March 17, 2026

Dr. Sheetal Ajmani joins BioTalk to discuss a topic rarely addressed in the life sciences startup world. The personal and leadership toll that accompanies building and scaling a company. A physician turned executive coach and founder of Radiant Living Institute, Dr. Ajmani works closely with founders and senior leaders navigating intense professional pressure while trying to maintain clarity in decision making.

In this conversation, she explains how exhaustion and sustained stress can quietly affect leadership judgment during critical moments such as fundraising, board interactions, regulatory setbacks, and periods of rapid growth. The discussion explores the signals that investors and advisors may overlook when a founder is struggling behind the scenes, and how the culture of “pushing through” can begin to create risk not only for individuals but for the companies they lead. Dr. Ajmani also shares practical ways founders can stabilize their leadership presence and maintain momentum while protecting their own well-being.

TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced the latest round of awardees for the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Matching Funds (Matching Funds) program.

“We are excited to be able to offer the new round of the SBIR/STTR Matching Funds program to strengthen awards received and support business growth,” said Julia Deng, director, SBIR Programs. “We were able to support seven companies in this round, and we are grateful to everyone who applied and look forward to have the opportunity to provide more support in the future.”

Created to strengthen the power of the SBIR/STTR awards, the Matching Funds program fosters job creation and economic development in Maryland by promoting the commercialization of research, facilitating technology transfer and encouraging SBIR/STTR program applications.

Funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) generated $94.15 billion in economic activity and supported 390,863 jobs in 2025, according to a report published March 10 by biomedical research advocacy organization United for Medical Research.

Funding delays and NIH turmoil contributed to a total economic impact reduction of $430 million compared to 2024, but the NIH got slightly more bang for its buck in 2025. In 2025, its $36.58 billion in research grants generated $2.57 for every $1 invested. The year before, the NIH awarded $36.94 billion in grants that generated $2.56 for every dollar invested, equating to a total impact of $94.58 billion.

NIH investments in 2024 and 2025 were each slightly more efficient than in 2023...

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host its Life Science Forum on March 24, bringing together leaders from across the region’s biotechnology, research, and healthcare sectors. The event offers a focused look at the trends shaping the life sciences industry and the role Montgomery County plays in advancing innovation and economic growth.

Attendees will hear insights from industry experts and regional leaders while connecting with professionals across the life sciences ecosystem. The forum is designed for business and community leaders who want a clearer view of the sector’s direction, workforce needs, and opportunities for collaboration within one of the nation’s leading biotech hubs.

On March 19th, the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is bringing together a distinguished panel of business and investment leaders to share their insights on growth, risk, and opportunity in Montgomery County.

Access to capital remains one of the most critical drivers of business growth and long-term sustainability. As market conditions evolve, local businesses must navigate shifting investor expectations, financing strategies, and economic uncertainty while identifying new opportunities for expansion.

On March 19, join our panel of key Montgomery County leaders and investors to discuss how...

The BioHealth Capital Region continues to grow as one of the nation’s leading biohealth clusters, driven by research excellence, capital access, federal partnerships, and a deep bench of experienced operators. Each year, BioHealth Capital Region Week brings that momentum together under one roof.

The 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Week will take place September 15th through 17th, 2026, once again hosted at the US Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland. Over three days, leaders from industry, government, academia, and the investment community will convene to address the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of biohealth.

Georgetown University’s annual Research & Innovation Showcase will convene 500+ leaders from industry, academia, federal agencies, startups, and investment firms for a full day focused on research translation and real-world impact.

As part of the program, Georgetown is hosting a curated Reverse Pitch session, inviting companies, investors, and funders to share their current areas of focus, unmet needs, and partnership priorities directly with Georgetown faculty and emerging ventures.

If your organization is interested in participating — or in serving as a sponsor of this high-visibility regional event — reach out and register below.

Learn more: https://otc.georgetown.edu/newsevents/showcase/

Contact: techlicensing@georgetown.edu

This thought-provoking piece in The Wall Street Journal (“Can AI Replace Humans for Market Research?”) by Belle L. (Lin) highlights the use of AI agents for ✅ opinion polling and ✏️ market research. The article made me think of another time when new technology offered the potential to create value through digital transformation in this sector.

At the height of the dot com era, c. 1999, I was asked by Jeremy Brody to co-found one of the first-ever online research firms. The idea that technology makes work “faster, cheaper, AND easier” was appealing, especially coming from consulting early in our careers.

Along with our small, all-star team, stellar board, and a few partners, our leverage for growth was a web-based survey app and an opt-in doctor database. At the time, these assets were disruptive.

GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS), the leader in rare disease diagnosis and improving health through the power of genomic data, today announced a new genetic testing program with Zevra Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZVRA), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing life-changing therapeutics to people living with rare diseases. The Niemann-Pick Disease type C (NPC) Sponsored Genetic Testing Program is designed to expand access to GeneDx’s industry-leading ExomeDx™ test for patients with suspected Niemann-Pick disease type C, helping clinicians reach accurate diagnoses faster and guide clinical decision-making. De-identified data from the program will be added to GeneDx Infinity™, the largest and most comprehensive rare disease dataset, to help drive faster diagnoses of NPC to help patients and providers make informed treatment decisions.

NPC is a rare, inherited, and often underdiagnosed condition that can progress relentlessly while families search for answers. Through this program, eligible patients in the United States will have access to genomic testing via GeneDx to help confirm or rule out a diagnosis of NPC. Providing data to support...

GERMANTOWN, Md. & VENLO, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the use of all QIAstat-Dx® Gastrointestinal (GI) Panels on the QIAstat-Dx Rise automated syndromic testing system.

With this milestone, laboratories can run both QIAstat-Dx Respiratory and QIAstat-Dx GI panels on QIAstat-Dx Rise, the high-throughput version of the QIAstat-Dx system. Both versions support comprehensive syndromic testing with panels designed to detect multiple pathogens associated with similar symptoms in a single test, as well as targeted Mini panels that focus on a defined group of pathogens.

Expanding menu for the first fully automated syndromic testing platform

QIAGEN launched QIAstat-Dx Rise in the U.S. in September 2025 to address growing demand for higher testing capacity and increased automation in molecular diagnostics laboratories. The system features a smart drawer design that automates cartridge loading and unloading, helping users reduce manual handling and increase walkaway time.

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP; SXTPW) (“60 Degrees” or the “Company”), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines for vector-borne disease, today announced that three of three enrolled patients have been cured of babesiosis after completing the tafenoquine regimen in the Company’s trial of relapsing babesiosis in immunosuppressed patients.

The Company’s expanded use trial is an open-label, expanded access, multi-site study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the ARAKODA® regimen of tafenoquine combined with atovaquone and other antimalarials/antibiotics administered to patients with risk factors for severe disease with relapsing babesiosis who have previously failed conventional antimicrobial regimens (NCT06478641). It aims to confirm the high cure rate from the addition of tafenoquine in these patients, as reported by the Yale School of Public Health in a 2024 Clinical Infectious Diseases publication.

By David Tohn – BTS Software Solutions - As CEO of a Maryland-based defense and intelligence technology firm, I spend a lot of time visiting other technology ecosystems and asking myself, "Why are they performing better than Maryland?" To borrow from Gov. Wes Moore, they decided to win, built a strategy around their strengths and aligned their policy environment to support it. For years, Maryland has had the strengths without the strategy. Gov. Moore’s "lighthouse industry" initiative is a serious attempt to change that.

The governor’s executive order in 2024 and the Department of Commerce’s "Winning the Decade" roadmap focus Maryland on three lighthouse sectors — life sciences, IT, and aerospace and defense — as well as emerging areas like quantum, computational biology, and position, navigation, and timing (PNT). For those of us who operate at the intersection of national security and commercial technology, this list is not arbitrary; it reads like a blueprint for the industries that will define both American competitiveness and American security for the next generation.

TCC has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract (number 75N93025D00017) with an ordering period of 7 years with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contract, with an initial award of $10,000, potentially valued up to $136.6 million, supports NIAID’s Evaluation and Testing Services (ETS) program for vaccines and other biologics used to fight infectious diseases.

Under this award, ATCC will apply its scientific expertise to deliver comprehensive assay development and test preclinical and clinical samples—work that helps accelerate the development of vaccines, biologics, and other medical countermeasures for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

“This award reflects the responsibility we share in safeguarding public health,” said ATCC Federal Solutions Senior Vice President Rebecca Bradford, MBA, MS, PMP. “Building on our long partnership with NIAID, we’re proud to support work that strengthens U.S. preparedness and helps protect communities. Our teams understand the impact behind every sample and every data point, and we’re honored to contribute to the nation’s response to emerging public health threats.”

Quoin Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NASDAQ: QNRX) (“Quoin” or the “Company”), a late clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products that treat rare and orphan diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation to QRX003 lotion (4%) for the treatment of Netherton Syndrome, a rare and severe genetic skin disorder for which there are currently no approved treatments.

“We believe that the FDA’s decision to grant Fast Track Designation to QRX003 reflects the urgent unmet need faced by patients and families living with Netherton Syndrome,” said Dr. Michael Myers, CEO and Co-Founder of Quoin Pharmaceuticals. “Fast Track status enables more frequent communication with the FDA and the potential for accelerated regulatory review pathways, which may help bring the first approved treatment for Netherton Syndrome to patients as quickly as possible.”

QRX003 Development Program

QRX003 lotion (4%) is currently being evaluated in two late-stage whole-body clinical trials designed to assess safety and efficacy in patients with Netherton Syndrome.