collaboration might provide solutions, while driving UD inventions to market. It’s a role that complements and overlaps with other units on campus related to UD’s innovation engine, including the Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships and its Technology Transfer Office.

Delivering a skilled life science workforce

Katie Lakofsky, bioscience workforce director for UD and the Delaware Bioscience Association, is focused on building the talent pipeline for the state’s life science ecosystem across all roles, from those that do not require a college degree to those requiring advanced education, such as a doctoral degree.

At UD, Lakofsky is working to connect undergraduate and graduate students to internship, training and job opportunities in the life sciences sector.

UD produces top-tier graduates in the life sciences from undergraduate to doctoral levels in biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering and related fields. Programs like UD’s Biotech Scholars, the U.S. National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU), and NIIMBL workforce initiatives prepare students for real-world bioscience careers. But connection points still help when it comes to landing a job after graduation.

At the conference, Lakofsky led a panel session on building this life science workforce of the future.

Panelist Jessica Hunt, manufacturing lead at Siemens Healthineers, emphasized the need for trained individuals for both degreed and non-degreed roles, especially as new technologies emerge and the current workforce ages.

“Trades and maintenance roles have been hard to hire and hard to retain. As our aging workforce retires, this is creating a hole,” Hunt said.

John Balchunas, workforce director at NIIMBL, noted this challenge exists nationally and internationally. A recent National Security Commission on Emergency Biotechnology report showed the number of degreed graduates won’t be enough to fill all available industry jobs, as biotechnology rapidly continues to expand beyond health care, encompassing innovations with applications to agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing and defense.

Non-degree pathways can help fill this gap, but awareness of the field is lacking, Lakofsky said.

She shared a recent interaction with a high school student at a job fair. He liked working with his hands, so he was thinking about becoming an auto mechanic. Lakofsky asked whether he realized that Delaware is home to many life science industries in need of employees trained to use their hands — and minds — to diagnose, problem-solve and maintain sophisticated laboratory or diagnostics equipment. He wanted to know more.

That student is exactly the kind of individual Lakofsky hopes will eventually consider the biomanufacturing training program hosted by BioConnect DE, a new non-profit launched out of her workforce development efforts. BioConnect DE serves as a cornerstone for life sciences workforce development in Delaware, strengthening local economic growth and supporting the long-term success of the region’s life sciences industry.

The biomanufacturing training program, a key BioConnect DE initiative, is designed for individuals 18 and older who are looking to gain new skills or reskill for a career in the life sciences. BioConnect DE aims to open doors to the industry for people from a wide range of backgrounds—whether or not they hold a college degree.

“These careers must be tangible so that students can see themselves in an industry that can be hard for an 18-year-old to get their arms around,” Balchunas said.

UD facilities like the upcoming Securing American Biomanufacturing Research and Education (SABRE) Center will provide students a ‘behind the scenes’ look at life science career possibilities. The SABRE Center is a testbed biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility that will one day sit adjacent to UD’s Ammon Pinizzotto Biopharmaceutical Innovation Center (home to NIIMBL) on the Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. The future 80,000-square-foot Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility will enable hands-on training in advanced manufacturing techniques and the specialized skillsets needed to make biopharmaceuticals and other high-precision products.

Delaware is open for (life sciences) business

In his keynote address, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer reflected on Delaware’s rise over the last 30 years into a global hub for life science innovation. He noted the contributions these innovations have had on our lives, health and overall wellbeing and the ways that a strong workforce fosters a robust economy when manufacturing, technology and science come together. Meyer encouraged those in the sector to continue the good work underway to ensure Delaware’s standing as a top-notch producer of life science solutions.

“What I know to be true is that there are going to be emerging life sciences technologies invented somewhere, in the coming months, years and decades. These life sciences technologies are going to transform lives and potentially communities, cities, counties and states,” Meyer said. “Our job is to make sure those innovations happen here in Delaware. Our job is to make sure that this is the place to commercialize and scale new innovations that are already here.”

At UD, the innovation ecosystem is growing — from ideation to commercialization — through the work of its faculty, students and researchers. The University’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP) and Corporate Engagement teams support this effort, facilitating industry-university connections, spinouts, licensing, and co-development opportunities. To learn more about how to get connected, visit UD’s Innovation Gateway.