Center Launches Fall 2011 Round of Accelerator Program
The Center has launched the Fall 2011 round of the Accelerator Loan Program for early-stage companies. The Accelerator Program reflects the Center’s ongoing commitment to supporting early-stage life sciences companies that will grow employment opportunities and stimulate innovation across the Commonwealth. The Center is targeting an investment of $6 million through the Accelerator Program for FY 2012 (July 2011 – June 2012). Applications are due by December 30 at noon EST. To apply or to get more information click here >>
MedicaMetrix wins first-ever WPI Venture Forum Business Plan Contest Life Sciences Track
MedicaMetrix has been awarded $10,000 in the first-ever WPI Venture Forum Business Plan Contest Life Sciences Track competition. The new track, added to the competition for the first time this year, was funded through a sponsorship from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. MedicaMetrix produces urological medical devices with demonstrated “comparative effectiveness” to reduce the cost of healthcare while improving clinical outcomes. Read the press release here >>
From left to right are Nick Pappas (Vice President, Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation); Richard Trembowicz (President, MedicaMetrix), Susan Windham-Bannister (President & CEO, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center), and Christopher LaFarge (CEO & Chairman, MedicaMetrix).
Center Awards Grant to Expand MedTech IGNITE Program
The Center has awarded a $50,000 grant to MedTech IGNITE, a business-coaching program launched in 2007 by MassMEDIC, the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council. The grant will allow the MedTech IGNITE Program to expand to new areas of Massachusetts, including the Pioneer Valley, Merrimack Valley, SouthCoast, and Worcester regions, and to help nurture more medical device entrepreneurs at the early stage of their companies’ development. Read the press release here >>
Avaxia Biologics Opens New Facility in Lexington
The Center joined with Avaxia Biologics, a development stage company focusing on oral antibody therapeutics that act locally within the gastrointestinal tract, to host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the company’s new office and lab space in Lexington. The company received $375,000 in early-stage loan financing through the Center’s Accelerator Program in 2010. Read the press release here >>
State Senator Kenneth Donnelly, State Representative Jay Kaufman, Avaxia Biologics founder & CEO Barbara Fox, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Vice President for Communications Angus McQuilken, and MassBio Director of Economic Development & Global Affairs Peter Abair officially open Avaxia’s new office and lab space in Lexington. Photo credit: Stanley Rowin, stanstudio.com
Progenika officially opens their new offices in Medford
Spain-based genotyping microarray producer Progenika has officially opened the company’s new US headquarters in Medford. The grand opening included a tour of the facility, with participation from President of the Basque region of Spain Patxi Lopez. Read the press release here >>
From left to right are Progenika, Inc. COO Ander Caballero, Bernabé Unda, Counsellor of Industry, Commerce, Tourism and Innovation for the Basque region of Spain, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, President of the Basque region of Spain Patxi Lopez, Progenika Co-CEO Antonio Martinez, MassBio Chief Business Officer Imran Nasrullah, Massachusetts Office of International Trade & Investment Associate Director Elizabeth Steele, and Begoña Gil, wife of President Lopez.
Cohen, Dagi and Roberts join the Center’s SAB
The Center has announced the addition of three new members to the organization’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB is chaired by Dr. Harvey F. Lodish, Member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Professor of Biology and Professor of Bioengineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The three new members are Dalia Cohen, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Asterand, Inc., T. (Teo) Forcht Dagi, M.D., Partner at HML Venture Partners, and Carmichael Roberts, Ph.D. Partner of North Bridge Venture Partners.
Read the press release here >>
See a full listing of SAB members here >>
Izon opens new US Headquarters in Cambridge
New Zealand-based nanotechnology instrument manufacturer Izon Science recently announced the opening of the company’s U.S. headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts to further support their expanding client base in 23 countries. The new office is located at One Kendall Square in Cambridge. Read the press release here >>
See a video here >>
Izon CEO Hans van der Voorn, MassBio President & CEO Robert Coughlin, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment Executive Director Ken Brown, and ViThera Labs President Johannes Fruehauf participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of New-Zealand-based Izon’s new U.S. headquarters in Cambridge.
Life Sciences Center Begins Accepting Applications under Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership
The Center has begun accepting applications under a new international partnership with Israel, the Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership (MIIP). The joint solicitation seeks applications for funding for industrial Research & Development (R&D) collaborations between Massachusetts and Israeli companies. Learn more here >>
EarlySense announces plans to locate US
headquarters in Waltham
Governor Deval Patrick and EarlySense CEO Avner Halperin participate in demonstration of the EarlySense patient monitoring system
Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center joined officials from EarlySense and MetroWest Medical Center to launch the hospital’s new patient safety and quality initiative, leveraging innovative technology developed by EarlySense, Inc. The event marked the first commercial installation of the EarlySense patient monitoring system in Massachusetts. At the event EarlySense named Waltham, Massachusetts as the location of the Israel-based company’s new U.S. headquarters. Read the press release here >>
See WGBH Coverage here >>
Learn more about EarlySense here >>
Internship Challenge Participants Celebrate on the SouthCoast
UMass Dartmouth and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center highlighted the work of Massachusetts student interns and the companies they have been working with in the SouthCoast region this summer through the Center’s Internship Challenge Program. The Internship Challenge is a workforce development program focused on enhancing the talent pipeline for Massachusetts companies engaged in life sciences. Read the press release here >>
UMass Dartmouth showcased the work of the Center’s 2011 Internship Challenge summer interns that are based in the South Coast region. Interns from Boston Open Labs, Five Star Companies, Imgen BioSciences, NuOrtho Surgical, PharmaHealth Clinical Research Services, and Phosphorex presented at the event hosted by the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center (ATMC) in Fall River on Friday, August 19, 2011.
