Inside
West Virginia’s
Bioscience
Industry
A Q&A with Bryan Brown
JENNIFER JETT PREZKOP
According to “Investment, Innovation and Job Creation in a
Growing U.S. Bioscience Industry 2018,” a study released this
past summer by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization,
the bioscience industry in West Virginia is growing at a rapid
rate. The industry’s employment base in the Mountain State
increased by 14 percent between 2014-2016, outpacing the
national growth rate of 4.4 percent.
For insight into this promising industry, West Virginia Ex-
ecutive (WVE) sought out the help of Bryan Brown, executive
director of the Bioscience Association of West Virginia. Under
Brown’s direction, the association promotes the bioscience
industry in the Mountain State and assists in expanding the
knowledge of those working in the life sciences with grant
programs, technical assistance, legislative advocacy and the
association’s annual West Virginia Bioscience Summit.
Here, Brown defines for us this exciting industry and sheds
light on its strengths, challenges and opportunities.
WVE: What is bioscience, and how is the bioscience
industry structured?
BB: The biosciences, or life sciences, have to do with both the
study of the biology of all living things and the commercial-
ization of discoveries that may result from that research. The
bioscience industry works to help heal, feed and fuel the world.
It is typically broken out into five overarching subsectors:
agricultural feedstock and industrial biosciences; bioscience-
related distribution; drugs and pharmaceuticals; medical devices
and equipment; and research, testing and medical laboratories.
Another major component, particularly in West Virginia, is the
research occurring at our colleges and universities.
WVE: Tell us about how the industry has evolved in
West Virginia.
BB: West Virginia’s bioscience industry, while small compared
to many other states, is growing. Federal research funding at
CHRIS GOSSES
West Virginia University (WVU), Marshall University and
other state colleges and universities, as well as various research
hospitals around the state, helped spur its growth. The origin
and evolution of Mylan has also contributed greatly to the
development of the state’s bioscience industry, as has that of
Alcon in Huntington. In the more recent past, we’ve also seen
researchers from both universities and the private sector start
small biotechnology firms in the state as well as take an active
role in investing in these types of companies.
WVE: What challenges is the industry currently facing?
BB: The work done by bioscience researchers is, many times,
hard to explain. It’s complicated, tedious work with a long-time
horizon for return on investment. Failure is commonplace. Also,
with West Virginia’s history as an extractive industry state and
the significant revenue that industry provides to the state, it’s
difficult to get traction and support for what—without proper
explanation—can seem nebulous.
Communicating what the industry does and why it’s critical
for policy and opinion leaders to support it can be challenging.
We have to do a better job as an industry in facilitating an
understanding of the incredible innovation that is occurring
in the biosciences in West Virginia and the significant con-
tribution the industry provides to the economic and social
well-being of the state.
WVE: What are some of the growth opportunities you
would like to see explored?
BB: An area of opportunity for West Virginia that can create
many great, high-wage jobs is the segment of the life sciences
industry that is based on the services end of the business. One
example is the development of businesses around biospecimen
repositories, which have many of the same requirements of
backup data centers: a secure location, low risk of natural
disasters and access to reliable power.
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