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GOV. MALLOY: JAX OFFICIAL OPENING REPRESENTS SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD FOR CONNECTICUT BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY
(FARMINGTON, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today joined The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) President and CEO Dr. Edison Liu, Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, UConn President Susan Herbst and national scientific leaders to celebrate the official opening of JAX's new nonprofit research institute for Genomic Medicine.
The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, which was built pursuant to Governor Malloy's "Bioscience Connecticut" initiative, was completed on schedule and on budget on the campus of the UConn Health Center in Farmington. In collaboration with state government, universities, hospitals and insurance companies, JAX is recruiting new talent, attracting top-level scientists, generating public and private investment and conducting innovative scientific research to transform the field of personalized medicine.
"We invested in Bioscience Connecticut because we knew this emerging industry would pay immediate and long-term dividends for our state by positioning us as a global leader in personalized medicine and innovative research, attracting new business investment and creating good-paying jobs with good benefits for our residents," said Governor Malloy. "The speed at which this project was completed and the great work that is already underway at JAX Genomic Medicine demonstrates that our investment is already paying off. We could not ask for a better partner than JAX and we look forward to continuing this successful collaboration between the state and this world-renowned research institute."
JAX's decision to select the UConn Health Center Campus for the site of its new genomic medicine research facility was a direct result of the state's investment in "Bioscience Connecticut". In 2011, Governor Malloy introduced his bioscience initiative to jumpstart Connecticut's economy by creating hundreds of immediate construction-related jobs, generating good-paying scientific, research and administrative jobs for residents and combining the resources of government, the private sector and research institutions and universities to advance cutting-edge biomedical innovation in the state.
"Biomedical research is a cornerstone economic driver, and thanks to Governor Malloy, Jackson Laboratory, and the support from the General Assembly, Connecticut is positioned to play a significant role in the industry," said Lt. Governor Wyman. "Bioscience Connecticut will help us establish Connecticut as a research hub, attract and retain top tier scientists, and create economic growth to keep us globally competitive. We welcome JAX to Farmington."
"Genomic medicine represents the next great frontier in the quest to improve human health," said Dr. Liu, President and CEO of JAX. "With this new facility, we are poised to play a leading role in opening up that frontier and bringing the benefits of scientific discovery into the lives of patients."
In 2012, the State Bond Commission, chaired by Governor Malloy, authorized $291 million in state funding for the construction of JAX's Genomic Medicine facility, which JAX broke ground on in January 2013. Construction of the facility in Farmington was managed by Connecticut-based companies, employed about 270-300 construction workers daily on the job site and had higher than required participation for small business and minority-owned enterprises.
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The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, which was under a Project Labor Agreement (PLA), awarded more than 87 percent of total bid packages - $94 million out of $108 million in contracts - to Connecticut-based contractors who used hundreds of local workers.
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The project awarded 18.5 percent of contract value to Minority Business Enterprise firms - exceeding its target of 6.35 percent by more than 12 percent.
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The project exceeded its target of awarding 25 percent (25.8 percent targeted) of contract value to Small Business Enterprise (SBE) firms.
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The project achieved 66 of the 68 points needed for LEED Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council, signifying its compliance with environmentally sound design, construction and maintenance standards.
When negotiating its deal with the state, JAX agreed to employ at least 300 biomedical researchers, technicians and support staff by 2020, of which 90 employees or 30 percent of the total number of employees - whichever is higher - would have to be senior scientist positions.
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Recruitment and hiring are ongoing, but at the end of last year, JAX exceeded its hiring target of 63 total employees for 2013 with 79 employees on the payroll, more than 30 percent of whom were residents of Connecticut prior to their employment.
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In 2013, JAX had 48 Ph.D.-level senior scientists on staff, which was 60 percent more than last year's hiring target of 19 senior scientists.
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As of September 2014, JAX employs 150 full-time workers, including 70 Scientists with M.D. or Ph.D. degrees and 15 Principal investigators.
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With an average annual wage of $124,703 for employees - more than one and a half times the average wage in Connecticut - JAX exceeded its commitment to pay employees wages equal to 125 percent of the state's average wage.
While the new Genomic Medicine facility was under construction, JAX's scientific staff in Connecticut operated in a temporary lab space while creating and maintaining collaborations among doctors, researchers and the biomedical industry to bring genomic research and technology into the clinical setting and help build Connecticut's bioscience industry. To date, the faculty at JAX Genomic Medicine has entered into research agreements with clinical and academic institutions, garnered substantial grant funding and applied for patents for several research processes and discoveries.
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As of September 2014, more than $14 million in federal research grants have been awarded to JAX Genomic Medicine scientists, including five federal grant awards in 2013, its first full years of operation, worth a total of $3.2 million.
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Scientists at JAX Genomic Medicine submitted three patent applications last year based on innovations in stem cell technology, treatments of inflammatory disease and DNA analysis.
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Key scientific journals published four seminal articles arising from research conducted by the Genomic Medicine faculty in 2013 and three Jackson Laboratory researchers made the list of the nation's most promising young investigators in genomics research in a survey presented by GenomeWeb, an influential publication in the field.
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In April 2013, JAX entered into a Collaborative Research Agreement with Connecticut Children's Medical Center to explore new approaches to cancer treatment and, in addition to UConn, JAX Genomic Medicine is in active discussions with other institutions of higher education including Wesleyan University and Connecticut College to co-develop seminars, lecture series and genomics courses.
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Last fall, JAX Genomic Medicine received important state and federal licensing and approval to accept and process clinical samples of human cells and tissues for DNA testing, paving the way for clinical collaborations with other health facilities.
A Battelle Memorial Institute study reports that, in 2012 alone, human genome sequencing projects and related research and industry activities generated $65 billion in U.S. economic output, $31 billion toward the 2012 U.S. gross domestic product, $19 billion in personal income and 152,000 jobs.
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For Immediate Release: October 7, 2014
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