July 28, 2026

Registration is open for the 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Week, taking place September 15–17, 2026, at US Pharmacopeia (USP) in Rockville, Maryland.

BioHealth Capital Region Week brings together leaders from industry, academia, government, investment, economic development, research institutions, emerging companies, and regional partners for three days of programming focused on the future of the region’s biohealth ecosystem.

Last week, representatives from the Maryland State Government and Montgomery County, including Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee, Department of Commerce Secretary Harry Coker Jr., Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, County Council President Natali Fani-González and other local officials joined Bora Biologics to celebrate the opening of its drug substance manufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland, marking a significant milestone for the County’s life sciences ecosystem and continued growth as a destination for global biopharmaceutical investment. 

The Federal Laboratory Consortium will host its next Member Connect session on August 5, 2026, from 2 to 2:30 p.m. ET, spotlighting AURP, the Association of University Research Parks. This free virtual event will introduce participants to AURP’s work supporting research parks, innovation districts, and the communities that connect discovery with practical application.

Featuring Brian Darmody, Chief Strategy Officer at AURP, the session will examine how these place-based innovation ecosystems help strengthen technology commercialization. Research parks create space for universities, federal laboratories, startups, established companies, and economic development partners to work in closer alignment.

For federal researchers and technology transfer professionals, AURP member parks offer a valuable bridge between early-stage discovery and market readiness. These environments can help promising technologies find development partners, industry collaborators, entrepreneurial support, and pathways toward broader public benefit.

The session will be moderated by Zarpheen Jinnah, Technology Transfer Manager at NCI/NIH. Attendees will gain insight into how federal, academic, and private-sector partners can collaborate through research parks and innovation districts to move ideas beyond the lab and into real-world use.

Applications are now being accepted for the BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition, returning as part of the 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Week, taking place September 15, 16, and 17, 2026, at US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland. Apply today at https://bit.ly/CrabTrap2026.

The Crab Trap Competition highlights promising early-stage biohealth companies developing new technologies, products, and solutions across therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, research tools, and other areas of life sciences innovation. Each year, the competition gives selected entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their companies in front of experienced investors, industry leaders, subject matter experts, and regional ecosystem partners.

Five finalists will be selected to pitch live during BioHealth Capital Region Week. Each finalist will deliver a seven-minute company presentation, followed by a three-minute question-and-answer session with the judges. The format gives entrepreneurs a focused opportunity to explain the problem they are solving, the strength of their technology, market opportunity, commercialization strategy, management team, funding progress, and key milestones.

RICHMOND, Va., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ‐ BRAINBox Solutions today announced that two of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) members will participate in a panel at the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Anaheim, CA, on biomarker use in the diagnosis/prognosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as concussion or Acute Traumatic Encephalopathy (ATE).

The panel, "Biomarkers of Traumatic Brain Injury: New Guidance from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke," will be moderated by Alan Wu, PhD, Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the UCSF School of Medicine and chief of the clinical chemistry and toxicology laboratories at San Francisco General Hospital. Frank Peacock IV, MD, FACEP, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Associate Chief of Emergency Medicine and Research Director for Emergency Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine will also participate on the panel. The session will be on July 27, 10:30-12:00PM PT.

The FDA has launched the READI-Home Innovation Challenge to accelerate medical device technologies that help patients and caregivers manage care at home after an acute hospital stay. The initiative is seeking devices that address unmet healthcare needs, support patient-centered care, and demonstrate the potential to prevent avoidable hospital readmissions.

The FDA expects to select up to nine devices from different manufacturers. Selected participants will receive early engagement with FDA experts through focused “sprint” discussions, more frequent feedback on device design and testing, and opportunities to demonstrate their technologies at FDA research facilities.

Applications are being accepted through September 30, 2026. Medical device developers working on technologies intended for use by patients or caregivers in home and community settings are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria and submission requirements.

COLUMBIA, Md., (July 21, 2026) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $200,000 investment into CurieDx. This investment came through the organization’s Social Impact Funds, which are dedicated to engaging and investing in economically underserved founders and communities.

“We believe that all patients deserve immediate, high-quality care when they are sick, and we are committed to bringing a solution that supports this,” said Therese Canares, CEO of CurieDx. “This investment from TEDCO will help us continue towards a diagnostics tool that allows for simpler, more precise diagnostics.”

Located in Baltimore, Md., CurieDx is a health-tech company aiming to create an AI powered solution for easy, precise diagnostics anywhere. By using AI technology, the company has developed a mobile application through which users can upload images of their throat for screening. Their product is positioned to potentially support and increase efficiency for both patients and clinicians. 

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Week, September 15–17, 2026, at US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland.

Sponsors help keep BHCR Week free to attend while gaining visibility with biohealth leaders, investors, emerging companies, academic institutions, government partners, and regional collaborators across the BioHealth Capital Region Forum, Crab Trap Competition, and Investment Conference.

