Gov. Gregoire addresses life sciences industry leaders at annual conference

For Immediate Release: September 22, 2008

SEATTLE- Gov. Chris Gregoire today encouraged industry experts in the life sciences field to build stronger collaborations and continue to make strategic investments in research to provide better health care for all. Gregoire spoke at the fourth annual Governor�s Life Sciences Summit.

�I expect that Washington state is developing a huge and thriving life-sciences sector as visible as Boeing and Microsoft � a sector that inspires students to achieve, provides our economy with many more thousands of good-paying, rewarding careers and delivers ground-breaking health care around the world,� Gregoire said.

The annual conference brought together 200 life science researchers who shared notes on their progress toward creating a comprehensive life sciences strategy for the state. Gregoire helped lead a discussion with industry executives and leaders on strategies to achieve goals in 2009 and beyond.

�Imagine what the Governor�s Life Science Summit of 2015 will be occupied with as we continue on the remarkable path we�re on right now,� Gregoire said. �Looking back from the year 2015, I envision major breakthroughs in health information and children�s diabetes�breakthroughs that give people longer, better lives while saving us millions of dollars in inaccurate or unnecessary diagnoses.�

In 2005, Gregoire signed the bill that set up the Life Sciences Discovery Fund. The fund is intended to put Washington at the heart of leading-edge research to cure debilitating diseases, as well as create new jobs in the bio-tech industry and improve the quality and yield of agricultural crops.

To date, the Life Science Discovery Fund has awarded more than $30 million to fund nearly 20 research projects. The University of Washington and Washington State University have been recipients, with funds earmarked for researching new ways to detect prostate cancer, early learning and brain development, and genetic medicine. Washington nonprofit institutions, organizations and agencies are among the groups eligible for grants.



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