BTBA 第12屆年會深談精準醫療、生物技術多樣性

BTBA2024年會有300多人參加。(周菊子攝)

          (Boston Orange 周菊子劍橋市報導) 波士頓台灣人生物科技協會 (BTBA) 第12屆年會強調精準醫學和生物技術多樣性，日前在300多人從全美各地趕來參加，聆聽Intellia Therapeutics 在FDA批准進入臨床三期的世界首宗體內（in vivo) CRISPR基因剪輯治療，以及哈佛大學細胞背包客式新型藥物運送方法等超級精彩講題中，再創盛況。

BTBA 2024 年會工作團隊陣容浩大。(周菊子攝)

           BTBA的2名會長，Intellia Therapeutics科學家吳佩容，武田製藥 (Takeda)資深科學家蔡明儒和人數創紀錄的近70名志工分工合作，為這次年會安排了2場主題演講，一場特別分享，一場趨勢座談，4場專題論壇，分業界、學界，以及不同領域專家的午餐、早餐聚談，還製作出一份厚138頁的年會會刊，為與會者提供了豐富的學習新知，同儕交流，分享行業資訊等機會。

BTBA 2024到場的歷任會長，前排左起，許祐湉、吳佩容、蔡明儒、何逸雲、
魏嘉英，後排左起，林致中，朱治齊，邱亮源，魏曉英，周致宏。(周菊子攝)

              駐波士頓台北經文處處長廖朝宏，科技組組長蔡孟勳，教育組組長黃薳玉，波士頓僑教中心主任高家富等嘉賓專程出席，共襄盛舉。

BTBA 共會長吳佩容、蔡明儒(右二、三)，和協辦單位哈佛大學台灣學生會
會長黃郁婷(左一)歡迎嘉賓與惠。波士頓經文處處長廖朝宏(中)，波士頓
僑教中心主任高家富 (右一)，科技組組長蔡孟勳 (左三)、教育組組長黃薳玉。

              8月24、25兩日，在哈佛大學西北大樓舉辦的這場會議中，BTBA邀請到Intellia Therapeutics 科學長Laura Sep-Lorenzino博士談「創新之旅: 為病人落實基因藥 (Making Genetic Medicines A Reality for Patients)」，哈佛大學Wyss機構核心群教授Samir Mitragotri談「搭便車者和揹包客的藥物運送指南 (“A Hitchhiker's and Backpacker's Guide to Drug Delivery)」。

 Intellia去年獲得FDA臨床三期批准，今年1月在新英格蘭醫藥雜誌上發表，6月在加拿大第一次展示，以其專有基於LNP運送平台，重作體內基因剪輯治療的臨床數據，佐證了可使目標蛋白數量顯著降低發揮更佳藥效的作用。

BTBA 共會長吳佩容(左二)、蔡明儒(右一)，以及吳淑瑋(左一)送紀念品
給主講人Intellia Therapeutics 科學長Laura Sep-Lorenzino博士。 (周菊子攝)

             Laura Sep-Lorenzino博士指出，Intellia是第一個示範了在人體內用系統性CRISPR做基因剪輯的公司，把贏得諾貝爾獎的科學，變成醫藥，正在帶領醫藥的新世代，

              Laura Sep-Lorenzino在會中還很坦率地分享了她從鑽研小分子藥，研究生物製劑( Biologics)，RNAi，mRNA，基因療法，到現在做基因剪輯的科研路轉折，工作單位也從Memorial Sloan Kettering 癌症中心，默克 (Merck)腫瘤，默克RNA療法，Alnylam，福泰 (Vertex) 製藥，如今在Intellia的變遷。

              她對自己的「靈魂搜索 (Soul Search)」結論是，職涯佔據人生很大的一部分，須有所值，獲取經驗與技能，或許比爭薪水、職稱更重要。

黃郁婷(左起)、蔡明儒、吳佩容、陳筠媞送紀念品感謝主題演講人，
哈佛大學Wyss Institute 核心教授Samir Mitragotri。(周菊子攝)

              Samir Mitragotri 是一位印度裔研究學者，發明家、企業家，2015年就當上了美國國家工程院院士。維基百科稱他曾於2022年擠身最著名50位生命科學創業家行列，在400多研究期刊上發表過文章，在hi-index上的被引用率排名第122。近年來他最受人矚目的科研成果就是藥物運送新方法。他發明了一種利用帶有聚合物微粒的中性粒細胞，作為有如揹包的微貼片，針對腫瘤細胞，附著其上，發揮無需藥物就使之縮小的目的。他的這一新發明極具臨床及商業價值。

