Vol. 4, No. 2 | A publication of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council | Summer 2011

In collaboration withEBD Group, MassBio willbe bringing one of thelargest and most productivepartnering events in NorthAmerica back to Bostonthis fall.

BioPharm America™—which drew more than 900people to Boston in 2010—will be held Sept. 7-9 at theWestin Waterfront.

The event providesattendees with theopportunity to meet face-to-face with biotech andpharma executives from

around the world toidentify and enter strategicrelationships. This year,the conference will kick offwith a keynote by ShireCEO Angus Russell.Russell is leading one ofthe most successful andadmired global specialtybiopharmaceuticalcompanies in the world. Hewill share his insights andexperience at the event.

Organized by the EBDGroup and hosted byMassBio for the second

BIOPHARMIS BACKBIOPHARMIS BACK

See BIOPHARM Page 7

Large-scale biotechpartnering eventreturns to Boston

Shire CEO Angus Russell will be the keynotespeaker at the2011 BioPharmAmerica™ event,to be held at theWestin Waterfrontin Boston Sept. 7-9.

MassBioEdJob ShadowDay, pages 6-7

Aegerion PharmaceuticalsAllegro DiagnosticsAmerican Century InvestmentsAnoixis CorporationAsamanAthena DiagnosticsBedford Stem Cell Research

FoundationBlueprint MedicinesCE3, Inc.Christopher’s Haven

Development Insights LLCE.L. Harvey& SonsEnobia PharmaEpigenDxFirst Light BiosciencesFletcher SpaghtGetfusedideaPointMedicon Valley AllianceMicrobiaMolecular Insight Pharmaceuticals

ModeRNA TherapeuticsNanobiosymNetherlands Foreign

Investment AgencyNeuroPhage PharmaceuticalsNorth Star Management Onsite Therapeutics OrganixPermeon BiologicsPorzio Pharmaceutical ServicesPrism IdeasPubgetSafe Food ScientificSentien BiotechnologiesSpring Bank PharmaceuticalsThermalin DiabetesUGL Services Unicco OperationsVeeda OncologyVithera LaboratoriesWILEXX-BODY

2010 NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH) FUNDING

2 —— MassBio News Summer 2011

MassBio looking forward to productive summer

A PUBLICATION OF:Massachusetts Biotechnology

Council One Cambridge Center,Cambridge, MA 02142

617-674-5100 www.massbio.org

Robert K. CoughlinPresident & CEOImran Nasrullah

Chief Business OfficerJohn Heffernan

VP of Policy & External Affairs

BOARD OF DIRECTORSGeoffrey F. Cox, Chair

Geoff MacKay, Vice ChairMichael W. O’Hara, Treasurer

Glenn Batchelder, ClerkMark Leuchtenberger, Immediate Past Chair

PRODUCED BY:GRANT COMMUNICATIONS

CONSULTING GROUPBoston/New York

781-598-8200gccg@grantgroup.comwww.grantgroup.com

Welcome to the summer edition ofMassBio News. We at MassBio remaindedicated to serving you, our memberinstitutions, and highlighting the strengthand reach of the life sciences and thepeople who work to improve the lives ofpatients every day.

Inside, you will read about one ofthose patients, Sylvan Menezes, who isliving with ALS and urgently hoping thatthe research and development now taking

place will bring a cure to this debilitatingdisease.

You will also be introduced to some ofour MassBioEd students, who are on trackto become the next generations ofscientists, doctors and biotechnologists.This month, 650 students visited localbiotech companies during the secondannual Biotechnology Job Shadow Day. Iextend my deepest thanks to the 18companies who hosted our future science

and business leaders. I know the day wasvery rewarding and inspiring to all whoparticipated. To further support the effortsof MassBioEd, I hope each of you canattend this year’s Golf Classic, whichraises critical funds for the foundation.The event will be held on Sept. 9 at ThePinehills Golf Club in Plymouth.

We are currently gearing up for anotherexciting fall event, BioPharm America™,which will be held Sept. 7-9 at the Westin

Waterfront. It promises to be one of thelargest and most productive partneringevents in North America and we arefortunate to have Shire CEO AngusRussell serving as the keynote speaker. Iurge you to register soon to takeadvantage of the MassBio membershipdiscounts.

