Roundtable discusses impact of local research incubator

The House Democratic Policy Committee on Tuesday visited the Blumberg Institute, a health research incubator in Doylestown, to tour the facility and host a roundtable on the impact the institute has on the region, state, and country.

“This extraordinarily unique space right here in Bucks County is home to important medical research that’s making a difference in the world,” Rep. Tina Davis (D-Bucks) said. “I hosted today’s event to give my colleagues a better idea of the groundbreaking work that’s happening in Southeast Pennsylvania, how it’s positively impacting the economy and what we can do in Harrisburg to support their operations.”

The institute houses 43 biotech companies, offers lab space and serves as a research incubator for dozens of health research organizations. Work conducted at the institute supports biomarker discovery, drug discovery, and translational biotechnology. In addition, it assists companies with introducing life-saving drugs to the market and marketing, and also actively seeks investors.

The 150,000 square-foot facility is named after Baruch S. Blumberg who discovered the first Hepatitis B vaccine. The Hepatitis B Foundation founded the institute in 2003 to advance its research mission of finding a cure for the main cause of liver cancer.