DNA Valley
Regional economic development and geographic location / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DNA Valley is a region in Maryland that serves as a biotechnology hub with a focus on genetic medicine. Roughly traced by Rockville, Frederick, and Baltimore, DNA Valley includes the innovation companies in the Maryland I-270 technology corridor, the various campuses of federal entities such as the FDA and NIH, as well as The University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, The Institute for Human Virology, and various laboratories with high biosafety levels such as Fort Detrick. Major DNA valley cities include: Baltimore, Columbia, Germantown, Silver Spring, Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, College Park, and Frederick.[1] The counties that make up DNA valley are Montgomery County, Frederick County, Howard County, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, and Carroll County.[2] According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, these counties contributed a combined GDP of $310,407,270 in 2021, higher than several nations. Local business leaders like Jeff Galvin expect this figure to increase in step with the growth of the biotechnology sector.[3]
DNA Valley is home to many of Maryland's biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life science companies including AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GeneDx, Qiagen, American Gene Technologies, and GlaxoSmithKline.[4] A defining feature of the region is its staggering concentration of scientists and doctors. According to New Scientist, "There are more MDs and PhDs per capita in a 10-mile radius of DC than anywhere else in the country".[5]