News from the life sciences community north of Boston

May 2022

After just one day on the job, Moderna, Inc. chief financial officer Jorge Gomez has reportedly left the company. Bloomberg and other news sources report that Gomez's departure follows his former employer's disclosure of an internal probe of financial reporting matters. Moderna's recently retired CFO, David Meline, will serve in the role while the company searches for a new finance chief.

Hiring Open House: Gloucester Biotechnology Academy Placing Full-Time Lab Technicians and Interns

Gloucester Biotechnology Academy prepares students for careers as entry-level technicians in biotechnology and life sciences laboratories. Over a 10-month program, divided into two semesters and coupled with a 12-week paid industry internship, students master cutting-edge technical skills and instrumentation in molecular biology, microbial and mammalian cell culture, and biomanufacturing. Many companies at North Shore InnoVentures have recruited Academy students as full-time employees and interns already.

Companies interested in an Academy graduate or intern this year can learn more when representatives of the program visit Cummings Center on Wednesday, May 25 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Stop by the North Shore InnoVentures conference room (100 Cummings Center, Suite 451-C) to hear about this fantastic opportunity to find high-quality laboratory technicians.

North Shore Technology Council recently hosted a Fireside Chat with Dr. Ed Kaye, CEO of Stoke Therapeutics, at TradeCenter 128. Check out the NSTC website for membership information and a schedule of upcoming programs in the life sciences and other areas of technology.

Hopewell Therapeutics, which expanded from Lexington to Woburn in December, is already planning a major expansion to a total of 10,750 square feet of biology and chemistry lab space in West Cummings Park. Using technology licensed from Tufts University, Hopewell is working to advance mRNA therapies, using organ and cell-specific biodegradable lipid nanoparticles to address unmet medical needs, including immuno-oncology and regenerative medicine. Qiaobing Xu is founder and interim CEO.

LinkedUp Bioscience plans to expand its Woburn footprint with a move to a 5,500-square-foot lab suite at 12 Cabot Road. The company's AbLink technology enables it to capture the entire human/animal natural immune repertoire allowing the company to efficiently deliver a highly diverse panel of functional monoclonal antibodies. The technology can generate antibodies against challenging targets that have the potential to be translated into therapies with improved efficacy. Greg Li, Ph.D, is the company's founder and president.

Curiox Biosystems, Inc. (400 West Cummings Park, Woburn), a leader in biological sample preparation automation, recently closed a $15m Series C financing round. The new funding will enable the company to expand its global operations and advance new solutions to ensure accurate analysis of cells in their native state. Namyong Kim, Ph.D. is the company's CEO.

"As living cells are directly related to the diagnosis and resolution of a patient's disease, scientists recognize the importance of maintaining native biological function during the cell sample prep process." Namyong Kim, Ph.D. CEO Curiox Biosystems, Inc.

Comera Life Sciences (12 Gill Street, Woburn) is applying a deep knowledge of formulation science and technology to transform essential biologic medicines from intravenous (IV) to subcutaneous (SQ) forms. Earlier this week, the company announced a research collaboration with a top 10 pharmaceutical company and developer of medicines across oncology, hematology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas.

"Subcutaneous dosing offers the possibility of self-care, less invasiveness, shorter treatment times, healthcare savings, and other significant advantages over current forms of intravenous administration." Jeff Hackman Chairman and CEO Comera Life Sciences

Did you attend MassBio's annual State of Possible Conference? This year's event at Royal Sonesta Boston explored the theme, "The Massachusetts BioPharma Ecosystem in the Post-Covid Era."  Sharing the stage in a panel discussion offering short- and long-term solutions to address the workforce gap are (l to r) Kendalle Berlin-O'Connell, president and chief operating officer, MassBio; Kenn Turner, president and CEO, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center; Julie Chen, Ph.D., the next chancellor of UMass Lowell; Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D, president, Quinsigamond Community College; and Susan O'Connor, chief human resources officer, Beam Therapeutics.

Tiziana Dearing of WBUR's "Radio Boston" hosts a conversation with two women who are changing the face of the biotech industry: Dr. Pardis Sabeti, who heads her own lab mapping the genome to discover new cures for diseases, and Dr. Aoife Brennan, president and CEO of Synlogic, Inc. Monday, May 16 at 6:30 PM at WBUR CitySpace in Boston. Tickets.

My360Mindset (200 West Cummings Park, Woburn), a leader in the performance mindset industry, is offering a free workshop for managers responsible for developing healthier and more productive work cultures. Director Dr. Tony Tucci, PsyD., will lead this workshop discussing skills that focus on reducing stress, anxiety, and employee attrition, in addition to improving focus, communication skills, and employee engagement. Thursday, May 19 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM at 500 West Cummings Park, Suite 2350, Woburn. Register via email.

Join NSTC board members and the BioSciences group from the North Shore Technology Council for a night of networking and beer tasting. Wednesday, May 25 at 5:30 PM at Essex County Brewing Co. Learn more and register.

Join influential leaders from life sciences companies, academia, and government at MassBioEd's 7th Annual Life Sciences Workforce Conference. The hybrid event will be held at Frandmingham State University, and will include the release of findings from the 2022 MA Employment Outlook and MassBio Workforce Landscape Report. Wednesday, June 8 from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Register.

ICYMI: Jim Braude, host of "Greater Boston" on WGBH, interviewed Aisha Francis, Ph.D., president of Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology about the Institute's focus on workforce development and the recently announced $12.5 million grant from Cummings Foundation to support this effort. This transformative grant will help create equitable opportunities for communities that are an untapped resource for economic growth, by providing training for technical careers, particularly in fields like clean tech, life sciences, and robotics.

Other recent grants from Cummings Foundation supporting workforce development include a $20 million partnership with Roger Williams University, focused on careers in architecture and real estate, and a $20 million partnership with Endicott College to expand its Cummings School of Nursing & Health Sciences.

Congratulations to the team at Batavia Biosciences (300 TradeCenter, Woburn), honored during the April Vaccine Industry Excellence (ViE) Awards show at the World Vaccine Congress with the award for Best Production/Process Development. The ViE Awards provide a time and place to celebrate the industry's most outstanding achievements showcasing excellence in the global vaccine industry.

Existing Lab Space in Woburn: 15,839 SF

Available now: 15,839 SF lab suite at Gill Street in Woburn. Contact sales@cummings.com or 781-932-7039 for more information. Features:

Private loading Signage opportunity Up to 20' clear height Vibrant life sciences cluster Convenient location at I-95/I-93 Close to Woburn Village lifestyle center

View Floor Plan

Have news to share? Please let us know! We are interested in company news, personnel changes, product launches, funding updates, events, and more. Contact Sue Howland, client engagement manager, at svh@cummings.com to share your news for upcoming newsletters. We look forward to hearing from you.

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