New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Presents 2018 State of the State at SUNY Downstate after Touring Biotechnology Incubator
Jan 10, 2018
Brooklyn, NY— New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul today toured SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s Biotechnology Incubator, guided by President Wayne Riley, before presenting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2018 State of the State agenda to SUNY Downstate leadership and community members.
Dr. Eva Cramer, vice president for biotechnology and scientific affairs, joined Dr. Riley in leading the tour and highlighted the impact of the Biotechnology Incubator on New York’s burgeoning biotechnology industry. The tour included stops at the incubator’s flagship tenants, including Hemogenyx, which is developing novel therapies to transform and improve the way bone marrow transplants are done, and which last year became the first Brooklyn-based company ever listed on the London Stock Exchange. Lieutenant Governor Hochul also met with entrepreneurs from EpiBone and Concarlo Holdings.
“By providing biotech businesses with state-of-the-art laboratory space and financial support in the early stages, the SUNY Downstate Biotech Incubator is setting them up with the tools they need to grow into our next entrepreneurial success stories,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals is one such success story, launching their business in New York State with the 43North startup competition and continuing to expand at SUNY Downstate’s world-class facilities.”
“SUNY Downstate’s Biotechnology Incubator offers small, early-stage companies the resources they need to develop cutting-edge medical technologies right here in Brooklyn, and we are honored to welcome Lieutenant Governor Hochul and showcase our tenants’ incredible contributions to the future of health care,” said Dr. Wayne Riley, president of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. “We are extremely proud of the work being done by the companies working out of the incubator, and appreciate both Lieutenant Governor Hochul’s and Governor Cuomo’s continued commitment to fostering biotechnology and medical research in New York.”
“As a biotech company with its roots in New York, we were honored to welcome Lieutenant Governor Hochul to our labs," said Dr. Vladislav Sandler, CEO of Hemogenyx, which opened its first lab in Buffalo after winning the New York State-funded 43North startup competition. Its four scientists now work out of two state-of-the-art labs inside the SUNY Downstate incubator. He added, “Having access to the high-quality facilities at SUNY Downstate has been instrumental to our success in creating a safer and more effective approach to bone marrow transplants.”
As part of SUNY Downstate’s Biotechnology Initiative, the incubator offers startup biotech companies space and resources near the SUNY Downstate campus and at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Participants have access to Downstate Medical Center resources including clinical scientists and PhD students, the medical and scientific library, clinical trials, and specialized research facilities and equipment.
Following the tour, Lieutenant Governor Hochul presented the 2018 State of the State agenda announced by Governor Cuomo on January 3 to both SUNY Downstate officials and local community members.
###
About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.