Massachusetts plants seed for new biotech destination

Posted under Bay State, Blog, Boston, Cambridge, Companies, Deval Patrick, Diagnostics, Fall River, Funding, massachusetts, Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Pharmaceuticals, R&D, Startups, Universities, University of Massuchusetts, Videos by Ryan McBride

With plans to kick-start a bumper crop of biotech activity in Fall River, MA, Massachusetts officials are touting plans for a $28 million biotech facility in the southeastern part of the Bay State. Plans call for the Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing to attract a host of startups and companies that will hopefully put the small city on the biotech map.

Yet the site is far from even approaching the biotech largesse of Boston/Cambridge. This week Gov. Deval Patrick and officials from the University of Massachusetts, which will run the new facility, stood on the muddy construction site and talked up the future prospects of the project, The Herald News reported. With grand projections to employ 8,000 people at a life sciences park planned for the area, the biotech facility is expected to house a modest 10 UMass employees when it opens next year.

Patrick championed the growth of the life sciences industry in the Bay State with a $1 billion plan to stimulate biotech activity that was passed early in his first term, yet lawmakers from around the state demanded that the money flow to areas outside of the state's industry core in the Boston area. The state's Life Sciences Center, which administers the stimulus money, granted about half of the funding for the project with UMass and other sources cobbled together the rest, according to the Herald.

Fall River has a history as a hub of manufacturing in the Bay State, and officials hope that the production of life sciences products in the city will bring new jobs. The new facility will serve as a test site for producing biotech products and house startups involved in life sciences.

- here's the Herald article

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2012 MassBioEd Innovative School of the Year – Norton High School

Posted under 2012 BIO International Convention, BIO International Convention, Blog, Companies, Diagnostics, education, Events, Funding, massachusetts, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Pharmaceuticals, Startups, STEM Education, Universities, Videos by biotechnow@bio.org (Biotechnology Industry Organization)

Massachusetts is home to the full ecosystem of life sciences—including our world class academic institutions and medical centers, a vibrant venture capital community, hundreds of biotech companies of all sizes, contract research and manufacturing organizations, and service organizations supporting the industry.

It is no wonder then that eleven years ago MassBio established the Massachusetts Biotechnology Foundation to promote biotechnology education and workforce development programs. Each year, the Foundation awards the Innovative School of the Year to highlight and honor a Massachusetts high school for distinguishing itself through exemplary innovative biotechnology educational programming.

This year, MassBioEd granted the award to Norton High School in Norton, MA. Since 2007, Norton High School has worked with MassBioEd in the BioTeach program. The school has successfully utilized their BioTeach grant to expand biotechnology courses to all of their students and provide elective courses in biotech, forensics and anatomy & physiology. Each year, over 175 students are provided instruction in biotechnology based lab experiences, culminating in a research project that focuses on life sciences careers.

Other highlights of the innovative Norton High program include:

• Presentations by former students. This year presentations were made by former students currently studying STEM majors at MIT and Tufts.
• Norton teachers acting as mentors to former graduates. Many former students are now enrolled in STEM majors at the local colleges.
• Norton offering a Biotechnology elective course. Now in its fourth year, competition is high for seats in both the Honors Level and College Preparatory/Main Stream Level Biotechnology classes.
• Curriculum including topics such as Bioethics, Forensics, and Biotechnology. Students assist in laboratory preparation of materials, serve as lab assistants, present and demonstrate laboratory skills to the Norton School Committee and complete a final project which includes researching biotechnology companies and colleges that offer biotechnology majors.
• Student internships. This year the Science department’s student internship was awarded to a Biotechnology student who is working on developing new labs and activities with the teacher for this course.  This student will also be focusing on a STEM major in college in the fall.
• Actively participating in MassBioEd’s Life Science Career Development Initiative. Highlights included a “college hop” field trip bringing students to colleges that offer biotechnology programs/ majors, regular presentations by career professionals in the industry, students and teachers attending  workshops and job shadows at local universities and biotechnology companies and one-third of students in the first two cohorts enrolling in STEM majors in college.

Speaking of education, the annual International BioGENEius Challenge will take place June 18th at the 2012 BIO International Convention in Boston, MA. The International BioGENEius Challenge is the premier competition for high school students that recognized outstanding research in biotechnology. Finalists will showcase their talent and research to a prestigious panel of expert biotech judges and will display their projects to approximately 15,000 Convention participants.

Sanofi slams doors on Genzyme’s Cambridge, U.K., outfit

Posted under Blog, Companies, Diagnostics, downsizing, Funding, Genzyme, hub, massachusetts, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Pharmaceuticals, Research and Development, Sanofi, Startups, Universities, Videos by Mark Hollmer

As part of an ongoing restructuring effort, Sanofi ($SNY) is shuttering Genzyme's Cambridge, U.K., R&D operation by the end of the year. The move comes after Sanofi's $20 billion acquisition of the biotechnology giant a year ago.

Up to 60 Genzyme employees will lose their positions, although some could be transferred elsewhere, Cambridge News reports. A Sanofi spokesperson confirmed that the site would shut down by December. However, some operations in Haverhill, U.K., and Oxford will continue.

Genzyme's U.S. operations are also feeling the pain from Sanofi's R&D restructuring. Sanofi acknowledged to FierceBiotech a few weeks ago that it was pursuing layoffs and moving positions in its Boston R&D wing, driven by "synergies that unfortunately make some positions redundant." No details yet as to specific job losses there. But Sanofi is building its Cambridge/Boston R&D operations into one of its most important globally. So while some Genzyme jobs are going, Sanofi is adding Massachusetts R&D and manufacturing positions.

In Europe, those efforts mean the company is consolidating its research operations to centers in Germany, France and Asia, the article notes. Jobs will likely grow in those locations. On the other hand, research groups in Italy and the Netherlands have been told "the bad news," which likely means more job losses in those locations.

- here's the story

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Mass. Governor Patrick Looking Forward to the BIO International Convention

Posted under 2012 BIO International Convention, BIO, Blog, Boston, Companies, convention, Diagnostics, Events, Funding, massachusetts, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Pharmaceuticals, Startups, Universities, Videos by biotechnow@bio.org (Biotechnology Industry Organization)

In just six months, Boston will be welcoming more than 15,500 of the world’s leading biotech stakeholders to the biggest industry event of the year – the 2012 BIO International Convention.

Both Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino attended a kickoff breakfast in October where they voiced their industry support:

“It’s an honor to have BIO coming back so soon,” said Gov. Patrick. “By drawing the world’s attention once again to our state’s inherent strengths, we can and we will create both the immediate and long-term economic impacts that benefit businesses, workers and families across the Commonwealth.”

“Biotechnology is an industry that continues to grow and thrive here in Massachusetts,” said Boston Mayor Menino. “People are flocking to us, wondering, ‘What does Boston have?’ This is our chance to showcase everything that we have to offer to life sciences companies and to strengthen our success as a global leader.”

Annually, the convention attracts the biggest names in biotech, offers key networking and partnering opportunities and provides insights and inspiration on the major trends affecting the industry. It is the world’s largest conference devoted to the bustling intersection between commerce and the biotech industry, highlighting the many ways in which biotech continues to offer answers and hope for the world’s most pressing issues and provide high-quality, high-wage jobs.