Transformative Life Science Projects Reshape Market
It’s not a bad time to look back at the biggest life sciences development projects of the past five years, even as we forecast how impending projects will continue to change the physical landscape of the industry.
Massachusetts Needs To Connect On Biomanufacturing Prospects
As baseball’s World Series nears, we note that Massachusetts has had two swings at the plate without connecting in the 2015 global site selection contest for large biopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. I’ve noted in past columns that Massachusetts is strong in...Investment In Biotech Remains Hot
After a record 2014, in which Massachusetts biotechs set records in amount of venture capital received and number of IPOs, the local industry remains red-hot in 2015. Through July, 33 Massachusetts biotechs had received $889 million in VC financing and nine...Mid-Size Cities Redesigning Downtowns To Include Urban Housing
The BIO International Convention was held two weeks ago in Philadelphia. It might seem an odd setting to get some insight on how Massachusetts might surmount its housing crisis, but read on. The Massachusetts Pavilion at BIO was once again a popular destination for...Massachusetts Life Sciences: A Winning Pick
Over the past decade, the biopharmaceutical industry has grown by 40 percent in Massachusetts, reaching 58,000 employees and contributing over $7 billion in Massachusetts-based payroll in 2013. It’s a great story. Biotech is a homegrown industry, with a strong...King Street Shines A Light On Suburban Lab Market
Back in the day, pioneers in the development of commercial laboratory space, such as David Klem of the old Athenaeum Group and Lyme Properties and Bill Cummings, had to be smart, had to take on risk, and had to be very patient with biotech industry of the 1980s and...As Weather Crushes Region, Life Science Companies Muddle Through
How do life sciences companies deal with three major snow storms in the course of two-plus weeks? It’s a question I got around to asking in the midst of the third snowstorm, which I’ll call the “long snow event” of Feb. 8-10.
Life Sciences Will Continue Growth In 2015; New Lab Destinations Will Emerge
It was a stellar 2014 for the life sciences in Massachusetts, substantially exceeding the banner year of 2013. Nowhere is the physical growth of the biopharmaceutical sector more apparent than in Cambridge. While the suburbs saw significant projects, including...Ideas For The Baker Team
As the Baker-Polito team considers the road ahead, here are some ideas for the administration’s consideration.
New Ideas In Economic Development Need Steady Hands To Succeed
In economic development circles these days, being cool is the hottest thing.
AbbVie-Shire Deal Likely To Strengthen Mass. Biotech Scene
Mergers are nothing new in the drug development industry, but when two companies with substantial operations locally are involved, it’s worthy of note. In mid-July, drug-maker AbbVie announced it would acquire Shire Pharmaceuticals for $54 billion. It’s the biggest acquisition of the year.
Four Fathers And The March Toward Cures
Two weeks ago, 15,000 people from around the world gathered at the annual BIO International Convention in San Diego. BIO was a four-day affair that included hundreds of panel discussion, tens of thousands of business partnering meetings, an exhibition hall with hundreds of companies, state and national exhibits, pavilions and not a few receptions. With the whirlwind of activity, it can be difficult to discern what should be the central focus of such a convention – the patient.
Virtual Companies Are Here To Stay
Time is money. That’s true in any industry. In the biopharmaceutical industry, it is estimated that it takes 10 years to research and develop a commercial drug product. A mid-range estimate of the average development cost for an approved drug product is $1 billion.
Clinical Drugs: The Opportunity Is Here
In the thriving life sciences industry in Massachusetts, what is the opportunity that has been left at the table?
The Epic Lab Boom Of 2013 Might Be Even Better This Year
Regardless of what type of glasses you wear, 2013 appears to have been a momentous year for the life sciences in Massachusetts.
Looking Back At Education Reform
As we near the end of 2013, it is an appropriate time to mark the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Education Reform Act of 1993. With 20 years of dramatically improved academic performance in our Massachusetts public schools, we can say unequivocally that education reform has been a success.
Cambridge’s Net-Zero Proposal Could Be Setback
Boston and Cambridge have taken significant steps this year toward developing thoughtful public policy approaches to developing and implementing clean energy practices. The Cambridge Compact for a Sustainable Future is a city-, Harvard- and MIT-led effort to engage stakeholders across the private-public spectrum to recommend policy initiatives on issues from energy efficiency and renewable energy to storm water management.
Is Longfellow Project A ‘Bridge Too Far’?
East Cambridge is on a roll.
Argeo Paul Cellucci, 1948-2013
Beginning in 1997, I served as the director of Gov. Paul Cellucci’s office in western Massachusetts. Operating at a distant outpost of the administration in Springfield, I repeatedly benefitted from Paul Cellucci’s interest in the state’s western four counties. During the year and a half (prior to his election in 1998) that the media insisted on addressing Cellucci as “acting governor,†he visited western Massachusetts 24 times, an unprecedented number of visits for a sitting governor. Paul Cellucci, hailing from his native Hudson, knew well the perception among those in communities and regions west of Route 128 that Beacon Hill considered their interests and struggles rarely. I can recall one political strategist, noting the comparatively few votes to be had in western Massachusetts, saying there was little political need for statewide office holders to spend any time in western Massachusetts. Paul Cellucci would have none of that. He was engaged in the issues affecting that region and those in every Massachusetts region.
