News Archive

BOSTON, MA – This week, Maryland Lt. Governor Aruna K. Miller led a Maryland delegation to the BIO International Convention in Boston, Massachusetts where she and members of the Department of Commerce promoted Maryland as a national hub for life sciences. 

The BIO International Convention is the world’s largest biotech industry event, bringing together leaders from more than 60 countries across the global biotechnology ecosystem—including biopharma companies, academic institutions, startups, investors, and government officials—to share insights, build partnerships, and showcase innovation. 

Maryland was among the most well-represented states at the convention as Lt. Governor Miller and Commerce Secretary Harry Coker, Jr. were joined by County Executives Marc Elrich and Jessica Fitzwater, Maryland Tech Council CEO Kelly Schulz, a delegation of 15 Maryland-based life sciences startup companies, and several other public and private sector leaders. 

“Maryland is America’s biotech frontier,” said Lt. Governor Miller. “This week we were proud to showcase why 5,000 life science companies call our state home and why Maryland is a place where potential meets performance, and innovation meets mission. With one of the most robust pipelines for STEM talent in the country and unmatched assets like our universities and life sciences sector, we’re not just keeping pace, we’re setting the standard.” 

BALTIMORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Infinity Bio, a biotechnology company pioneering technologies to map immune responses at scale, today announced the successful closing of an $8 million Series A financing round. The round was led by Illumina Ventures, with participation from PTX Capital, Blackbird BioVentures, and Propel Baltimore Fund.

As part of the strategic plan to broaden its suite of service offerings, Infinity Bio has acquired the assets of Serimmune, Inc., which was founded in 2014 to provide unbiased antibody reactome services. New MIPSA™ service offerings, including EnviroSIGHT™, are also expected to launch in the second half of 2025.

Infinity Bio will use the proceeds to expand its commercial footprint, accelerate development of its proprietary MIPSA™ platform, and launch new immune profiling services. The platform enables unbiased, high-resolution analysis of the antibody reactome, an emerging field critical to understanding immune responses in health and disease.

HANOVER, Md., June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCSA), today announced that it has entered into a binding term sheet with Intact Therapeutics, Inc. (“Intact”) granting Intact the exclusive option to license PCS12852, a best-in-class 5-HT4 receptor agonist with the potential to become a first meaningful treatment for gastroparesis and other gastrointestinal motility disorders.

Under the terms of the agreement, Processa is eligible to receive a $2.5 million option exercise fee, up to $20 million in development and regulatory milestone payments and over $432.5 million in commercial milestone payments based on net product sales. Intact will also pay Processa a double-digit royalty on worldwide net sales of licensed products, excluding South Korea, and provide Processa with an equity stake in Intact upon closing. Under the terms of its license, Processa must share 60% of any cash payments with its licensor (excluding the equity stake in Intact).

BALTIMORE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ReGelTec Inc., a company developing a percutaneous hydrogel implant for the treatment of chronic low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease, announced it has treated the first patient in its HYDRAFIL-D FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) clinical trial for its HYDRAFIL^® System for disc augmentation. The patient was enrolled by Kas Amirdelfan, M.D., an interventional pain physician and founding member of Boomerang Healthcare, Inc. in Walnut Creek, Calif. The HYDRAFIL System is an outpatient procedure offering interventional pain physicians and patients a new treatment designed to reduce pain and improve daily function without the need for an invasive surgery.

ROCKVILLE, MD / ACCESS Newswire / June 16, 2025 / uBriGene Biosciences, a leading cell and gene therapy CDMO, is proud to announce the launch of its fully characterized, ready-to-use induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) banks. Developed using uBriGene’s proprietary RNA-LNP reprogramming technology, these iPSC banks are now available to support research, translational development, and clinical applications worldwide.

uBriGene’s iPSC seed banks and master cell banks (MCBs) are generated in GMP-compliant cleanrooms using healthy donor fibroblasts sourced from the USA in full compliance with FDA regulations. Reprogrammed with a non-integrating mRNA-LNP kit, the iPSCs are free of genomic footprint and residual RNA.

BELTSVILLE, Md. and SHANGHAI, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NextCure, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing novel, first-in-class and best-in-class therapies to treat cancer, and Simcere Zaiming, an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company and a subsidiary of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd (HKEX: 2096), today announced a strategic partnership to develop SIM0505, a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting CDH6 (cadherin-6 or K-cadherin) for the treatment of solid tumors. SIM0505 is currently in Phase 1 clinical testing in China; NextCure expects to begin clinical testing in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2025.

COLUMBIA, Md., (June 17, 2025) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $500,000 dual investment in Astek Diagnostics, a biomedical company. This investment came from both the Pre-Seed Builder Fund, part of TEDCO’s Social Impact Funds, which supports Maryland’s underrepresented startup communities, and the Venture Funds, dedicated to funding and growing the next generation of early-stage businesses in the state.

Astek Diagnostics, based in Baltimore, Md., is a medical technology company working to transform infectious disease management through its Jiddu™ Platform—a diagnostic system that aims to deliver antibiotic susceptibility results in under one hour. Designed to support faster, more targeted treatment decisions, the platform addresses infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), sepsis and wound infections. Unlike traditional culture-based methods, which take 48 to 72 hours, Astek’s phenotypic approach aims to provide results at the point of care, hopefully reducing wait times without compromising precision.

BioHealth Capital Region Week returns for its 11th year, and registration is now officially open. Scheduled for September 23–25, 2025, this annual gathering will once again take place at US Pharmacopeia (USP) in Rockville, Maryland, bringing together leaders from across the biohealth ecosystem for three days of innovation, connection, and forward-thinking dialogue.

This year’s theme—“Where Human and Artificial Intelligence Converge in the BioHealth Industry”—will guide Forum discussions as experts from across industry, government, and academia explore how AI is reshaping drug development, diagnostics, health data, and the future of care delivery.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available at multiple levels, including standard, lunch, networking reception, VIP dinner, and display table options. Sponsors receive prominent visibility throughout the event and exclusive access to the region’s top biohealth leaders.

Maryland business researching treatment options for a debilitating illness

COLUMBIA, Md., (June 16, 2025) — TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent $100,000 Pre-Seed Builder Fund investment in Higher Medicine. The Pre-Seed Builder Fund is housed under the Social Impact Funds, an umbrella of investment opportunities that seek to provide eligible entrepreneurs with access to support and capital.

“Kabuki syndrome is a rare genetic disorder in children that results in developmental delays, distinct facial features, and various medical complications throughout life,” said Leo Kim, Ph.D, founder and CEO of Higher Medicine. “We are looking to give hope to those impacted by developing a treatment that addresses the root causes, rather than symptomatic relief only. With TEDCO’s investment, we are excited to continue forward.”