Gemstone Biotherapeutics, a Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures FastForward startup, took this year’s Maryland Incubator Company of the Year (ICOY) Award in the Life Sciences category.
The 2015 Maryland Incubator Company of the Year Awards publicly recognizes achievements by current clients and graduates of Maryland incubators and provides a forum for the nominees to increase their visibility in the business, technology and investment communities.
Sharon Gerecht, associate professor and Kent Gordon Croft Investment Management Faculty Scholar, is director, inventor and lead advisor at Gemstone. Gerecht’s laboratory utilizes engineering fundamentals to study the interactions between stem cells and their microenvironment and applies this research to guide vascular differentiation and develop biomaterials for tissue regeneration. In January, Gerecht was named the winner of the inaugural President’s Frontier Award. The $250,000 award is given each year to a faculty member who demonstrates significant scholarly achievement and shows exceptional promise for important future work.