February 17, 2025

Blackbird Laboratories has been recognized by the Baltimore Business Journal as one of its 2026 “Startups to Watch,” highlighting the growing role the Baltimore-based fund is playing in strengthening the region’s innovation economy.

Launched with $100 million in capital and backed by Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, the firm is expanding its footprint with the development of Blackbird BioHub, a 35,000-square-foot incubator inside City Garage at Baltimore Peninsula. The project represents an estimated $12 million investment and is designed to complement the fund’s ongoing strategy of investing in high-potential startups and university-driven research.

Since its founding in 2023, Blackbird has deployed $33 million across the Baltimore ecosystem, participating in venture rounds for companies such as Clasp Therapeutics, founded by Hopkins cancer researcher Bert Vogelstein, and East Baltimore-based Infinity Bio.

COLUMBIA, Md., (February 11, 2026) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $200,000 Pre-Seed Builder Fund investment in NanoBioFAB. The Pre-Seed Builder Fund invests in and provides executive support to Maryland-based technology companies run by entrepreneurs who demonstrate economic disadvantages.

“The potential of our nanosensors to support a variety of healthcare challenges remains significant,” said Xiaonao Liu, Ph.D., CEO of NanoBioFAB. “Thanks to TEDCO’s resources and funding opportunities, NanoBioFAB continues growing and improving.”

NanoBioFAB, based in Frederick, Md., is a woman-owned medical device manufacturer specializing in AI-powered smart nanosensors for pathogen detection and wound management. The company’s technology seeks to address critical healthcare...

BioTalk with Rich Bendis wants to hear from its audience about the voices that deserve the mic. A new guest submission form is now live at https://bit.ly/BioTalkGuest, making it easy for listeners, partners, and community members to recommend leaders shaping the future of biohealth.

BioTalk is a long-running podcast hosted by Rich Bendis that focuses on the real stories behind innovation in the life sciences. The show features open, unscripted conversations with founders, executives, scientists, investors, policymakers, and ecosystem builders who are moving ideas from lab to market. Topics range from company building and commercialization to policy, workforce, capital, and collaboration. The goal is clarity and perspective, grounded in experience.

LaunchPort is proud to announce a new partnership with Edmund Pendleton, one of the world’s foremost innovators and trainers in customer discovery methodology.

Edmund brings more than 15 years of experience training federally funded researchers, deep‑tech startups, and Fortune 500 teams. His work includes leading premier innovation programs, advising top universities, and pioneering the adaptation of lean innovation methods for corporate environments. Across his career, he has trained over 5,000 innovation teams and more than 10,000 participants worldwide.

Join us on February 23 at Noon for an informational Zoom webinar introducing the upcoming Masterclass and Sprint...

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BrainScope, a commercial-stage medical neurotechnology company applying artificial intelligence and computational neuroscience to brain electrical activity (EEG), today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed study in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio) demonstrating the ability of its EEG-based biomarker to identify individuals at risk of cognitive decline within five to seven years before cognitive decline to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to different forms of dementia, or conversion to Alzheimer’s type dementia.

Using EEG data from the initial evaluation in older adults reporting only subjective memory concerns, this longitudinal study showed that BrainScope’s non-invasive, point-of-care EEG technology can detect functional changes in brain activity - well before traditional diagnostic tools would identify disease-related pathology.

by Jonathan Kay, MPP, Managing Partner, Health Market Experts & BioHealth Innovation, Inc. Entrepreneur-in-Residence

To recap, the first 5 posts of our series covered:

Test, Don’t Guess: Adopt a data-driven mindset about messaging impact

Know Your Stakeholders: Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach

Listen First: What are your stakeholders saying and how?

Message Anatomy: Ensure messages get the job done

Measuring Success: Define metrics of success upfront

Insight 6: Just Start

It’s true we want to pursue all 5 tactics above. But that doesn’t mean we always can. Sometimes clients or would-be clients insist:

Time is too limited, so they can’t test

The target audience is rare or ultra rare, so they can’t test

🛑 Hold on! Don’t skip testing even in these situations. As the saying goes, Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.(That’s typically attributed to surgeons!🥼)

BioHealth Innovation is expanding its Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) network and is seeking experienced leaders at the intersection of biohealth and advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

This call is for seasoned operators with a strong commercialization background. Ideal candidates have taken innovations from concept through market entry, licensing, spinout, or acquisition, and understand the realities of regulatory pathways, customer discovery, fundraising, and scale. Experience working with startups, academic technologies, government labs, or early-stage venture-backed companies is essential. EIRs serve in a part time advisory role with BHI, working flexibly alongside other professional commitments while contributing hands on commercialization expertise.

Email BHI Founder, President, CEO Rich Bendis if you are interested.

India/UK/US, 10 February, 2026: Syngene International, a global contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO), today announced a strategic collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, MD, U.S., to advance early‑stage drug discovery programs and platform technologies emerging from the university’s research labs.

The collaboration will be delivered by Syngene SynVent™, a fully integrated drug discovery and development platform that spans discovery biology, medicinal and synthetic chemistry, DMPK (Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics), toxicology, and early development. Syngene’s Connector model, which is designed to bridge high-potential, early-stage assets and technology platforms with strategic investors and downstream partnerships will be leveraged to bring together relevant stakeholders to sponsor research and secure licensing options for the resulting intellectual property. 

GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS), the leader in rare disease diagnosis and improving health through the power of genomic data, today announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer Katherine Stueland has been named to the TIME100 Health 2026 list – TIME’s annual recognition of the 100 individuals who most influenced global health over the past year.

The recognition comes during Rare Disease Month and underscores the growing global acknowledgment of rare disease as a public health priority, as well as the critical role of genomics in accelerating diagnosis, advancing discovery, and improving outcomes for patients and families worldwide.

​Join medical device innovators, investors, universities, and the rest of the capital health region for a full-day event to celebrate and build our medtech industry. Come for panels, breakout sessions, networking and opportunities to present your business needs, as we explore the impact and future of medtech in the DMV region and beyond, opportunities to participate in federal and regional initiatives, and more.

​The Maryland MedTech Summit is the cornerstone event of Maryland MedTech Week, an annual, week-long compilation of events highlighting the MedTech community in the DMV. Join our mailing list to be notified of additional events and offerings.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE: EBS) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for new multipack configurations of over-the-counter (OTC) NARCAN® Nasal Spray. This approval expands the NARCAN® Nasal Spray product suite to include 6-count and 24-count multipack options, specifically designed to meet the needs of partners distributing higher volumes of naloxone. These new formats offer enhanced flexibility with the same trusted product, benefiting community programs and organizations operating large-scale, multi-site, or high-volume distribution programs.

“At Emergent, we work closely with our partners to develop solutions that help improve delivery, distribution and accessibility of NARCAN® Nasal Spray,” said Paul Williams, senior vice president, head of products business, global government & public affairs...

The University of Maryland is hosting the Mpact Conference on Understanding Regional Opportunities and Partnerships to Drive American Competitiveness on March 25-27, 2026 at the Samuel Riggs Alumni Center in College Park, Md. Made possible by support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as the Rita Allen Foundation, Sage Publishing, and the University of Maryland’s Division of Research, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and College of Arts and Humanities, the conference will explore a number of key themes, including: optimizing and assessing the impact of community-engaged research on policy, practice, and economic development developing trustworthy and human-centered artificial intelligence applications

addressing grand challenges through partnerships exploring the future of funding for public impact research

building best practices and ecosystems for supporting social innovation.

Representatives from academia, government, industry, and nonprofits will participate in the conference. Presenters will explore how best to achieve societal impact by addressing critical issues collaboratively with partner organizations and communities, harnessing expertise from across a variety of fields, in particular the social sciences, humanities, and arts. Conference partners include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Rita Allen Foundation, Sage Publishing, and Sigma Xi.