Photo courtesy of Ethan Barrett.
Benz and Caret join Center’s Board of Directors
Governor Deval Patrick has appointed Edward J. Benz, Jr., M.D., President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to the Center’s Board of Directors. In addition, Robert Caret, Ph.D., the new President of the University of Massachusetts, has joined the board, assuming the seat previously held by outgoing UMass President Jack Wilson. Read the press release here >>
Pictures of Progress
Topping off ceremony for the Sherman Center at UMass
Medical School in Worcester
Ground breaking event for Vertex Pharmaceutical’s new
headquarters in South Boston
Ribbon cutting ceremony for InfraReDx’s newly expanded
clean room for coronary catheter manufacturing in Burlington
Ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of BioScale’s
new headquarters in Lexington
Center Opens Application Period for 2011 Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program
Applications are now being accepted for the 2011 Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program. All applications are due by noon on October 7, 2011. The Program offers tax incentives to companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in Massachusetts. The Life Sciences Initiative authorizes the Center to award up to $25 million in tax incentives each year.
For more information, or to apply, click here >>
Governor visits Ipsen Biomeasure in Milford
In July 2011, Governor Deval Patrick visited the facilities of Biomeasure, Ipsen’s US subsidiary focusing on research, development and manufacturing in Milford, Massachusetts. The Governor met with company leaders and discussed the role that the Life Sciences Initiative has played in advancing the company’s scientific research and product development. Ipsen Biomeasure was successful in applying jointly with Brigham & Women’s Hospital for one of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s Cooperative Research Matching Grants in the program’s first round. Read the press release here >>
Dr. Jesse Dong (left), Vice President of Compound Discovery and Research at Ipsen Biomeasure, provides a tour of the company’s lab facilities to, from left to right, State Senator Richard Moore, Governor Deval Patrick, and State Representative John Fernandes.
Massachusetts Takes BIO 2011 by Storm
The 2011 Bio International Convention was a huge success for Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Pavilion experienced heavy traffic throughout the show, and the Pavilion hosted multiple announcements including the announcement of the Massachusetts-Israel Innovation Partnership (“MIIP”), and a strategic alliance between Northern Ireland, Finland, and Massachusetts focused on tissue engineering. More than 30 business development meetings took place with international companies during our Global Connect sessions. The Massachusetts “Road to Revolution” Pavilion Reception, featuring Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino and Senate President Therese Murray, was the best attended reception on the show floor. We ended the week with a surprise flash mob on Thursday to promote next year’s BIO International Convention in Boston!
Center opens new round of Accelerator Program applications
The Center has opened a summer 2011 round of the Accelerator Loan Program, with applications due by noon on August 5th. Click here to learn more >>
Center Announces the Expansion of
Internship Challenge Program
Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and the Center have announced an expansion of the Center's flagship workforce development program, the Internship Challenge. The formerly summer-only program will now be available to students year-round, starting in the Fall semester.
Read the press release here >>
Center Announces 2011 Small Business Matching Grant (SBMG) Program Awards
The Center has awarded $2 million in Small Business Matching Grants to four life sciences companies. Each company will receive $500,000 from the Center that matches federal small business grant funding that the companies have been awarded previously. The grants represent the second round of awards issued under the Center's Small Business Matching Grant ("SBMG") Program. Read the press release here>>
Center Recognizes Recipients of Equipment & Supply Grants
From Left to Right: Matthew Morrissey, Executive Director, New Bedford Economic Development Council, Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School Superintendent Director Michael Shea, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang, Rosanne Franco, Science Department Head, GNB Voc-Tech; Allen Duarte, Grants Liaison, GNB Voc-Tech; and Five Star Manufacturing President David Cabral, receive a legislative citation from State Representative Stephen Canessa recognizing the school’s success in receiving an equipment & supply grant of $99,994 from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for life sciences training and education.
DPS Biometics opens new headquarters in Framingham
From Left to Right: Bonnie Biocchi, President & CEO of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce; Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister; Puja Mehta, aide to State Senator Karen Spilka; Managing Director of DPS Engineering Frank Keogh; State Representative Christopher Walsh (D-Framingham); and State Representative David Linsky (D-Natick) gather to celebrate the grand opening of DPS Biometic’s new offices in Framingham.
