February 3, 2025

Montgomery County, MD – The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) announced today the selection of SRI International to develop a new County-wide Economic Development Strategic Plan for Montgomery County, MD.The strategic planning effort will establish a clear, actionable framework to guide economic growth, competitiveness, and inclusive opportunity across the County. The plan will build on existing assets while addressing emerging challenges and opportunities in innovation, workforce development, industry growth, and community prosperity.

In November 2025, MCEDC issued a competitive...

Novavax’s recent matchup with pharma giant Pfizer flipped the script on a pretty downbeat year for the vaccine space. The partnership could also be the start of “much more to come” from Novavax, CEO John Jacobs said. 

The biotech’s licensing pact with Pfizer, revealed last week, will leverage its adjuvant vaccine platform in the development of two undisclosed Pfizer products. After pocketing a $30 million upfront payment, Novavax could see another $500 million in payments come its way if the products hit R&D and sales milestones.

The deal also builds on the momentum Novavax...

Edinburgh, UK and Bethesda, MD, USA, 27 January 2026 - Epidarex Capital (“Epidarex”), a transatlantic life science venture firm, today announces the first close of Epidarex Capital IV, LP, securing more than $145 million in commitments to build therapeutics and medical device companies.

The Fund’s initial investors include the British Business Bank, Strathclyde Pension Fund, the Scottish National Investment Bank, as well as leading family offices, corporates and other international investors.

The Fund will invest in high-quality early-stage healthcare innovation based on breakthrough science in the UK and the US, offering new company-building opportunities for top researchers and entrepreneurs.

Epidarex’s transatlantic team builds healthcare companies that address major unmet disease needs, including in oncology, cardiometabolic, autoimmune, and neurological conditions, sourcing research from established and emerging research hubs across the UK and US. Epidarex’s strategy is to lead...

When investors talk about Maryland, two sectors consistently rise to the top: life sciences and cybersecurity. The strengths of the state, as highlighted by Emily McMahan, Co-founder & General Partner at AIN Ventures, during an interview at the 2025 TEDCO Expo, stem from its strong workforce and established research institutions.

Maryland is also investing in emerging technologies that are expected to shape the next phase of growth. As Troy LeMaile-Stovall, CEO of TEDCO, the state has identified several “lighthouse sectors” that reflect both near-term opportunity and long-term strategy, including quantum.

“The governor talks about the lighthouse sectors, lighthouse industries, and one of those is quantum… Clearly, quantum is going to be this emerging field, and it is emerging, but there are practical applications of quantum sensors and quantum navigation that are already available. That’s what IonQ is commercializing and generating revenue from.” said LeMaile-Stovall.

BALTIMORE, Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CraniUS Therapeutics LLC, a privately held neurotechnology company, today announced it has raised $20 million in Series B financing to accelerate development of NeuroPASS™, a fully implantable, skull-embedded platform designed to bypass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and enable targeted drug delivery and monitoring in the brain.

NeuroPASS™ is being developed as a multi-product platform, with an initial roadmap of three complementary products intended to progressively expand therapeutic capability. Together, these devices are intended to evolve cranial implants from passive reconstructive hardware into an active therapeutic interface capable of supporting long-term outpatient care.

CraniUS Therapeutics was founded by Dr. Chad Gordon, a Johns Hopkins neuroplastic surgeon and pioneer of...

Jan 27, 2026 - Katie Kerrigan

Drawn to the power of biology, John Sittmann has built his career around sustainable agriculture and the search for natural solutions to real-world challenges.

Sittmann, who spent three years at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, as a molecular plant biologist, is developing a platform to harness and integrate the unique capabilities of plants and microbes. With support from APL, he is now transforming that research through commercialization.

Biology-Based Problem-Solving

As the third recipient of APL’s Archimedes Award, Sittmann has teamed up with microbiology researcher Tom Curtis, a former APL colleague, to launch Deep Root Biolabs. The startup is advancing a patent-pending platform that applies microbial- and plant-based systems to sustainable agriculture, environmental remediation, and bio-mining for critical minerals...

A Baltimore startup could help stroke survivors improve how they move, even months after rehab ends.

NextStep Robotics’ AMBLE device targets foot drop, a condition that limits someone’s ability to lift the front of the foot while walking. The assistive tech is gathering another FDA authorization, with affordability front of mind, according to CEO Bradley Hennessie.

“Most small community-based clinics can’t afford a $120,000 exoskeleton system,” Hennessie told Technical.ly. 

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

Welcome to Tactic 5 in our series of 7 Tactics to Optimize Launch Messaging 🚀 in health and life sciences 🧬. So far in our Optimizing Launch Messaging series, we’ve discussed topics such as the importance of data, the value of tailoring communications to your audience, and the benefit of making communication precise and purposeful. When messaging about a product launch, that included a reminder to focus on benefits and not only on features and functionality. But even the strongest message has limited potential if you can’t quantify its impact. That brings us to Tactic 5, Measuring Success.

Tactic 5: Measure Success

Feedback can be helpful in a variety of contexts. We look for feedback in the market, in a variety of forms of ROI.

In messaging, we look for message recall, impact, attribution.

We also want to know which...

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.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing pemvidutide to address serious liver diseases, announced today that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a new fundamental institutional investor for the purchase and sale of 17,045,454 shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) pursuant to a registered direct offering. The offering is expected to result in gross proceeds of approximately $75 million, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses. All of the shares and pre-funded warrants in the offering are being offered by Altimmune. The offering is expected to close on or about January 29, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Altimmune intends to use the net proceeds to fund preparation for its upcoming Phase 3 trial in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)...

Rare Disease Day® takes place worldwide, typically on or near the last day of February each year, to raise awareness among policymakers and the public about rare diseases and their impact on patients’ lives. Since 2011, NCATS has sponsored Rare Disease Day at NIH as part of this global observance. Rare Disease Day at NIH aims to raise awareness about rare diseases, the people they affect and NIH collaborations that address scientific challenges and advance research for new treatments.

Rare Disease Day at NIH will be held at NIH Main Campus (Natcher Conference Center) on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. There also will be a virtual livestream via NIH VideoCast with the event archived for replay afterward. The event agenda will feature panel discussions, rare diseases stories, in-person exhibitors and scientific posters, and an art exhibition. The event is free and open to the public.

Jared Smith wants to make Montgomery County more competitive, diversify its mix of businesses — now heavily weighted toward life sciences — and find more avenues to grow the economy.

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corp.’s new CEO spelled out those priorities in an interview, and said they’ll get done both through changes he’s making at his organization and in cooperation with other leaders across the county.

Smith, who has led the nonprofit economic development agency since December, is doubling down on business recruitment efforts, growing his leadership team and revamping how the MCEDC uses its research to pitch companies.