Robert K. Coughlin is President &CEO of MassBio.

Mark R. BamforthAbbie Celniker

Margaret Chu-MoyerErroll DeSouza

Jeff EltonFereydoun Firouz

Scott GillisSteven Gilman

Jose-Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos

John J. HarringtonJohn K. Hennessy

Timothy HuntPeter Isakson

Edwin M. Kania Jr.Laurie Bartlett Keating

Roger W. LouisDeanna Petersen

David ReifSteven G. Richter

Amit SachdevFrank ThomasCharles Wilson

Lawrence Wittenberg

ROBERT K.COUGHLIN

NEW MASSBIO MEMBERS

We are pleased to announce our newest membership benefit:access to timely and relevant human resources informationthrough MassBio HRonline.

We know that even a relatively simple human resourcesquestion can require intensive research, and that many of ourmember organizations may not have dedicated HR staff. Savetime and energy by using MassBio HRonline, a “one-stop shop”for your human resources and benefits needs. Available only toMassBio members and free of charge, MassBio HRonline offers: Hundreds of Compliance, Legislative and EmployeeCommunications guides on command that give you quickanswers to tough questions. FAQ sections for COBRA, FMLA, and HIPAA will give youfast answers for your compliance-related issues. OSHA Compliance documents. Up-to-date information on changes due to federal healthcarereform that may affect your employees or your company. Health and Wellness Newsletters with ready-to-print flyers Property & Casualty/Workers compensation documents. Additional tools to boost your productivity, including accessto Employee Benefits and P&C Benchmark Surveys, and an RSSindustry news feed offering the latest headlines.

Special thanks to Bostonian Group: a Marsh & McLennan AgencyCompany, a leader in HR services and support, and our partner in makingthis happen.

To access MassBio HRonline, just login to MassBio.org and visit yourMember Portal. (Don’t have an account on MassBio.org yet? Visitwww.massbio.org/members/create_account to set one up. It is free ofcharge and available to every employee of MassBio member companies.)

At MassBio HRonline, you can immediately search by keyword, or you

can take a peek at the Benefits and HR Hot Topics homepage whichprovides you with a snapshot of the most commonly requested resources. Ifyou’re looking to do a more comprehensive search, head to the MyDocument Center for a library of hundreds of resources includingtemplates, checklists, downloadable articles, and ready-to-print documents.You can even pose a question to your Human Resources peers by postingin the Community Forum.

With all this and much more, MassBio HRonline has something foreveryone. See how MassBio HRonline can save you time today.

New member benefit: MassBio HRonline

A screenshot of the MassBio HRonline homepage.

What is Green Bio and what isits importance to theMassachusetts economy andsustainability initiatives?

“Green Bio” is a sustainable,competitive industrial biotechnologysector that is rapidly emerging in theUnited States and throughout the

world. Unlike the more traditional focus of thebiotechnology industry on medicalinnovations, Green Bio is focused on utilizingrenewable, sustainable resources for theproduction of fuels, chemicals, materials andother industrial products that are used inmaking consumer products on a commercialscale. Green Bio has an agricultural basistherefore the “input” or feedstocks are oftennon-food based agricultural sources, like

grasses and canes, whichare more

sustainable andenvironmentally-friendly ascompared withthe currentpetroleum andfossil basis from

which theseproducts

are currently derived. While still in its infancy,many companies in the Green Bio industryhave advanced, evolved and matured theirtechnologies to the point of commercial-readiness. These technological advances aresignificant as Green Bio has the potential toreplace large segments of the fuel andchemical industries with agriculturally derivedproducts that would lower greenhouse gasemissions, chemical emissions, chemical use,and strengthen domestic manufacturing,economies, and energy security.

What are the top three prioritiesin the Green Bio space in 2011-2012?

Key priorities for companies in theGreen Bio space are focused onenacting consistent, enduring andforward-looking federal policy that

supports and accelerates thecommercialization of renewable fuels andchemicals and allows second-generation“renewable” companies to compete in anopen and competitive market with itspetroleum-based brethren. Specifically: Continue to support the existing

Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) andlegislation that levels the playing field forbiofuels and chemicals to compete against a

highly subsidized oil industry. Continue to foster legislative

support for biofuels, chemicals, andagriculture in the government.

