FREDERICK, Md. — Regenerative medicine company Theradaptive celebrated the opening of its $15 million manufacturing expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 29, 2026, at its Frederick County headquarters, joined by elected officials and representatives from federal, state, county and city government.
The 23,000-square-foot facility brings commercial-scale GMP manufacturing in-house, placing the company’s research, development and production under one roof. It also sets the stage for significant job growth: Theradaptive now employs 53 people and says the site could grow to as many as 100 employees within five years.
From FITCI startup to commercial manufacturer
Theradaptive’s roots are in Frederick. The company got its start at the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI), Frederick County’s first business incubator, before moving to its current site near the Monocacy National Battlefield. County Executive Jessica Fitzwater noted she attended a smaller ribbon cutting two years ago when the team first settled into the space.
Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor compared the company to a child who grows up, graduates and settles close to home. That path, he said, is exactly what FITCI was created to support. He also praised Theradaptive for mentoring other young companies that followed it.
Delegate Ken Kerr (District 3) recalled first seeing Theradaptive’s work about a decade ago at a Fort Detrick Alliance tech showcase held at FITCI. He was then interim dean of arts and sciences at Frederick Community College. Of everything on display that night, he said, Theradaptive’s work was the most memorable.
Building a local biotech workforce
Theradaptive added 19 employees in the past year alone, bringing its team to 53. The new facility gives the company room to keep growing as its programs and manufacturing needs expand.
Jill Dunty, Theradaptive’s Senior Director of Operations, who oversaw the project, said that growth is personal. “She began her own career in Maryland as a manufacturing associate in the biotech corridor, straight out of school. The company hopes to create similar opportunities, including career pathways for graduates of local colleges and universities and business for Maryland-based vendors.”
County Executive Fitzwater said the company can draw on local talent through partnerships with Frederick Community College, county workforce services and Maryland’s colleges and universities. County Council President Brad Young echoed the point, noting that companies like Theradaptive let people who grow up in Frederick build science careers without leaving home.
Leaders at every level celebrate
The ceremony drew representatives from every level of government, several of whom presented formal recognitions.
County Executive Fitzwater presented a certificate of recognition on behalf of Frederick County residents. She said having R&D and manufacturing together strengthens the company’s ability to innovate and keeps its expertise and intellectual property in Maryland. She also thanked the county’s planning and permitting applicant support team and its economic development team for their work on the project.
Mayor O’Connor presented an award from the City of Frederick. He noted that many Theradaptive employees live in the city, so the expansion benefits city residents even though the site sits outside city limits.
Matt Patterson, representing Congresswoman April McClain Delaney, presented a congressional citation and highlighted the $15 million investment and planned workforce growth. Robin Summerfield, regional director for U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, offered congratulations on behalf of Maryland’s congressional delegation, alongside staff from Senator Angela Alsobrooks’ office.
Delegate Kerr pointed to state programs such as the Maryland Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program as examples of investment in the infrastructure that helps the life sciences grow. He closed by saying he was proud to have known the company from its early days.
A county and city working hand in hand
Theradaptive’s growth reflects years of steady investment in life sciences by both Frederick County and the City of Frederick. The two governments have backed the sector together from the start: FITCI, the incubator where Theradaptive began, was established in 2005 with support from the county, the city and state partners.
That partnership showed throughout the ceremony. County Executive Fitzwater described a local “fabric” of support, from the county’s permitting and economic development staff to Frederick Community College and workforce services, all working to turn good ideas into real companies. Mayor O’Connor said the city takes pride in an ecosystem where life sciences companies support one another and lift the whole community.
The time, effort and confidence the county and city have put into life sciences are helping define what Frederick is today and what it is becoming: a place where biotech companies can start, grow and stay.
The science behind the mission
Theradaptive develops regenerative therapies designed to help repair damaged bone and tissue. Brad Stewart, chair of the Maryland Tech Council, traced the work back to a bold idea: helping U.S. service members who have lost limbs by creating a material that lets new bone regrow.
Stewart said the same approach could one day extend to regrowing a jaw or delivering cancer drugs directly to a tumor. He thanked founder and CEO Luis Alvarez, Ph.D., and every Theradaptive employee for their commitment.
In his remarks, Alvarez recalled the company’s early days in a dusty office, imagining support from the city, county and state. He drew a parallel with the nearby Monocacy battlefield, where a tactical defeat became a strategic victory, as a symbol of persistence paying off. He gave special thanks to the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund for its steadfast support.
A team effort
Dunty thanked the architects, engineers, builders, tradespeople, and commissioning and validation partners behind the build, noting that much of what makes a GMP facility work is hidden behind its walls and above its ceilings. She also credited Theradaptive’s own staff, many of whom took on the project alongside their regular jobs. The quality team alone moved more than 200 documents through approval this year to get the facility qualified.
The expansion moves Theradaptive closer to its central goal: bringing its therapies to the patients who need them. For Frederick County, it marks another milestone for a growing biomanufacturing community and a homegrown company that chose to scale up here.
About Theradaptive
Theradaptive, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Frederick, Maryland, that develops targeted protein therapeutics for tissue regeneration. Its proprietary AMP2 platform, an engineered variant of the bone-forming protein BMP-2, is designed to deliver therapeutic proteins precisely where the body needs them.
The company’s lead product, OsteoAdapt SP, is being studied for spinal fusion. In April 2026, the FDA approved advancing its OASIS trial to a pivotal Phase 3 study. A second product, OsteoAdapt DE, is being studied for bone regeneration in dental procedures. In January 2026, Theradaptive and ATEC announced a partnership giving ATEC exclusive U.S. commercial rights to OsteoAdapt for spinal fusion.
OsteoAdapt products are investigational devices, limited by U.S. federal law to investigational use. Learn more at theradaptive.com.
