Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Worcester biotech moves HQ to Baltimore

By Mass High Tech Staff

Biomere LLC, a biotechnology research firm and subsidiary of Worcester-based Biomedical Research Models, said Friday it will open its corporate headquarters in Baltimore and add 25 new jobs to the region, the Baltimore Business Journal reported on Friday.

The company will take 14,000 square feet of space at the University of Maryland, Baltimore BioPark by early 2009. Biomere plans to expand the vaccine research of its parent, BRM, which develops and uses specialty animal models to test new drugs to combat diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Dennis Guberski, chairman of Biomere and CEO of its parent company, BRM, said in a statement that proximity to the University of Maryland, a variety of government agencies and installations such as the National Institutes for Health and Ft. Detrick, plus the state’s concentration of roughly 350 biotech companies, were among the factors the company considered in deciding to move there.

Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development Secretary David Edgerley said state officials courted the company for a year.

The state unvealed its Maryland Bio 2020 Initiative in June, one after Gov. Deval Patrick announced the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative. The initiative calls for Maryland to invest $1.1 billion in the bioscience industry over the next 10 years.