Increase support for first marketlaunches of economically successfulproducts from the Green Bio space.

We’ve made some great progresswith the biotechnology industryin 2007 with the Life SciencesInitiative. Are there similar steps

we can take to better position the futureof Green Bio in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts is at the epicenter ofinnovation and we’re fortunate tohave the opportunity to foster andcultivate the tremendous

discoveries that occur within both theprestigious public and private academicinstitutions across the state. While some ofthese innovations have blossomed tobecome today’s global leaders in thebroadly defined renewable industry, manyremain at a research stage and are limitedby resources and funding. To truly grow theGreen Bio industry in Massachusetts andestablish state leadership on a national andinternational scale, the industry (andtherefore the companies) requires the samelevel of support that the pharma and biotechindustry enjoys. For example, initiativeslike the MA Life Sciences Initiative, orsimilar, would help to support companies inthe Green Bio sector and would contributestrongly to getting those companies toprofitability and to a sustainable businessoperation.

Further, we need to aggressively“market” the innovation that occurs inthe state while simultaneouslyenacting favorable policies andregulatory standards that attract thelarge, multi-national corporationswith the requisite balance sheets tostep-up and make the much-needed

strategic investments in the sector. Whenthis occurs, everyone wins: innovationflourishes, jobs are created and Green Biowill become a leading sector alongside thelife sciences industry.

Sue Hager, Vice President of CorporateCommunications and Government Affairs atQTEROS, and Michael Raab, Founder &President of Agrivida, are co-chairs of MassBio’s Green Bio Task Force.

For more information, contact PeterAbair at 617-674-5100 orpeter.abair@massbio.org.

MassBio News Summer 2011 —— 3

Q

A

Q & Awith

SUE HAGER AND MICHAEL RAABCo-chairs of MassBio’s Green Bio Task Force

Q

A

MICHAEL RAAB

This opinion piece was written byMassBio President & CEO Robert K.Coughlin and first appeared in TheBoston Globe on May 31, 2011.

The one million citizens ofMassachusetts enrolled in Medicaremay be in for a rude surprise as aresult of last year’s health-carereform legislation. One of itsprovisions, if allowed to stand, couldimpinge on seniors’ access to qualitycare.

The health reform law establishedthe Independent Payment AdvisoryBoard, or IPAB, which is chargedwith developing proposals to keepthe cost of Medicare down. Thepanel consists of 15 presidentialappointees. Any year Medicare isprojected to exceed target spendingamounts, IPAB is charged withinstituting program changes that willbring overall costs down.

Proponents tout IPAB as health-care reform’s solution to rising costs.It isn’t.

A real solution would spell outproposed changes so that seniorsunderstand them and have a chanceto make their voices heard, especiallythrough members of Congress votingon reforms. That’s what thedemocratic process is all about. Butinstead of spelling out proposedreforms, last year’s legislationcovered them up by vesting in IPABvast power to order changes in care.

When the board makes its“recommendations’’ for reducingcosts, federal legislators have fourmonths either to accept them, findequivalent cost-savings in Medicare,or block them with a supermajorityvote. The system also denies patientsand doctors the option of challengingits decisions in court. In effect, thecreation of IPAB takes our electedofficials out of the decision-makingprocess. Medicare enrollees andproviders will have little means tomake their voices heard.

Supposedly as a protection, IPABis limited in the changes it can

mandate. It’s not allowed to imposetaxes or increase premiums. It’s notallowed to cut payment rates tohospitals until 2020. But Medicarereimbursements to doctors are on thechopping block from the beginning,as are payments for Medicare drugbenefits. What this means for seniorsis that IPAB will be able to “controlcosts’’ by offering doctors and otherMedicare providers only cents on thedollar for their services caring forMedicare patients.

The harsh truth is that if IPABdecides to cut payments to physiciansto save money, many doctors will nolonger accept Medicare patients.

