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Montgomery County Welcomes BioNTech to Gaithersburg, Maryland

By
Industry Observer with Retired

Montgomery County Welcomes BioNTech to Gaithersburg, Maryland

 

 

German-based BioNTech has announced that it will soon be joining Montgomery County’s growing list of world-renowned international companies in the “Immunology Capital Next to the Nation’s Capital.” BioNTech is acquiring a Gaithersburg manufacturing facility and cell therapy research and development platform from Kite, a unit of Gilead Sciences, to support the development of BioNTech’s expanding pipeline of novel cell therapies.

With its widely used Pfizer-partnered COVID-19 vaccine, BioNTech has recently risen to international prominence and is looking to add an innovative neoantigen T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy to its portfolio of cutting-edge individualized cancer therapies. BioNTech’s new Montgomery County manufacturing plant will increase the company’s cell therapy production to strengthen its supply for U.S. clinical trials of its cancer treatments.

In addition to accelerating BioNTech’s work in its promising cancer cell therapy research, the deal gives the company a life sciences manufacturing footprint in Montgomery County, home of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which includes the National Cancer Institute. BioNTech is expected to retain the existing workers at the site and hire additional employees there.

“We are proud that BioNTech has selected Montgomery County as the location to expand its operations,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “We are one of the nation’s top life sciences clusters and our proximity to the FDA and NIH, along with our high-quality workforce, makes us the ideal place for expansion. BioNTech joins a growing list of companies that have recognized that great things are happening in Montgomery County.”

BioNTech is the latest international attraction of life sciences companies that have chosen Montgomery County for its local opportunities for growth and prospective partnerships. Recent international attractions have included Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (Canada), Genetron Health (China), Innovent Biologics (China) and Nobelpharma (Japan). They joined global leaders like AstraZeneca (UK), GlaxoSmithKline (UK), Qiagen (Germany), Ascentage Pharma (China) and Macrogen (South Korea) that are already located in Montgomery County.

“When a global leader such as BioNTech selects Montgomery County as the U.S. location to fulfill its next generation manufacturing capabilities, it signals our growing maturation as a world immunology capital,” said Benjamin H. Wu, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation.. “We look forward to supporting BioNTech’s expansion plans and seeing their promising cancer therapies come to fruition.”

This is a Montgomery County, Maryland announcement.

 

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Posted by

Roy Kelley, Retired, Former Associate Broker, RE/MAX Realty Group

Gaithersburg, Maryland  

Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Good morning Roy. Sounds like they made a good decicion for themselves and Montgomery County. A win-win as they say. Enjoy your day.

Jul 27, 2021 04:32 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Roy - congratulations to Gaithersburg Maryland as it welcomes BioNTech to Montgomery County Maryland.  I don't understand nearly as much about science as I should or the German language but good wishes along with kind words seem to be in order.  

Jul 27, 2021 05:05 AM
Lise Howe
Keller Williams Capital Properties - Washington, DC
Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC

this is great news - that area off of Shady Grove Road and a little further north is really big for bio tech 

Jul 27, 2021 05:11 AM
Mark Don McInnes, Sandpoint-Idaho
Sandpoint Realty LLC - Sandpoint, ID
North Idaho Real Estate - 208-255.6227

Good morning Roy,  This sounds like a big plus for both immediate and further distant communities.  Mark

Jul 27, 2021 05:31 AM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

That sounds like a big deal for Gaithersburg!  I hope that you and chef Dolores will have a fun day.

Jul 27, 2021 05:44 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

New businesses coming into the area are a boon for all with the people that they will bring.

Jul 27, 2021 06:40 AM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Roy, This is a nice way to introduce and get the word out on a new business to Gaithersburg!

Jul 27, 2021 06:58 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Roy, sounds like a great business additional to Montgomery County, thanks for sharing.

Jul 27, 2021 07:48 AM
Rocky Dickerson
Realty One Group - Las Vegas, NV
Superior Service!

Good morning Roy! It is fascinating to me to see the tech growth in your area. Looks like the next Silicon Valley

Jul 27, 2021 07:49 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Roy,

Bio-Tech is continuing to grow and grow.  When we lived in Napa, there was a city north of us called Vacaville, that became a bio-tech center.  A

Jul 27, 2021 08:22 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Hi Roy - it is an excellent industry to come into your area.  We have it in our area too.

Jul 27, 2021 09:32 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

I'm sure Montgomery County will benefit from the addition of Biontech to their business community.

Jul 27, 2021 05:49 PM
Kristin Johnston - REALTOR®
RE/MAX Platinum - Waukesha, WI
Giving Back With Each Home Sold!

Great information.  Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day!

Jul 29, 2021 06:51 AM
Adam Feinberg
Elegran - Manhattan, NY
NYC Condo, Co-op, and Townhouse Advisor

This is terrific. I am a bit bummed/jealous that I didn't hear about consideration for my area- because Pfizer is headquartered here in Manhattan- and between Columbia University's new campus expansion into my neighborhood (which includes massive medical research facilities) and City College's new $600 million science center- just a few blocks from each other- we are already starting to see new biotech engineering and incubators being built around here. 

Aug 11, 2021 03:41 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thank you very much for your comments. It is always good to hear from you.

Aug 12, 2021 05:18 AM