生物科技創業家論壇講者，左起Tevard Biosciences 執行長Daniel Fischer，
Vor Bio董事長Robert Ang，Empress therapeutics聯合創辦人Sabrina Yang，
Path Cision 醫藥聯合創辦人李揚。 (周菊子攝)

              2021年上市公司Vor Bio董事長Robert Ang，應邀從亞裔美人的角度做了一場特別分享。他以” 生物科技領域中的雙重移民故事 (The Story of Double Migrant In Biotech)”為主題，闡述該公司用幹細胞，基因剪輯，以及CAR-T技術，治療液體癌，已募得4億7000萬元，並演繹成2種臨床方法，治療急性骨髓性白血病 (AML)，以及骨髓增生異常等病症。

BTBA 前會長邱亮源(左)負責接待Vor Bio董事長Robert Ang。(周菊子攝)

作為公司高管中的唯一亞裔，Robert Ang深知亞裔在美國業界所面對情境。他以一張簡報片列舉了5大亞裔整體趨勢，以及5種替代辦法。他指出亞裔經常覺得自己的成果被人冒領，不會自我宣傳，對技術性職位有偏見，堅持熟悉的東西，追求成功理想，而改善這種情緒的替代辦法為，確認自己和其他人享有同樣權利，屬於這個地方，也值得自己所擁有的一切，追求機會和影響，展示優異的軟技能，追求挑戰及逐步改變的學習機會，追求帶給自己快樂的事物。

藥華藥科學長林俐伶 (右)和科技組組長蔡孟勳，Path Cision 執行長王惠萱
在BTBA年會上歡喜相見。(周菊子攝)

                        趨勢座談部分，BTBA請來Regio 生物科學聯合創辦人暨科學長Rakesh Dixit，AstraZeneca資深科學家 Y-Cheung Chan，Daiichi Sankyo 執行主任Yvonne Lau，Mythic 療法資深醫療主任吳庭輝，討論「抗體藥物偶聯物 (ADC) : 挑戰與機會」。

BTBA在年會總結中，感謝一眾輔導者。(周菊子攝)

            4場專題論壇，「先進的生物加工及合約開發和製造組織 (CDMO)」的與談人有Moderna技術發展學者Mark Brader，Regeneron製程及分析副主任朱治齊，Fujifilm Diosynth生物科技的製程發展主管Smantha Hullah，AstraZeneca藥品發展主任Nicole Payton。

「探索在現代藥物發現策略中的業務發展角色」的與談人有Novo Nordisk的業務發展主任JM Lee，Schrödinger的業務發展資深主任Gina Song，Voyager 療法搜尋、評估及授權主管顏伯任。

專題論壇「彌合差距：從發現到對病人衝擊的轉化科學」。

                     「彌合差距：從發現到對病人衝擊的轉化科學」的與談人有Immunovant臨床藥理學主任褚亮暉，哈佛大學Martinos生物醫學影像中心助理教授魏曉英，AstraZeneca腫瘤部早期臨床發展資深醫學主任薛涵中。

「生物科技創業家論壇: 和生物科技業領袖塑造未來」的與談人有Tevard Biosciences生物科學聯合創辦人暨執行長Daniel Fischer，Path Cision 醫藥聯合創辦人暨科學長李揚 (David Lee)，Empress therapeutics聯合創辦人暨創新長Sabrina Yang，Vor Bio董事長Robert Ang。

專題論壇「探索在現代藥物發現策略中的業務發展角色」。

             BTBA年會歷經12年後，為鼓勵年輕後輩向前輩請教，促請不同公司及職務者互相交流而安排，分學術及業界，以及專家組別的午餐會及早餐會，已成BTBA 年會備受歡迎的一大特色。

學術組有波士頓經文處科技組組長蔡孟勳，哈佛大學Martinos生物醫學影像中心助理教授魏曉英，哈佛大學陳氏醫學院助理教授吳孟儒，哈佛大學醫學院助理教授吳名儒。

趨勢論壇「抗體藥物偶聯物 (ADC) : 挑戰與機會」。

                         業界組有AstraZeneca R&I免疫學全球臨床項目主管陳思達，必治妥施貴寶 (Bristol Myers Squibb)臨床和轉化腫瘤學中的計算生物學副主任周文奇，臺美生物科技協會會長洪筱玲，藥華藥

頒發海報及口頭報告獎。(周菊子攝)

