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On Thursday, Dec. 14, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans to establish the facility, dubbed the Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation Hub, in the village of Lake Success.
The center’s goal will be to advance and develop cell and gene therapies.
An “incubation” space is included in the plans, meant to accelerate getting treatments out into the world by supporting businesses that take the scientific theories of cell research and turn them into clinical trials. Hochul said this space will allow for said businesses to network and foster connections.
Cell and gene therapies offer a unique approach to diseases and cancer.
Called “living drugs” by Stanford Medicine, the field manufactures re-programmed patient cells and sends them back into the body with new missions – say, to kill a cancer tumor or repair cells that cause disease.
It also has the potential to cure diseases caused by gene mutations.
Dr. James McDonald, the Department of Health Commissioner, said that the new research hub “could be a turning point in efforts to treat cancer and potentially cure genetic diseases.”
“As a doctor,” he continued, “I know first-hand the critical importance of ongoing investment in the field of medicine and particularly in groundbreaking research and new therapies.”
The future 15-acre, 20,000-square-foot development was chosen to be constructed in Lake Success due to its proximity to other top-of-the-line research facilities like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the Northwell Health system, according to the governor.
Additionally, the center is close to New York City – specifically to Queens, Hochul pointed out.
The diversity of the nearby borough, where 150 different languages are spoken alone, is an advantage for the hub, especially as it pursues clinical trials, because gene and cell therapy is highly individualized and therefore it is crucial to ensure that treatments are evaluated appropriately with as many different groups of people as possible.
The Long Island hub is part of a $620 million “Life Science Initiative” designed to grow what the governor’s office describes as a “world-class life science research cluster in New York.”
As of publication, the center is searching for developers to help build the facility, which Empire State Development plans to invest up to $150 million toward. Interested parties should apply by March 12, 2024.
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