Sponsorship also provides access to one of the most valuable parts of the week: the VIP Leadership Dinner. This smaller, invite-only gathering brings together senior executives, investors, speakers, public-sector leaders, university partners, and key opinion leaders in a more focused setting than the daytime program. For sponsors, it is an opportunity to build relationships, have higher-value conversations, and connect directly with people who are helping shape the future of the BioHealth Capital Region.

BHCR Week sponsors are recognized across event materials, signage, the registration site, and BHI communications, providing visibility before and during the event. Sponsorship is a strong way to support regional collaboration while positioning your organization in front of the companies, investors, researchers, and partners driving biohealth growth.

To learn more, contact Rich Bendis at rbendis@biohealthinnovation.org and Andy Eckert at aeckert@biohealthinnovation.org.

RICHMOND, Va., July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance for Building Better Medicine, the coalition leading Virginia's Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (APM) Tech Hub, today announced a $15.97 million investment from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to launch the End-to-End (E2E) Commercialization Project. The initiative will help establish a domestic commercialization pathway connecting innovation, manufacturing, and patients.

Led by Civica, Inc. (Civica Rx) and supported by Phlow Corp. and Occam Systems, the End-to-End Commercialization Project marks the latest milestone for the Alliance for Building Better Medicine. The Alliance includes 55 partners spanning industry, academia, workforce development, government, nonprofit organizations, and economic development, all working to strengthen America's pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem and expand domestic manufacturing capacity.

The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) has announced the publication of a set of product-specific emerging standards for biologics, now available for public comment through the Emerging Standards Platform. The initial set of emerging standards includes analytical methods for epoetin, interferon beta 1a, rituximab, and bevacizumab, along with accompanying physical reference standards. USP invites manufacturers, regulators, academia, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders to review the methods, share practical feedback, and submit input, including alternative methods, through the Emerging Standards Platform. Please consider providing your input. Input received during this stage will inform how these concepts evolve.

These emerging standards are being introduced in advance of any formal compendial consideration to enable early stakeholder feedback. The newly released emerging standards for biologics are designed to be flexible by offering multiple methods to assess quality attributes rather than a single approach. These emerging standards do not include product specifications, leaving those determinations to the reviewing regulator. 

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MaxCyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: MXCT), a leading cell-engineering company providing enabling platform technologies to advance the discovery, development, and commercialization of next-generation cell-based therapeutics, today announced that it has entered into a technology license partnership with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to support the development of cell therapy programs.

The license provides Genentech with access to MaxCyte’s ExPERT GTx® platform and additional platform technologies across select research, clinical development, and manufacturing workflows. Structured to support multiple programs, the license enables Genentech to support ex vivo applications for cell engineering.                

ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, July 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascentage Pharma Group International (NASDAQ: AAPG; HKEX: 6855), a global, commercial-stage, integrated biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies to address unmet medical needs in cancer, today announced that its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Dajun Yang, has been named to The Medicine Maker Power List 2026, ranking No. 3 among the Top 10 in the Small Molecules category. Published annually, the Power List recognizes global leaders across small molecules, biopharma and advanced therapies. Nominated by industry peers worldwide and selected by a panel of expert judges, the Power List celebrates individuals whose work continues to advance drug discovery, manufacturing innovation and patient access to innovative medicines. The 2026 edition honors 60 distinguished leaders from across the global pharmaceutical industry.

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman April McClain Delaney's (D-MD-06) bipartisan Standards and Calibration for American Leadership in Engineering Biology (SCALE Biology) Act advanced this week out of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, marking a significant step forward in strengthening U.S. leadership in biotechnology. 

The SCALE Biology Act would establish a dedicated biometrology research program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Biometrology—the science of measurement applied to engineering biology—is essential to advancing healthcare, domestic biomanufacturing, agricultural innovation, public health, and national security.

As the bioeconomy continues to grow, researchers, regulators, and industry need a common framework for measuring and evaluating biological systems. The SCALE Biology Act would direct NIST to develop standardized measurements, methodologies, guidelines, and best practices, creating a shared foundation that accelerates innovation and strengthens America's global competitiveness.

New Brunswick, N.J. – July 22, 2026 – Johnson & Johnson today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted De Novo authorization for the OTTAVA™ Robotic Surgical System, the world’s first table-integrated soft tissue robotic system. The system received marketing authorization for multiple procedures in general surgery, including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastrectomy, cholecystectomy, splenectomy, gastric sleeve, small bowel resection, appendectomy, lysis of adhesions, fundoplication, and hiatal hernia repair.

“We are pioneering a new category of surgical robotics with OTTAVA,” said Tim Schmid, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chairman, MedTech, Johnson & Johnson. “This is the start of the next era in surgery as we deliver not just a new surgical robotics system, but a catalyst for fundamentally better surgical care that is informed by technology, guided by clinical insight, and delivered with care by Johnson & Johnson.”

Johnson & Johnson will commercially launch the OTTAVA system with select customers in the U.S., focusing on early customer success while working in parallel to advance into additional indications and regulatory jurisdictions over time. A U.S. clinical trial for OTTAVA in inguinal hernia procedures is ongoing.