BioCentriq first was launched in 2019 by NJII, a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) corporation that was created in 2014 to serve as a portal and platform for higher education/industry partnerships. NJII brings together the capabilities of NJIT, industry and government relationships, and proven methods to build industry-centric ecosystems that foster innovation and deliver solutions that make a direct impact on the economy and improve the quality of life.

“Thanks to the foresight of the NJIT Board of Trustees in supporting the creation of NJII, we were able to create an entity that has built upon NJIT’s strengths in life sciences and engineering to serve as a catalyst for entrepreneurship and industry partnership,” said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom.

NJII CEO Simon Nynens explained, “This is a perfect example of what NJII was designed to do. In this case, we were able to work with industry to identify an area of huge need and create an entity that delivers a solution.”

NJII initially began exploring the sale of BioCentriq through a bid process that involved more than 50 companies, and the terms of the deal and its closing were approved recently by the NJII Board of Directors. The members of the NJII Board include a broad range of industry, government, and higher education leaders. The proceeds of the transaction will be held by NJII and redeployed to continue growing an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that supports the State of New Jersey and its regional economy.

Dr. Haro Hartounian, SVP and GM of BioCentriq, noted, “I would like to thank NJIT and NJII for providing the opportunity to start BioCentriq and to build a successful Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization. This transaction marks the start of an exciting new chapter for BioCentriq. This acquisition by GC. will enhance BioCentriq’s ability to deliver superior service and expertise for cell and gene therapy companies. BioCentriq and GC’s combined expertise and synergy will enhance our ability to drive innovation in cell and gene therapy that delivers life-changing therapies for patients who so desperately need them.”

GC is a South Korean company founded in 1967 with a major footprint across healthcare sectors. “BioCentriq’s unique expertise in the rapidly growing cell and gene therapy CDMO will be a transformative addition to our business that we believe will accelerate our growth, with additional expansion projects underway in New Jersey. We are thrilled to team up with BioCentriq’s incredibly talented team,” said Yong-Jun Huh, the company’s president.

Moving forward BioCentriq will operate in a mode similar to other GC companies, with each
maintaining its individual culture and identity while sharing best practices. Dr. Haro Hartounian, SVP and GM of BioCentriq, will become the CEO of BioCentriq upon the closing of the transaction. He will retain his position as affiliated faculty at NJIT.

“We thank Haro and his entire team for all their hard work and wish them continued success,” Nynens added.

Bloom added, “NJII’s sale of BioCentriq to GC. is a tremendous success story and a prime example of how effective collaboration between higher education, industry, and government can lead to innovations that positively affect the health and wellbeing of people while also driving economic growth.”

About BioCentriq:
BioCentriq is a full service Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). BioCentriq’s mission is to accelerate the advancement of cell and gene therapies by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of manufacturing processes and technologies.

About NJII:
New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), an NJIT corporation, was founded in 2014 and helps turn ideas into workable solutions across four divisions: healthcare, entrepreneurship, defense and homeland security, and professional and corporate education. NJII combines the vast resources of NJIT, strong and far-reaching industry and government relationships, and proven methods for building industry centric ecosystems to help drive innovation and deliver solutions that make a direct impact on the economy and the health and welfare of its participants.

About GC:
GC (formerly known as Green Cross Holdings), through its operating companies, provides total healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of human health. GC was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Yongin, South Korea.

The post NJII Announces the Sale of its Subsidiary, BioCentriq, for $73 Million appeared first on NJII.

“We are honored to partner with McKinsey & Company who will contribute their thought leadership and expertise in operational excellence to design this center and develop and deliver the curriculum,” said Haro Hartounian, SVP and general manager of the Biopharma Division of the New Jersey Innovation Institute. “Our mission is to make cell and gene therapies more accessible to the patients that need them, and this center will provide an opportunity for companies from around the world to experience innovative and promising Industry 4.0 approaches and technologies first-hand.”

