Rockville’s Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc., a discovery and development stage specialty pharmaceutical company located at 1 Research Ct and focused on improving the outcomes of cancer patients treated with radiation therapy (RT), announced it has entered an agreement to lease new laboratory and office space, commencing in June 2023, to complement the development of the Company’s lead drug candidates and accelerate broader diagnostic capabilities on predictive biomarkers. The new laboratory space, located in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is located within the Maryland Biotech Corridor.

Per the press release: Shuttle Pharma’s platform of sensitizers offers a pipeline of product candidates designed to address the urgent clinical need for new radiation sensitizer agents. The Company’s pipeline includes Ropidoxuridine, its lead clinical sensitizer drug candidate, to sensitize rapidly growing cancer cells and selective histone deacetylase inhibitors to sensitize cancer cells and stimulate the immune system. In addition, the Company has also pursued research related to the development of human cell cultures for health disparities studies and predictive biomarkers of radiation late effects through awards received from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute for Phase I and II Small Business Innovation Research contracts.


F45, which has been opening locations across Montgomery County with recent openings in Potomac and Olney, is coming to Gaithersburg with an upcoming Kentlands location. The company had pre-Covid plans to make a move into Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront, which fell through, but has signed on to take over the space that was recently closed for a few years and previously home to Subway (between Caspian House of Kabob and the recently closed Edible Arrangements).

F45 offers consumers functional 45-minute workouts that are effective, fun and community-driven. F45 utilizes proprietary technologies including a fitness programming algorithm and a digitally-enabled delivery platform that leverages a rich content database of thousands of unique functional training movements to offer new workouts each day and provide a standardized experience across F45’s global franchise.


Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana has been open in Gaithersburg (12207 Darnestown Rd.) for nearly 7.5 years. As of this past Saturday, there was still a line into the parking lot full of eager diners hoping to get a table before the dough ran out for the night– something that’s a common occurrence for Inferno (see our video below). For those unfamiliar with the restaurant, it was opened by Chef Tony Conte in October 2015 after he spent nine years in DC’s Oval Room. Inferno specializes in pizza, but regulars will tell you that the appetizers are often just as much of a draw.

The restaurant is currently open four days a week– Wednesday through Saturday, from 5pm-9pm…or until the dough runs out. Sometimes that can be pretty early, so if you’re interested in getting a seat we would highly recommend getting there before the restaurant opens and lining up outside. If you want to eat the pizza at home, you can call in your order earlier in the afternoon and pick it up when the restaurant opens at 5pm to take with you, but even carry-out orders are limited to ensure enough dough for customers dining in each day.


Bath & Body Works, a store usually found inside shopping malls, has opened its newest location in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown. The new store is located at 130 Crown Park Ave, in the location that was formerly home to Hair Cuttery, in between ZAGG and Warby Parker.

The new store is the relocated Lakeforest Mall location, which closed in early 2023. The store offers its own brand of fragrances for the body and home. The brand is a consumer favorite for top-selling body products, including lotion, cream, wash, hand soap and hand sanitizer. The retailer is also known for its fragrance diffusers, fine fragrance mist and candles. Photos courtesy of Brenda Barahona.


The City of Gaithersburg, in partnership with The Peterson Companies & Rio, will host the 21st St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Rio (Rio Boulevard & Grand Corner Avenue) on Saturday, March 11 at 10am. Free parking is available in three garages along Washingtonian Boulevard.

Dozens of units will march in the parade, including Celtic dancers, bagpipe bands, school groups, fire trucks, equestrian units, service organizations, characters, & more. Sally & Tom Marchessault, longtime City volunteers & 2020 Distinguished Residents, will serve as this year’s Grand Marshal. The parade will be emceed by Carolyn Muller, Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture.


African International Market will be opening on March 4 in the Festival at Muddy Branch shopping center on Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg. The store is being opened by the family that owns the African market at 13011 Wisteria Dr. in Germantown, which opened back in 2021. The store will sell international items from Africa, Latin America, and the Carribbean, including the “best of fresh Ghana yams, ripe and green plantains, smoked goat meat, beef, fresh fish, halal meat, kenkey, shitto, fried fish, agege bread, and a lot more.” Grand opening information will be announced soon.

