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Montgomery County is uniquely situated in the scientific community — even if those of us who live here don't know it. We hear a lot about the "technology corridor" or "DNA Alley," but what does that mean, why should you care and does it mean anything for our future?
There are two technology corridors in Montgomery County — a big one on Interstate 270 from the District of Columbia to Frederick County and a smaller one on Route 29 from Silver Spring to White Oak. Billions of dollars of research takes place annually in these corridors.
The National Institutes of Health spends more than $2 billion for research in Montgomery County alone. The Food and Drug Administration is completing a multi-million dollar expansion of its White Oak campus to oversee drug development and food safety. The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Energy are investing millions of dollars here every year.
Montgomery College has the largest science and engineering programs of any two-year community college in the nation and is constructing new buildings in Rockville and Germantown. MedImmune and its parent company, AstraZeneca, are hiring 800 new employees this year. Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) remains the world's largest private funder of basic life sciences research.
In short, this represents the most significant set of life science resources in one place, an unparalleled foundation for scientific discovery. Isn't it enough just having these phenomenal assets in our community in the first place?
It's not.
We must transform research into product. We know that basic research is the most fundamental building block for scientific advancement; but just as one must attach several atoms together to make a molecule, so too must we link research with other components to create something new and dynamic.
What components? Hospitals with diverse patient populations like Adventist HealthCare, Holy Cross and Suburban; organizations like the Venter Institute and HHMI that focus on innovative research; great scientific minds to make up a robust workforce; and entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who can transform ideas into products. We have all these things and we're creating an environment in which they can work together. But that still won't generate that spark needed drive everything to the next level.
As our major life science competitors in Massachusetts and California have shown, that necessary spark is the involvement of a strong research university. We're missing this piece at the moment, but opportunity is knocking.
Johns Hopkins University, the nation's largest research university, has plans to develop a large parcel of land in Gaithersburg. Beyond developing the land, the county enthusiastically encourages JHU to house its own research activities there — providing the catalyst to spur the next generation of our life science cluster. Research universities serve as the transition point between basic research and commercialization of new products. Only with the active involvement of JHU can we complete the network and bring those necessary elements together for us to reach our potential.
Working with JHU, we can establish a vision for how life sciences can move us into the future. When HHMI built its latest research facility, it identified three essential elements for its success:
-Define our scientific activities and objectives.
-Attract creative and adventuresome scientists.
-Establish a supportive scientific culture.
If we base our vision on similar principles — and a major research university will truly serve as the anchor of our life science cluster — we will cement our place as the premier location for scientific innovation. And the advances we make here will be good not only for our county and state, but for human lives everywhere.
Michael J. Knapp, a Democrat from Germantown, represents District 2 on the County Council, where he also is chairman of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee.