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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By Maria Thacker Goethe August 14, 2025
This year, Shriners Children’s picked Atlanta to carry out its mission to advance pediatric care.  The Tampa-based hospital network plans to establish a research institute at Science Square, an emerging life sciences hub on the doorstep of Georgia Tech’s campus. The announcement is one of the latest wins for Georgia’s life sciences industry, which has rapidly expanded in recent years. Subscription Required to Read
August 12, 2025
Academic Innovators and Industry Leaders to be Honored at the Georgia Life Sciences Summit
By Maria Thacker Goethe August 1, 2025
As Washington heads into August recess, Georgia Life Sciences is counting down the days to the 2025 Georgia Life Sciences Summit , taking place August 26–27 in Sandy Springs . With just one month to go, this pivotal gathering will bring together innovators, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem leaders at a time when the national policy landscape is shifting rapidly—and not always in our favor. In just the past week, we’ve seen: A short-lived but deeply disruptive pause in NIH funding : The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) temporarily halted the issuance of NIH research grants, contracts, and training awards—impacting institutions nationwide, including here in Georgia. After significant backlash from Congress, research leaders, and advocacy groups, the administration quickly reversed course and released the funds. However, this episode underscores the growing unpredictability of federal research funding—one of the lifelines for our academic and startup ecosystem. The return of pharmaceutical tariffs : The administration announced a 15% tariff on European pharmaceutical imports , though it will not take effect until a national security review is completed. While far lower than the previously floated 200% rate, this move still poses a concern for supply chains and U.S. companies relying on EU-based manufacturing. Escalating pressure on drug pricing : President Trump has now issued direct letters to CEOs of 17 major pharmaceutical companies demanding implementation of Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing within 60 days. The directive includes MFN pricing for all existing Medicaid drugs, future Medicare and commercial launches, and even repatriation of foreign revenues. While regulatory specifics remain vague, the message is clear: the administration is increasing its pressure on pricing reform—and that could have broad implications for biotech innovation, particularly among smaller companies. At the same time, a new BIO report shows that early-stage biotech funding continues to contract. Series A investment remains flat, IPOs are sluggish, and Q2 startup funding dropped to just $900 million—down from $2.6 billion in Q1. Layoffs across the sector have surged. This paints a sobering picture for many companies in Georgia and beyond. In this environment, Georgia Life Sciences remains committed to elevating our state’s voice, regionally and nationally . We continue to advocate for stable federal funding, smart policies, and the resources innovators need to survive and thrive. The Georgia Life Sciences Summit will be a platform to do just that, demonstrating the resilience of our ecosystem, celebrating homegrown successes, and shaping the future of health innovation in Georgia. I hope to see you there.
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