Center approves second round of Cooperative Research Matching Grants
The Center has awarded $1 million in cooperative research matching grants to support two innovative research collaborations between industry and Massachusetts’ world-class academic institutions. The Center’s Cooperative Research Matching Grant Program funds collaborations among scientists, academic institutions and industry that promise significant commercial potential and are scientifically meritorious. The grants will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the industry partners associated with each collaboration. Read the press release here >>
EarlySense Selects Massachusetts As Location For
U.S. Headquarters Following Governor Patrick’s Trade Mission to Israel
MetroWest Medical Center’s Framingham Campus will become the first facility in Massachusetts to commercially implement EarlySense’s contact-free patient monitoring system
Boston and Framingham, MA and Ramat Gan, Israel, April 14, 2011 --- EarlySense, Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center announced today that Israel-based EarlySense, developer of the EverOn contact-free patient monitoring system, has chosen to locate its U.S. headquarters in Massachusetts. Read more >>
Organogenesis, Life Sciences Center Break Ground on World’s Largest Automated Living Cell Manufacturing Plant
The Center joined Organogenesis, Inc. President & CEO Geoff MacKay and employees to celebrate the start of construction of the company’s new manufacturing facility. Upon completion in 2013, the company expects the facility to be the world’s largest automated living cell manufacturing plant. The expansion is taking place with financial support from the Center. Read the press release here >>
Organogenesis President & CEO Geoff MacKay, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister and State Senator Brian Joyce kick off construction of the company’s new manufacturing facility in Canton.
Center Approves Third Round of Accelerator Program Loans for Early-Stage Companies
The Center has announced a third round of loans under the Accelerator Program for early-stage companies. The Center’s Accelerator Program provides loans of up to $750,000 to promising early-stage companies engaged in life sciences research and development. In the most recent round the Center’s Board of Directors has approved $3.75 million in loans to five early-stage life sciences companies. Read the press release here >>
Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and State Representative Carolyn Dykema celebrate the completion of Lonza Biologic’s expansion of their manufacturing facilities in Hopkinton. Two state grants were awarded for the project totaling $2.7 million. Through the expansion Lonza has added 128 new jobs.
UMass Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry Inks Strategic Partnership with UK Stem Cell Bank
As part of Governor Patrick’s Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011, global leaders in the field of stem cell banking and characterization, the University of Massachusetts Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry and the United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank, signed an agreement to share best practices for stem cell banking and to collaborate on standards for stem cell line characterization, production and distribution in the US and UK. Read the press release here.
Governor Deval Patrick, Dr. Windham-Bannister and UMass President-elect Robert Caret witness the signing of an agreement between the University of Massachusetts Stem Cell Bank & Registry and the UK Stem Cell Bank. (Photo credit: Kim Haberlin, EOHED)
Banafsheh Salamat, head of the Science Department at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, after receiving a shipment of lab equipment and supplies from Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Vertex matched with an in-kind contribution the Center’s recently announced Equipment and Supply Grant for LVTI. The Center awarded LVTI a grant of $202,434 in February, 2011 through the new Equipment and Supplies Program for Skills Training and Education.
Center Announces Open Solicitation for Capital Projects
The Center has launched an open solicitation for life-sciences related capital projects for a period of three years beginning in Fiscal Year 2013. The Center will invest in high-potential economic development projects that promise to create jobs and make a significant contribution to the state’s life sciences ecosystem. Learn more or apply here >>
Center Announces First Round of Equipment and Supply
Matching Grants
The Center has announced the first round of grants through its new Equipment and Supplies Program for Skills Training and Education, which provides funding for the purchase of equipment at vocational technical schools, community colleges and workforce training organizations in Massachusetts. The program will provide grants totaling more than $3.4 million to 32 schools and organizations to support STEM education across the state. Please read the press release here >>
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| President of parent company Merck KGaA Dr. Stefan Oschmann, Governor Deval Patrick, and Dr. Fereydoun Firouz, President and CEO of EMD Serono Inc. at the grand opening of EMD Serono's new research facility in Billerica. | Dr. Bruce Jackson, Coordinator of Biotechnology Programs at Mass Bay Community College, with President Obama prior to receiving a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. |
Center to Join Trade Mission to Israel and the UK
Governor Deval Patrick has announced that Massachusetts business executives and economic development officials will take part in the Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011 to Israel and the United Kingdom in March. The coalition will explore growth opportunities within the Commonwealth’s innovation-based industries - technology, life sciences, and clean energy. Life sciences companies participating in the trip include Organogenesis and Cubist. Read the press release here >>
Governor Patrick is joined by Sir Nigel Sheinwald, British Ambassador to the United States, Shai Bazak, Consul General of Israel to New England, and Phil Budden, British Consul General to New England, state economic development officials and industry leaders to announce the Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011 to Israel and the United Kingdom.
