Los Angeles city and county policymakers and educational institutions are laying the groundwork for the region’s biotechnology strategy at a summit today on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
The Los Angeles Biotech Summit draws leaders from business, academia and government to discuss ways to build the industry and, in turn, create more jobs.
Participants include Los Angeles County supervisors Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley-Thomas; Nelson Rising of Rising Realty Partners; Bill Allen of the Los Angeles Economic Development Council; Steve Kay, biochemist and dean of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; David Meyer of the Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center; Marvin Martinez, president of East Los Angeles College; and Elmy Bermejo, regional representative for U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez.
“Today, we gather at a most auspicious moment in the history of medicine and the biological sciences. Each day brings advances that not only improve how long we live, but how well we live. Now, we have an opportunity to usher in progress and economic development, here in the heart of our city,” said USC President C. L. Max Nikias.
“What Silicon Valley brought to computer technology, Los Angeles can bring to biotechnology: a thriving environment of innovations encompassing academic institutions, training centers, companies, and communities throughout the county.”
Read the complete article at USC News and The Los Angeles Times Op-Ed by President Nikias.