Business and Life Sciences Industry Leaders Support Mayor de Blasio's LifeSci NYC Initiative

December 13, 2016

Jason Park, PhD, Principal of Flagship Ventures, said, "We are excited to see New York's increased commitment to the life sciences and the recognition of the great science performed here every day and the tremendous value it can create."

James E. Flynn , Managing Partner of Deerfield Management, said, “New York City has all of the ingredients to be a world-leading center for biopharmaceutical innovation: cutting edge science and medical institutions, a vast and diverse labor pool, and leading healthcare venture funds. What it has lacked is a coordinated effort to bring these strengths together with the necessary space and incentives to create a thriving and self-sustaining industry. Mayor de Blasio’s plan for the first time comprehensively and systematically addresses the historic barriers and makes possible an era of leadership in life sciences for New York City. Deerfield is proud to play a role in sponsoring Breakthrough students and contributing to efforts to shape learning programs for New Yorkers interested in the life sciences and in entrepreneurism. We are additionally thrilled to have contributed to the founding of Bridge Medicines, which will harvest New York intellectual property and build out of it the future of the biotechnology industry.”

Susan Crinnion, Executive Director of Life Sciences at J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking, said, “We are thrilled about this new investment; it will go a long way in increasing the number of life sciences companies that call New York home. This sector is rapidly expanding and J.P. Morgan has the industry experience and expertise to help these clients grow their businesses.”

Carlo Rizzuto, Partner of Versant Ventures, Inc., said, "As a global venture capital firm with a NYC office and three NYC-based biotech companies, we are pleased that the City shares our enthusiasm for the sector and is committed to ensuring its long term success for the benefit of patients here and worldwide."

Carl Goldfischer, MD, Managing Director of Bay City Capital and Executive Chair of Bridge Medicines, said, “As a native New Yorker, and as a person whose medical and investment training occurred in New York, I am excited to welcome the Mayor's efforts as we advance the development of the ecosystem for biotechnology research and development in New York City.”

Greg Plowman, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Lilly New York Research and Vice President of Oncology Research at Eli Lilly and Company, said, “We are excited to see the tremendous support for life sciences in New York from NYCEDC and Mayor Bill de Blasio. New York City has an amazing substrate of great academic and clinical science with a dense and diverse study patient population and talent pool. “This is why Lilly chose to be an anchor tenant at the Alexandria Center for Life Science seven years ago, participates in two New York-focused venture funds, and is a collaborator with ELabNYC and other New York life sciences initiatives. Lilly’s presence in New York City has contributed greatly to several of our recent successes and highlights the potential of the City’s life sciences community.”

Judith Dunn, PhD, Vice President, Global Head of Clinical Development at Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, said, “Roche established an Innovation Center in New York because we see this as one of the world’s most promising locations for revolutionary science and technology. We are hopeful that by addressing the most relevant challenges of facilities, funding and education, the Mayor's LifeSci NYC initiative will stimulate additional growth and investment in bioscience & healthcare innovation here and will enable the next generation of significant healthcare solutions to be delivered from NYC.”

Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D., President of Worldwide Research and Development at Pfizer Inc., said, “As one of the world’s premier biopharmaceutical companies, Pfizer is focused on delivering breakthrough medicines and vaccines to patients that significantly improve their lives. To achieve this requires a dynamic R&D ecosystem with the right partners that will help to accelerate and enhance our efforts. As a company founded and headquartered in New York, we are pleased with Mayor de Blasio’s efforts to grow the Life Sciences sector in New York City.”

Ron Cohen, M.D., President and CEO of Acorda Therapeutics, said, “New York City has the resources and talent needed to become a major life sciences center. We applaud the efforts of the Mayor’s Office to support the growth of this vital industry in New York.”

Jane Wasman, President of International and General Counsel of Acorda Therapeutics, said, “The biotech industry makes invaluable contributions to society by developing medications that cure disease and improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world. A vibrant biotech presence in New York City also benefits our local economy, including job creation and the expansion of our world-renowned academic centers.”

