Biotechnology industry in Boston
Greater Boston, primarily Boston and Cambridge, is home to almost 1,000 biotechnology companies, ranging from small start-ups to billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies. The many universities in the area give the region a large network of scientists.[1]
The Kendall Square area of Boston holds a large concentration of the life science industry, numbering over 120 companies within a mile,[2][3] and has been described as the "center of the nation’s biotechnology industry".[4] The Longwood area is about two miles from Kendall Square, and is also home to many biomedical research companies.[5]
History
The biotechnology industry in Boston dates back to the 1970s, when genetic engineering was developing. Biogen was the first company in Boston focused on biotechnology.[6][7]
In 2008, the governor of Massachusetts announced the Massachusetts Life Sciences Act, promising $1 billion to further the development of the biotech industry.[8][9] Massachusetts is among the top states for biotech jobs.[10]
In 2016, venture investment in Massachusetts biopharma companies was $2.9 billion, and more than half of the biotech companies in the state receiving venture capital were located in Cambridge. When Cambridge and Boston were considered together, they received more than 80% of the funding in the state.[11] Seven teaching hospitals are located in Boston, contributing to the research efforts. Five of the top six NIH-funded independent hospitals in the United States are located in Boston.[12]
Local industry
Academic institutes
- Broad Institute
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
- Mass General Research Institute
Biotechnology companies
- Abcam
- Addgene
- Biogen
- Boston Scientific
- Foundation Medicine
- Genzyme
- ImmunoGen
- Intarcia Therapeutics
- Moderna Therapeutics
- NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals
- pSivida
- Sage Therapeutics
- Thrombolytic Science International
- Vaxess Technologies
Pharmaceutical companies
- Merck & Co.
- Acceleron Pharma
- Aderis Pharmaceuticals
- Agios Pharmaceuticals
- Alkermes
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
- Amgen
- Alzheon
- Deciphera Pharmaceuticals
- Editas Medicine
- Ironwood Pharmaceuticals
- Merrimack Pharmaceuticals
- Novartis
- Pfizer
- Sanofi
- Sarepta Therapeutics
- Shire Pharmaceuticals
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Other related companies
References
- Ramsey, Lydia (May 13, 2017). "Insiders reveal how Boston moved to the forefront of the global fight against deadly diseases". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- Garde, Damian (5 May 2016). "Get to know Kendall Square, biotech's booming epicenter". STAT.
- Ledford, Heidi (11 June 2015). "Start-ups fight for a place in Boston's biotech hub". Nature. 522 (7555): 138–139. Bibcode:2015Natur.522..138L. doi:10.1038/522138a. PMID 26062489.
- Logan, Tim. "Developers are scrambling for the next Kendall Square. Where will it be?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- "Spotlight on Boston/Cambridge". Nature. 13 June 2012. doi:10.1038/nj0376. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- "Clusterluck". The Economist. January 16, 2016.
- Khalid, Asma (June 19, 2017). "How Boston Became 'The Best Place In The World' To Launch A Biotech Company". WBUR (BostonomiX).
- "Life Sciences Initiative". www.mass.gov.
- "Gov. Patrick and the Mass. Life Sciences Center Announce Over $100 Million in Capital Grant Funding for Projects in Western Mass". Office of News & Media Relations | UMass Amherst.
- Saltzman, Jonathan (January 6, 2019). "For biotech, 2019's not a sky's-the-limit year - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- "Mass Bio Industry Snapshot 2017" (PDF). Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. 2017.
- "Mass Bio Industry Snapshot 2016" (PDF). Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. 2016.