The Festival shopping center is currently home to Family Dollar, Lotte Market, Matthew’s Grill and Planet Fitness.


Isaac’s Poultry Market at 12167 Darnestown Rd in Gaithersburg, which officially opened on Thursday, February 23, has announced it will be closed today, February 24, after an overwhelming first day of business. The restaurant posted the following message on its Instagram page:

“Wow! Thanks to the hundreds of people that came out to opening day for Isaac’s Poultry Market! Your love was so strong that we went through 3 days of food in just 1, so we are not able to open today. We are working closely with our great local vendors to restock, prepare for the weekend, and plan to reopen tomorrow Saturday 2/25 at 10:45am.”


Muddy Branch Investments, LLC, has submitted Sketch Plan application SK-9497-2023, proposing to construct 380 multifamily residential units in four buildings up to five stories in height, all located on approximately 14 acres at the former Nike Missile site at 770 Muddy Branch Rd, which was sold last year for over $12 million. The sketch plan includes surface parking, open space, pedestrian connections, and amenities for the multifamily units.  The sole vehicular access to the proposed development will be along a private street coming off Muddy Branch Road.

The subject property is located west of Muddy Branch Road, north of the Lakelands Ridge community and the Muddy Branch Square shopping center, east of the Lakelands Ridge community and Great Seneca Highway, and south of the Timberbrook community, Lakelands Ridge conservation area, and City-owned land.


Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of MarylandU.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has sentenced Luis Flores-Reyes, a/k/a “Maloso,” “Lobo,”’ and “Viejo Lovvon,” age 42, of Arlington, Virginia and Jairo Jacome, a/k/a “Abuelo,” age 40, of Langley Park, Maryland, to life in federal prison, for charges related to a racketeering enterprise known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or “MS-13.”  Jacome and Flores-Reyes were convicted by a federal jury on September 29, 2022, of a racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and an extortion conspiracy.  The jury also found Flores-Reyes guilty of a drug distribution conspiracy.  Flores-Reyes was sentenced yesterday and Jacome was sentenced today. The defendants and co-defendants were also involved in murders that took place in Gaithersburg and Germantown.

On January 12, 2023, Judge Xinis also sentenced co-defendant Brayan Contreras-Avalos, a/k/a “Anonimo” and “Humilde,” age 28, of Langley Park, Maryland, to life in federal prison for his participation in the same racketeering conspiracy.


Update: Chipotle at Rio Has Reopened After a Temporary Closure

Chipotle Mexican Grill at 205 Boardwalk Pl in Gaithersburg has temporarily closed. A sign on the front door reads, “Due to construction, we are currently close. We apologize for the inconvenience and will reopen as soon as possible.” A representative from Chipotle was not able to provide an estimate on when the restaurant would reopen. There are nearby Chipotle locations at Gaithersburg Square and the Kentlands. We will post an update when additional information is available.


Potomac Cookie Co is coming to 109A Market St in the Kentlands Square shopping center in Gaithersburg, near Moby Dick and the upcoming Poke Bros. Potomac Cookie is known for its “giant size” 4oz cookies.  Flavors include Choco-delight, Da Fudge, Dorothy’s Slippers, Double Dutch,  Peebee ‘n’ Yay!, and S’more Love. No opening date for Potomac Cookie Co has been announced. Feature photo courtesy of @potomaccookie on Instagram.

In other Kentlands news, construction recently began at both Brio’s Chicken and Neal’s Bagels in Gaithersburg. Both restaurants will be  located in the Kentlands paseo, next to Burtons and across from RanKen Noodle House and My Big Finds. Signage for Brio’s Chicken first went up at the location back in 2020 but the restaurant was delayed several years due to issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. No opening date for the Peruvian chicken restaurant has been announced. Brio’s Chicken previously had a location in Aspen Hill in the Aspen Manor shopping center, where Outback is located, but that location is under new ownership and is now known as Gio’s Chicken.


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