“It’s creating an environment that’snot conducive for physicians tosurvive in terms of practicingmedicine with predominantlyMedicare patients,’’ said AliceCoombs, president of theMassachusetts Medical Society.“Doctors want to take care of allpatients, but it becomes increasinglydifficult for them to have an

operational budget to do that.’’According to an American

Medical Association survey of 9,000doctors nationwide, currentreimbursement rates have already led17 percent of all doctors, including31 percent of primary carephysicians, to restrict the number ofMedicare patients in their practices.IPAB will only make this seriousproblem worse.

Something similar will happenwith prescription drug coverage.IPAB is empowered to cutreimbursement rates to providersunder Medicare Part D. If and whenit does, providers will likely respondwith more restrictive drugformularies, ceasing their coveragefor more expensive medicines.Seniors will lose access to life-savingtreatment options.

Reducing reimbursements willalso impact investments in researchand development at the nation’spharmaceutical and biotechnologyfirms — those companies that are on

the frontlines looking for the medicalmiracles of tomorrow. Developing asuccessful new drug can take decadesand cost billions. Many initiallypromising avenues of research turnout to be dead ends. These areexpenses companies will beunwilling to make if they areconcerned, quite rightly, that an all-powerful and unaccountable boardwill ultimately decide whether andhow much they will be paid.

Before we cut health-care productsand services, let’s first eliminatemore of the fraud, mismanagement,and high administrative costs. Andlet’s make sure the process of findingways to economize is not a closedsystem, but one open to the input ofseniors and their doctors, as well asaccountable to the public. Handingdiscretionary power over to IPABwill end up hurting the Americanswho need our help the most. IPAB isnot the prescription for what ailsMedicare.

POLICY UPDATE: HEALTH CARE LAW PUTS SENIORS AT RISK

Q

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SUE HAGER

MassBio News Summer 20114 — MassBio News Summer 2011 — 5

MassBio will host its 17th AnnualGolf Classic on Sept. 9 at theprestigious Pinehills Golf Club inPlymouth, Mass. The club featurestwo 18-hole championship courses,spectacularly set on more than 300acres of rolling hills and punctuatedby dramatic, glacially carved kettlesand kames.

Tournament proceeds helpsupport the MassBioEdFoundation—the thought leader,advocate and invaluable resource

for preparing Massachusetts’biotechnology workforce.MassBioEd strives to provideMassachusetts high school teacherswith the skills and equipmentnecessary to teach biotechnology.To date, the foundation has workedwith 177 high schools and trainedmore than 500 teachers.

For more information on theevent or sponsorship opportunitiesplease contact Lauren Perna atlauren.perna@massbio.org.

SAVE THE DATE:GOLF CLASSIC

MassBio President & CEO Robert K. Coughlin, left, with 2010 winnersSherwood Butler, Bill Whooley, Raj Bhangoo and Ryan Whooley.

June 8 was no ordinary day for hundreds ofhigh school students and biotechnologyprofessionals, who came together for the secondannual Statewide Biotechnology Job ShadowDay aimed at building interest in sciencecareers. And according to early feedback, itworked.

“The job shadow tour definitely sparked mylevel of interest in the sciences,” said Rebecca B.Araujo, a freshman at Assabet Valley RegionalTechnical High School told the WorcesterTelegram & Gazette. Rebecca spent the day atAbbott in Worcester, where students got acompany tour and hands-on experience whenmentors showcased equipment and experiments.

She was one of 650 students from 18 BioTeachschools who had the opportunity to explore potential

career opportunitiesin the biotech industry throughshadowing life science professionals at 19 localcompanies and research laboratories. Job ShadowDay is one more way MassBioEd’s BioTeachprogram is increasing knowledge and skills andinspiring life science career interest among studentsand teachers.

For many biotechnology companies, the eventis important to building their future workforce.

“Cubist is a strong supporter of STEMeducation and the Job Shadow Day affords uswith another opportunity to provide students witha glimpse into the career options within the lifescience industry,” said Debbie Durso-Bumpus,Director of Talent Acquisition for the Lexington-based company. “The Cubist mentors thatvolunteered were thrilled to have the opportunity

to share their passion for what they do every dayand the impact it has on patients’ lives. Some ofthese students will be looking at companies likeCubist for internships/co-ops in just a few yearsand for full-time positions soon after that. Wewant them to be interested in the industry and tothink of Cubist when those decision points come.”

