Rockville Biotech Company To Add Up To 245 New Jobs By 2025

ROCKVILLE, MD — Vigene Biosciences, a Rockville-based company that specializes in gene therapy development, has announced plans to expand and add nearly 250 new jobs by the end of 2025.

The biotech will lease a 52,00-square-foot manufacturing facility at 14200 Shady Grove Rd., bringing its total lab and manufacturing space to 110,000 square feet, according to the Maryland Department of Commerce.

There are 125 employees at Vigene. The expansion — the company's second within a year — is expected to add up to 245 jobs by the end of 2025.

The company will receive a $1,225,000 conditional loan, contingent on job creation and capital investment, from the state's commerce department. It will also receive a $125,000 economic development grant from Montgomery County.

"Vigene is at the forefront of developing products for gene and cellular therapy for people around the world battling cancer and other life-threatening disorders, and we are very excited that they are continuing to do that important work right here in Maryland," said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. "Together with our partners in Montgomery County, we look forward to working with Vigene to ensure they continue to grow and thrive here in our state."

Vigene, which was founded in 2012, is working on a COVID-19 nasal vaccine with Altimmune, Inc. — a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in Gaithersburg.

Altimmune's single-dose intranasal vaccine candidate, AdCOVID, is designed to stimulate local mucosal immunity — which scientists say is critical for blocking both infection and spread at its origin. Clinical trials are underway.

"Vigene serves over 4,000 clients worldwide, including our recently announced collaboration with Gaithersburg's Altimmune to manufacture its single-dose intranasal vaccine candidate for COVID-19," said Dr. Zairen Sun, Vigene's president and CEO. "This new facility will allow us to support our customers as they move beyond clinical development into commercial-scale manufacturing."

In recent years, Montgomery County has become an international hub for life sciences and technology. It's home to more than 170 companies on the cutting edge of science — including Novavax and GlaxoSmithKline, two companies that are working toward a COVID-19 vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health are also located in Montgomery County.

"Vigene's expansion project shows once again why Montgomery County is a leading life sciences hub," County Council President Tom Hucker said. "Only Montgomery County has the unique mix of federal agencies, the proximity to our nation's capital, the highly educated talent, and the support that enables these mission-driven companies to achieve extraordinary things."