June 9, 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.

Registration is now open for the 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum and BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference, taking place September 15th, 16th, and 17th, 2026, at US Pharmacopeia (USP) in Rockville, Maryland.

This year’s BioHealth Capital Region Week theme, “Growing the BioHealth Capital Region of Tomorrow,” reflects the region’s continued focus on collaboration, commercialization, investment, and leadership during a time of change and opportunity across the biohealth ecosystem.

The BioHealth Capital Region Forum will be held September 15th and 16th and will bring together leaders from industry, academia, government, investment, and entrepreneurship for two days of high-level discussion, regional updates, thought leadership, and networking. The Forum continues to serve as a central gathering point for the people, companies, institutions, and public-sector partners helping shape the future of biohealth across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and beyond.

Rick Wieczorek, President and CEO of the NIH Federal Credit Union and a member of the BioHealth Innovation, Inc. Board of Directors, has been named 2026 CEO of the Year by the MD|DC Credit Union Association.

The award recognizes Wieczorek’s leadership of NIHFCU through a period of growth, operational change, industry disruption, and continued service to members across the region’s healthcare and biomedical communities. Since becoming CEO in 2013, he has helped guide NIHFCU through major technology and service initiatives, including a core conversion, expanded digital banking capabilities, online account opening, and enhancements to lending systems.

In this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, Neal Piper, Founder and CEO of Luminoah, returns to share a major milestone in the company’s journey: FDA clearance for Luminoah Flow.



A past winner of the BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition, Neal first joined BioTalk to discuss the deeply personal story behind the company. His family’s experience during his son Noah’s cancer treatment revealed the daily challenges of tube feeding, from limited mobility and caregiver burden to the lack of real-time data once patients leave the hospital.

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.

The 2026 BIO International Convention takes place June 22–25, 2026, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. This four-day event serves as a premier global gathering for the biotechnology and life sciences industries, bringing together an expected 20,000+ attendees from pharma, biotech, academia, government, investment, and beyond.

The convention's programming is extensive, featuring more than 130 sessions spanning 18 focus areas. Key topics include AI and digital health, cell and gene therapy, biomanufacturing, oncology, rare disease, infectious disease and vaccines, and patient access, among others. Signature events like the AI Summit and Start-Up Stadium highlight cutting-edge innovation and emerging companies shaping the future of biotech.



Beyond education, BIO 2026 places a strong emphasis on connection and dealmaking. Attendees can engage through BIO Partnering™, the exhibition floor, company presentations, and Global Innovation Hubs — making it one of the most important annual gatherings for networking, business development, and advancing partnerships across the global life sciences ecosystem.

BioHorizons: Partnering to Secure the Future of Biotechnology is an invitation-only forum taking place on August 11, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Fulton, Maryland. The event is hosted by APL and is designed to bring together senior leaders across the biotech and national security sectors for a full day of immersive engagement.

The forum is grounded in priority areas aligned with the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, with a focus on two key themes: Biomanufacturing and Response Technologies, and Advanced Sensing for Detection and Triage. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience live technology demonstrations from APL experts, gain insights into national security-driven biotech priorities, and explore joint initiatives aimed at mobilizing public and private resources.

BioHorizons is built for relationship-building and strategic alignment, connecting innovators, scientists, engineers, and decision-makers from across the biotech ecosystem. The event offers a unique opportunity to shape investment and innovation strategies in alignment with national security goals. Registration closes July 31, 2026, and interested participants can register through the Johns Hopkins APL event portal.

COLUMBIA, Md., (June 3, 2026) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, recently received the Storytelling Impact Award from Technical.ly. The award recognizes organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to collaboration, community engagement, and ecosystem growth through impactful storytelling. TEDCO earned this recognition for its ongoing efforts to expand access to resources, foster innovation, and strengthen connections across Maryland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through strategic partnerships and statewide initiatives, TEDCO continues to support the growth and success of technology-driven companies while increasing opportunities for innovators throughout the state.

“The work TEDCO does is more than providing resources and funding to companies — we provide access, connections and opportunities,” said Tammi Thomas, president of TEDCO. “This award from Technical.ly reflects our commitment to supporting Maryland’s innovation ecosystem, and we are honored to be recognized.”

Technical.ly presented the Storytelling Impact Award during its Builder Conference, held May 6-8 in Philadelphia. Direna Cousins, vice president of marketing, and DeJonna Farrar, assistant director of digital marketing and communications, attended the conference and accepted the award on TEDCO’s behalf.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TearSolutions, Inc. (“TearSolutions”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel ophthalmic therapeutics, today announced receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Orphan Drug (ODD) and Fast Track Designations for Lacripep in Neurotrophic Keratitis (NK) and initiating a Phase 2 clinical trial with first patients dosed.

The FDA's ODD provides incentives, including tax credits for clinical testing and up to seven years of U.S. market exclusivity upon regulatory approval. The Fast Track Designation facilitates more frequent interactions with the FDA and enables a rolling review of the New Drug Application, expediting the development and review process for drugs that treat serious conditions.

NK is a rare, degenerative corneal disease characterized by a reduction or absence of corneal sensitivity and severe impairment of corneal healing, which can lead to persistent epithelial defects and vision loss.

In the Frederick County manufacturing suites of Kite, a Gilead Company, cell therapy specialists are manufacturing cancer treatments so advanced they actually involve the use of each individual patient’s own cells.

Now, with a little help from Maryland’s Partnership for Workforce Quality Program (PWQ), the California-based company is not only expanding its own workforce, but also elevating the capabilities of biotech talent in the region.

“We have a Kite-specific manufacturing process, and much of it includes skills that are transferable across the life sciences industry, and consistent with good manufacturing practices (GMP),” said Kelly Stevens, Kite’s associate director of operational excellence.

Because cell therapy is a burgeoning area across the biotech industry, Kite employees typically are learning a valuable skillset that builds on their previous experience and knowledge. Kite is sharing this cell therapy expertise with local interests too, through partnerships with Frederick Community College, Hood College and Frederick County Public Schools, said Public Affairs Director Joseph Roth.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--Contraline, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced the closing of a $92.5 million Series B financing co-led by BVF Partners L.P. and RA Capital Management.

The financing included participation from GV, Lumira Ventures, Invus, and other new and existing investors. In connection with the close, Iris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh, PhD, of BVF Partners L.P., will join Contraline’s Board of Directors.

The raise adds significant institutional backing for the Charlottesville company as it moves into its next stage of growth. The financing also brings together a syndicate of life sciences and venture investors with experience supporting companies through major clinical and corporate milestones.

A South African medtech startup with a reloadable epinephrine auto-injector is betting Maryland’s manufacturing infrastructure — and a network of operators who actually pick up the phone — can carry it into the world’s largest allergy market.



Giancarlo Beukes nearly died from an anaphylactic reaction. He didn’t have an auto-injector. He survived, finished his master’s in biomedical engineering at the University of Cape Town, and wants to ensure that the device that wasn’t there when he needed it shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone else.

Eight years later, Impulse Biomed, the company he co-founded with friend and fellow UCT engineer Gokul Nair, is opening its U.S. headquarters. Not in Boston or the Bay Area, but in Baltimore; at The LaunchPort, an ISO-13485 medical device manufacturing accelerator inside the City Garage on Baltimore Peninsula.