Frederick's diversified life sciences and bio industry

12/17/2018| Ernesto Chanona

Frederick's diversified life sciences and bio industry

12/17/2018 | Ernesto Chanona

Guest feature: Ernesto Chanona, Ph.D., Maryland Department of Commerce, and Luis Rugeles, Frederick County Office of Economic Development.

Without a doubt, Frederick’s life sciences and biotechnology industry is closing out the year with strong growth, and starting 2019 with a solid foundation built on numerous innovative organizations and several areas of expertise.

If you follow the life sciences industry in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area, it was hard to miss three major ribbon-cutting ceremonies that recently took place within one month.

Globally-recognized company Thermo Fisher Scientific made a local Investment in a new facility for its expanded distribution center and Cryo-Innovation Center. Indivumed, a Germany-based company focusing on personalized cancer therapies, opened its North America headquarters in Frederick in front of 120 guests. And Southern Research, a non-profit organization conducting research on infectious diseases, completed a $13 million renovation project in the area. Not long before, RoosterBio, Inc. graduated from the Frederick Innovative Technology Center and moved into its new, larger facility.

These and all the other new and expanding Frederick projects this year are the most recent additions to the impressive growth and breadth of its life sciences and bio industry.

Other notable facilities in the county include the National Cancer Institute, the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, the US Biological Defense Program, AstraZeneca’s MedImmune, and Lonza.

While Frederick is well known for these important organizations, the scale of science companies operating in the area goes well beyond.

Both established and innovative startup organizations develop technology for numerous life sciences applications, ranging from therapeutics and diagnostics to medical devices, nutriceuticals, hospital items, and research products.

Frederick is also home to the Frederick Innovative Technology Center (FITCI) and three higher education institutions that offer life sciences related degrees, including Frederick Community College’s Bioprocessing Technology Program.

Furthermore, various local companies provide services and expertise in multiple related areas such as FDA compliance, clinical trials, laboratory design, molecular biology, cell culture and analysis, contract research and manufacturing, and more.

Learn more about Maryland's biohelath and life sciences industry

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