Celebrating Innovation!

I went to a really unique event called Celebrating Innovation! last night at the Center for the Arts at the Armory in Somerville, MA. The event was produced by The Story Collider and featured personal stories from 5 people who work in the life sciences industry in Boston/Cambridge. I was interested in attending because the show was sponsored by Blueprint Medicines, a Cambridge biotech company I follow that designs and develops precision therapies, including multiple programs for genomically defined cancers (including lung cancer), rare diseases and cancer immunotherapy.


What I found unique about the program was that it was an opportunity for five individuals with deep commitment to science to share something personal with the audience, most who are also involved in the scientific community. The audience got a glimpse of each of the storyteller's lives outside the lab, and outside of the business of biotech. There they were, on a stage, under the lights with only a microphone, forming a bond with about 100 strangers. And we all felt a connection to them because we share a passion for research and discovery, and we wanted to know a little about what makes these people tick. I found it to be inspiring.


Not only do I believe that Boston is a center of innovation in research and development, it attracts brilliant and interesting people from around the world. Alexis Borisy, a partner at venture firm Third Rock Ventures, as well as a co-founder and board member of Blueprint Medicines, told stories about his journey to being a builder of businesses, starting with how he spent time in the lab with his dad, a scientist, as early as 7 years old. Before the show started, he told me about his first job selling peanuts at the Wisconsin Badgers football games at age 14. He's from Madison, WI so being from Minnesota myself, we had a few laughs about life in the Midwest back in the day. It was nice to see a personal side of a man who has 20 years of experience building and operating innovative science-based organizations.

Likewise, Bob Coughlin, President and CEO of Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) told the story of his journey to being a leading voice representing the life sciences industry in Massachusetts. He told of how he moved from politics as a state rep of a district encompassing his hometown of Dedham, MA to getting involved with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). He had volunteered to help raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help friends who had kids with CF, and in fact serving as honorary chairman of the CF Foundation's Great Strides Walk in Dedham since 1995. When his son was born in 2002 with CF, he talked about how it hit home with his family. And he's come to appreciate how long it takes to develop new drugs to treat diseases like CF. But he ended by praising the efforts of the biotech industry and the hard work and dedication involved in developing new treatments.


I came away from the event with a renewed sense of appreciation for the work of the thousands of people who work in the biotech industry in greater Boston. And getting a peek into the personal lives of some of these people was pretty special. Companies like Blueprint Medicines, the sponsor of the event, are made up of very talented hard-working people (3 of whom also told their stories) who truly believe their work will make a difference in the lives of so many people affected by cancer, cystic fibrosis and hundreds of other diseases and disorders. I am grateful that I was invited to attend this special program and look forward to writing more about Blueprint Medicines and other biotech companies in Boston and Cambridge. These companies, and the academic research institutions that spawn many of them as startups, make our region a world-class hub of medical research and innovation. Sometimes it's nice to gather in a different setting to celebrate innovation.

#biotech #cancer #research

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