Last Day of WashCo Bio feature

The last articles appear in today Herald-Mail and go more in depth interviews with the two (I believe these re the only two Biotech companies) in the Technical Innovation Center at Hagerstown Community College:  Protein RST, LLC and Ambay Immune Sensors and Controls.

One article is entitled “Creating protein, super enzyme energizes scientist” and interviews the principle at Protein RST, Fusheng Guo.  He’s a former NIH Chemist now working on contract protein purification, recombinant protein production and isolation services.  Based on this article and his CV, looks like he’s trying to create some sort of cellulosic enzyme for biofuels production.

It’s interesting because both Dr Guo and Dr Chandok both travel from the DC/Annapolis area through FredCo to get to HCC.

Dr  Meena Chandok is interviewed in the other article, “Young scientist hunts cancer ‘culprits’ at HCC“.  Her company, Ambay Immune Sensors and Controls, is working on a “biosensor” for early detection of breast cancer in peripheral blood.  I wasn’t able to locate a web site for Ambay, so if anyone knows of one please let me know.

I think it’s interesting because   Chandok gets to be called the “young” scientist at 42 (height and weight we not mentioned), but poor Dr Guo, at 40, gets no such label.  Since I am 46 and prematurely gray, maybe I’ll be able take home the “mid-aged scientist” moniker.

So wraps up the series on HCC and Biotech in Washington County.  I’ll keep looking for more stories and actually have no aversion to broadcasting for our partners to the North.  I hope to visit the HCC incubator at some point in time and talk to these two in person.  There is definitely an opportunity to work more closely with the folks in WashCoBio.