According to the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine’s annual report there are more than 1,085 total gene, cell and tissue-based therapeutic developers worldwide and 1,220 trials aiming to enroll more than 90,000 patients worldwide. In order for these therapies to become more accessible, the manufacturing of them must become more efficient, and the technology and digital and operational approaches being introduced in the Digital Capability Center are widely anticipated to be the key enablers of those improvements.

McKinsey & Company launched its worldwide network of Capability Centers in 2007. These immersive learning environments inspire and equip organizations to deliver sustainable performance improvements from operational excellence and tech-enabled transformations, with centers in Aachen, Atlanta, Beijing, Gurugram, Istanbul, Salvador, Singapore, Monterrey, and Venice This new center will open at the VentureLink building on the campus of NJIT in Newark, New Jersey in the 4th quarter of 2021 and will be supported by BioCentriq, NJII’s full-service concept-to-clinic contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) founded in 2019 with a mission to help innovative companies reach clinical success.

About NJII

The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) was founded in 2014 and combines the vast resources of NJIT, strong industry and government relationships, and proven methods to drive innovation and deliver transformative products and services. To achieve this, NJII is organized into six innovative divisions that guide our activities: biopharma, data and advanced technology, defense and homeland security, entrepreneurship, healthcare delivery and professional and corporate education. Learn more at www.njii.com.

About McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company is one of the world’s leading management consulting firms. For over 90 years, we have helped clients across the life sciences sector achieve substantial, lasting improvements in business

performance. With exceptional people in over 65 countries–including medical doctors, engineers, designers, data scientists, business managers, entrepreneurs, and research scientists–we combine global expertise and local insights to help our clients create not just change, but Change that Matters.

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Media Contact:
Amy Lamperti
VP, Commercialization
amy.lamperti@biocentriq.com
+1-201-572-1554

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NEWARK, NJ, June 22, 2021 – CaroGen Corporation has selected BioCentriq as their partner for clinical manufacturing to support Phase 1 clinical trials of its lead immunotherapy candidate, CARG-201 which has been designed to stimulate the immune system and generate multiple hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigens. VLVs used by Carogen are an artificial hybrid virus based on an alphavirus RNA replicon and glycoprotein from vesicular stomatitis virus.

“CaroGen’s mission is to develop transformative immunotherapies that will recognize and fight infectious diseases of unmet need, like those generated by HBV, that result in chronic liver conditions and cancer” said Bijan Almassian, Ph.D. and CaroGen’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to engage an expert and innovative partner like BioCentriq to help validate our methods, further develop our manufacturing processes and ultimately produce high-quality clinical grade materials.”

BioCentriq is a New Jersey based full-service concept-to-clinic contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) with a mission to support innovative companies reach clinical success. The company offers process development and clinical manufacturing services for the cell and gene therapy industry along with a workforce development arm designed to help the industry adopt best practices in cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

“Our team is enthusiastic about the opportunity to help CaroGen scale up their technology and manufacture clinical grade materials that can be made available to the patients who need them the most” said Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., SVP and general manager of BioCentriq. “The work that CaroGen and the team at Yale University has done is truly impressive and we are honored to partner with them as they enter Phase 1 clinical trials.”

CaroGen is a private biotechnology company with a patented and transformative novel immunotherapy and vaccine platform called AVIDIO, or Artificial Virus for Infectious Diseases and Immuno-Oncology. The AVIDIO platform technology was licensed from Yale University for worldwide use by CaroGen for both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine applications.

According to the Hepatitis B Foundation more than two billion people around the world have been infection with the hepatitis B virus and 30 million people become newly infected each year. The Foundation asserts that HBV is the leading cause of liver cancer and nearly 884,000 people die each year from hepatitis B and related diseases.