Center Announces 2011 Internship Challenge Program
The Center has begun accepting applications for the Internship Challenge Program for the summer of 2011, the third year of a workforce development program focused on enhancing the talent pipeline for Massachusetts life sciences companies. The program will provide paid internship opportunities at life sciences companies for up to 170 students and recent college graduates who are considering career opportunities in the life sciences.
| Learn more here >> | Read the press release >> |
Center Launches Second Year of Small Business
Matching Grant Program
The application period for the second year of the Center’s Small Business Matching Grant (SBMG) Program will open on Wednesday, January 5th. The Program provides grant funding to match federal small business grants for early-stage life sciences companies in Massachusetts. $3 million will be made available for the program in this round. Applications are due by 1:00 p.m. on February 14, 2011. Click here for more information or to apply >>
2010
Center authorizes 2010 round of tax incentives
The Life Sciences Center Board of Directors has authorized $23.9 million in 2010 tax incentives to encourage job growth at 30 life sciences companies. The companies have collectively committed to creating nearly 1000 new jobs during calendar year 2011. Read the press release here >>
ALERT: Equipment & Supplies
Matching Grant Program Amended!
Awards of up to $100,000 will no longer require an industry match
Application deadline extended to January 21, 2011
The Center’s new Equipment and Supplies Matching Grant Program, previously announced in October, seeks to further the development of life sciences training and education by awarding funding, for the purpose of purchasing equipment and supplies, to vocational technical high schools, community colleges, and workforce training organizations in Massachusetts.
Center joins Mayor Menino to welcome four new life sciences companies to Boston
The Life Sciences Center recently joined with Mayor Thomas Menino and officials from the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s LifeTech Initiative to welcome UK-based EvaluatePharma and three other life sciences companies to Boston. Read the press release here >>
Life Sciences Center Vice President for Communications Angus McQuilken (fifth from left) joins with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, officials from the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s LifeTech Initiative, and executives from EvaluatePharma at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the company and three others to Boston.
Center launches new round of Cooperative
Research Matching Grant Program
The Center has launched a second round of the Cooperative Research Matching Grant Program. Cooperative Research Matching Grants facilitate collaboration between Massachusetts industry leaders and research institutions in order to promote scientific discoveries and inventions that lead to beneficial medical applications. In 2008, the Center awarded $3.76 million over a three-year period, creating a total of $7.52 million for cooperative research. Applications for the new round are due by noon on January 28, 2011. Click here to learn more >>
Center Celebrates Opening of Biotech
InnoVenture Center in Beverly
North Shore InnoVentures has announced the official opening of their new Biotech InnoVenture Center (BIVC) at 100 Cummings Center Beverly, Massachusetts. The new facility, which will provide incubator space for early-stage life sciences companies, was able to open through a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Read the press
release here >>
Federal, state and local officials gathered on Thursday to celebrate the opening of the new Biotech InnoVenture Center at 100 Cummings Center in Beverly. The new facility, funded in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, will provide incubator space for early-stage life sciences companies. Pictured from left to right are Harry McCoy, President & CEO of Thorne Diagnostics and Chairman of North Shore InnoVentures, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, State Representative Mary Grant, North Shore InnoVentures President Martha Farmer, Congressman John Tierney, and Beverly Mayor William Scanlon.
InVivo Therapeutics is Second Company to Repay Accelerator Loan
InVivo Therapeutics has become the second company to repay one of the Center’s Accelerator loans for early-stage companies. Read the press
release here >>
French Biotech Company IntegraGen to Open U.S. Subsidiary in Massachusetts
IntegraGen, Inc., a French biotechnology company dedicated to gene discovery and the development of molecular diagnostic products and services, has announced that it is expanding its operations by opening a U.S. subsidiary headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Read the press release here >>
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Announces Fall 2010 Life Sciences Accelerator Program
The Center has launched the Fall 2010 round of the Accelerator Loan Program, the Center’s flagship investment program that provides working capital to early-stage life sciences companies. The Center began accepting online applications on Friday, October 8, 2010 with an application deadline of Noon on Monday, November 29, 2010. Learn more here >>
Center opens applications for equipment matching grant program
Program will fund lab equipment for life sciences job training at Massachusetts vocational schools, community colleges and workforce training programs
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has opened applications for a new Equipment and Supplies Program for Skills Training and Education that will match industry partner funding for the purchase of lab equipment at vocational technical schools, community colleges and workforce training organizations in Massachusetts. Learn more >>
Governor Patrick, Life Sciences Center Celebrate Opening of Organogenesis’ New Headquarters In Canton
Governor Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister joined state and local officials, Organogenesis, Inc. CEO Geoff MacKay and employees recently to celebrate the completion of the company's new headquarters building at 85 Dan Road in Canton. Read the press release here >>
State Representative Bill Galvin, Chairman of the Canton Board of Selectman Victor Del Vecchio, State Senator Brian Joyce, Organogenesis CEO Geoff MacKay, Governor Deval Patrick and President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Susan Windham-Banister join the Organogenesis team to cut a ribbon at the company’s new headquarters building in Canton.
