Business

Baltimore and D.C. are considering merging their bids for the 2026 World Cup in the hopes of ensuring the national capital region gets to host the world’s largest sporting event. Terry Hasseltine, who has been coordinating Baltimore’s World Cup bid as president of the Sport and Entertainment Corp. of Maryland, told the Maryland Stadium Authority board about the possible merger during a meeting on Tuesday. He also said he expects FIFA, the governing body of soccer, to make a decision about host cities around May 15.

A big name in the medical field is joining the board of Galen Robotics, a biotech startup in Baltimore. Robert Langer, one of the co-founders of pharmaceutical giant Moderna, said the Pigtown company’s robotic arm could change the way surgeries are done. A big name in the medical field is joining the board of Galen Robotics, a biotech startup in Baltimore. Robert Langer, one of the co-founders of pharmaceutical giant Moderna, said the Pigtown company’s robotic arm could change the way surgeries are done.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County announced Valerie Sheares Ashby will serve as its new president starting Aug. 1, becoming the first female to fill this role at the university. Ashby, who currently serves as the dean of Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, received her appointment as UMBC’s sixth chief executive from the University System of Maryland Board of Regents. She will take over for Freeman A. Hrabowski III, who is retiring from the university after 30 years as president.

The next step in the Ever Forward saga is one that officials have wanted to avoid from the beginning: container removal. The 1,095-foot cargo ship has been stuck in the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Pasadena since missing a turn March 13 and running aground in shallow waters. A week later, two clamshell dredges began digging up the mud that surrounded the ship’s hull and then twice last week, Tuesday and Wednesday, at least five tugboats pushed and pulled on the ship, hoping to free it. Those tries were unsuccessful.

Gaithersburg’s Adaptive Phage Therapeutics Inc. has raised another $20 million in funding, less than a year after securing nearly $41 million to advance its therapy for superbugs. The new funding brings the Series B total to $61 million, allowing the company to accelerate clinical trials for two programs: prosthetic joint infection and diabetic foot osteomyelitis, in which soft tissue infections can spread to the bone and require amputation.

The bulk of the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation’s work involves lending money to local businesses and helping them flourish. But, when the pandemic hit and federal and state money started funneling into the county, the quasi-governmental organization had an added mission: distributing funding to businesses most in need. AAEDC’s work delivering nearly $33 million in grants to businesses was critical in getting the county economy through the recession brought on by COVID-19 and keeping unemployment rates from skyrocketing, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said.