CommonWealth: The right prescription for biomed innovation, by Patrick Kilbride
This post originally appeared in CommonWealth on June 5, 2018.
JUST AS ATLANTA has a booming film industry and Silicon Valley has become synonymous with technology, Boston has earned its place as America’s hometown for biomedical innovation. With a hyper-educated workforce, a cutting-edge biopharma and medical device sector, and massive investments in research and development, it’s no wonder Beantown has seen such a surge in its innovation economy over the past few years.
So, it’s appropriate that more than 16,000 biotechnology and pharmaceutical leaders from around the world are gathering in Boston this week for the 2018 BIO International Convention. But, it’s more than just networking and educational seminars; these professionals are collaborating to keep America at the forefront of transformations in medicine, biomanufacturing, cell therapy, digital health, and everything in between.
It may come as a surprise to many that protecting intellectual property is a common thread throughout this conference. But for creators and inventors, for researchers and scientists, it’s not surprising at all.
Intellectual property rights enable smart entrepreneurs to make the high-risk, long-term investments that disrupt outdated industrial norms and make life better in previously unimaginable ways. It’s the bedrock upon which life-saving medicines and treatments are founded – the basis for groundbreaking developments in food production, agriculture, and environmental sustainability.