North Bay Business Journal

NOVATO — Remy Gross is director of technology transfer for The Buck Institute on Age Research. He will be a featured speaker at the Business Journal’s Impact Marin Conference on MArch 14.

Business Journal: The Life sciences and biotech industries seem to be on an upswing in Marin County, with numerous companies expanding in and even locating to Marin. What makes Marin and the general region an attractive place for this industry?

Mr. Gross: Marin has a good, but relatively small life science presence next to San Francisco and the surrounding communities.  The North Bay has a wonderful quality of life and several universities that add to its attractiveness.  Marin also has a history of entrepreneurship, which can been seen in the start-ups here.

Business Journal: How can Marin remain a competitive destination for this sector?

Mr. Gross: Life sciences exist in any geography in several different formats: manufacturing/product creation, research and development, new company formation.  Many enterprises exist by excelling in one or more of these areas.  BioMarin has both competencies in manufacturing drugs for neglected diseases and also research and development.  Buck performs novel R&D on the most pressing chronic diseases facing mankind.  New company formation, like Raptor Pharmaceutical and Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals, are great stories of promising new companies that have great promise.  Marin needs to look to foster and build all three of these areas in order to have a stable, growing life science sector that can build upon itself.   

Business Journal: How vital would you say the industry is to job growth in Marin County?

Mr. Gross: While I am not an expert on the economic status of Marin County, I would say it is quite critical.  The economic prosperity of the Bay Area requires advancement in the innovative sectors of the economy.  This is what provides clean, high paying jobs, generates wealth for its people and revenues for its government.  Life sciences and the biopharmaceutical sector are key companies that any area should want to best diversify and grow its economic base.

Business Journal: What role do you see The Buck Institute playing in the region’s growth?

Mr. Gross: I hope the Buck will continue to benefit Marin and the North Bay through our own growth and also through the new companies being seeded by Buck research.   I would like to think in 10 years Buck will have seeded at least four or five new going concerns that have stable operations in the North Bay.