Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund Awards $4.7 million for Stem Cell Research
The latest funding round backs 11 Maryland-based projects focused on advancing therapies and growing regenerative medicine manufacturing.
The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission has awarded $4.7 million in grants to support research and development programs in regenerative medicine across The Old Line State.
This first funding round for fiscal year 2026 will support 11 projects targeting conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, bone and cartilage disorders, heart conditions, developmental issues, and vision disorders. Recipients include academic institutions like Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as well as companies such as Nanochon, Inc.; REPROCELL U.S.A., Inc.; RoosterBio, Inc.; HOHCells, LLC; Theradaptive, Inc.; and Stemora, Inc.
In fiscal year 2025, the Commission awarded more than $22 million to advance regenerative medicine development in Maryland. Since its establishment under the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006, MSCRF has invested over $230 million in more than 700 projects, generating over $525 million in economic activity and creating over 2,000 jobs statewide.
The first round of MSCRF awards for the 2026 fiscal year includes the following:
- Launch (5 awards): These awards are to encourage new and new-to-the-field faculty to bring innovative research and technology to the regenerative medicine field. Totaling $1,749,324, the Launch Award recipients are Drs. Steven Hsu, Soojung Hur, Yuchuan Miao, and Seunghyun Lee from Johns Hopkins University as well as Dr. Herana Kamal Seneviratne from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
- Commercialization (4 awards): These awards are for companies to develop new human stem cell-based products in Maryland. Totaling $1,600,000, the Commercialization Award recipients are RoosterBio, Inc. (Dr. Jon Rowley), HOHCells, LLC (Mr. Gregory Merril), Theradaptive, Inc. (Dr. Luis Alvarez), and Stemora, Inc. (Dr. Srujana Cherukuri).
- Manufacturing Assistance (2 awards): These awards provide entities with funding to support the manufacturing processes/infrastructure of stem cell therapy products in Maryland. Totaling $1,357,818, the Manufacturing Assistance Award recipients are Nanochon, Inc. (Dr. Nathan Castro), and Reprocell U.S.A., Inc. (Dr. Rama Modali).
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