About CaroGen

CaroGen Corporation is an immunotherapy company employing a virus-like vesicle (VLV) platform technology that was pioneered by Professor John Rose at Yale University School of Medicine and is exclusively licensed by CaroGen for the development and commercialization of VLV immunotherapies worldwide. CaroGen has completed preclinical proof-of-concept in HBV animal models and selected a clinical candidate, CARG-201. CaroGen also is exploiting its AVIDIO platform technology to create novel immunotherapies prospectively for colorectal, ovarian, and liver cancers in collaborations with medical researchers at Yale University, University of Connecticut, Brown University, Albany Medical College and Wayne State University. www.carogencorp.com.

About BioCentriq

BioCentriq is a cell & gene therapy process development and clinical manufacturing center founded in 2019. The company produces autologous and allogeneic cell therapies and gene therapies, and immunotherapies, including monoclonal antibodies and proteins, and vaccines on behalf of therapy developers. BioCentriq also offers customized workforce development programs. Visit www.biocentriq.com.

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Media Contacts

Bijan Almassian, PhD
President & CEO
balmassian@carogencorp.com
+1-203-815-5782

Amy Lamperti
VP, Commercialization
amy.lamperti@biocentriq.com
+1-201-572-1554

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Dr. Joel Bloom, president, NJIT and Chairman of NJII Board of Directors and Nariman Farvardin, president, Stevens Institute of Technology share the third spot in the ROI Influencers Technology 2021 Top 10 and the article states “NJIT and Stevens are schools that are changing the way the world works with their research and inventions while producing highly sought-after graduates — students who come from all walks of life, a much-needed accomplishment in the tech ecosystem.”

On the list of Executives, Robert Cohen, President of Digital, Robotics, & Enabling Technologies of Stryker and Chairman of NJII Board of Directors and NJIT Board of Trustees, is awarded as an executive influencer and per the author, “He is the head of several key technologies at Stryker, one of the world’s leading health care technology companies, and chair of the board of trustees at New Jersey Institute of Technology.”

On the list of Academics, Simon Nynens, NJII CEO, and David Bader, Director of Institute for Data Science at NJIT, are named recognized academic influencers. ROI-NJ states of Simon Nynens “Heads NJII, an NJIT corporation that helps turn ideas into workable solutions across six divisions: biopharma, data and advanced technology, defense and homeland security, entrepreneurship, health care delivery and human capital.”

NJII board member and Managing Partner of Newark Venture Partners, Tom Wisniewski, is also included as a technology investor who “invests in best-in-class business-to-business software founders from all backgrounds as they build innovative solutions for some of today’s most complex business challenges.”

NJII congratulates everyone on the list and celebrates the recognition of our CEO and so many of our board members.
To view the full list, click here.

The post ROI-NJ Names NJII CEO, NJIT President and More to First-Ever Influencers Technology List appeared first on NJII.

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“We are thrilled to have these individuals join NJII’s board of directors at a time of rapid growth and growing interest in our programming and services” said Simon Nynens, CEO of NJII.

Rowland, who is a Certified Public Account and Certified Management Accountant, is a long-time New Jersey resident with years of experience in professional services and has held leadership roles in accounting and finance in the retail, consumer goods and media industries. She has done work in over 50 countries and serves/has served on the boards of Girls with Impact, The All Stars Project of New Jersey and the Chatham Education Foundation. She is a member of the Chief Women’s network, The Executive Forum and FENG.

When introducing herself to her fellow members Rowland said “I am honored to join you all and look forward to identifying new opportunities as well as contributing to the work already underway by introducing my network to NJII and sharing my expertise whenever needed.”

Edelstein has worked at the NJHA for more than 23 years and led programs that foster collaboration and coordination to improve the health of the people of New Jersey. She also supervises the Association’s insurance and managed care initiatives, helps lead advocacy and education efforts and establishes and maintains relationships with state, regional and national policymakers, regulators, legislators, and associations.

“One thing the pandemic has shown us is that health and healthcare are essential to New Jersey’s overall well-being. Innovation will be a critical part of our road ahead in improving the health of the people of our state. It’s an honor to bring the important perspective of healthcare organizations to key initiatives like the New Jersey Health Information Network and other NJII programs.” said Edelstein.

