It turns out that the regions greatest biotech research institutions
like the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda
and the Food and Drug Administration in White Oak may be part of the problem. Anirban
said it is a mindset problem that keeps the local biotech industry from
capitalizing on opportunities.
“When someone sneezes in Palo Alto
or Cambridge ,
researchers try to figure out how to make a buck from it. When someone sneezes
in the Baltimore / Washington corridor researchers submit a grant to study it.”
Dr. Judy Britz is trying to change this. She is formerly the
President and CEO of Cylex in Columbia and now
serves as the Executive Director of the Maryland Biotechnology Center. She hopes to
alter this grant writing mindset by embedding private sector professionals in research departments who can
recognize commercial opportunities and capitalize on them.
Gesundheit!
