W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s 43
clearance for several other autoimmune-disorder
treatments.
e state's decision to locate UMass Medical
at the center of the state reflects the desirable
logistics that Worcester has enjoyed since 1722.
In the state's current very active real estate
market, the option for the research community
to establish a research cluster in a locale less
expensive than the metro Boston area while close
enough to keep access to Boston if needed for
meetings, was an attractive option. Watching real
estate transactions in Worcester, one wonders
how long that favorable differential will continue.
— Christina P. O'Neill
1922-2021
After a $175-million from the Morningside Foundation in 2021, the institution was renamed UMass Chan
Medical School
bond between technology and manufacturing,
continued to build connections outside of
Worcester.
en, in the 1960s, along came the UMass
Medical School (now the UMass Chan Medical
School), which has done the same. UMass
Medical has brought national recognition to
Worcester's research community and attracted
commercial tenants to the adjoining biotech
park, including what's now known as Abbvie
(formerly Abbott Pharmaceuticals), home of the
invention of Humira, initially approved by the
U.S. Food & Drug Administration as a treatment
for rheumatoid arthritis. It has since gotten FDA
PHOTO | GRANT WELKER