(PharmaEssentia) 科學長林俐伶，Regeneron美國及全球醫藥事務執行醫學主任林靜君，福泰製藥生物辨識執行主任凌美秀，Aera 療法資深科學家組主管盧彥均，福泰製藥副主任閔譯立。

紐英崙玉山科協會(MJNE)會長許益祥，紐英崙中華專業人員協會 (NEACP)會長盧彥均，波士頓台灣醫師協會 (BTPA)創辦人陳思達等人，也都應邀出席，和與會者分享經驗。

BTBA共會長蔡明儒、吳佩容在會末簡報了該會過去一年來經辦的豐富活動，直言核心團隊能龐大到幾十人，展現了該會歷任會長，以及21名志願擔任輔導者前輩們的愛心，激發出多好的向心力與凝聚力，相信該會將和所有生物科技人一起不斷進步。

聚餐交流也是年會的重要活動。(周菊子攝)

麻州出手救醫院有進展 4家Steward醫院已達成出售協議

                 (Boston Orange 摘譯) 麻州政府出手救醫院今日有新進展，麻州長奚莉 (Maura Healey)宣佈Lifespan (壽命)公司已遞出收購協議 (APA)，要買下，並經營秋河市的聖安 (Saint Anne’s)醫院，以及Taunton市的Morton醫院。羅倫斯 (Lowrence) 總醫院也遞交了收購協議，要買下，並經營Haverhill和Methuen兩地的聖家 (Holy Family)醫院。

                 這些收購協議必須在訂9月4日舉行公聽會中，獲得破產法庭批准。麻州政府將在有限度的時間內，以預先支付「麻州健康 (MassHealth)」經費，以及類似經費等方式，支持這些新的醫院營運者。麻州政府目前仍在和壽命公司及羅倫斯總醫院商談財務協議細節。

                奚莉州長表示，這協議達成了麻州政府保護麻州南部人民獲得醫療服務及就業機會，同時把Steward醫療系統從麻州完全清除掉的目標。她感謝麻州健康及人民服務廳廳長Kate Walsh，以及麻州公共衛生委員會委員長Robbie Goldstein的協助及領導力。她也感謝羅倫斯總醫院挺身而出，保留住Merrimack Valley地區的醫療服務。麻州政府將繼續努力，落實這些協議，並以徵用權來接管聖伊莉莎白醫院，幫助受到Carney和醫院Nashoba Valley這2家醫院即將關閉影響的人們。

                 另一項還待完成的協議是預定將由波士頓醫療中心接管Good Samaritan醫療中心。

             史都華 (Steward)醫療系統今日也宣佈，已完成出售4家麻州醫院給新東家的交易。

總部位於羅德島州的壽命公司( Lifespan) 出資1億7500萬元，收購秋河市的聖安醫院，以及Taunton市的Morton醫院，將改以布朗大學醫療 (Brown University Health)的品牌名稱營運。

位於Merrimack Valley的獨立醫院，羅倫斯總醫院會買下在Haverhill和Methuen的2家聖家醫院。

史都華的醫院房產，原業主為醫療物業信託(Medical Properties Trust)和Macquarie 資產管理公司，現在由Apollo 全球管理公司所擁有。

波士頓市辦說明記者會 協助新學年學生遷入新址 (市府視頻)

MAYOR MICHELLE WU & CITY OF BOSTON WELCOME COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS  City departments share preparations across Boston neighborhoods ahead of student move-in period

