Access and Innovation: Georgia Bio Recommits to Industry as a new c6 & New GRA CEO Opens the 2023 Georgia Life Sciences Summit

Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit

Having recently renewed our commitment to advocating for, educating and connecting our member enterprises and stakeholders, the 2023 Georgia Life Sciences Summit by Georgia Bio brought more than 300 members of the ecosystem together in Sandy Springs on November 1st.

We reconnected with friends and colleagues, made new connections, learned from academic, industry and elected leaders, shared news and awarded both the [early stage] Company Showcase Winners and the Anthony Shucker Scientific Poster Winners. 

Our CEO Maria Thacker Goethe reinforced a statement made during the October virtual town hall , as a 501c6, Georgia Bio can be more politically active and allows for future creation of a political action committee. The organization is the sole Georgia representative to the life science sector and an official partner to the national Bioscience Industry Organization and AdvaMed, which means practical discounts for purchasing programs, but also provision of a connection to federal government affairs representation to those sectors. 

Session by session, we offer the following highlights from our colleague Paul Snyder.

Introducing the new CEO at the Georgia Research Alliance

Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit

In literally his first day on the job, Timothy Denning, President and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance introduced himself and highlighted its impact in the life science innovation ecosystem with the following statistics: 87% of GRA funded startups are still in business four years hence – the national average is just 44%. Further every $1 invested by GRA through its commercialization funding programs has returned $19 in follow on investment in or by those portfolio companies.

Mr. Denning specifically pointed to GRA life science portfolio companies Micron Biomedical (microneedle drug delivery) and EarliTec (early diagnosis of autism) as standouts for what’s possible when marshaling the right resources in promising technologies brought forth by the state’s universities, its faculty, investigators and researchers. 

Scientific Poster Award Winners

We also congratulate the Anthony Shuker Scientific Poster Award Winners and thank our judges Stacy Shuker Reece, Rick Hillstead and Jamie Graham. Thank you to all the applicants. View a list of the finalists and all the submission here :

  • Grace Nguyen , University of Georgia: Multifunctional Nitric Oxide-Releasing and Slippery Surface for Enhanced Antibacterial and Anti-fouling Therapeutic Efficacy
  • ​ Dedeepya Pasupuleti , College of Pharmacy, Mercer University; Marissa D’Souza, University of Michigan: Advancing Drug Delivery to the Brain: Developing a Novel Nanoparticulate System Using Microfluidics to Enhance Central Drug Availability
  • Jannatul Ruhan Raha , Georgia State University: mIntranasal Vaccination with Multi-subtype Neuraminidase and M2 Ectodomain Virus-like Particle Improves Protection Against Influenza Viruses
  • Rick Hillstead Medical Device Award : Dominique Monroe , Medical College of Georgia – Augusta University: Modulated dNTP Pools and Their Influence on DNA Repair Mechanisms and Apoptosis in Therapy Resistant Cancers

Company Showcase Winners

We congratulate the Company Showcase Winners. And thank you to all presenters and judges in the Company Showcase and Rapid Fire Research Showcase.

  • 2023 Company Showcase Winner: Nutrivert , Horace Nalle
  • 2023 Company Showcase Runner-Up: EnOPrep , Austin Tull

Summit 2023: Click a Post Below for a Comprehensive Dive to What We Heard and Learned at the 2023 Georgia Life Sciences Summit

In closing, we thank everyone who helped bring the event and the ecosystem together. This includes our production team, volunteers, showcase and poster judges and sponsors without which this is simply not possible. We encourage you to consider ways to support their interests, goals and businesses.

We hope everyone involved derived high value from our latest response to the life science industry’s need: bringing the ecosystem together to advance our advocacy, education and inspiration through an industry that means more to more lives at home and abroad than we can measure.

Stay in the loop by following Georgia Bio on LinkedIn , Instagram and Twitter/X. You can also subscribe to our weekly bioBEAT by emailing us at admin@gabio.org.