Lance Hartford, Executive Director of MassBioEd,described the day as “the integration of corporateemployees sharing their knowledge and careerexperience with the aspiring scientists of tomorrow.”

“We at MassBioEd are proud to be thesponsor of the second annual MassachusettsBiotechnology Job Shadow Day,” said SuzanneGrillo, Director of Corporate and CommunityRelations at the Massachusetts BiotechnologyEducation Foundation. “This is a tremendous

collaboration of industry and education comingtogether to teach tomorrow’s future workforceabout biotechnology—an industry that is out tosolve unmet medical needs, an industry thatsaves lives, changes lives and contributes to abetter society. Everyone wins: the students, theteachers, the mentors and the companies.”

It was truly impressive to see such a display ofsupport for high school biotechnology educationfrom the corporate and academic sectors. Thefoundation thanks Abbott, Airgas, Amgen, Avecia,AstraZeneca, Biogen Idec, Bristol-Myers Squibb,Caliper Life Sciences, Cubist Pharmaceuticals,EMD Millipore, EMD Serono, Formatech,Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Microtest,Millennium, Shire, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, TheWhitehead Institute, and Wolfe Laboratories for

their participation in this innovative event.Each visit began with opening remarks,

followed by a panel presentation onbiotechnology careers. The students had theopportunity to go on a company tour and haveone-on-one meetings with industryprofessionals. They also had lunch at the site,allowing for further discussion and networkingopportunities.

Job Shadow Day aims to promote STEMeducation through identifying the breadth ofcareer options available within the life scienceindustry. Surveys show it was a resoundingsuccess: students found it to be highlyinformative and inspiring, and teachers wereamazed by the amount of interaction betweenstudents and their biotechnology mentors.

“The students and teachers learn first hand aboutthe important work done by these companies,which will help to deepen their awareness of thecritical contributions being made by biotechnologycompanies and to expand their awareness of thevaried careers available,” said Grillo. “The mentorsget to make a difference in the life of a student byeducating them about their career path and theexcitement and passion that they feel coming towork every day. The companies get to exposestudents to their products, services and corporateculture. It’s a fantastic day all around.”

BioTeach schools or companies interested inparticipating in MassBioEd Job Shadow Daysshould contact Suzanne Grillo at 617-674-5100or Suzanne.grillo@massbio.org.

MassBioEd provides students greaterunderstanding of career optionsOH ,THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

Cubist Pharmaceuticals is a strong supporter of MassBioEd Job Shadow Day.

High school students wereable to spend a day in the

shoes of Formatechemployees.

Airgas educated studentsthrough hands-onexperiments.

Students looked and acted thepart at the second annualStatewide Biotechnology JobShadow Day. Visits, from left, toShire HGT in Lexington, EMDSerono in Billerica and theWhitehead Institute inCambridge helped to inspirestudents to think about careersin science, technology,engineering and math.

Approximately 180 attendees, representing 100 life sciencescompanies, came out for the Innovation 2011 Vendor Expo, co-hosted by MassBio and Fisher Scientific. The event, whichlinked MassBio members with the latest and greatesttechnologies, equipment, supplies and services, featured 60exhibiting vendors. It also featured high-level, application-basedseminars focused on the technical and cutting-edge topics mostimportant to MassBio members. The seminars includedpresentations by Millipore, Promega, Thermo Fisher Genomicsand Thermo Fisher Chromatography.

6—— MassBio News Summer 2011

INNOVATION 2011 VENDOR EXPO100 companies,countless connections

COMMITTEE CONNECT:

MEET THEPRESS

On May 5, Carolyn Johnson of TheBoston Globe, Debbie Kim of WBZ andCarey Goldberg of WBUR’sCommonHealth blog temporarily hung uptheir reporting caps to sit in the hot seat.

The panel members answeredquestions, shared their pitch pet-peevesand tips to telling science and businessstories and discussed how social mediaand blogging have changed the way weaccess and share news, as part of theMarketing & CommunicationCommittee’s annual Meet the Press event.The event is organized to give MassBiomembers the inside track on pitchingrelevant news sources.

