Gov. Maura Healey addressed a biotech trade group on Wednesday to assert the importance of the industry and her commitment to its survival during uncertain times.
“Every crisis, every challenge presents an opportunity. It does in your labs,” she said. “And the government is no different from science in that regard. We’ve got to lean in and embrace this opportunity right now, to think about different ways that we can do things — to innovate.”
The governor’s remarks came at the 2025 MassBio State of Possible conference held in Boston. MassBio, based in Cambridge, works to extend Massachusetts’ impact as the global center of excellence in biomedical breakthroughs according to its website.
President and CEO Kendalle O’Connell told GBH News that much of their work is energized by the many patients who rely on life science innovation. “That’s what drives us, right? We know that this is an important economic stimulus for the commonwealth, but more importantly, there are patients waiting who may have no solution, and they’re relying on us to bring a solution, hopefully a cure to them.”
Healey, who has made life sciences, tech and climate innovations a cornerstone of her economic development strategy , said Massachusetts has become a global hub and holds a leading role in providing lifesaving cures and treatments. She worries that President Donald Trump’s cuts to federal support for research and science could be a setback., but told attendees the next four years don’t necessarily have to be focused just on surviving.
Healey claims Trump’s leadership is making America less competitive, less independent and risks forcing America to lose dominance in these fields. “I want these cures and treatments and drugs developed right here in the United States of America. I also want it developed right here in Massachusetts by our researchers and scientists,” she said. “President Trump and the Trump administration has got to reverse these moves and go back to investing in science, investing in research, and investing in public health.”
According to Healey, if cuts to the National Institute of Health, which funds a great deal of medical and life science research, are fully enacted, the immediate loss to Massachusetts would run into the billions of dollars.