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Georgia Life Sciences Launches New Podcast Series, Vitals, in Partnership with Cloudcast Media

October 6, 2025
Atlanta, GA — October 6 — Georgia Life Sciences today announced the launch of Vitals, a new podcast series developed in partnership with Cloudcast Media, a leader in branded podcast production. The series will spotlight the people, ideas, and innovations shaping the future of Georgia’s rapidly growing life sciences sector. Hosted by Georgia Life Sciences’ CEO, Maria Thacker Goethe, Vitals will feature in-depth conversations with scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, educators, policymakers, and patient advocates. Each episode will explore the challenges and opportunities facing Georgia’s life sciences ecosystem—spanning biopharma, medical technology, digital health, and advanced manufacturing. “Vitals gives us a powerful platform to showcase the remarkable work happening within our state,” said Maria Thacker Goethe. “By sharing these stories, we’re highlighting not only groundbreaking science but also the collaboration and talent that make Georgia such a vibrant hub for health innovation.” Cloudcast Media, known for its expertise in storytelling and high-quality podcast production, will bring industry insights and technical support to ensure the series reaches audiences across Georgia and beyond. “We’re proud to partner with Georgia Life Sciences on Vitals,” said Charles Parisi, Founder and CEO of Cloudcast. “This series will elevate the voices of innovators who are advancing science, improving patient outcomes, and building Georgia’s reputation as a global life sciences leader. We are very excited that Cloudcast Atlanta can play a role in supporting Maria and the impactful work of Georgia Life Sciences.” The first episode of Vitals launched today and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major streaming platforms, as well as through the Georgia Life Sciences website.

BIO Statement on Most Favored Nation Policies

October 1, 2025
September 30, 2025 WASHINGTON, D.C. – John F. Crowley, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) released the following statement on Most Favored Nation policies: "For too many years, Americans have subsidized the research and development necessary to bring newer and better medicines to patients around the world. As we saw with defense spending and NATO, the solution is not to weaken a strategically important American industry, but for other countries to pay their fair share. “Today’s announcement in the Oval Office highlights the problems with a drug delivery system where half of the cost of innovative medicines goes to middlemen and distributors, and where the supply chain distorts prices paid by the American people. We support a new framework that addresses the cost of medicines by simplifying the system - and making medicines directly available to patients. “But importing socialist price controls through most-favored nation policies fundamentally does not address the imbalance in international pricing for innovative medicines. MFN will not lower the out-of-pocket prices that most Americans pay for medicines. Even worse, it will jeopardize the entrepreneurial spirit and deter the capital necessary for a vibrant and essential American biotechnology industry to thrive and may cause most harm to small and midsize biotech companies, which are responsible for discovering more than half of all new treatments. “Without these biotech innovators and a free-market system, we risk slower scientific progress, decreased access to new medicines, compromised national security, fewer American jobs and perhaps most tragically, a diminished hope for those suffering with illness and disease. There are much better ways to address this problem than MFN.” ###

September GBG Report Now Available – Federal Funding Insights for Georgia Life Sciences Members

September 11, 2025
Members are invited to join G2G’s Monthly GBG Reporting Service Webinar on September 18, 2025 . The first portion ( 12:00–12:30 PM ET ) is free and open to all, offering a high-level overview of current federal funding trends. The second half ( 12:30–1:00 PM ET ) is a premium consultation available only to Georgia Life Sciences members, offering direct access to G2G’s expert team—who have helped secure over $550 million in non-dilutive government funding since 2007. Register here: https://www.g2gconsulting.com/event/non-dilutive-funding-g2gs-monthly-gbg-reporting-service-webinar-14-3/2025-09-18/ Key opportunities this month include DARPA’s Expedited Research Innovation System for CBRN threat defense technologies, BARDA’s I-CREATE diagnostic funding and VANGUARD biomanufacturing tools development (each offering up to $200,000), NIAID tuberculosis and influenza research units (up to $1.5–$2.5 million annually), DoD’s $4 million Advanced Medical Monitor development through MTEC, and multiple SBIR opportunities for sensors and field-deployable diagnostics (up to $209,575 for Phase I awards). The September GBG report highlights 13 immunology and infectious disease opportunities, 10 cognitive and brain health programs, and several biotechnology and biomanufacturing initiatives across federal agencies including the Army, ARPA-H, BARDA, and NSF. Georgia Life Sciences members can access the complete 29-page report with detailed deadlines and eligibility requirements [insert link or portal instructions here]. GLS members can access the full 29-page report with deadlines and submission details by logging into your member portal.
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