Goldberg, former Boston bureau chief ofThe New York Times, Moscowcorrespondent for The Los Angeles Timesand health/science reporter for The BostonGlobe, discussed the angles that appeal toher, citing a special report she wrote onVertex’s experimental drug VX-770. Her3,200-word narrative, which can be foundat http://commonhealth.wbur.org/tag/vertex,describes the scientific road to VX-770,which has been shown to successfullyattack the underlying defect in cysticfibrosis.

“I found myself compelled by thisstory,” said Goldberg. “Something that Ireally believe in and that’s also beendiminished by the crisis in journalism isscience journalism – being able to tell thestory of the scientist.”

She emphasized the impact of suchstories, in contrast to the short, eye-catching pieces, and discussed how theWeb is often the best venue for in-depthcoverage.

“Because the overhead is so low on theWeb, it can be up the next day and there’sno editor saying, ‘no, this can only be1,500 words,’” she said. “These storiesare the ones that have legs and get passedaround in social media.”

Kim, who serves as the medical andhealth producer at WBZ, agreed theaverage reader or viewer is drawn in byhuman drama and wants to get a deeperlook into what makes people tick.

“I’m always interested in why peopledo things,” she said. “My mom wasreally, really sick as a child in Korea andalmost died. She became a doctor as aresult of that. I always ask why, and it’susually because they have a familymember or friend or personal connectionthat compelled them to do the work thatthey’re doing.”

For more information on MassBio’scommittee programming, visitwww.massbio.org.

BIO Fly-InEach year as part of theBIO Fly-In Legislativeprogram inWashington, D.C.,MassBio hosts a panelfor Congressional staffdesigned to highlightthe stories of patientswhose lives werechanged by biologictherapies developed inMassachusetts. Thisyear, patients, from left,Monique Griffin, UnaLucey, Lisa Hamiltonand Frances Turbokjoined MassBioPresident & CEO RobertK. Coughlin for thepanel.

Propel Careers, MassBio, and theMassBioEd Foundation havelaunched a series of programsraising awareness of career paths inthe life sciences for individuals withadvanced degrees.The Futures inLife Sciences program bringstogether post-doctoral and medicalschool students with experts acrossa wide range of disciplines. Sessionson careers in R&D, ProductCommercialization, and ClinicalDevelopment and Medical Affairshave been successful. Future sessionsinclude: Bio-Informatics, MarketAccess and Outcomes Research, andFinance, Legal and Operations roles.

At right, Kevin Sprott of Verastemshared his advice on career paths.

MassBio News Summer 2011 —— 7

consecutive year, BioPharm America continues itsgrowth as the unrivaled business exchange in NorthAmerica for the global life science industry, specificallydesigned to help companies raise capital, form in- or out-licensing agreements and enter co-development deals.

“We are proud to host this unique, high poweredbusiness exchange that so effectively brings togetherthe international biotech partnering and financialcommunities here in Boston in 2011,” said MassBioPresident & CEO Robert K. Coughlin. “WithMassachusetts’ strength in innovation and early stage

research, active venture capital and finance communityand participation from all the major pharmacompanies, the stage is set for BioPharm America2011 to be the premier conference on the East Coast.”

The three-day event will pull together participants fromthe international and Massachusetts-based life sciencecommunity, including representatives from venturecapital, institutional and private equity investorcommunities; top level industry executives in businessdevelopment, corporate development and strategicalliances; biotech and pharmaceutical executives; healthcare leaders; academic leaders; and representatives fromdisease foundations and government organizationsoffering financing opportunities. The event also featuresa top-notch program that includes the Defined HealthTherapeutic Insight track, a finance/investment track, apersonalized medicine track and dozens of companypresentations.

Working together, these powerful elements will createa unique platform through which companies canefficiently identify and meet with potential partners fromacross the life sciences industry, and gain the intelligenceneeded to make better deals.

Additionally, BioPharm America 2011 will featurepartneringONE®, the industry’s most advanced web-based networking system. With partneringONE,attendees can connect with their conferencecommunity at all times, manage their conferenceactivities in personal agenda files and search andbookmark companies of interest for easy follow-up.

