Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Welcomes Andrew Jay To Scientific Advisory Board

WALTHAM, MA – The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), an investment agency charged with implementing the state’s 10-year, $1-billion, Life Sciences Initiative, today announced Andrew Jay, DMD as the newest member of the organization’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB is chaired by Dr. Harvey F. Lodish, Member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Professor of Biology and Professor of Bioengineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Through the MLSC, Massachusetts is investing $1 billion over 10 years in the growth of the state’s life sciences ecosystem. These investments are being made under the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, proposed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2007, and passed by the State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2008.

Andrew Jay is Fund Head for the Healthcare Fund at Siemens Venture Capital, and has been involved with numerous portfolio companies including Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Sequenom, Zonare, RadPharm, ViewRay and USystems.

During his equity research career, he was instrumental in raising over $2 billion in equity capital for over 30 medical technology companies including Boston Scientific, Perclose, Masimo, MediSense and Natus. Jay has published more than 10,000 pages of research on topics including neurology, orthopedics and an early introduction to the then emerging field of drug coated stents. He has a Bachelor of Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a DMD from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern.

“It is exciting to have this opportunity to participate in the ongoing growth of this important slice of the Commonwealth’s economy. Life Sciences have been my life and working with the MLSC is a great way to capitalize on that experience and give back to the community,” said Jay.

The Life Sciences Center’s 24-member SAB provides technical guidance and oversight around the MLSC’s funding and programmatic decisions. The expert panel ensures that decisions made at the MLSC are made based on merit and with scientific credibility and transparency.

“Our Scientific Advisory Board members come from diverse backgrounds, representing the life sciences industry, the investment community and academia,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the MLSC. “We are fortunate in Massachusetts to have a wealth of life sciences expertise and our diverse SAB membership allows for broad inclusion and engagement of those experts in the Life Sciences Initiative. The SAB members play a critical role in the Center's review processes and investment decisions, and we are excited and grateful that Andrew is willing to contribute his time, talent and expertise.”

“We are pleased to have Andrew Jay joining the Center's Scientific Advisory Board,” said Lodish. “Volunteers from the scientific and investment community have been essential to the Center’s success in making wise investment decisions. Alongside the current SAB members, Andrew will play an essential role in guiding the investments of the MLSC in both translational academic research and early-stage companies.”

About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is an investment agency that supports life sciences innovation, research, development and commercialization. The MLSC is charged with implementing a 10- year, $1-billion, state-funded investment initiative. These investments create jobs and support advances that improve health and well-being. The MLSC offers the nation’s most comprehensive set of incentives and collaborative programs targeted to the life sciences ecosystem. These programs propel the growth that has made Massachusetts the global leader in life sciences. The MLSC creates new models for collaboration and partners with organizations, both public and private, around the world to promote innovation in the life sciences. For more information, visit www.masslifesciences.com.

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