By GREGORY ZELLER //
The cutting-edge Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation Hub coming to Nassau County will do more than “radically alter the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases,” as described by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.
It will alter Long Island’s socioeconomic destiny.
That’s the plan, at least, as Hochul and friends announce the establishment of the new hub and an accompanying business accelerator across 15 acres of land in Lake Success – close to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the systemic heart of the vast Northwell Health system and other cornerstones of Long Island’s burgeoning life-sciences industries.
Trumpeting a “growing new field of medicine that is paving the way for transformative, life-saving treatments,” the governor visited Long Island Dec. 14 to make the big announcement, flanked by industrial leaders and numerous representatives of local and state government.
It was an entourage worthy of the region-reshaping plan, which proposes a 200,000-square-foot main facility (with plenty of room for future expansions) and a $150 million Empire State Development Corp. investment (for starters).
Kathy Hochul: Driving innovation.
Focused exclusively on the dual fields of gene and cell therapies, the hub is part of ESD’s $620 million Life Science Initiative, which aims to encourage and construct a statewide, world-class life-science research cluster.
Gene therapy is the use of genetic material to prevent or treat diseases. The transferred genetic material changes how a single protein (or group of proteins) is produced by an individual cell – ostensibly reducing the levels of a disease-causing version of the protein or increasing production of disease-fighting proteins.
Cell therapy involves the transfer of intact, live cells – either autologous cells originating from the patient or allogenic cells originating from a donor – to cure a disease or lessen its impact.
It’s cutting-edge, ambitious science – and Albany’s ambitions for the Lake Success project certainly know no bounds.
While advancing the development of critical new medical therapies, the hub will create “unmatched economic-development opportunities” for Long Island, according to the governor’s office, including “the creation of startup businesses, (the) attraction of companies from outside of New York, talent and job growth, and cluster development.”
“This Long Island hub will help to expand New York’s footprint in cell and gene therapy,” Hochul said Thursday. “From Lake Success to Lake Erie, New York is continuing to drive innovation in the life sciences to create good-paying jobs, improve the lives of countless New Yorkers and bring the future of medicine to our state.”
Albany is wasting no time: Empire State Development is already accepting Requests for Proposals for the new hub from developers and other interested parties, with a March 12, 2024, submission deadline in effect.
Michael Dowling: Positively thrilled.
Empire State Development Board Chairman Kevin Law, the ex-president and CEO of the Long Island Association and former co-chairman of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, predicted the hub would “strengthen Long Island’s role as a global leader in the life sciences.”
“With the establishment of the Long Island Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation Hub, New York State will bring together research, development, manufacturing and commercialization under one roof,” Law added. “This historic investment will push the boundaries of what is possible, bridging innovation and impact to create jobs and deliver life-saving therapies.”
The Long Island hub is the first of two Cell and Gene Therapy hubs Hochul promised in her 2023 State of the State address, with the second, as-yet-unannounced hub ticketed for Upstate New York.
While physically situated in Nassau County, the downstate hub will take full advantage of its proximity to New York City and the city’s unique diversity – “critically important” when it comes to clinic trials, according to Hochul’s office, “to ensure appropriate evaluation of a treatment … which is personalized to individuals, or specific groups of individuals.”
Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling applauded the location and the plan to “make Long Island and New York a leading center for cell and gene therapy,” and said he was “thrilled” the New Hyde Park-based health system had “played a role in bringing this state-of-the-art facility to Long Island.”
“This cutting-edge hub will be a game-changer for cancer researchers, innovative companies, clinicians and patients,” Dowling said in a statement. “We look forward to the positive impact it will have across Long Island, New York State and beyond.”