“Partnering is essential to continued innovation in thelife science industry,” said Carola Schropp, President ofEBD Group. “That is why we are bringing our leadingpartnering platform back to Boston, the premier hub oflife science innovation. Partnering at BioPharm Americawill enable emerging biotech innovators and largepharmaceutical firms to accelerate their strategic plans.”

For more information or to register, visithttp://www.ebdgroup.com/bpa.

From BIOPHARM Page 1

BY MEAGHAN CASEY

Because of Massachusetts’ identity as the unsurpassed leaderin the global biotechnology industry, many of its cities andtowns have been adopting local policies that greatly ease thepathway for renovation or new construction of biotechlaboratory and manufacturing facilities.

United States Biological Corporation (USBio) can attest to theappeal of such increasingly supportive public policies.

The Marblehead-based life sciences company, which hadoutgrown its current 15,000-square-foot facility, broke ground inJanuary on its new 50,000-square-foot manufacturingand office headquarters on Technology Way in Salem.The move, spurred by the city’s tax incrementfinancing (TIF) approval and a $2.33 million bondissued by the state’s finance and development agencyMassDevelopment, will allow USBio to expand itsoperations and workforce.

“We’re quadrupling our lab space, doubling ourmanufacturing space and adding extra meeting rooms,lobby space and larger conference rooms withintegrated dining facilities in order to accommodatelectures, tutorials and distributor workshops,” saidUSBio President Warren Shore. “We have over 30distributors worldwide and need to develop strongerrelationships with them. Maybe sales meetings duringHalloween in Salem would be a treat for our overseascolleagues.”

“And we’ll hopefully be fulfilling our promise to add morejobs on the North Shore,” he continued.

The company, which has modestly grown from one employeeto 30 in the past 15 years, has been based in Marblehead for 12

years. When Shore, a Massachusetts native, originally foundedUSBio, he subcontracted the manufacturing and shippingoperations to a company in Texas.

“We quickly outgrew that and moved the manufacturing uphere,” said Shore. “It became too cumbersome to do itremotely.”

Today, USBio produces and distributes biochemicals,antibodies, recombinant proteins, cell culture media andmolecular biology kits that are used in virtually all scientificapplications and settings, including genomic research,

biotechnology, pharmaceutical development and the diagnosis ofdisease.

The increased space of the new Salem facility will allow thecompany to delve deeper into the biodiagnostics field. Shorealso hopes to create a minimum of five new jobs, as well as aco-op program with Salem State University.

When Shore began thinking about expanding, he knew he

wanted to stay local, since a majority of his employees live onthe North Shore. He met with Peter Abair, MassBio director ofeconomic development, for assistance and to learn more aboutthe business incentives available in Massachusetts.

“We went to MassBio for direction, discussing our options forbuilding or relocating,” said Shore. “They had a very strongteam who helped us get our TIF, brokered the meetings inSalem, and laid the blueprint for us to make this move.”

USBio worked with MassBio member New Landmark Groupto maximize available incentives.

In July of last year, at Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll’surging, the City Council approved USBio’s TIFrequest and granted the company $167,209 in taxabatements over 13 years. The TIF also allows thecompany to seek thousands of dollars in additional taxincentives through the state’s Economic AssistanceCoordinating Council.

“It was a combination of the tax incentives and astrong cooperation with the local government thatmade this the perfect move for us,” said Shore.“Salem has a good reputation for supporting itsbusinesses.”

Helping to fast-track the project, MassDevelopmentissued USBio the $2.33 million bond in January. The

bond is coupled with a $1 million conventional loan from theNational Grand Bank of Marblehead.

Shore hopes to be able to move into the new facility inNovember.

For help accessing incentives or other resources for growth,contact Peter Abair at 617-674-5100 orpeter.abair@massbio.org.

ON THE MOVE

A rendering of the future USBio headquarters, to be located in Salem.

