|
Since 2007, AstraZeneca has played a pivotal role in Maryland’s life sciences ecosystem. The U.K.-based company maintains its largest U.S. R&D site in Gaithersburg, employing over 4300 people in a 1.3 million square-foot campus.
AstraZeneca made Maryland a cornerstone of its operations with its $15.6 billion acquisition of MedImmune, a biotechnology company based in Gaithersburg, in 2007. AstraZeneca has grown its R&D facility in Gaithersburg and this site has played a key role in the development of several medicines.
“The work done here in Maryland covers a wide range of areas including Biologics and Cell Therapy where we work with living cells to generate new medicines as well as developing vaccines and many other modalities of treatments,” said Stuart Jackson, Chief Operating Officer for Oncology R&D, who touted the importance of the Gaithersburg site to AstraZeneca’s global operations.
Jackson noted that Gaithersburg is a world-class R&D hub with research conducted across the majority of our core therapy areas, including oncology, cardiovascular, renal, vaccines and immunology.
“What’s unique in comparison to our other strategic global sites is we have representation across every stage of the life cycle… from early R&D discovery and development to manufacturing and commercialization. We truly are an end-to-end site, which makes us a bit special,” Jackson said.
AstraZeneca’s Gaithersburg site is an end-to-end facility in more ways than just drug development. It’s also a facility designed to cater to the whole needs of its employees and promotes a positive work-life balance. In addition to lab and office space, the Gaithersburg location maintains child care facilities, gyms, cafeterias and even a medical clinic.
Jackson noted that a key to the AstraZeneca site ambitions will be to continue supporting sustainability efforts that include the company’s dedication to achieving a zero carbon output by 2026.
The company continues to thrive in Maryland, a state that provides significant benefits to the companies that call it home. Jackson called Maryland a scientific hub that draws some of the top talent in the biopharma industry. He also said the support from state government, particularly the Department of Commerce, as well as support from organizations like TEDCO and the Maryland Tech Council, has helped to create a business-friendly environment for the biopharma industry.
“There’s such a supportive business environment here. It’s a diverse region with representation from different backgrounds and a global perspective just because of the nature of this area,” he added. “We also have access to world-class institutions like Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland, NIH (National Institutes of Health) and others, that allow for collaboration.”
Not only has AstraZeneca established itself as a cornerstone of Maryland’s current life sciences ecosystem, the company is working to ensure the future of the industry through its partnership with Learning Undefeated’s mobile laboratories. The Drop Anywhere mobile lab visits schools across the region to offer access to STEM education programs. Currently serving more than 13,000 students and 100 educators in Maryland through its mobile and immersive STEM education platforms and events, AstraZeneca’s new mobile lab is designed in the form of an escape room.
"Students have to learn various STEM related lessons in order to save the lab," Tiffany Lukis, Director STEM and Community Engagement, North America at AstraZeneca said. “We believe that STEM should be accessible to all students.”
In addition to the mobile lab, AstraZeneca is also partnering with the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s CURE Scholars Program. Through the program, students from sixth through twelfth-grade in West Baltimore are provided an opportunity to learn more about science and the potential career opportunities within the field, Lukis said.
In November, the Gaithersburg campus hosted a curriculum launch ceremony for BioHub Maryland, a workforce development initiative of the Maryland Tech Council, for roles that do not require college degrees. Jobs that will be highlighted include manufacturing technicians, validation technicians, quality control, warehouse management roles and many more.
Even the children of AstraZeneca employees are not left out of the opportunity to learn more about science. The company hosts a “Take Your Child to Work Day” that allow employees to share what they and the company do. Lukis said more than 1,000 children have gotten to learn more about how their parent contributes to the development of new medications that have the potential to change the lives of millions of people across the world.
“This is a great place to work, to have work-life balance. It’s a full end-to-end everything site,” Jackson said. “I love walking this campus every day. It’s such a fantastic site. This is a great place to be.”
| 