Wisniewski, who has been an enthusiastic advisor to the team at NJII’s VentureLink@NJIT is a managing partner at Newark Venture Partners (NVP), an early-stage venture fund based in downtown Newark, NJ. NVP is backed by Audible (an Amazon company), RWJBarnabas, Prudential and several other engaged corporate partners, as it seeks to find, invest in and support best in class B2B software founders from all backgrounds. Tom leads investments for NVP and mentors the dozens of entrepreneurs within their portfolio. Prior to NVP, he managed his family office RosePaul Ventures with investments in 30+ tech start-ups and 12 Seed/Series-A venture capital funds.

“Start-ups and growing businesses have a real opportunity to leverage the resources and intellectual capital of NJIT and the programming and space available through NJII. The relationship between the City of Newark and its entrepreneurs is a win-win, each helping the other to grow and succeed. I look forward to further building a bridge for NJII entrepreneurs to NVP and the greater New York-New Jersey Venture Capital community to continue the growth of their businesses,” Wisniewski said as he joined the group.

NJII’s board of directors includes leaders from businesses, industry associations and academic institutions across New Jersey. The board is led by NJIT President Joel Bloom. View members here.

The appointment of three new members coincides with the retirement from the board of Rochelle Hendricks, Former NJ Commissioner of Higher Education, John Pyrovolakis, Founder & CEO of Innovation Accelerator and Emily DeRocco, CEO of E3 Consulting. “We want to thank Rochelle, John and Emily for their support, perspective and contributions.” said Simon Nynens, CEO of NJII.

About NJII

The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) was founded in 2014 and combines the vast resources of NJIT, strong industry and government relationships, and proven methods to drive innovation and deliver transformative products and services. To achieve this, NJII is organized into six innovative divisions that guide our activities: biopharma, data and advanced technology, defense and homeland security, entrepreneurship, healthcare delivery and professional and corporate education. Learn more at www.njii.com.

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The magazine also publishes lists of the most influential people in 14 individual sectors or categories across the state.

Dr. Joel Bloom, president, NJIT and Chairman of NJII Board of Directors is named as an influencer in higher education and ROI NJ writes “The ribbon-cutting for BioCentriq, the cutting-edge cell and gene therapy development and clinical manufacturing center located at the New Jersey Innovation Institute on the campus of NJIT in Newark, was a game-changer for the state.”

In the area of Technology, Simon Nynens, CEO, NJII is one of the recognized influencers and of Nynens, ROI NJ writes “He is tasked with developing and expanding programs that spur innovation commercialization services and entrepreneurship, both nationally and around the world.”

Three of NJII’s board members, in addition to Lozano mentioned above, are also recognized on the power list of associations. They are Debbie Hart, president & CEO of BioNJ, Dean J. Paranicas, president & CEO of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey and Michele Siekerka, president & CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.

“I would like to congratulate everyone on the list,” said Simon Nynens, CEO, NJII “It’s wonderful to see so many familiar names on the list of colleagues and partners who collaborate with NJII and continue to drive innovation and growth across the Garden State.” 

The post ROI NJ Names NJII CEO and NJIT President as ROI Influencers: Power List 2021 appeared first on NJII.

Newark, New Jersey: The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), an NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) corporation, is pleased to announce that it has formed an advisory council to support the endeavors and programs developed in its Data & Technology division. Initial members include the following recognized leaders in business development, engineering, and math.

Eugene Chen, business analyst at Anthropocene Institute with 20+ years of experience in international business development, marketing, and manufacturing across many industries. His role at Anthropocene is to both evaluate potential investments and then once selected, provide those businesses with advice and guidance that helps them succeed.