United States Biological to relocate and expand

BioPharm returns to Boston in fall

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. hosted a breakfast reception to honorthe achievements of individuals living with mental illness. The reception was hosted in partnership with Employment Options, aMarlborough-based nonprofit that provides comprehensive services topeople recovering from mental illness. Tony Magnetti, Sunovion VP ofGovernment Affairs, State Rep. Steven Levy, Toni Wolf, EmploymentOptions Executive Director, State Sen. Karen Spilka, State Sen. JamieEldridge, Mark Iwicki, Sunovion President & COO, Katrina Iserman,Sunovion Director of Government Affairs, and Saburo Hamanaka,Sunovion Chairman & CEO.

8—— MassBio News Summer 2011

One Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142

PRESORT-STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCAMBRIDGE, MA 02142

PERMIT NO. 981

BY MEAGHAN CASEY

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as LouGehrig’s disease, is a progressive disease that affectsapproximately 5 out of every 100,000 people worldwide.

It attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord thatcontrol voluntary muscle movement, eventually leading tomuscle weakening, twitching and an inability to move thearms, legs and body. There is no known cure or effectivetreatment path.

For Beverly, Mass. resident Sylvan Menezes, it is adisease that has disabled him from working, driving andcompleting routine tasks such as going up steps or gettingout of a chair. It has also taken away his ability to pursuehis passions, such as gardening, photography, sailing, hikingand skiing.

“ALS is a disease of losses,” said Menezes. “I’ve beenrelatively lucky that the losses have occurred over years andmonths and not weeks and days, but my biggest struggle isthe loss of my independence.”

Menezes has relied on the day-to-day support of hisfamily – his wife, Karen, and their daughters, Maya andMaxanne. Last year, they were able to build an addition totheir house that included a first-floor bedroom andhandicapped-accessible bathroom.

“My family gives me strength,” he said. “Their support,and the support of my friends, has made this a tolerableexperience. My outlook has been to do as much as possiblewhile I am still able. My wife and I were able to travelextensively and make many memories over the last fewyears. I try to maintain a positive attitude and take each dayas it comes.”

A New Bedford native and a former teacher, social

worker, business owner and marine mechanic, Menezes wasdiagnosed with ALS in 2004 after noticing weakness in hisleft hand. The disease has since affected his upper body,weakening his neck muscles, arms and tongue and limitinghis ability to breathe.

Quarterly, he visits the ALS Clinic at Lahey Clinic inBurlington to meet with physical therapists, respiratoryspecialists, social workers and nutritionists in an effort tomaximize his muscle function and general health. He alsomeets with an ALS support group at Beth Israel DeaconessMedical Center and is a member of the online socialnetwork PatientsLikeMe, co-founded in 2004 by three MITengineers – brothers Benjamin and James Heywood andlongtime friend Jeff Cole, after the Heywoods’ brotherStephen was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 29.

Menezes has also become involved with the ALSTherapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), a Cambridge-based research institute dedicated to developing effectivetherapeutics that treat ALS. Built by and for patients, ALSTDI is the world’s largest ALS research center and the onlynonprofit biotechnology company with more than 30professional scientists focused on a single diseaseindication.

Five years ago, Menezes attended the ALS TDILeadership Summit, an annual forum for the exploration ofthe past, present and future of research towards an effectivetreatment for ALS.

“I was very impressed with the work of their scientistsand how it was impacting ALS research,” he said.

He has attended every other summit since and hassupported the annual ALS TDI “A Cure is Coming”awareness walk. He also attended ALS Association’sAdvocacy Days in Washington, D.C., where ALS TDI was

recognized for its research. “It has always been a positive experience talking and

listening to researchers in the field,” said Menezes. “I learnsomething new every time, and I know that we are makingpositive progress to find a treatment or cure faster than wewould have without ALS TDI.”

“It’s also a great opportunity to connect with other ALSpatients and for us to put a face on ALS,” he continued.“The research is less abstract when you meet the peoplewhose lives have been affected by this disease. I believe itgives a sense of urgency to those working to find atreatment or cure.”

The 2011 ALS TDI Leadership Summit will be held Nov. 4. For more information, visit www.als.net.

ALS patient sees hope in research efforts

Menezes is a frequentsupporter of the annual ALS TDI “A Cure is Coming”awareness walk.

PATIENT

PROFILE

Sylvan Menezes and his wife, Karen.