Mark R. Baker, CEO of Progenics Pharmaceuticals, said, “NYC offers biopharmaceutical companies like ours many unique resources. Progenics recently located to lower Manhattan to take advantage of the access to top hospitals, centers of research, and medical, scientific and technology talent that NYC provides. For us it is an exciting time to be part of the emerging group of companies creating a new geographic hub for the life sciences sector. We applaud the Mayor and City for this unprecedented commitment to and investment in the life sciences sector.”

Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of Partnership for New York City, said, “The Partnership congratulates Mayor de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Glen and EDC President Torres-Springer on this important program for supporting the growth of a larger, more vibrant commercial life sciences hub in New York City. We look forward to mobilizing private sector investment to match what the City and State are doing to ensure that the medical research conducted by New York’s great academic medical institutions is translated into local jobs and economic activity.”

Maria Gotsch, President and CEO, Partnership Fund for New York City, said, “Our Partnership Fund has focused ‎on life sciences for more than a decade and is well familiar with the challenges that biomedical spin outs face in starting and building their operations in the city. The plan put forward by Mayor de Blasio, Deputy Mayor Glen and EDC President Torres-Springer explicitly addresses these challenges and will serve as an important catalyst to drive the growth of commercial life sciences in New York City.”

Melissa L. Stevens, Executive Director, Center for Strategic Philanthropy, Milken Institute, said, “The Milken Institute’s Center for Strategic Philanthropy commends the de Blasio Administration and the New York City Economic Development Corporation for their thoughtful integration of philanthropic capital into the “LifeSci NYC” vision to create a world-class life sciences hub. Philanthropic investment can play an outsized role in the medical research ecosystem by building human capital, engaging patients, and “de-risking” the R&D process, especially in its earliest stages; and the result is often a faster path from scientific breakthrough to therapy. We look forward to working with other philanthropic leaders and LifeSci NYC, as it jumpstarts the critical life sciences industry in New York City.”

Joel Marcus, Chair, CEO and Founder of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and Alexandria Venture Investments, said, “Alexandria, the national leader in developing dynamic urban cluster campuses and vibrant ecosystems, has dedicated substantial effort over the past decade to transform New York City into the growing entrepreneurial hub it is today. Turning a once-contaminated laundry site into what is now the Alexandria Center for Life Science, a thriving epicenter for the City’s leading life sciences companies to develop life-saving biomedical breakthroughs, is a point of tremendous pride for our company. Not only has the Alexandria team helped to recruit leading life sciences companies to NYC, creating hundreds of new jobs, we have also integrated those companies with other local stakeholders which has led to several new collaborations. As a first mover in bringing strategic risk capital to New York City, Alexandria Venture Investments has supported homegrown startups and retained them within the NYC cluster, while also attracting new companies from other cluster markets to establish operations locally. By bringing together our global network of biopharma leaders, academic institutions, venture investors, research foundations, government agencies and other thought leaders to the Alexandria Center, we have showcased New York City to the national and international communities as an attractive new destination for the life sciences industry. We are excited that the Mayor acknowledges the great potential for the City’s life sciences sector and is committed to helping our community continue to thrive.” 

Adam B. Sichol, Managing Partner of Longfellow Real Estate Partners, LLC, said, “Longfellow believes in the great research institutions and bioscience talent base in the City of New York. The Mayor's announcement today is a further indication of the City's commitment to scientific research and commercialization, which have the potential to be one of the largest growth sectors in New York over the next 10 years and we believe on par with other important scientific clusters where Longfellow develops buildings, including Cambridge, MA and North Carolina’s Research Triangle. Mayor de Blasio and Deputy Mayor Glen have correctly identified the need to create research and development zoning districts in order to promote biotech in the City, and we applaud their efforts to create areas in the city where this important research can move forward.”