Victor Lawrence, Ph.D., distinguished research professor and the director of the center for intelligent networked systems, Stevens Institute of Technology. He was inducted into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2016 and has been a member of the National Academy of Engineers since 2003. His work has advanced data encoding and transmission, modem technology, silicon chip design, ATM switching and protocols, DSL, speech and audio coding, and digital video.

Alexei Miasnikov, Ph.D., distinguished professor, director of the Department of Mathematics at Stevens Institute of Technology. A world-class mathematician and a leading international expert in geometric and algorithmic group theory, model theory, computer science and cryptography, Alexei was selected as an Inaugural Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and is a co-founder of Gradarius

The Data & Technology division includes five strategic hubs: Cybersecurity, Data Science, EdTech, FinTech, and Hardware. These five strategic hubs form an ecosystem that connects companies, investors and innovators, government agencies, and industry partners to enable business agility, scale, and efficiency. Unique partnerships are developed that reduce time to market, unlock value, improve costs, create new offerings, and generate revenue.

NJII CEO Simon Nynens said “We are incredibly honored to have Eugene, Victor and Alexei, who are true leaders and visionaries in their respective fields, act as advisors to us and our partners.”

“You can’t turn anywhere today without running into data and technology. Data science and cyber security are core to every industry,” affirmed Dr. Lawrence, “I am close to many students and innovators and one of their key frustrations is the lack of connection to companies and VCs that can help their ideas grow; and if we do this very well, we can make NJII the focal point of a technology hub in New Jersey.”

The newly formed advisory council will provide strategic direction to the leadership of NJII as well as help identify emerging companies and technologies that NJII can scale and introduce to new markets. In addition, members of the advisory council will be available to support the organizations who become clients and partners.

Eugene Chen said, “as an advisory council we are in a unique position to share our considerable experience commercializing technologies.” Mr. Chen further added, “We can also provide access to business opportunities, institutions, and partners that budding technologists and start-ups or innovators may not otherwise have access to.”

Companies that join one or more of the five strategic hubs gain access to new partners and markets, skilled resources, R&D, proximity to the tri-state area, unique sources of funding, licensable intellectual property, and more.

Dan Kaminski, senior vice president and general manager, NJII said “Our team will benefit in so many ways from working with this group. Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Miasnikov and Eugene are all incredibly passionate about the opportunities to apply data and technology to improve the lives of future generations and we are very fortunate they are willing to share their enthusiasm, experience, time and perspective with us.”

When asked why companies with promising data & technology solutions should consider working with NJII, Dr. Miasnikov stated, “People are not a small thing. In addition to having a structure that is agile and facilitates acceleration of new innovations, NJII and NJIT have an impressive leadership team with people who are admirable and good to work with, approachable, and passionate.” To learn more about the Data & division at NJII or to contact the team visit https://www.njii.com/data-and-technology/.

The post Eugene Chen, Victor Lawrence, and Alexei Miasnikov Join Advisory Council at NJII appeared first on NJII.

Starting November 2020, organizations within the NJII network can enroll in COI Energy’s programs to monetize energy flexibility, reduce energy waste and unnecessary spend by improving the efficiency of their facilities. The COI Energy platform will also enable customers to benchmark their carbon reduction through COI Energy’s digital energy management platform. New Jersey businesses will earn new revenues monthly through the sale of their unused or excess energy and/or generate savings by continuously monitoring and improving their energy efficiency.

Read the full article
Contact us to learn more

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Virtual ribbon cutting and tour featured remarks from New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, FDA’s Peter Marks, as well as panel discussions with industry leaders from ARM, NIIMBL, Century Therapeutics, BioNJ, NJEDA, NJIT and NJII on the rise of Cell & Gene Therapy in New Jersey

October 29, 2020 – Newark, NJ – The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) and Choose New Jersey hosted a virtual ribbon cutting, tour and panel discussions to mark the opening of BioCentriq, NJII’s cutting-edge cell and gene therapy development and clinical manufacturing center located on the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, New Jersey.