Three members added to Center’s Scientific Advisory Board
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has announced the addition of three new members to the organization’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), bringing the Board’s total membership to 17. Read the press release here >>
Good Start Genetics is First to Repay Accelerator Loan
Good Start Genetics recently completed an $18 million Series A financing and is the first company to repay one of the Center’s Accelerator loans. In May, 2009 Good Start Genetics was awarded a loan of $500,000 from the Center in the first round of a program that provides working capital to early-stage life sciences companies. The loan has been repaid in full, with interest. Read the press release here >>
Life Science Center Celebrates Cubist
Expansion with Governor Patrick
Governor Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister recently joined company employees and local officials at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Lexington to highlight the company's expansion in Massachusetts. The company's "Raising the Roof" ceremony marked the beginning of a construction project that will add an additional 104,000 square feet of lab and associated administrative space to Cubist's existing lab facility by early 2012. Read the press release here >>
Massachusetts Life Science Center President & CEO Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister celebrates the expansion of Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. by signing an I-Beam that will be used in the construction project, along with (from left) Cubist President & CEO Mike Bonney, Cubist COO Robert Perez and Governor Deval Patrick
Marine Biological Laboratory Receives $3.4 Million to Establish
National Resource for Study of Regeneration
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole has received a 5-year, $3.4 million grant to establish a national resource for the aquatic frog known as Xenopus, a major model organism used in regenerative biology research. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded a $10 million grant to support the recently completed renovation of the Loeb Laboratory at MBL, which will house the new Xenopus Center. Read the press release here >>
The South African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) can regenerate the lens of its eye, a process that could one day be replicated in humans. Credit: Barbara Harmon.
Center Celebrates Opening of Nuclea Biotechnologies’
Genomics Center in Pittsfield
The Center recently joined Nuclea Biotechnologies, MassBio, and local officials to celebrate the grand opening of Nuclea’s new Genomics Center in Pittsfield. Read the press release here >>
Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister speaks at the grand opening of Nuclea Biotechnologies’ Genomics Center in Pittsfield. Behind her from left to right are Pittsfield Mayor James Ruberto, State Senator Benjamin B. Downing, Peter Abair, Director of Economic Development at MassBio, and Patrick J. Muraca, President and CEO of Nuclea Biotechnologies.
Celniker appointed to Center’s Board of Directors
Abbie Celniker, Ph.D., CEO of Cambridge-based Taligen Therapeutics, has been appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Read the press release here >>
Center celebrates completion of Loeb Laboratory
renovations at MBL
The Center is celebrating completion of a $25 million renovation of the Loeb Laboratory, the Marine Biological Laboratory’s central research training facility, and the establishment of the new Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering. The renovation, funded by a $10 million grant from the Center that leveraged a $15 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), has transformed Loeb into a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a national resource for science training and discovery. Read the press release here >>
Cutting the ribbon at the newly renovated Loeb Laboratory Building are, from left to right, MBL Board Chair John Rowe, MBL Director & CEO Gary Borisy, MBL Catalyst Campaign lead campaign donor Millicent Bell, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, United States Senator John Kerry, State Senator Robert O’Leary, Congressman William Delahunt, and State Representative Timothy Madden.
Internship Challenge Matches 164 Interns
with 93 Life Sciences Companies
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s 2010 Internship Challenge has received an overwhelming response since its February launch, with nearly 900 applicants seeking internships this summer. Through the Challenge, 164 interns have been matched with 93 life sciences companies, a more than 50% increase from the 104 interns selected in 2009. Participation comes from academic institutions and companies across the state. Read the press release here >>
Life Sciences Center Board Approves 2010 Accelerator Program Loans for Early Stage Companies
Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, congratulations Dustin Armstrong, VP and Head of Research for 4s3 Bioscience, after the company was awarded an Accelerator loan by the Center’s Board of Directors.
In June of 2010 the Center awarded $2.48 million in loans to four early-stage life sciences companies. The Center’s 2010 Accelerator Program provides loans of up to $750,000 to early-stage companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing. Four companies were authorized to receive loans out of thirty-nine applications that were submitted to the Center and competitively peer-reviewed. A second round of the Program is scheduled for the Fall of 2010.
Read the press release here >>
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Provides $50,000 Grant to Support Life Sciences Collaborative’s Biomanufacturing Initiative
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is providing a $50,000 grant to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative to support an initiative aimed at strengthening the state’s biomanufacturing sector through a Massachusetts Biomanufacturing Roundtable and the development of a comprehensive Biomanufacturing action agenda during the 2010 calendar year. Read the press release here >>
Governor Patrick, Life Sciences Center, MassBio and MassMEDIC urge Massachusetts companies to apply for new federal tax credit
On June 17th, 2010 Governor Deval Patrick, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, MassBio and MassMEDIC issued a joint press release calling on Massachusetts companies to apply for the newly established $1 billion Federal Therapeutic Tax Credit Program. The application period opens on June 21 and closes on July 21, 2010. For more information or to read the press release, click here >>
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Supports MIT $100K
Life Sciences Track and Winner Aukera Therapeutics
Aukera Therapeutics has been named the 2010 MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition Life Sciences Track Winner. Aukera also won the Audience Choice Award, based on voting by the 1,000 attendees at the Competition’s finale. The company will receive $30,000 in start-up funding from the competition. Aukera Therapeutics is developing a novel protein therapy to treat ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center contributed $10,000 to support the life sciences track. Read the press release here >>
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Announces 2010 Small Business Matching Grant (SBMG) Program Awards
Center Awards $1.5 million to foster job growth and technology commercialization in the Massachusetts Life Sciences Supercluster
Waltham, MA (May 28, 2010) – The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s Board of Directors today awarded $1.5 million in Small Business Matching Grants to three life sciences companies in Massachusetts. Read more >>
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister congratulates Thermedical President Michael Curley after his company was selected to receive a Small Business Matching Grant from the Center.
