News from the life sciences and technology sectors north of Boston

October 2025

Wilmington, MA-based Charles River Laboratories today announced that former FDA principal deputy commissioner Namandjé N. Bumpus, Ph.D., will lead a newly created scientific advisory board to guide the Company’s strategic focus on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). NAMs are non-clinical tools that enhance the predictability of efficacy and safety in the development of therapeutics and chemical substances, aiming to reduce reliance on animal testing.

According to a press release, Bumpus joined the Food and Drug Administration in August 2022 as chief scientist and later served as the agency’s principal deputy commissioner until December 2024. Before joining the FDA, she was a professor and director of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Rachel Sha, CEO of Vaxess Technologies (Cummings Park, Woburn), is among Boston Business Journal's 2025 "Women Who Lead in Life Sciences," a group of established and emerging biotech leaders recognized by the publication each year.

On a panel discussion last week, Sha shared her perspective on the industry and economic environment.

“As for the sector overall, necessity is the mother of all invention. This period of constraints and challenges will result in companies that are stronger, leaner, more focused on critical innovations that matter,” Sha told reporter Hannah Green, who moderated the panel. Read more.

VEIR (3 Gill Street, Woburn) is using superconductors to deliver the high power density needed for the rapid expansion of data centers, where power requirements exceed the limits of existing busbar and cable solutions.

CEO Tim Heidel recently discussed rising electricity demands with Lauren Craft of Energy Intelligence. "There’s an inevitability ultimately that power being carried in and around large-scale data centers will be carried using superconductors," he said.

Rgenta Therapeutics (300 TradeCenter 128, Woburn), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a new class of oral small molecules targeting RNA and RNA regulation for oncology and neurological disorders, recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to RGT-61159 for the treatment of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC).

RGT-61159 is a potent and selective orally available small molecule inhibitor of MYB currently being evaluated in a Phase 1a/b clinical trial in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory ACC or colorectal cancer.

Did you catch the Goddard Technologies team at MedDevice Boston? Goddard (100 Cummings Center, Beverly) provides experience in medical device development, including industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering, and human factors engineering.

Last-minute tickets are available at the door for the fourth annual North Shore Technology Council Women in Technology Forum this evening in Danvers. Learn more.

Join Middlesex 3 Coalition for an AI in Action Workshop — an interactive morning event designed to help professionals and business leaders move from AI awareness to real-world integration. Through a mix of an engaging panel discussion moderated by Gary Trouville of Astound Business Solutions, breakout sessions, and a guided reflection, attendees will gain practical tools, peer insights, and actionable strategies to confidently adopt AI in the workplace. Register.

MassBio hosts the 2025 Patient Advocacy Summit next month. With a theme “Purpose, in Spite of Pressure," the event showcases the work that patient advocates do every day to ensure that patients are front and center in the drug development cycle and beyond. 

Join MassBio for an inspiring and empowering event celebrating the unwavering strength and resilience of patients, caregivers, and advocates who continue to stand for justice, healing, and hope—even under pressure. 

Thursday, November 6, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, MassBioHub, 700 Technology Square, Cambridge. Register.

North Shore Lab Suite - 48 Dunham Ridge, Beverly

Suite 5650 |1,970 SF

Advance your science at a Cummings incubator lab, and join the robust life sciences community in Beverly - designated as a MassBio Platinum-level BioReady Community.

Lab features include:

• Chemical fume hoods

• Make-up air and dedicated exhaust

• Lab sinks with point-of-use acid neutralization tank

• Ample benchwork

• Eyewash station

• Vinyl-faced ceiling tiles

• Epoxy-painted walls

Contact Stephanie Aitchison, vice president, Beverly division, for more information. Call or text: 781-983-0072.

We welcome your feedback on this newsletter and invite readers to share company news, personnel changes, product launches, funding updates, events, and more. Contact Sue Howland, client engagement manager, at svh@cummings.com to offer your news for upcoming newsletters. We look forward to hearing from you.

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