5 Top Maryland Cell and Gene Therapy Companies Actively Searching for Talent

Cell and gene therapies are at the leading-edge of scientific advancement with vast potential to change the lives of patients across the globe suffering from devastating diseases. The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) and Philadelphia biopharma clusters sit at the center of this ongoing medical revolution. 

The BHCR cluster, in particular, includes a host of emerging and established cell and gene therapy companies, as well one of the deepest and most advanced biomanufacturing infrastructures in the U.S. While the cell and gene therapy industry still faces challenges like high manufacturing costs, high cost per dose to patients and complex supply chain issues, this sector remains very healthy and is continuing to grow rapidly in our region and globally.

This is not only outstanding news for the BHCR life sciences industry, but it’s also great news for Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. job candidates looking to enter the life sciences sector or advance their existing biopharma careers. The recent boom in vaccine development funding sparked by the pandemic and a growing cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing cluster mean life science career opportunities abound for recent 2 or 4 year college graduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and established biopharma professionals. 

If you’re in the BHCR’s life sciences job market, joining one of the 5 growing cell and gene therapy companies listed below could be a great way to launch a new career, learn highly valuable, transferable skills, and advance professionally and personally. 

Here are our 5 top Maryland cell and gene therapy companies that are actively hiring for multiple positions.

Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, Frederick, Maryland

Kite recently opened its new, state-of-the-art cell therapy manufacturing facility in one of the most rapidly growing biotech hubs in the country—Frederick, Maryland. As the cell therapy leader, Kite has more FDA approved CAR T-cell therapies to treat cancer than any other company.

With a $225M capital investment for the building alone (a 279,000 square-foot facility that sits on a 20-acre site at the Urbana Corporate Center), that investment will continue to increase with ongoing operations costs and buildout of installed capacity.

The site currently employs more than 200 people and is planning to double headcount by the end of this year, with more jobs to come as the site grows to meet patient needs.

Cell therapy manufacturing is a unique and highly scientific process. Unlike traditional biomanufacturing, current CAR T therapies require a complex and carefully controlled, multi-step process. At Kite, treating cancer is personal. It is a “made to order” therapy where a patient’s own cells are engineered to treat their cancer. 

“We are treating people that are very sick and we have the potential for a cure.  Every batch is a patient, every patient has a story, and what Kite brings is a mission. When we think about expanding our team, we are looking for people who will share that passion for the patient, said Chris McDonald, Kite SVP, Manufacturing

For interested candidates, Kite is an opportunity to join a global leader at the forefront of cell therapy and grow as a biotech professional by working with some of the most advanced technologies, processes, and automated equipment in the field. 

Currently, Kite has 61 job openings at its Frederick, Maryland cell therapy manufacturing site. Kite offers dedicated, talented life sciences professionals of all levels an opportunity not only to help push the industry forward, but to also join a culture that’s passionately committed to patients and to its mission to cure cancer.

NextCure, Beltsville, Maryland

NextCure is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing novel, first-in-class immuno medicines to treat cancer and other immune-related diseases by restoring normal immune function. NextCure was founded in 2015 by CEO Michael Richman, who previously led Amplimmune to an acquisition by AstraZeneca in 2013. In the last handful of years, NextCure has made substantial progress, including a successful $90M IPO that closed in the summer of 2019.

The company views the immune system holistically and, rather than target one specific immune cell type, they focus on understanding biological pathways, the interactions of cells, and the role each interaction plays in an immune response. Bolstering an experienced team with a proven track record of success together, and an advanced technology platform, FIND-IO^TM, that attracted over $100M in early investment and a big pharma partnership from Eli Lilly, NextCure may well be the next big success story for Maryland’s growing biotech cluster.

The company is currently advancing two therapy candidates through Phase 2 clinical trials (NC318 and NC318 Anti-PD-1Combo) and two candidates through Phase 1 trials (NC410 and NC762). To support pipeline advancement, NextCure is actively hiring for approximately 25 openings at its Beltsville, Maryland headquarters.

NexImmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland

NexImmune is a clinical-stage biotech developing novel immune-therapeutics based on the proprietary Artificial Immune Modulation (AIM) nanotechnology platform. The AIM platform enables the ability to expand multi-antigen specific T cells with enhanced anti-tumor properties without the need for genetic manipulation.

NexImmune went public in February 2021 after promising trial results and building a highly-respected leadership team. NexImmune’s IPO closed at a value of approximately $110M. 

In December 2021, the company hit another promising milestone: NexImmune announced Phase 1/2 results for NEXI-002, the company’s patient-derived multi-antigen-specific CD8+ T cell treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. The initial trials results “showed a promising safety and tolerability profile and evidence of immunologic and clinical activity,” according to NexImmune’s press release.

Founded in 2011, NexImmune remains driven, inventive, and bold in its mission to treat cancer and other immuno-mediated diseases using its core technology licensed out of Johns Hopkins University. The company is actively recruiting talented life sciences professionals that align with its vision of conquering “…cancer and life-threatening immune-mediated conditions by directing natural, disease-specific immune responses.” 

NexImmune is currently hiring for 13 positions at its Gaithersburg, Maryland headquarters. You can view these job descriptions here.

Arcellx, Gaithersburg, Maryland

Arcellx is another exciting and promising cell therapy company seeking to bring in new talent. This newly public, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is developing novel, adaptive, and controllable cell therapies for the treatment of patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Arcellx’s vision is to bring ARC-SparX platform cell therapies to millions of patients who can self-administer prescribed SparX proteins under the care of academic and community practices.

Arcellx was named by BioBuzz as a company to watch in both 2020 and 2021. The company has not disappointed, as 2021 saw a rapid succession of important milestones achieved. The company appointed a new CEO in January 2021, accomplished industry executive Rami Elghandour, and shortly after announced it had secured IND clearance from the FDA for ACLX-001, a Controllable Cell Therapy Utilizing the Company’s ARC-SparX Platform, for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma. In addition, this past April, Arcellx closed on $115M in Series C financing to continue to advance its clinical pipeline and its operation and just today (2/4/22) announced pricing of their IPO.

Arcellx also recently announced new positive clinical data from the ongoing Phase 1 expansion study of its novel, autologous, CART-ddBCMA for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Positive pipeline data, including the late December 2021 CART-ddBCMA readout and an influx of capital have induced a hiring push to support the company’s diverse, deep, and advancing pipeline.  The immuno-oncology segment of the market is among the most active among investors and public markets, with analysts projecting it to reach $135 Billion by 2024. As a platform technology company that addresses several significant challenges that exist with current therapeutics, and the momentum behind their clinical programs, Arcellx is in an outstanding position for growth. 

Arcellx is looking for passionate, talented, and mission-aligned life sciences professionals that want to help realize the potential of novel cell therapy technology. The company currently has over 16 job opportunities across a broad spectrum of disciplines. 

MaxCyte, Gaithersburg, Maryland

MaxCyte is a unique biotech company that is a key anchor of the robust and growing Maryland cell and gene therapy industry. Founded in 1999, MaxCyte has been helping to unlock the full potential of cell and gene therapies by empowering the product development of its many blue chip life science partners and collaborators.

The company’s core technology is a proprietary, advanced cell engineering platform that is enabling leading companies like Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, and CRISPR Therapeutics, among other major life science clients, to advance their cell-based therapies for patients with high unmet medical needs. 

MaxCyte closed an approximately $200M public offering in August of 2021, joining the NASDAQ global select market. Early in 2022, the company announced strong 4th quarter financial results followed by the announcement of a new platform licensing agreement with Intima Bioscience In February 2022. MaxCyte’s CEO Doug Dorfler was also named The ‘John Holaday’ BioHealth Leadership Award winner in the 2021 BioBuzz Awards.

MaxCyte is a truly unique organization in that it is both a leading life sciences instrumentation company and is advancing its own portfolio of clinical-stage, cell-based therapies. To support recent, new partnerships and its continued growth, MaxCyte is actively recruiting new talent. The company currently has 12 openings at its Gaithersburg, Maryland location.