| BALTIMORE, MD Tue, Sep 16, 2008 Maryland Business and Economic Development (DBED) officials joined today with Montgomery County to celebrate the official opening of OpGen Technologies Inc.’s new 15,000-square foot Gaithersburg headquarters. The company, which is a recognized leader in single molecule DNA analysis technology and a recent graduate of the Montgomery County Business Incubation Network, recently moved its base of operations from Madison, Wisconsin to take advantage of Maryland’s outstanding workforce, proximity to federal and university labs and concentration of more than 370 bio-related companies. The company has initially hired 15 employees in the area, but plans to grow to more than 100 over the next 36 months.
“The investments we make in Maryland’s biotech industry today are building a solid foundation for our State’s future,” said Governor O’Malley. “I am confident that we will continue to see an influx of cutting edge bio companies like OpGen choose Maryland, recognized as the home of genomic research, as the place to grow and expand.”
As part of today’s opening, DBED Secretary David W. Edgerley announced that OpGen has been offered a $200,000 conditional State loan, with a match of 10 percent, or $20,000, by Montgomery County, to assist with the cost of outfitting their new headquarters. The company may be eligible for additional State assistance, including workforce training funds and Job Creation Tax Credits. OpGen recently received venture funding from Evan Jones, former CEO of Digene Corp., which follows a $23.6 million investment by CHL Medical Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Versant Ventures, Mason Wells and In-Q-Tel. The company’s genome-mapping system has been used by clients like the Food and Drug Administration to determine the source of E. coli outbreaks from spinach in 2006 and by food companies to develop new bacterial strains for probiotic production.
“OpGen’s decision to relocate its headquarters to Montgomery County, Maryland is a significant success for the County’s ongoing business development efforts,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. “This decision by a company like OpGen, an industry leader in microbial genome optical mapping technology, illustrates the breadth of the life sciences culture and community found in Montgomery County, and OpGen’s continued growth and success here will help further the County’s position as global biotech leader.”
When announcing their headquarters move, OpGen officials noted that Governor O’Malley’s bio initiatives played a key role in their decision to grow in Maryland. The Governor unveiled in June his Bio 2020 plan, which is a 10-year, $1.3 billion dollar investment in Maryland's tremendous bioscience infrastructure that will result in an estimated $6.3 billion in private and federal investments by 2020. In addition, Maryland has also been ranked second nationwide for technology economy preparedness by the Milken Institute.
Noel Doheny, OpGen’s CEO, emphasized that “Our new location will allow OpGen to better serve and satisfy our global customer base and provide enhanced access to users and thought leaders in the area. The Gaithersburg facility will allow us to rapidly expand our footprint and capabilities in this emerging field.”
About DBED:
The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development stimulates private investment and creates jobs by attracting new businesses, encouraging the expansion and retention of existing companies, and providing workforce training and financial assistance to Maryland companies. The Department promotes the State's many economic advantages and markets local products and services at home and abroad to spur economic development and international investment, trade and tourism. Because they are major economic generators, the Department also supports the Arts, film production, sports and other special events. For more information, visit www.choosemaryland.org.
About OpGen:
OpGen is commercializing a novel single molecule DNA analysis technology, "Optical Mapping", for rapid identification and analysis of microorganisms. The system can be used to obtain detailed genetic information with no requirement for prior sequence data, PCR, cloning or probes. Applications of the new commercial systems include clinical microbial analysis, forensic microbiology and the development of novel molecular diagnostic products.
Montgomery County contact
:
Kristina G. Ellis, Public Information Officer
240.777.2024 direct | 240.793.9568 cell
kristina.ellis@montgomerycountymd.gov
OpGen contact
:
Fran Shay, Executive Assistant
240-831-1271
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