
Winners will be revealed at the celebration on April 27th
The Maryland Tech Council (MTC) is proud to announce the ICON awards finalists for its annual Industry Awards Celebration. The event honors individuals and companies in the life sciences, technology, and government contracting industries that have made a significant impact in their respective fields. This year there were ninety-three nominations in eleven categories. Two new award categories have been added this year: Investor of the Year and C-Suite of the Year. The winners will be announced live on April 27th at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. Click here to learn more about the event.
“The Maryland Tech Council is excited to present this year’s ICON Awards. The finalists highlight the best and brightest in the fields of life sciences, technology and government contracting. We are looking forward to hosting Maryland’s greatest night of networking and celebrating the winners,” said IAC committee Co-Chair and Corporate M&A Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Nicole Islinger.

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) is proud to announce that US Pharmacopeia (USP) will be hosting the 9th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum for the second year in a row on September 19th and 20th, 2023. In addition to this flagship event, USP will also host the 8th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition on September 20th and the 6th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference on September 21st.
“We are looking forward to once again hosting the BioHealth Capital Region Forum. As an integral part of this dynamic region, USP is deeply committed to fostering innovation and collaboration across the BioHealth space. USP eagerly anticipates bringing together leading minds and stakeholders to advance our shared vision for the future.” said Anthony Lakavage, J.D., SVP of Global External Affairs at USP.


Annapolis, Md., Apr. 3, 2023 – The Maryland Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE) named Greater Rockville Chamber President and CEO Marji Graf its 2023 Maryland Chamber Executive of the Year.
“Marji is an exceptional leader and was selected as MACCE’s 2023 Chamber Executive of the Year because of her many notable accomplishments on behalf of the Greater Rockville Chamber of Commerce,” said Bill Chambers, MACCE President. “Marji helped the Greater Rockville Chamber, and its members deal with the many challenges of the pandemic, while still focusing on their program of work and making a difference for her members and her community.”
Among the numerous accomplishments noted in Marji’s nomination, standout achievements included diversifying and expanding her chamber’s programming, increasing its fiscal stability, and developing new, innovative responses to attracting and retaining members. “She is a dedicated
leader with a positive attitude and innovative spirit. Her commitment to the Chamber’s success was evidenced by adding new events, advocating for local businesses, and leading an effort to develop and implement values–based dues in 2022,” stated Laura Nash, Board Chair of the Greater Rockville Chamber and Relationship Manager and Vice President of West Financial Services.
An active member of MACCE, Marji is currently serving in her second year on MACCE’s Executive Board as Treasurer. Previous to moving to Maryland five years ago, Marji was a chamber leader in New England where she served as President of the Vermont Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and President of the New England Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.”

Proposals are due May 1!
Grants for Technology Product Development
Market-driven new technology and innovation leads to new products and new jobs. Creating jobs in innovative Maryland companies is what the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program has been doing for 32 years: bringing the inventive minds and extensive laboratory resources of the University System of Maryland (USM) to bear on creating the new products that feed the growth of Maryland businesses. Since the program’s inception in 1987, MIPS–enabled products have generated sales of $40 B. MIPS is nationally recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a model program for best practices in transferring technology and is a proven program that contributes significantly to job creation and high tech product development in Maryland.

Deka Biosciences (“Deka”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered at 20271 Goldenrod Lane in Germantown and focused on developing novel cytokine therapies to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, announced that the first subject has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of DK210 (EGFR) at NEXT Oncology in Fairfax, Virginia. The Phase 1, first-in-human, multicenter clinical study seeks to characterize the safety, potential efficacy and evaluate possible biomarkers of response to DK210 (EGFR) in patients with advanced solid cancer(s) who are expressing epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) (NCT05704985).
Per the press release: “We are beyond thrilled to begin the clinical trial of DK210 (EGFR), marking our first program to enter clinical development,” said John Mumm, Ph.D., President and CEO of Deka. “Importantly, we anticipate that the results of the study will confirm the clinical safety, pharmacokinetics, exploratory efficacy and correlative biomarker responses to our first DiakineTM, establishing a solid foundation for the expanded use of this treatment in cancer patients.”
Click here to read more via The MoCo Show.

