News

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) was proud to join innovators, resource partners, and public officials at the first-ever BioConnect event—a new platform designed to foster collaboration across Montgomery County’s life sciences community. Held at the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) in North Bethesda, the event was co-hosted by Montgomery County, MCEDC, and UM-IHC, and marks the start of a recurring series aimed at deepening connections between startups, investors, and regional stakeholders.

BHI’s Executives-in-Residence Luis Gutiérrez, and Jennifer Butler attended the event alongside Montgomery County Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Natali Fani-Gonzalez, offering an opportunity to express appreciation for the County’s continued support of the BHI EIR program and broader innovation infrastructure.

by Kate Andrews – Mark T. Esser, vice president for vaccines and immune therapies at pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, will be the inaugural chief scientific officer and leader of the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Virginia, U.Va. announced Thursday.

Esser, who will join U.Va. May 1, earned a Ph.D. in microbiology in 1998 from U.Va.’s medical school, and has worked in translational medicine at AstraZeneca, MedImmune (which was acquired by AstraZeneca) and Merck. He was involved with development of Evusheld, a medicine that helped prevent and treat COVID-19; infection and cancer vaccine programs; human papillomavirus vaccines; and a monoclonal antibody that helps prevent RSV in infants.

The $350 million Manning Institute, launched in 2023 with a $100 million donation from Albemarle County investors Paul and Diane Manning, is a hub for biotech research, development and manufacturing at U.Va., which is building a 350,000-square-foot structure in Fontaine Research Park in Charlottesville that’s expected to open by late 2026 or early 2027, according to Paul Manning. A member of the university’s board of visitors, Manning founded PBM Products, an infant formula and baby food business, which he sold to Perrigo for an estimated $808 million in 2010. He then started PBM Capital, a private equity firm that invests in pharmaceutical and life sciences startups.

By Alex Keown – Tammi Thomas is a proponent of agape love, a selfless form of unconditional love that puts the needs of others first. Agape love is not static; it requires demonstrative action, something that drives Thomas in both her personal and professional lives.

“This is the kind of love where you see humanity before you see their differences,” she says.

This mindset is critically important for Thomas, who serves as Chief Development and Marketing Officer at TEDCO (Maryland Technology Development Corporation) headquartered in Columbia. TEDCO supports early-stage technology and life sciences companies in Maryland through resources, connections, and funding opportunities that allow businesses to grow.

In her role, Thomas leads the overall strategic direction, execution, and management of the organization’s marketing and fundraising strategies. Through careful crafting and shaping of TEDCO’s strong brand identity, Thomas says entrepreneurs across the state have learned that the organization is a reliable source for venture capital investments – within the top 20 investors in the Mid-Atlantic region, according to Pitchbook. The constant stitching and storytelling Thomas directs continues to promote scaling and stickiness that brings diverse stakeholders together in a collaborative way.

On April 8, 2025, the Maryland MedTech Summit convened nearly 370 leaders from across the medical technology ecosystem at the University of Maryland, College Park, spotlighting the depth and diversity of the region’s growing MedTech community. Held at the Stamp Student Union as the flagship event of the inaugural Maryland MedTech Week, the summit offered a full day of programming, networking, and insights into the future of device innovation. This was the 2nd Annual Maryland MedTech Summit, and the Inaugural Maryland MedTech Week, which also featured investor-focused events hosted by Ecphora Capital, The LaunchPort, and the two-day MedTech Innovator East Coast Road Tour.

BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) was proud to serve as a sponsor of this year’s summit and sent a strong delegation of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIRs), including Luis Gutiérrez, Albine Martin, Jon Kay, Ray Blanchard, and John Sullivan, all of whom provide strategic commercialization support to MedTech startups and early-stage companies across the BioHealth Capital Region and beyond.

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP; SXTPW) (“60 Degrees” or the “Company”), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines for infectious diseases, today announced the signing of a Patent License Agreement with Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health to jointly advance the development and commercialization of tafenoquine for the treatment and prevention of babesiosis.

On April 1st, Georgetown University celebrated a landmark moment in its growing innovation ecosystem with a full-day dedicated to advancing research, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration. Hosted by Georgetown’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in partnership with Georgetown Entrepreneurship, the day’s programming highlighted the university’s commitment to translating bold ideas into real-world solutions.

The day began with the Innovation Awards Luncheon, where outstanding inventors were recognized for their contributions to scientific advancement and commercialization. The Crystal Awards, in particular, honored researchers who are successfully bridging the gap between discovery and application, turning transformative research into real-world impact.

SILVER SPRING, Md. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR), a public benefit corporation, announced today that Great Place to Work® and Fortune magazine recognized the company as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2025. United Therapeutics ranked number 73 out of the 100 companies across the nation included in the list.

“We are honored to be recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For,” said Michael Benkowitz, President & Chief Operating Officer of United Therapeutics. “This reflects a key management objective that United Therapeutics be a destination employer, where Unitherians can have their best career while fulfilling our mission to help very sick patients through the development of novel therapeutics and progress toward an unlimited supply of transplantable organs.”

GAITHERSBURG, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS), a leader in delivering improved health outcomes through genomic insights, today announced the commercial expansion into Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI), a group of nearly 500 genetic disorders that impair immune function2, increasing susceptibility to infections, autoimmunity, and inflammatory conditions. The strategic expansion reinforces GeneDx’s mission to improve patient outcomes by providing exome and genome testing solutions for an ever-growing number of patients, now including those with inherited immunological conditions.

This summer, your business can tap into Maryland’s top graduate business talent and get rewarded for it. The Maximizing Maryland Graduate Internship Program, run by the Center for Global Business (CGB) at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, offers companies a $1,500 reimbursement per intern hired—while connecting you with highly skilled students trained in global marketing, supply chain, finance, and business strategy.

Mark your calendars! The 11th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum will return September 23rd–24th, 2025, once again hosted at US Pharmacopeia (USP) in Rockville, Maryland. This year’s theme, “The BioHealth Capital Region: Where Human and Artificial Intelligence Converge in the BioHealth Industry,” sets the tone for a timely and necessary conversation. As our sector faces new challenges and opportunities, 2025 is a critical year to align on strategy, innovation, and regional collaboration.

In addition to the Forum, we are excited to bring back the 8th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Investment Conference on September 25th, also at USP. Designed to foster meaningful connections between startups and investors, this conference continues to be a key driver of funding and momentum across our ecosystem.

A Call for Sponsors

We invite returning and new sponsors to help make this year’s event possible. Your support not only fuels the success of the Forum and Investment Conference but also ensures these events remain free to attend for all participants across the region. With your help, we’ll once again bring together over 1,000 leaders from government, industry, and academia to chart the course for the future of biohealth.