North Carolina State University

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Agragene announces funding from the USDA New World Screwworm Grand Challenge and from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research. The grants were awarded through competitive processes by both USDA and FFAR with the former involving hundreds of submissions. Both grants are designed to facilitate additional research on the company’s novel insect sterility technology. Agragene uses precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) to deliver healthy, sterile male flies to mate with wild female screwworm. Bryan Witherbee, CEO of Agragene, says the technology has demonstrated the ability to deliver significant impact in reducing other invasive pest populations. “Agragene is excited for the opportunity to develop its pgSIT technology to address New World screwworm. In talking with ranchers, it’s clear they need improved tools. The technology offers a cost-effective, scalable platform to bring healthy sterile males to combat this devastating insect.” Witherbee also notes, “Agragene’s experience in pgSIT development and regulatory work will be a key advantage to bring this technology forward rapidly.” Dr. Omar S. Akbari, co-founder of Agragene and Tata Chancellor’s Endowed Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California San Diego, who developed the technology, said: “These awards provide an important opportunity to accelerate development of next-generation genetic biocontrol technologies for New World screwworm. The resurgence of this devastating pest underscores the urgent need for new tools that can complement existing control strategies. Our precision-guided sterile insect technique, or pgSIT, uses CRISPR-based genetics to produce healthy, sterile males that remain competitive for mates in the wild, with the potential to improve the efficiency and scalability of future screwworm control programs.” Agragene was selected as a collaborator on projects led by Dr. Max Scott of North Carolina State University and Dr. Molly Duman Scheel of the Indiana University School of Medicine and the University of Notre Dame Eck Institute for Global Health. About Agragene: Agragene is the leading global company focusing on delivering pgSIT technology to address invasive insect challenges around the world and holds novel intellectual property for this technology and field.

Junkosha reveals Technology Innovator of the Year Awards shortlist across interventional medical procedures & microwave technologies TOKYO, JAPAN, May 29, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / -- Junkosha has announced the shortlist of six candidates for its third Technology Innovator of the Year Award. This year’s edition received entries from 11 countries, the highest in the Award’s history. The Award also saw a 30% increase in entries highlighting the growing momentum for the company’s program. Each shortlisted candidate will present their entry to the judging panel with the winner to be announced via a live-streamed ceremony in June. The Award, which recognizes the innovative work of an individual or team working in the delivery of products used within Microwave/mmWave technologies or interventional medical procedures, includes a new category highlighting promising early phase ideas. This addition underscores Junkosha’s commitment to driving sustainable progress through technological advancement. The new category winner will receive a total of $25,000 distributed over a four-year period: $10,000 in the first year and $15,000 awarded upon recognition of commercial viability in the fourth year. This is in addition to the $25,000 for the late phase category. “In the wake of what has been a very successful year, the judges were faced with an exceptionally strong and competitive cohort of entries,” explained Joe Rowan, Chairperson for the Award. “The quality of entries was exceptionally high and with more than ever before, our judges had a challenging task selecting the final shortlist. Across both the Microwave/mmWave technologies and interventional medical procedure disciplines we observed a wide range of technology inventions pushing into new and important territories. Innovation is very much alive, and the work that is shortlisted did so because it moved the standard of excellence forward significantly.” Mike Winterling, Chief Operating Officer for Junkosha USA, added: “At Junkosha we hold ‘Enabling Technology Innovators’ as a central pillar of our corporate philosophy. This Award perfectly reflects that same spirit, recognizing that by supporting the technology leaders shaping our future, we help enrich the society we all share. Congratulations to those shortlisted to present their hard work in the next phase. I look forward to discovering who emerges as the winner from such an outstanding list.” Across the two categories, six judges reviewed entries spanning start-ups, established businesses, standout leaders and graduate spinout companies. The categories and shortlisted candidates are as follows: Early phase interventional medical procedures Peter (Petrus) Besselink, Memory Metal Holland BV Memory Metal Holland BV (MMH) has introduced a technological solution for creating medical steerable guidewires. The distal end of a guidewire can be shaped mechanically with an actuation mechanism at the other end of the guidewire. This behavior has multiple advantages, including better steerability, reduction of used wires and a decrease in operation time, thus saving lives. Specivex, North Carolina State University - Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, UNC and NC State The Specivex technology streamlines endoscopic biopsies by preserving tissue integrity in challenging locations while reducing tool exchanges and sample loss. This innovation shortens procedure times, lessens anesthesia exposure, and lowers repeat biopsy rates - addressing key inefficiencies in interventional medical workflows and improving outcomes for patients and clinicians alike. Late phase interventional medical procedures Ali Tavallaei, Magellan Biomedical Inc. Magellan Biomedical has developed a steerable catheter designed to improve device support, pushability and precision during interventional procedures. This innovation has the potential to improve procedural efficiency and expand possibilities across a range of interventional applications. Dr. Vishal Gupta, Anchor Balloon Inc. Anchor Balloon Inc. is developing a patented balloon catheter designed to address one of the most challenging aspects of coronary intervention; precise stent placement in difficult or hard to reach lesion sites. This platform technology enables accurate device delivery in the cardiovascular space. Late phase Microwave/mmWave technologies Tristan Ossama El Bouayadi, Thintronics Inc Thintronics Inc. has developed enabling material solutions across redistribution layers, advanced packaging and PCB dielectrics, offering exceptional electrical performance into the mmWave range. These high-performance materials are engineered to be both PFAS-free and Teflon-free, with higher insulating properties and supporting data centers with faster computing speeds and lower energy costs. William Rosas, Signal Microwave Signal Microwave has developed a 100-ohm true differential probe with no ground pins. This innovative design enables accurate measurement of PCB s-parameters, skew and PCB component-to-component line testing to support the industry’s demand for higher data rates over differential traces. Andrew Parker Kredo email us here Visit us on social media: LinkedIn Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

