Baltimore is adding a new life sciences heavyweight to its roster.
Maryland has a strong life sciences workforce, which employs over 54,000 people.
Nature Cell, a Korean biotech firm, plans to open a 100,000-square-foot stem cell research and manufacturing facility at Gaslight Square, a mixed-use development in South Baltimore, according to a press release from Gov. Wes Moore’s office. The project will roll out in two phases through 2031.
“Adding Nature Cell to Baltimore’s growing economy will bring hundreds of new opportunities to local STEM graduates as well as our existing talented biopharma workforce,” Maryland Commerce deputy secretary Ricardo Benn wrote in an email to Technical.ly. “We are grateful the company has chosen Maryland for this new US facility and believe their research will continue raising the bar for our leadership in the life sciences.”
To support the project, the Maryland Department of Commerce plans to approve a $4 million conditional loan, with the Baltimore Development Corporation contributing an additional $400,000 conditional loan.
The governor’s office estimates the project will bring in 500 new jobs to the region.
The groups have not released details on how much Nature Cell will invest in the development or what types of workers Nature Cell will seek out to fill those roles.
An ‘abundant pool’ of life sciences talent
In March, Nature Cell became the first Korean company in cell therapy to receive a Breakthrough Therapy designation from the Food and Drug Administration for JointStem, its stem cell therapy for patients with severe knee osteoarthritis — a status that fast-tracks the drug development process.
The Baltimore location will focus its efforts on stem cell research and development for knee osteoarthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, including manufacturing doses of JointStem at the new facility.
The company cited Maryland’s long-standing commitment to stem cell research and biotech growth as a key factor in its decision to expand to Baltimore. Specifically, the state has a strong life sciences workforce, which employs over 54,000 people.
Maryland began ramping up its investments in stem cell research in the early 2000s, establishing the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund in 2006. The fund has since deployed more than $200 million to support research and commercialization across the state.
The state’s commerce department is also backing Baltimore’s life sciences growth through its Build Our Future grant program, which supports organizations like Blackbird Laboratories. The nonprofit is developing a life sciences incubator at the biotech hub City Garage in the Baltimore Peninsula to accelerate early-stage biotech companies.
“Maryland offers an abundant pool of highly skilled technical talent that is critical to establishing global leadership and setting industry standards in stem cell therapeutics,” Nature Cell chairman Jeong-Chan Ra said in the release.
