Breakthroughs in biotechnology have the potential to transform the lives of patients and their families seeking treatments and cures while creating economic growth and high-impact jobs. Developing pathways to provide personalized healthcare options for all Americans is a critical research and development front. Additionally, American leadership in a dynamic global bioeconomy is critical to our national security. While America has historically been a global leader in health innovation, ambitious investments made by China to rapidly advance its biotechnology agenda threaten our economic competitiveness.
China has been investing heavily in efforts to collect U.S. medical records and personal health data for many years. Through its state-owned biotechnology companies, Beijing has actively collected personal health data from Americans and other countries in an effort to control the bioeconomy.
A recent report by a respected bipartisan coalition of leaders noted that America’s reliance on foreign biologics supply chains poses growing risks to our defense and economy. To combat this growing threat, lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at securing U.S. health data and protecting intellectual property. But for our nation to maintain its leadership in biotechnology and strengthen our domestic supply chain of life-saving diagnostics and treatments, banning foreign adversaries is not enough. We must take a whole-of-government approach to investing in American biotechnology ingenuity. We believe the South has a critical role to play in that approach.
Birmingham, Alabama, is uniquely positioned for national and global leadership in the development of life-saving diagnostics and therapeutics. Supporting world-class medical care at one of the largest public hospitals in the United States, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is also one of the nation’s leading biomedical research institutions. UAB’s extensive research expertise, already boasting a Clinical and Translational Science Center and set to be dramatically enhanced by a soon-to-be-completed state-of-the-art Genomic Medicine Facility, is complemented by Southern Research’s translational research. Southern Research has produced 20 medicines to date and is expanding its efforts to bring cutting-edge medical care to more Alabamians in underserved areas through clinical trials.
With access to a diverse patient population and strong research and development institutions, we have both the resources and the sense of urgency to lead the next era of biotech innovation. Birmingham can solve critical challenges and lead the nation and the world in accessible precision medicine, accelerated drug discovery and commercialization, and improved health outcomes, while securing domestic supply chains and reducing dependency on foreign adversaries.
Central to this vision is the creation of the Birmingham Biotech Hub – a dynamic innovation ecosystem that will foster innovation, drive economic growth and build an accessible precision medicine infrastructure to improve health outcomes across our state and nation. As Alabama’s elected leaders, we have been aggressively investing in infrastructure that connects world-class science from our universities and nonprofits with the best care delivered by our physicians. Together, the State of Alabama and the City of Birmingham have invested heavily in this vision, and federal leaders have propelled Birmingham into the top 10 cities for funding by the National Institutes of Health. And we’re not alone. The Birmingham Biotech Hub was one of 31 finalists in the national Regional Tech Hub Competition.
We believe that federal investment from the U.S. Department of Commerce will significantly accelerate our investment for three reasons.
First, the Birmingham Biotech Hub’s investments in the innovation ecosystem will domestically anchor a critical aspect of the supply chain for the development of personalized medicines, enabling the United States to fend off attempts by foreign adversaries to control this critical part of the bioeconomy. The Birmingham Biotech Hub will accelerate drug discovery, improve health outcomes, ensure a domestic supply chain of innovative therapeutics and diagnostics, and position the United States as a global leader in the rapidly evolving field of biotechnology. More importantly, Birmingham’s collaborative and accessible precision medicine efforts aim to connect biotech innovation to the patients and families who need it most but are often underserved.
Second, the economic impact of this effort cannot be overstated. Nurturing and supporting the growth of biotechnology startups will spur job creation, ensure regional economic competitiveness, and support the nation’s bioeconomy. Increased workforce development programs will provide our community with the skills and knowledge needed to participate in industry-leading biomedical research and healthcare delivery, while also creating new, well-paying job opportunities in biotechnology and genomics. This will enable individuals to advance their careers and businesses, generating economic growth and prosperity across the South.
Finally, we believe America has an inherent advantage with trusted, proven institutions rooted in the South that can deliver effective solutions to patients and their families while protecting America’s competitiveness. The Birmingham Biotech Hub can empower multiple institutions with a tradition of success to address critical national healthcare challenges and put America at the forefront of innovation for future generations. Local, state and federal collaboration is essential to achieving these outcomes.
If America has any hope of maintaining its leadership in biotechnology, we must invest in places like Birmingham and Alabama.
See more must-read articles luck:
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com editorial articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of the authors. luck.
