Paragon Gene Therapy has grown its Maryland employee base to about 750, up from around 400 in April when the biotech announced it would be acquired by New Jersey drug maker Catalent Inc.

Paragon, formerly Paragon Bioservices Inc., has been growing rapidly in Greater Baltimore. It has brought more than 500 jobs to the state since January 2018. About 350 of Paragon's employees are based out of a research and development space in the University of Maryland BioPark in Baltimore. The rest are stationed in a new 150,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility in Anne Arundel County, which opened earlier this year. (Check out the new space in the photos above.)

Pete Buzy, president of Paragon, said the firm will continue on a rapid hiring path through the coming year. The company currently has between 150 and 200 open positions, he said, largely in manufacturing and quality control, as well as some administrative and development roles. Within the next 12 months, he expects to hire up to 300 more employees across the company's two local locations.

Read the full story from the Baltimore Business Journal.