A Rockville gene therapy company is determined to find a cure for HIV—and recent studies suggest it might be on the right track.
American Gene Technologies, a 15-year-old company founded and run by CEO Jeff Galvin, conducted several clinical trials with “strong, positive results” indicating a potential cure for patients diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to AIDS. American Gene is now creating a separate company called Addimmune to focus solely on HIV research and trials.
“We are confident that we’re on course for an HIV cure,” Galvin said. “Addimmune can focus all its efforts on HIV, while American Gene continues to explore gene therapy cures for other diseases.” [WTOP]
Police share photos of suspect in Gaithersburg armed robbery
Montgomery County Police are asking for the public’s help identifying a suspect in an armed robbery that occurred around midnight on May 26 at a Gaithersburg Motel 6 on Quince Orchard Road.
According to police, the suspect was seen entering a motel room shared by two females and leaving 15 minutes later. As he left, the suspect grabbed a purse belonging to one of the victims and brandished a knife, police said. He is described as a “large white male in his thirties” with short black hair and a beard, and a tattoo on his right forearm. Police have released photos of the suspect and are offering a reward up to $10,000 for information leading to his arrest. [MyMCM]
MVA resecures misleading web address linked to foreign gambling site
Shutting down an embarrassing snafu, Maryland Vehicle Administration officials recently reclaimed a web address printed on nearly 800,000 commemorative license plates that sent users to a gambling site in the Philippines.
The URL, www.starspangled200.org, was supposed to commemorate the War of 1812 and was maintained by a nonprofit group of the same name—but its license had lapsed and web users were instead being sent to a site promoting online gambling. A Maryland resident discovered the blunder after a Memorial Day cookout and shared it on social media. State officials have not shared how much it cost to retrieve the URL. [The Washington Post]
Today’s weather
Stormy for the better part of the day, with temperatures in the mid-70s and humidity peaking at 80 percent.
In case you missed it:
Say goodbye to the county’s 300-year-old white oak tree this weekend
Police investigating assault, death of man in Silver Spring
New urban park opens in Downtown Silver Spring this weekend