NEWARK, Del., May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) has selected eight new member-led technology and workforce development projects totaling $9.7 million in NIIMBL funding and member co-investment through its Project Call 9.1. Featuring 39 participating organizations, the projects target major industry challenges to advance domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and talent development strategies. Technology projects focus on real-time process analytics, AI/ML-based process optimization, and novel protein expression platforms for next-generation therapeutics. "These new technology projects represent the kind of innovation needed to strengthen the nation's biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, said Sandeep Kedia, NIIMBL Senior Technology Fellow and Project Call Program Lead. "By bringing together advanced process analytical technologies, AI-driven optimization, and next-generation production platforms, our members are helping accelerate the adoption of transformative technologies across the industry." Three workforce initiatives will spark interest in biopharmaceutical manufacturing careers, strengthen cross-regional workforce partnerships, and build an AI-ready biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, helping ensure the United States maintains global leadership in biopharma talent. "Our workforce initiatives are designed to meet talent needs head‑on by creating more innovative pathways into biomanufacturing careers, said John Balchunas, NIIMBL Workforce Director. "These new projects will strengthen partnerships and ensure that learners can gain the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving biopharma industry." Since NIIMBL's launch in 2017, the Institute has built a portfolio of 230 technical and workforce development projects totaling more than $216 million in NIIMBL funding and member co-investment. NIIMBL is comprised of more than 200 member organizations and partners from academia, industry, government, and non-profit organizations with a common goal to advance biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Funding for Project Call 9.1 projects is subject to project award contract execution. For a description of each project and to learn more about NIIMBL, please visit the Project Call 9.1 page. Project Call 9.1 List Technology Projects Project: Continuous and Automated Downstream Purification of AAV Lead: Michigan Technological University Participants: Cytiva, EMD Millipore Corporation, Janssen, Landmark Bio, and PAK BioSolutions Project: Leveraging Multidimensional Partner Data to Develop Predictive Digital Twins for Integrated Upstream Processes Lead: University of Delaware Participants: Sanofi and Waters Technologies Corporation Project: Upstream Enrichment and Bioreactor Scale-Up for High Genome-Filled rAAV Capsids Lead: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Participants: EMD Millipore Corporation, Landmark Bio, and Virica Biotech Project: Continuous Fiber-Optic Probe for Detection of Antibodies and FC Fusions Lead: University of Houston Participants: Amgen, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, and Mettler-Toledo Process Analytics Project: Intelligent Affinity: Bayesian Optimization of Full AAV Purification Using Convective Affinity Adsorbents Lead: North Carolina State University Participants: ChromaGenix, EMD Millipore Corporation, Genentech, Refeyn, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Waters Technologies Corporation Workforce Projects Project: Experiencing Biopharma Manufacturing Career Pathways First-Hand Lead: University City Science Center Participants: CSL Behring and GlaxoSmithKline Project: Creating a Neurodiverse Talent Pipeline for the Biomanufacturing Industry 2.0 Lead: National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (Texas A&M University) Participants: Janssen, Johnston Community College, Open Biopharma Research and Training Institute, Pfizer, Inc., and University of California, Los Angeles Project: BioPATH (BioPharma Apprenticeship & Training Hub) Lead: The Wistar Institute Participant: International Academy of Automation Engineering 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 and security. NIIMBL is part of Manufacturing USA®, a 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. Contact News Media Daniel Maiese Communications Manager 302-831-3824 [email protected] SOURCE National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) 21% more press release views with Request a Demo