Oncology Company Genetron To Move US Headquarters To Gaithersburg

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Oncology company Genetron Health Inc. is moving its U.S. headquarters from North Carolina to Gaithersburg, according to the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC).

The China-based company is working on a blood-based next generation sequencing (NGS) test designed for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma — a common type of liver cancer caused by hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection.

According to a press release, Genetron plans to expand following its clinical trials, with the goal of hiring 30 to 50 people within two years. It will be relocating to a 6,000-square-foot space for its planned rapid growth, and is seeking workers "at the crossroads of health and biotech, including professionals with expertise in bioinformatics."

Montgomery County is home to a handful of international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Novavax Inc. (a drug company working on a COVID-19 vaccine) and Autolus (a firm developing cancer treatments). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is also headquartered here.

"Montgomery County is historically the first place for human genomics," said Sizhen Wang, Genetron's co-founder and CEO. "The county offers great advantage to us including proximity to the U.S. evaluating authority, the FDA. We also have a perfect opportunity here for collegial interconnection with hospitals, pharma and tech companies, as well as a great talent pool to draw from as we grow."

Montgomery County has awarded Genetron a $46,848 grant to assist with the move. It is not immediately clear when exactly the company will move to Gaithersburg, however.

"We're so pleased that Genetron has chosen to join the growing list of international companies making their home here. This innovative company's choice of Montgomery County for its global expansion further highlights our county's strengths in cell and gene therapy, bioinformatics and access to a highly-educated workforce," said County Executive Marc Elrich.