Commissioner Tania Del Rio, Inspectional Services Mike Brohel, Superintendent of Basic City Services BOSTON - Thursday, August 29, 2024 - The City of Boston today announced an update on the City's preparations as college and university students move in across Boston to ensure they have a smooth transition into their new homes and communities. A cross-departmental effort, Boston is sharing information on how to access City services including 311, mattress pick up, inspections, BlueBikes, as well as sharing information on parking restrictions and improper storage of waste.   Colin Kelly, Boston Fire Marshall “Students bring so much life to our City, and we are thrilled to welcome them this week,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I want to thank the many city workers and departments who have prepared all summer to welcome our students back, and to ensure that all of our new residents have safe housing, access to city services and all the information they need. The City of Boston is proud to be home to world-class colleges, universities, and institutions that bring so many brilliant students into our community.” Nicholas Gove, Deputy Chief of Transportation “My team and I are excited to welcome new and returning students to Boston.  We are committed to ensuring their communities are safe, sanitary and code compliant,” said Inspectional Services Commissioner Tania Del Rio. “We also encourage students to do their part by properly disposing of their trash and keeping their units clean.”  New and current residents are encouraged to connect with Boston 311 to report non-emergency issues and get information. There are three ways to do so:  Call 311 (if outside Boston, please call 617-635-4500)  visit boston.gov/311,  or download the BOS:311 app.  The BOS:311 app is available in the Google Play and iOS stores and currently has a student move-in specific section to streamline reporting. City Councilor Liz Breadon “The Community Engagement Cabinet is excited to connect with students to help make Boston feel like home. There are many ways to engage with our Cabinet,” said Community Engagement Cabinet Chief Brianna Millor. “I encourage all of our new and returning neighbors to call 311 to identify their neighborhood liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services. If they are interested in meeting new neighbors and becoming civically engaged, they should reach out to the Office of Civic Organizing to sign-up to participate in Love Your Block, a neighborhood clean-up or attend our next Civic Summit.”  The City’s Inspectional Services, Transportation, Office of Neighborhood Services, Fire, Police and Public Works departments are conducting housing inspections upon request, trash inspections, and distributing informational brochures in neighborhoods with large student populations. The Inspectional Services Department (ISD) will deploy over 50 inspectors throughout the neighborhoods heavily populated with students. Inspectors will conduct walkthroughs of areas heavily populated with students including but not limited to; Allston, Brighton, Back Bay, Fenway, Mission Hill and Beacon Hill. While canvassing these areas inspectors will distribute informational flyers, offer on the spot inspections and answer questions related to city services.   The City encourages students to avoid used furniture and to notify their landlord immediately in the event of a suspected infestation. In addition, information pertaining to rodent control can be found here and questions regarding the housing code can be found here.  The Boston Transportation Department will be implementing on-street parking restrictions on streets in Allston, Fenway, Mission Hill, and Roxbury to help provide parking spaces for vehicles being used by new residents and students moving into those areas. In these areas, ISD is not granting permits for construction from Friday, August 30 through Sunday, September 1 in order to alleviate traffic and parking concerns and promote safety. In addition, on-street parking restrictions signage will be posted in affected neighborhoods.The City encourages residents, students, and families to pay attention to posted signs. For more information on street restrictions, visit boston.gov/moving. The City also encourages residents and visitors to maintain an accessible path of travel on sidewalks and at intersections. Additionally, the City urges residents and visitors to not block accessible parking spaces designated for people with disabilities while moving in or out.  “Boston is home to almost 80,000 people with disabilities, so please remember not to block sidewalks or corner curb ramps, including tactile warning pads,” said Boston Disability Commissioner Kristen McCosh. "Also please be aware of on-street parking spaces that have signs designating them as accessible parking for people with disabilities. These spaces can only be used by vehicles with a valid HP/DV parking placard.” Bluebikes is Boston’s public bike share system. With more than 400 stations and 4000 bikes, it's a fast and convenient way to get around the Greater Boston area. Many of Boston's colleges and universities provide discounts on annual passes for students, faculty, and staff. Students are encouraged to check with their university's transportation office to see if they are eligible. More information is available at boston.gov/bluebikes. For more information on biking safely in Boston, visit boston.gov/boston-by-bike. For more information about street safety for pedestrians with disabilities, visit boston.gov/boston-brakes The Public Works Code Enforcement Division will be issuing citations for the improper storage of household trash. Residents are asked to place their trash and recycling on the curb by 6:00 a.m. on their scheduled collection day, or set it out the night before after 5:00 p.m.  Due to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ban, mattresses and box springs are no longer collected curbside as part of routine trash collection. Residents are required to make an appointment for a free curbside pick-up at: Boston.gov/mattress. The residential mattress program does not service buildings with seven units or more. Those residents should consult with their property manager to learn the proper protocol to recycle their mattress. Roughly 75 percent of all mattresses and box springs components can be disassembled and recycled. The recovered materials are used to manufacture a variety of new products including foam padding, fabric, steel springs and wooden frames.  While household furniture can be left curbside on your scheduled pick-up day, we strongly encourage residents to donate the items to a charity or organization that can pass them along to others in need. Items such as televisions, air conditioners and refrigerators require a special pick-up. To schedule an appointment, contact 311. Residents are reminded not to block sidewalks with trash or household furniture set out for pick up. Items should be placed along the curb, leaving room for pedestrians, including people with disabilities or those pushing strollers, to get by. New residents are strongly encouraged to download the City’s free Trash Day app at: boston.gov/trash-day. Residents can view their collection schedules, set reminders, and search a directory of hundreds of household items to find out the right way to dispose of them.  Students are encouraged to visit boston.gov/moving for more information regarding parking restrictions and permits, trash removal and restrictions, and rental requirements.

