Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus accelerators that invest in healthcare startups are recipients of some of the $760,000 in new grant funds approved by the Ohio Third Frontier Commission this week.Shaker LaunchHouse in Shaker Heights will receive $200,000, Cincinnati initiative Innov8 for Health will receive $160,000 and 10xelerator in Columbus will get $200,000 to fund teams [...]

When it announced several months ago that it was shutting its doors but not closing down completely, Cincinnati biotech incubator BioStart said the show would go on — albeit in a different way.The show went on for a little while longer, but no more: BioStart will now cease all operations, according to a statement from [...]

Behavioral health personalized medicine company AssureRx Health has secured an $8 million line of credit as it looks to boost adoption of its genetic screening test for psychiatric drugs.Along with an $11 million series B round of funding that the company obtained last year, the line of credit will help fund the development of several [...]

Next on tap for Meridian Bioscience‘s (NASDAQ:VIVO) illumigene molecular diagnostic testing platform is a test for Mycoplasma pneumonia, an infection of the lungs.The illumigene Mycoplasma test is currently in clinical trials, according to a statement from Meridian announcing the Cincinnati-area company’s first-quarter earnings. Meridian plans to launch three to four new illumigene tests per year, [...]

Personalized medicine company AssureRx Health has released the next-generation version of its genetic screening test for psychiatric drugs.The Cincinnati-area company’s GeneSightRx test, which helps doctors pick the right psychiatric drugs for patients based on their genes, was launched in 2009. The test uses a cheek swab, mathematical algorithms and bioinformatics to narrow drug choices to [...]

Looming cuts to low-income healthcare assistance program Medicaid are creating budgeting challenges for administrators at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.The hospital’s $1.7 billion budget will remain flat this year and Cincinnati Children’s plan to keep its employee count steady at around 12,650 workers, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Cincinnati Children’s budget will stay flat despite an [...]

Cardiac device company AtriCure (NASDAQ:ATRC) has again been identified by an equities analyst as a likely acquisition target for a big medical device firm.Barrington Research listed Cincinnati-area AtriCure as among its top 15 stock picks for the year and called the company a strong candidate for a buyout, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported.“ATRC has the [...]

Akebia Therapeutics has spun off a new company, the similarly named Aerpio Therapeutics, to develop drugs for diabetic macular edema and inflammatory bowel disease.Akebia will continue developing its oral anemia drug candidate, according to a statement from the Cincinnati-area company.The new company is looking to raise a series A round of financing this year.“The formation [...]

Diagnostic test maker Meridian Bioscience‘s (NYSE:VIVO) Chief Executive Jack Kraeutler received a 3 percent increase in compensation this year to $843,000.Here’s how Kraeutler’s 2011 compensation breaks down, according to a recent regulatory filing: $546,000 in base salary; $228,000 in stock awards and $69,000 in “other” compensation, which includes retirement contributions, auto allowance and financial planning.Unlike [...]

Meridian Bioscience Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO), the Cincinnati, Ohio diagnostic test maker, has received FDA clearance for its new Clostridium difficile test.The ImmunoCard C. difficile GDH test has already been launched in global markets for screening of the bacteria, a common hospital-acquired infection. Toxigenic strains of C. difficile cause diarrhea and can lead to life-threatening complications [...]