Of the 13 total, 2 awardees were chosen for the Company Formation award and 11 for the Technology Assessment award

COLUMBIA, Md., April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TEDCO, Maryland's economic engine for technology companies, announced the next round of the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII)'s Company Formation and Technology Assessment awardees, marking a significant milestone in promoting the commercialization of groundbreaking research from Maryland's prestigious academic research institutions.

"We are excited to announce over $2.1 million to 13 awardees who are advancing technology to improve lives and livelihoods for Marylanders," said Abi Kulshreshtha, executive director of TEDCO's MII. "Each of these awards represent innovation derived from Maryland's deep base of research and talent that will impact communities, businesses, and patients around the world."

The Company Formation award is provided to support the efforts to commercialize technology licensed from Qualifying Universities. The two awardees for the July 2025 cycles include:

1. Nuquantic, LLC - eDNA'S CRABS: Environmental DNA System for concentrated recovery of aquatic biological samples; Johns Hopkins University; received $300,000
   
   
2. Aletira Therapeutics, Inc. - Next generation gene therapy to prevent the most common form of hereditary hearing loss; Johns Hopkins University; received $300,000

The Technology Assessment award is a nine-month project that builds strong preliminary data that demonstrates the technology's utility for specific commercial applications beyond basic research. The 11 awardees for the July and October 2025 cycles include:

1. Stephen Gould: ProtECT: a highly efficient, disruptive technology for biologics cell line development; Johns Hopkins University; received $130,000
   
   
2. Pratyush Tiwary: Emergente – Integrating AI and physics to model RNA structures with therapeutic potential; University of Maryland, College Park; received $130,000
   
   
3. Stavroula Sofou: Affinity-cocktails of alpha-particle antibody-radioconjugates: treating early hepatic metastases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; Johns Hopkins University; received $130,000
   
   
4. Ala Elhelali: Long-acting injectable IGF-1 to improve recovery after peripheral nerve injuries; Johns Hopkins University; received $130,000
   
   
5. Weidong Zhu: FlexVib - Robotic continuously scanning laser doppler vibrometry; Johns Hopkins University; received $130,000
   
   
6. YuHuang Wang: AI-augmented quantum diagnostics of ovarian cancer: A scalable production of OCC-DNA sensor arrays; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; received $130,000
   
   
7. Kenneth Witwer: Engineered extracellular vesicles with immunomodulatory and targeting properties to treat Crohn's Disease; Johns Hopkins University; received $130,000
   
   
8. Brijen Joshi: Bronchosleeve: An integrated airway device delivering safer, faster, and cost-effective lung isolation; Johns Hopkins University; received $130,000
   
   
9. Michael Tsapatsis: Metal-organic photoresists for high-resolution patterning of microelectronic devices; Johns Hopkins University; received $130,000
   
   
10. David Weber: Inhibition of metastasis with novel Engineered Mannose Specific Lectins (EMSLs); University of Maryland, Baltimore; received $180,000
    
    
11. Kimberly Stroka: SAVS: A microfluidic system for recapitulating cancer metastatic initiation; University of Maryland, College Park; received $180,000

MII's Funding Opportunities

The MII program, administered by TEDCO, was created as a collaboration between the State of Maryland and five leading academic research institutions—Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland, Baltimore, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and University of Maryland, College Park— that aims to leverage each institution's strengths to transition promising technologies into the commercial sector.

"With world class universities, a community of innovators, and even the number one biomedical engineering program, Maryland is the place for researchers and students to grow," said TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall. "The state really is a perfect place to build a company, and we are excited to continue investing in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to support the creation of more knowledge-based companies in the state."

MII has also expanded its reach to include comprehensive universities, along with the creation of the Baltimore Innovation Initiative (BII) with the goal of fostering a more equitable innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem across Maryland. For more information, visit the MII webpage. 

About TEDCO
TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.

Media Contact
Tammi Thomas, Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO, tthomas@tedcomd.com
Rachael Kalinyak, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications, TEDCO, rkalinyak@tedcomd.com

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SOURCE TEDCO