April 5, 2008
Tallahassee Democrat


Biotechnology is shaping state's economic future

Each bioscience job in the U.S. results in 5.7 additional jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Out of research facilities around Florida there is a steady flow of new ideas and tools that will become the means of fighting disease, improving health and enhancing lives.

This week's meeting of the Biotechnology Legislative Caucus in Tallahassee was eye-opening for that reason. Rather than a litany of technical reports or legislative analysis, the meeting consisted of snapshots from Jacksonville, Miami and Sarasota about the latest science and the business prospects for spin-offs of various innovations.

Dr. Thomas G. Brott, director for research at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, summed it up best.

"We want to advance the science. We want to enhance medical education, and most important for us is to translate discovery to the best patient care," he said.

For the Mayo Clinic, the emphasis is on neuroscience and basic cancer biology. Brott said there is a research staff of 280 in Jacksonville, which has a research budget in excess of $40 million this year. About 200 clinical trials are under way.