Duffy calls Laboratory “a jewel in New York State”
Cold Spring Harbor, NY — Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) yesterday hosted members of the Empire State Regional Development Council responsible for the Long Island region, as they gathered to discuss new business.
The Council was joined by Hon. Robert J. Duffy, New York State’s Lieutenant Governor, who chairs the state’s regional economic development councils, and CSHL’s President, Dr. Bruce Stillman.
“This is a great intersection of public health and economic development,” said Lt. Governor Duffy of CSHL. “This is a jewel in New York State and to see the brain power and expertise we have here makes us all very proud.”
“Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is honored to host this meeting of the Council,” Dr. Stillman remarked. “We appreciate the supportive role it plays in providing new economic opportunities for Long Islanders, as exemplified by its recent pledge of $2 million in support of an Advanced Drug Testing Facility that CSHL will soon build on the grounds of our Woodbury Genome Center.”
CSHL, which looks forward to its 125th anniversary in 2015, is not only an important part of the rich history of Long Island, but is also a major local economic driver that employs nearly 1200 people. Close to half that number is Ph.D.s, and the research they collectively perform is world-renowned: CSHL has been rated the #1 institution in the world for its productivity in the fields of molecular biology and genetics—above peer institutions like MIT and Harvard.
The Laboratory, which has spun off over 20 start-up companies in the life sciences field, including OSI Pharmaceuticals, has doubled in size over the last decade. Yesterday’s meeting was held in one of the six new buildings on CSHL’s Hillside campus—a high-tech expansion completed in 2009 that increased research capacity by 40%, which as Dr. Stillman noted, could not have happened without support from New York State.
The Advanced Drug Testing Facility that is the target of State Regional Development Council funding is the cornerstone of CSHL’s bold new Cancer Therapeutics Initiative that will accelerate the development of more effective and less toxic cancer drugs.
For more on Empire State Development: http://esd.ny.gov/index.html
For more on the Long Island Regional Development Council: http://esd.ny.gov/RegionalOverviews/LongIsland/InsideRegion.html
Written by: Communications Department | publicaffairs@cshl.edu | 516-367-8455