NIH chief praises Worcester biotech ecosystem

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WORCESTER – The director of the National Institutes of Health told the 34th annual meeting of the Research Bureau on Thursday he’s optimistic that biomedical breakthroughs in several areas are tantalizingly within reach.

Dr. Franics Collins told the bureau audience at the DCU Center that this is a golden era for medical research. He said that per capita, Massachusetts is the top recipient of NIH funding, at around $2.9 billion. And he said Central Mass. accounts for more than $200 million of that. He said Worcester’s “remarkable ecosystem” that combines strong education and biotechnology sectors has allowed the region to secure robust NIH funding.

Dr. Collins said biomedical advances are allowing researchers to identify how our bodies and the diseases that attack it work with an unprecedented level of precision and detail. That knowledge has already led to medical breakthroughs for conditions previously considered incurable.

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