Shire opens new manufacturing facility in Lexington
Shire held a grand opening for their new Atlas Manufacturing Facility in Lexington on May 26, 2010. The Center awarded Shire $6.2 million in tax incentives last year to encourage their continued growth in Lexington. The company plans to invest $460 million over the next eight years and plans to hire 750 full-time employees in Lexington as they expand their Human Genetic Therapies division.
From left to right are Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, Shire Human Genetic Therapies President Sylvie Grégoire, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Gregory Bialecki, and Shire CEO Angus Russell.
Center Announces Investment Partnership
with sanofi-aventis
At Bio 2010 in Chicago the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and sanofi-aventis announced a new investment partnership, with the company joining the Center's Corporate Consortium Program. Sanofi-aventis will contribute $500,000 over two years to support the Center's investment activities. Read the press release here. Read the press release >>
Pictured from left to right are Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, sanofi-aventis Chief Science Officer Dr. Paul Chew, House Ways & Means Chairman Charles Murphy, MOITI Executive Director Ted Carr, and MassBio President Robert Coughlin as they announce a new investment partnership at Bio 2010 in Chicago.
Center Launches 2010 Tax Incentive Program
Life Sciences leaders tour the manufacturing space at Morgan Advanced Ceramics in New Bedford, a recipient of a 2009 award from the Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program. The company received tax incentives totaling $570,000, and in exchange committed to creating nineteen new jobs in 2010 as part of a 25,000 square foot expansion. Pictured from left to right are MassBio President Robert Coughlin, Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, Buddy Rocha from the Massachusetts Office on Business Development, and Morgan Advanced Ceramics Vice President & General Manager Brian Roznoy.
The Center has begun accepting applications for the 2010 Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program. The application period opened on May 3, and applications are due July 2 at 12 pm. For more information about the program, or to access the online application, click here >>
Center welcomes NeoStem to Cambridge
NeoStem, an international biopharmaceutical company with operations in the U.S. and China, recently launched the company¡¯s new R&D and adult stem cell collection facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Company officials were joined at the ribbon cutting ceremony by Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, and MassBio President Bob Coughlin. Read more >>
Pictured from left to right are Wayne Marasco, M.D., Chairman of NeoStem¡¯s Scientific Advisory Board, Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, NeoStem Chairman & CEO Dr. Robin Smith, Cambridge City Councilor Sam Seidel, and MassBio President & CEO Robert Coughlin.
Center Launches 2010 Accelerator Program
for Early-stage Companies
The Life Sciences Center has launched the 2010 Accelerator Loan Program, the second year of the Center¡¯s flagship investment program that provides working capital to early-stage life sciences companies. The Center will begin accepting online applications on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 with an application deadline of Wednesday, March 24, 2010. To learn more or to apply, click here >>
Center approves $6.6 million grant for
Gateway Park project in Worcester
February 24, 2010 - The Life Sciences Center has awarded a $6.6 million grant to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to support the next phase of life sciences development at Gateway Park in Worcester. The grant leverages $25 million in private investment for the development of a new 80,000-square-foot life sciences facility anticipated to create 120 construction jobs and 142 new permanent jobs at completion. Read the press release here >>
Roxbury Community College President Dr. Terry Gomes and Life Sciences Center President & CEO Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister prepare to cut the ribbon, officially opening the college¡¯s new Biotechnology Laboratory.
Ribbon Cutting at Roxbury Community College
Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister recently cut the ribbon at Roxbury Community College¡¯s new biotechnology laboratory. The new facility will provide biotechnology and biomanufacturing students with valuable lab skills in the life sciences. The college has two programs in biotechnology including a two year Associate of Science degree and a one year Certificate degree. Students will also gain experience through external internships in biotechnology and the life sciences. There are 32 students enrolled in the college¡¯s Biotechnology Programs, with six students slated to graduate in May 2010.
