State-awarded center could be a boon for LI's life sciences sector
Long Island has anticipated a biotech boon for decades. But the effort to make that happen never reached the critical mass needed to establish a vibrant life sciences industry in the region. Now, the needed spark might be at hand.
The state has chosen a 15-acre site in Lake Success as home to a new cell- and gene-therapy research hub, offering $150 million to a developer who will finance, design, lease and manage it. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is establishing one such incubator upstate and one downstate, offered the latter spot to Long Island rather than New York City, which frequently gets preference. The region must not squander this chance.
The Island’s valuable academic and research resources include Stony Brook University, Broadhollow Bioscience Park, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. A proposed life sciences complex at the Ronkonkoma Hub is in the pipeline. The Lake Success project could stimulate this burgeoning life sciences industry, jump-start the economy, add jobs, and lure more companies to the region. The resulting research, development and technology could change how we live and treat serious disease.
The long process from proposal to completion will require coordination, leadership and regional thinking from government, business, research and academia. Such planning has eluded Long Island before, helping to stall the momentum of previous opportunities. This time, the region must use all its devices to nurture this promising industry, so both can thrive.
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