Angel investors are a great way to obtain startup funding for your business. Typically, angel investors for startups fund early and seed-stage companies that show promise for high growth and scalability. However, the location and industry of your startup can also affect the angel investment opportunities available to you.
These are the top angel investor groups based on industry, stage, and accessibility for entrepreneurs to secure capital to launch their startups.
Top Angel Investor Groups
The decision to seek angel investment to launch your startup is the first step, the second step is finding the top angel investors to secure startup capital from. Fortunately, we have a list of the best angel investor groups for startups here.
1. Tech Coast Angels
About
One of the most popular angel investment groups for startups, Southern California-based Tech Coast Angels provides startup capital in addition to mentoring, connections, and business assistance for entrepreneurs. TCA has over 400 accredited investors across five networks, and invests in a variety of industries including medtech, SaaS, IoT, and more.
Best For
- Seed-stage and early-stage startups
- Tech startups (fintech, medtech, martech, etc.)
- Life sciences startup

April 12, 2023
Joining Experienced Business Executives Across Industries, Education and Government to Enhance Economic Development in Montgomery County
Rockville, MD — Under the leadership of Board Chair Kevin Beverly, Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation has added new Board Members to its roster, bringing a broad spectrum of experience, knowledge and ideas. The board reflects the diversity and wide range of talent of Montgomery County residents and businesses—working in coordination with the MCEDC team to fulfill its mission of helping businesses start, grow and relocate to Montgomery County, Maryland.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Anne Khadamian, Silvana Nani, and Devang Shah to the MCEDC Board, and appreciate their confirmation from the County Council,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The skills, experience, and relationships that these individuals have in education, workforce development, technology, communications, and other areas will help MCEDC continue their focus on attracting, retaining, recruiting, and convening in our strategic industries.”
“The impressive range of talent and expertise within our board provides a strong complement to the work we do at MCEDC,” said Bill Tompkins, President & CEO. “The board reflects the diversity that is a hallmark of Montgomery County—drawing in a wide range of business executives from healthcare and manufacturing to life sciences, finance and the nonprofit communities.”

By Alex Keown
April 13, 2023
Companies within the BioHealth Capital Region hub are hiring for multiple positions in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
BioBuzz rounds up some of the leading companies in the region seeking top talent, with examples of a few of the jobs for which they are currently hiring.
Kite Pharma
A business division of Gilead Sciences, Kite Pharma is developing innovative cancer immunotherapies. The company is focused on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T cell receptor (TCR) engineered cell therapies designed to empower the immune system’s ability to recognize and kill tumors. The company currently has 28 open positions in the BHCR. You can find their open positions here.
Sr. Director, Head of Quality Control
The senior director, head of quality control will be responsible for leading a commercial manufacturing site Quality Control organization, including analytical, microbial, technical services and sample management groups and activities for cell therapy products. The position also calls for the director to advance technology integration in the labs and methods to cultivate COGM reduction. A qualified candidate will possess an advanced scientific degree, such as an MD, PhD or PharmD, and 12+ years’ experience in Quality Control Biopharmaceuticals or a master’s degree and 12+ years’ experience in Quality Control Biopharmaceuticals.

Partnership Announced to Distribute High Potency Probiotic in Mexico to Support Patients with Gut Microbiome Imbalance
Rockville, M.D., and Charlotte, N.C., April 12, 2023 – ExeGi Pharma LLC (“ExeGi”), a leading developer of live biotherapeutic drugs and probiotics, has announced a partnership with TannerLAC, Inc. (“TannerLAC”), a division of Tanner Pharma Group, to distribute Visbiome® in Mexico. Visbiome® is a high-potency probiotic medical food that helps manage dysbiosis associated with medical conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. With eight probiotic strains delivered in high potency, Visbiome® is one of the most extensively researched probiotics on the market, with over 80 human clinical trials performed over the last 20 years. The formulation is available in more than 40 countries.

April 11, 2023 at 7:30 AM EDT
GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company (the Company), today announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2 clinical trial of HepTcell, an immunotherapeutic for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). With the achievement of this milestone, data readout is planned for the first quarter of 2024.
The multicenter clinical trial, which is being conducted at 26 sites in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia, enrolled approximately 80 subjects with inactive CHB and low levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Subjects were randomized 1:1 to HepTcell or placebo. The primary endpoint of the trial is clinical response, defined as a 1-log or greater reduction in HBsAg. Secondary endpoints include changes in the levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, pre-genomic RNA and other markers of virologic response.