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16 Central MA Life Sciences Report companies. Biogen Inc. opened in 1982, and Mayor Vellucci changed his tune. Since then, Cambridge has become the epicenter of research and innovation in life sciences. Through partnerships with Harvard and MIT, Kendall Square has turned into ground zero for research and the future of medicine. According to investment data platform Crunchbase, 576 biotech companies operate in the Cambridge area, with an average founding date of May 2012. The area boasts world-renowned companies like Amgen Inc., the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, and Pfizer Inc. Extending the life sciences cluster westward What has paid off for Cambridge is the companies have clustered together. They have found space near each other, sharing talent and ideas. Spinoffs and startups built out nearby and were able to lure in employees with experience. They can connect with venture capital funding easily to fund their research. What Weaver and Kaufman envision is the cluster doesn't have to end in Cambridge, it can extend out much like Silicon Valley has in the Bay Area of California. If you superimposed the area covered by Silicon Valley, it would cover the same space between Boston and Worcester, encompassing MetroWest with the Route 128 and I-495 belts. In fact, there are already strong clusters in Central Massachusetts to complement those in Boston. UMass Chan Medical School has its own incubators alongside those going on at MBI. It has the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center, which partners with UMass Lowell, as well as other companies in the incubation process. The work going on at UMass is similar to what has happened with Harvard and MIT in Cambridge. The research hospital, which like Harvard, gives researchers the ability to seek out problems in need of solving and the resources and talent to go after those challenges. The faculty becomes Central Mass. life sciences incubators P H O T O / M A T T W R I G H T Nate Hafer leads the M2D2 incubator at UMass Chan and sees Cambridge still has a magical pull over some biotech companies and investors, but Central Mass. is trying to change that to make the feeling extend further westward. NUMBER OF GRADUATES OF YEAR INCUBATING INCUBATOR INCUBATOR CITY FOUNDED COMPANIES TOP EXECUTIVE(S) INCLUDE Massachusetts Biomedical Worcester 1985 58 Jon Weaver, president & CEO StageBio, Succo, Crow's Nest, LLC, Initiatives (MBI) BioChron, Clock Coach, A Chemtek Inc., Atoxin Biotech, Welgen, Inc, LBS, AzzTek LLC ABI-LAB Natick 2016 45 Gary Kaufman, chief operating officer; Abcam, Shepherd Therapeutics, Raphael Nir, managing partner Nirogyone, Karyopharm Massachusetts Medical Device Worcester 2017 8 Nate Hafer, M2D2 co-director Fuse Therapeutics, Synteny Therapeutics Development Center Worcester (M2D2) Southbridge Tech Incubator Southbridge 2019 7 Randal Chinnock, founder & director Transcytos LLC Tufts Biotechnology Transfer Grafton 1997 6 Joseph McManus, IDEXX Veterinary Services, GTC Biotherapeutics, Center (TBTC) executive associate dean Securos, Stryker Biotech, Aeris Therapeutics, BioBoston Contract Laboratories Boston, Biokeys, Battery Resourcers, OncoTherapeutica, Axol Biosciences, Woodland Pharmaceuticals, Vivtex Sources: Each incubator via survey for the 2022 WBJ Book of Lists Continued from page 14