Center Launches Small Business
Matching Grant Program
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has launched a new Small Business Matching Grant (SBMG) program that will match federal small business grant funding for early-stage life sciences companies in Massachusetts. The Center began accepting on-line applications for the new program on Monday, February 1, 2010. Learn more here >>
Center launches 2010 Internship Challenge
Matt Gethers, 2009 Life Sciences Internship Challenge participant and recent MIT graduate with a degree in biological engineering, at the brand-new lab space of Ginkgo BioWorks in Boston. Photo courtesy of Bay State Banner/Sandra Larson
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is pleased to announce the launch of the 2010 Life Sciences Internship Challenge, the second year of a workforce development program focused on enhancing the talent pipeline for Massachusetts life sciences companies and research institutions. The program will provide summer 2010 internships for up to 150 students or recent graduates who are considering career opportunities in the life sciences. Learn more here >>
Life Sciences Center Awards $25 million in tax incentives
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Board of Directors has awarded $25 million in Tax Incentives to twenty-eight life sciences companies. The companies receiving tax incentive awards have committed to creating a combined 918 new jobs in the Commonwealth over the coming year. Read the press release >>
Life Sciences Center Welcomes Two International Companies to Massachusetts
CYTOO Cell Architects, a French biotechnology company focused on applications in cell based assays, recently opened their U.S. subsidiary, headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. Read the press release here>>
Center welcomes Systagenix to Quincy
Systagenix Wound Management, a leading medical device company that specializes in cutting-edge chronic wound care solutions, is expanding its operations by opening a North, Central, and South American Headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts. Read the press release here>>
Center's Investment Leverages
Federal Grant Funding for MBL
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) $802,500 in federal stimulus funds to support the recruitment of scientists specializing in regenerative biology, along with a second grant providing $557,000 for the Laboratory¡¯s intensive Frontiers in Stem Cells and Regeneration training course. Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray visited MBL to participate in the grant announcements. Read the press release>>
Pictured from left to right are Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, MBL Director and CEO Gary Borisy, State Senator Robert O'Leary, and MBL Associate Scientist Alan Kuzirian on a tour of MBL's Marine Resources Center.
Working with leaders in other states
Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister participated recently in a panel discussion before the Executive Committee of the National Lieutenant Governor's Association. The panel, moderated by Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, also included MassBio President & CEO Bob Coughlin, and UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins. Pictured at right are Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter of Arkansas, and Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge of Iowa.
Center Approves $7.7 Million Grant for Phase II of Framingham Economic Development Project
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Board of Directors has approved a $7.7 million grant to the Town of Framingham for Phase II of a wastewater management project. The project will facilitate the contruction of a Genzyme biomanufacturing facility in the Framingham technology park. The Genzyme facility will create more than 300 new jobs, and the Genzyme and wastewater projects combined will create 165 jobs in construction.
Read the press release here>>
Above: Work crews lower the first piece of the new Framingham
wastewater pumping station into the ground.
Below: Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray visits the construction site on a recent visit to Framingham.
Biocell Center Opens North American
Headquarters in Medford
Biocell Center, a European biotechnology company that is the only firm in the world to harvest and preserve amniotic stem cells, opened its North American headquarters and laboratory in Medford, Massachusetts on October 22, 2009. The company has other facilities in Italy and Switzerland. Read the press release >>
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| Biocell Center and Massachusetts state officials at the opening of Biocell Center¡¯s North American headquarters. Pictured left to right are Marco Reguzzoni, Chairman of Biocell Center, Senator Pat Jehlen, Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn, Governor Deval Patrick, Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, MassBio President & CEO Bob Coughlin, and Kate Torchilin, CEO of Biocell Center. |
Mass General Hospital scientist receives Nobel Prize
Bio Convention to return to Boston in 2012
Governor Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Tom Menino, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Executive Director Jim Rooney, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, and Massachusetts Biotechnology Council President Robert Coughlin joined together on September 28, 2009 to announce that Bio International, the world's largest life sciences trade show, will return to Boston in 2012.
Read the press release here >>
Center to provide $90 million in capital funding for Sherman Center Project at UMass Medical
Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center have announced the approval of $90 million in capital funding toward the construction of the $405 million Albert Sherman Center Project at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). A key targeted investment in the Life Science Act, the facility will further bolster the pioneering life sciences research and medical education taking place at UMass Medical School in Worcester.
Read the press release here >>
The groundbreaking for the Sherman Center project at UMass Medical Center was held on September 17th, 2009.
MBL breaks ground on Loeb Laboratory renovations
Senate President Therese Murray, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and key state officials gathered recently at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) to break ground on a $25 million renovation of the MBL's central research training facility, the Loeb Laboratory. This renovation will create 250 regional construction jobs over the next 15 months and will greatly enhance the MBL's and the state's ability to attract and retain top scientists. The Center is providing a $10 million grant toward the costs of the renovation project.
Read the press release here >>
The groundbreaking for the Loeb Laboratory renovations at MBL was held on September 21st, 2009.
Two Accelerator companies receive FDA approval on medical devices
Two of the Center's seven Accelerator portfolio companies recently received FDA approval for innovative medical technologies. Wadsworth Technologies announced in September, 2009 that their DermaLOC wound closure system had been approved by the FDA. Pluromed announced shortly thereafter that they had received FDA approval for BackStop, a device used in ureteroscopic kidney stone management procedures.
Read the Wadsworth press release here >>
Read the Pluromed press release here >>
Center Co-sponsors Stem Cell Symposium
Life Sciences Internship Challenge Receives Extraordinary Response
The Center's Life Sciences Internship Challenge has received an overwhelming response since its February launch, with more than 500 applicants looking for internships this summer. Through the Challenge, 104 interns have been matched with 59 life sciences companies and research institutions.
