June 2, 2026

The BioHealth Capital Region, spanning Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., has once again been named one of the nation’s Top 3 biopharma clusters by Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), marking the region’s fourth consecutive year in the Top 3.

GEN’s 2026 “Top 10 U.S. Biopharma Clusters” ranking was authored by Alex Philippidis, Senior Business Editor at GEN, who has long tracked the growth, competition, and evolution of life sciences ecosystems across the country. Philippidis will return to the BioHealth Capital Region Forum this year to discuss GEN’s updated Top 10 list, the movement within the national rankings, and what the latest findings suggest about the future of U.S. biopharma innovation.

In the 2026 ranking, GEN places the BioHealth Capital Region at No. 3 nationally, behind only Boston/Cambridge and the San Francisco Bay Area.

This May, startups from across the globe came to Manassas, Virginia. Along with their suitcases, they brought polished presentations, new technologies, and big plans.

They were about to spend two days in the Nexus234 Innovation District for the Global Innovation Showcase. Ten startups were selected from a competitive pool of 22 applicants representing the U.S., Israel, Japan, and South Korea.

Offered through the Northern Virginia International Soft Landing Accelerator (NISA), the program combined networking, facility tours, and investor conversations. It also included a pitch competition. All of these elements were designed to connect companies with the region’s growing innovation ecosystem.

“There’s only so much you can learn from a brochure or a website,” said Jaehan Park, founder and CEO of Naugen, one of the leading organizations of NISA. “Actually spending time here gives startups a much clearer picture of the opportunities and resources available in Nexus234.”

NSF X-Labs will scale a new generation of transformative independent research organizations to advance breakthrough science outside of traditional institutions

Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced $1.5 billion over the next decade toward the NSF X-Labs initiative to tackle pressing scientific challenges through novel and innovative research partnerships. This substantial long-term investment underscores NSF's commitment to new models of research outside of traditional institutions, reflecting the truly interdisciplinary nature of today's modern science ecosystem.

NSF X-Labs are independent teams of researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs pursuing milestone-based federal funding to solve specific scientific challenges.

In this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, Sam Gussman-Toh, Portfolio Manager for the Small Business Program at ARPA-H, joins the conversation to discuss how the agency is creating new pathways for small businesses developing ambitious health technologies.

Sam explains how the ARPA-H model differs from traditional federal funding programs, with a focus on moonshot health solutions, program manager-led portfolios, milestone-driven contracts, and a strong emphasis on moving technologies toward real-world use. He also discusses how the Small Business Program supports SBIR and STTR performers through Phase I, Phase II, Direct to Phase II, and Fast Track awards.

BioHealth Capital Region Week will return on September 15 through 17, 2026, at US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland, bringing together leaders from industry, academia, government, and investment for three days focused on the future of one of the nation’s leading biohealth ecosystems. The event will again feature the BioHealth Capital Region Forum, the Crab Trap Competition, and the Investment Conference.

This year’s Forum theme, “Growing the BioHealth Capital Region of Tomorrow,” reflects both the region’s momentum and the need for continued collaboration at a time when many organizations are navigating a more uncertain funding environment. As public funding conditions shift, the region’s long-term strength will depend on its ability to deepen partnerships, support commercialization, attract investment, and build new pathways for growth. The Forum will serve as a place for those conversations to happen.

COLUMBIA, Md., (May 28, 2026) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $500,000 investment in Nodal Therapeutics through the Life Science Investment Fund. The Life Science Investment Fund is housed under the organization’s Seed Funds umbrella, which includes several funds dedicated to supporting the continued growth of technology and life sciences-based startups across the State.

“Autoimmune diseases are life altering conditions that oftentimes can only be treated symptomatically; we wanted to provide a new solution that can make a difference in people’s lives. Our precision control solution is potent, selective and will allow for a long-lasting tolerance that cures autoimmune diseases without the side-effects of existing therapies,” said Klaus Martin, CEO of Nodal Therapeutics. “TEDCO’s investment in Nodal Therapeutics will help us to continue our research and development efforts as we continue to seek alternative solutions to help improve patients’ lives.”

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) today announced it has been awarded a contract modification valued at approximately $64.5 million from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for BAT® [Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) – (Equine)]. The modification has been made to the existing 10-year contract with ASPR (75A50119C00075) whereby Emergent will supply BAT®, an antitoxin used in the treatment of symptomatic botulism following suspected or confirmed exposure to botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A, B, C, D, E, F, or G in both adults and pediatric patients.

“Securing this contract modification demonstrates Emergent’s ongoing support of U.S. biodefense and preparedness priorities,...

The Inflection Point Healthcare Summit brings together leaders across healthcare, technology, and policy to explore how value-based care and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, are transforming healthcare delivery. With Maryland's all-payer model​ as a national testbed, the summit will focus on how aligned incentives can drive innovation, better outcomes, and sustainable costs.

Maryland is in the midst of the most substantial value-based care experiment in the country, via its all-payer system. This economic model will fund AI and other innovative healthcare technology. As Maryland succeeds, the rest of the country will follow.

Baltimore is at the center of one of the most consequential shifts in American healthcare. On June 4, we're bringing that conversation into one room.

Introducing the Inflection Point Healthcare Summit: a full-day, immersive forum designed to bridge emerging policy and applied technology in care delivery. 

One of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies has launched a program in Baltimore to detect breast and prostate cancer in underserved populations.

Switzerland's Novartis AG established its Inclusive Health Accelerator in the city on April 9. The pharma giant is funding and coordinating efforts among four partners to provide free screenings and connect patients to care in the city. The company hopes the program will close gaps in cancer care, but is still mapping out its specific services and events.

Novartis also launched the program in Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and New York in April. The four community partners who will conduct all the on-the-ground screenings and programs in each of its five target cities are: Public health company The Balm in Gilead; health education and screening firm African American Male Wellness Agency; wellness platform BlackDoctor; and the nonprofit Weitzman Institute.

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COLUMBIA, Md., (May 27, 2026) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $225,000 State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) investment in 1104Health, a digital health company. This investment came through the organization’s Social Impact Funds.

“The current system has proven time and time again that more can be done to improve access for cancer patients, which is why we founded 1104Health,” said Rose Wang, CEO of 1104Health. "Oncologists want to do right by their patients — they need the tools and connections to make it possible. I know this firsthand. My husband passed away from melanoma after we learned too late that he had been eligible for a clinical trial at diagnosis. TEDCO's investment helps us keep building that infrastructure, so fewer families go through what mine did."

1104Health, located in Bethesda, Md, operates the Shared Care Network...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing pemvidutide to address serious liver diseases, today announced that new 48-week data from the IMPACT Phase 2b trial show that pemvidutide, an investigational balanced glucagon/GLP-1 dual receptor agonist, significantly reduced elevated lipids while improving multiple cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The findings demonstrated reductions in triglycerides and total cholesterol, along with improvements in weight, waist circumference and blood pressure, highlighting the broad impact of pemvidutide on key drivers of MASH. The data were presented for the first time at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain.

Join us for the tenth year of the VA Drug Discovery Consortium to discover more about emerging trends in drug discovery and development.

VaDrugDiscoveryRx 2026:

Welcome to the 10th annual conference hosted by the Virginia Drug Discovery consortium! Join us for an exciting event where we explore the journey from discovery to development in the world of drug research. This in-person event will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, providing a great setting for networking and learning. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with academic and industrial experts, share insights, and gain valuable knowledge about the latest trends in drug discovery. Mark your calendars and get ready for an engaging experience!