New Jersey Governor Murphy’s pre-recorded opening remarks emphasized the important role centers of innovation like BioCentriq will play in a post-pandemic economy.

President of New Jersey Institute of Technology Dr. Joel Bloom reinforced the governor’s message by stating “There is a massive need for what BioCentriq can provide, and our ability to fill that gap will translate into results that literally save and improve the quality of countless lives. We have the capacity to help companies develop processes, conduct clinical production trials, and train employees.”

Jose Lozano, president and CEO of Choose New Jersey hosted the event. “New Jersey is a top hub for cell and gene therapy,” said Lozano. “We are home to groundbreaking cell and gene therapy companies that are leading the way in next-generation therapeutics. Today’s ribbon cutting at BioCentriq is another exciting chapter for New Jersey’s innovation economy. We look forward to seeing how BioCentriq will advance the industry in years to come.”

Opening remarks were made by Joel Bloom, Ed.D. and president of NJIT, Governor Phil Murphy, Robert Cohen, president digital, robotics, and enabling technology at Stryker and Simon Nynens, CEO of NJII.

Pall Biotech, The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, BMS, Cytiva, Panasonic Healthcare and Novartis were recognized, along with the 12 industry leaders who make up the biopharma advisory council, for their contributions of equipment, funding and expertise.

Dr. Peter Marks, MD., Ph.D., director of the center for biologics evaluation and research (CBER) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spoke about the importance of cell and gene therapies and the role of the FDA in streamlining, removing hurdles and providing support to improve the availability of these therapies. He also talked about the importance of collaborative efforts like BioCentriq to help accelerate advancements and innovation.

Haro Hartounian, Ph.D. and SVP and GM of the Biopharma Division, and senior vice-president and general manager of BioCentriq, gave a detailed view of the new center and the work being done by the Biopharma division at NJII. Dr. Hartounian also premiered a video tour of the facility. In addition, he led a panel discussion on the future of cell and gene therapy manufacturing with Kelvin H. Lee, Ph.D. director of the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing (NIIMBL), Janet Lynch Lambert, CEO of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine and Greg Russotti, Ph.D., chief technology officer of Century Therapeutics, LLC.

“BioCentriq’s mission is to bring together industry, technology developers, academia and regulatory agencies to help advance the development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies,” said Dr. Hartounian. “We are thrilled to open the doors to our center at a time when demand for process development and clinical manufacturing of cell and gene therapies exceeds capacity available from existing contract development and manufacturing organizations. Our goal is to provide a collaborative space where innovative approaches and technologies can be utilized to help make emerging therapeutics available to the patients that so desperately need them.”

The event concluded with a panel discussion that featured local leaders who described the resources New Jersey offers to companies who bring their cell and gene therapy projects and businesses to the state. Panelists included Debbie Hart, president & CEO of BioNJ; Jose Lozano; Kathleen Coviello, executive vice president for Technology, Life Sciences & Entrepreneurship at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA); and Kevin D. Belfield, Ph.D. and dean, College of Science & Liberal Arts, NJIT.

To learn more and view the recorded event please visit: https://www.choosenj.com/webinar/first-look-at-biocentriq/.

Shown in above photo of BioCentriq Ribbon Cutting at NJIT Life Sciences & Engineering Center Building in Newark, NJ from left to right are Robert Cohen, president, digital, robotics, and enabling technology, Stryker, Simon Nynens, CEO, New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), Joel Bloom, Ed.D., president, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Dan Wessner, director of sales, Pall Biotech, Haro Hartounian, Ph.D., SVP and general manager, NJII, Fadi P. Deek, Ph.D., provost and senior executive vice president, NJIT and Jose Lozano, president & CEO, Choose New Jersey.

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Media Contacts:

Amy Lamperti
VP, Business Development & Marketing
New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII)
Amy.lamperti@njii.com
+1-201-572-1554

Carly Wronko
Marketing Manager
Choose New Jersey
+1-609.297.2189
cwronko@choosenj.com

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