Read the press release >>
See a YouTube video about the kick-off event for this program >>
MLSC Life Sciences Internship Challenge participants Lindsay Bonvini, a rising senior at Stonehill College, and Michasel White, a student at UMass Dartmouth, participate in a recent forum co-sponsored by the Center and Citizen Schools to plan new ways to enhance STEM education at the middle-school level. Bonvini and White are interning this summer at the UMass Dartmouth Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center.
Second Round of New Investigator Grants Completed
The Center has completed its second round of New Investigator Matching Grants by awarding $600,000 to three Harvard-affiliated researchers. Read the press release >>
On July 21, 2009, The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and Lasell College held a luncheon to discuss workforce development in the life sciences industry and how Lasell College can expand its curriculum to prepare students for employment opportunities in Massachusetts' life sciences Supercluster. Pictured here from left to right are Angus McQuilken, Vice President for Communications at the Massachusetts Life Schiences Center, Beth Nicklas, Esq., the Center's Vice President and Counsel for Academic Research and Programs, Michael Alexander, President of Lasell College and Paul Perkins, Sr. Director of Finance and Human Resources at EyeGate Pharma.
UMass receives grant to establish Professional Science Masters Degree programs
Congratulations to the University of Massachusetts on being awarded a $124,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to create 10 life sciences Professional Science Masters Degree programs. The initiative will span all five campuses and multiple academic concentrations. The need for such programs was a key finding of the Life Sciences Talent Initiative (LSTI) study that the Center co-sponsored last year. Read the press release >>
View the LSTI report >>
Center awards $1.4 million in New Investigator Grants
On June 24, 2009, The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Board of Directors awarded $1,380,256 in New Investigator Grants. The Center¡¯s grants will support seven young scientists working at research institutions in Massachusetts. Read the press release >>
Center to continue funding
International Stem Cell Registry
On June 24, 2009, The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Board of Directors approved $695,000 in continued funding for the International Stem Cell Registry. The Registry is a comprehensive database of current information on stem cells managed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.
Read the Press Release >>
Learn more about the ISCR here >>
Happy Anniversary!
June 16, 2009 marks the one-year anniversary of Governor Deval Patrick¡¯s signing of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative. During the Initiative's first year, the Life Sciences Center has invested $46 million in state funding, leveraging $357 million in private and federal investment, and helping to create a prospective 950 jobs.
Center submits comments regarding NIH Draft Guidelines on Stem Cell Research
First Round of Accelerator Loans Approved
The Center's Board of Directors has approved the first round of loans to early-stage companies via the Accelerator program. Read the press release here >>
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council Releases Bioready Campaign Community Ratings
Read the announcement
Learn more about the MBC BioReady Communities Campaign
New Medical Devices Journal
Launches with Feature on MLSC
An interview with MLSC President & CEO Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister is featured in the inaugural edition of the Massachusetts Medical Devices Journal. The Massachusetts Medical Devices Journal is a new online publication covering the medical devices industry in the Commonwealth and New England. Click here to read the interview >>
The Life Sciences Center has moved!
To find our new address in Waltham, our new phone number, or directions, click here.
MLSC President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister, State Senator Karen Spilka, Senate Chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, and State Representative Carolyn Dykema on a recent company visit to Caliper Life Sciences in Hopkinton.
Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Plan
Learn more about Governor Deval Patrick's plans for investing federal stimulus funds to strengthen our infrastructure and our innovation economy in the Commonwealth.
Visit the Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Plan web site. You can also access the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act web site here.
MLSC Board Approves Grant for Tufts' New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory
On March 25, 2009 the MLSC Board of Directors approved a $9.5 million grant to support completion of the New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton. Read the press release >>
MLSC Accelerator Program Receives Strong Response
The MLSC has received eighty-eight applications for the Center's Accelerator loan program for early-stage companies. The first round of applications began on January 1, 2009 and closed on March 6, 2009. Click here to read the press release. Read the press release >>
MLSC President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister joins Boston Mayor Thomas Menino at a recent meeting of the Lifetech Boston Advisory Committee
MLSC Board Approves Life
Sciences Internship Challenge
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has launched the Life Sciences Internship Challenge, a workforce development program focused on enhancing the talent pipeline for life sciences companies and research institutions in Massachusetts. The new program will provide Summer 2009 internships to at least 100 undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors who are considering career opportunities in life sciences - in either an industry or academic setting.
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council recently sponsored a UMass Lowell "Take the Initiative" forum to help companies and higher education institutions learn how to access funds available under the state's $1 billion Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, signed into law by Governor Patrick last June. Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, left, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan, center, and Massachusetts Biotechnology Council Vice President John Heffernan were among the speakers.
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative
Announced by Governor Deval Patrick at BIO 2007Boston, Massachusetts
At the BIO 2007 convention on May 8, Governor Patrick announced his plan to make Massachusetts the global leader in life sciences, unveiling for the first time a comprehensive, collaborative Massachusetts Life Sciences Strategy.