Healey-Driscoll Administration Releases Inaugural Equity Assessment Report

Healey-Driscoll Administration Releases Inaugural Equity Assessment Report

Boston — Today, the Healey-Driscoll administration is releasing a report on its first-ever equity assessment, which analyzed how each state agency can improve equity, accessibility and accountability. In her inaugural address, Governor Healey announced her intention to launch this assessment as part of her commitment to lowering barriers for all Massachusetts residents to engage with state government and ensuring that her administration is equitably serving all communities. 

Last year, Governor Healey signed Executive Order No. 612, Instituting the Practice of Equity Assessment Government-Wide and Creating the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Increasing Equity Through Data, which declared equity to be the standard for all policies, practices and services delivered in Massachusetts and directed state agencies to regularly assess their work through this lens. The administration hired the Lazu Group to facilitate and support the assessment process, which resulted in this report. 

“One of my first commitments as Governor was to launch this assessment across our administration with the goal of applying an equity lens to everything we do. If we want to break down barriers to accessing government service and ensure we are reaching every community, we need to be able to measure what’s working well and what needs improvement – and then we need to act,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I’m grateful for the members of our team who rose to this challenge and worked collaboratively on this groundbreaking assessment.” 

“This equity assessment is a tool that we can use over and over again to analyze all aspects of state government and ensure that we are constantly improving,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The programs that were analyzed in this assessment all play critical roles in supporting our economy and communities, and we are excited to implement these valuable recommendations to make them even stronger and more equitable.” 

“We are proud to partner with the Healey-Driscoll Administration to establish an equity assessment tool that looks beyond the numbers alone to the quality of equity experienced through services offered by the Commonwealth,” said Malia Lazu, CEO and Founder of the Lazu Group. 

The process began with a “Bias to Belonging” training in 2023, which was attended by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretaries and senior staff. Following the training, each Secretary nominated representatives within their teams to work on the equity assessment with the Governor’s Office of Access and Opportunity, led by Deputy Chief of Staff Marcony Almeida-Barros, and the Lazu Group. The working group identified five guiding principles of equity – access, fairness, transparency, accountability and accessibility – and analyzed one program from each secretariat according to these principles. The equity assessment is intended to be an ongoing process that the administration will use to assess additional programs and continuously measure improvements. 

The programs analyzed were: 

•            Department of Transportation: Process to Obtain a Massachusetts Passenger Driver’s License for Customers Over the Age of 18

•            Executive Office of Economic Development: MassWorks Infrastructure Program

•            Executive Office of Health and Human Services: MassHealth Doula Services

•            Executive Office of Education, Social Emotional Learning Grant Program

•            Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, MassHire System - Department of Career Services

•            Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, Mass.gov

•            Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities: Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

•            Executive Office of Public Safety & Security: Commonwealth Nonprofit Security Grant Program

•            Executive Office of Veterans’ Services: Veterans Home at Chelsea and Holyoke

•            Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: Massachusetts Offer Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) Program

•            Executive Office for Administration and Finance: Certification process by which contractors apply for certification in categories of work to bid on vertical construction projects under c.149

麻州宣佈獲得2000萬元聯邦經費支持緊急庇護系統

            (Boston Orange 編譯) 麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey） 今天發表感謝聲明，感謝拜登-哈里斯政府從聯邦緊急管理局(FEMA)的庇護所及服務項目中撥款2000萬元，支持麻州的家庭庇護所開銷。其中包括1540萬8787元的競爭力經費，以及489萬6807.87元的儲備經費。

Healey-Driscoll 政府在6 月和波士頓市一起提出申請。這是麻州迄今為止從該項目獲得的最高金額補助。麻州和波士頓市之前總共得到900萬美元。

奚莉州長表示，“在麻州面對抵達的移民家庭數量暴增，麻州的家庭庇護系統正竭力因應前所未有的需求之際，麻州迫切需要聯邦支持。麻州為這筆2000萬元款項，非常感謝拜登-哈里斯政府，以及聯邦緊急管理局，波士頓市政府，聯邦議員團對等的合作與支持”。

奚莉州長也說，在國會未能行動下，拜登-哈里斯政府採取重要步驟來處理這聯邦問題，而且非法跨越邊境也有了數量大幅下降的結果。但是要做的事還有很多。國會需要行動，通過不分黨派的邊境安全協議。

拜登-哈理師政府將動用聯邦經費來支持臨時性的傳習中心。波士遁市將從這筆經費中獲得134萬9531.24元。