In the cross-country battle for biotech bragging rights, New England may be gaining ground on the San Francisco Bay Area thanks to a surge in private companies, a report released yesterday suggests. The region's standing is important because biotechnology, which uses genes and proteins to create new drugs, is expected to be be one of the fast-growing sectors in the coming decade, especially in light of the mapping of the human genome. The report lists 182 private and public companies in New England compared to 176 in the Bay Area. But New England has more private and public biotech companies than any other region in the nation, or for that matter, the world.
Competition is great.
Oh sure, people on both coasts try to be diplomatic as they argue the pros and cons of the two hubs, offering conciliatory statements about bigger not being better. But East Coasters are quick to point out that Massachusetts is the top recipient, per capita, of research grants from the National Institutes of Health. Its population does rank among the most highly educated in the nation. That compares with 16 in San Francisco's Bay Area and nine in San Diego, according to Med Ad News, a magazine that reports on biotech and pharmaceutical companies. And Californians are eager to tell you that their state is considered the birthplace of biotechnology.