Biocom's Los Angeles Office Marks its One Year Anniversary

LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Biocom, the association representing the California life science community, this month celebrates the one-year anniversary of the opening of its Los Angeles office. With its full-time staff of five located in downtown L.A., membership has tripled and engagement with key stakeholders has brought sharp focus to the 590 life science companies in the county.

"Interest in the Los Angeles life science community exceeds our expectations and I am proud of the work that Executive Director Dina Lozofsky and her team have undertaken," said Joe Panetta, president and CEO of Biocom. "In fewer than 365 days, they have harnessed the collective power and experience of members and key stakeholders, engaged in a listening tour, fostered thoughtful relationships with local, state, and federal elected officials, held networking events, represented Los Angeles industry at high impact events, such as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference and BIO's International convention, and created valuable partnerships with organizations critical to the local life science industry."

Over the course of the last year, Biocom's Los Angeles office has achieved significant milestones, especially with regard to raising awareness of the economic impact of the life science industry in Los Angeles. In a recent 2017 Economic Impact study, Biocom reported that Los Angeles County is home to more than 2,400 individual establishments across the life science industry, including 103 biopharmaceutical companies, 51 biorenewables companies, and 436 medical device and diagnostics companies.  The industry employs nearly 70,000, and the county received over $890 million in NIH funding, the most of any county in California.

"We would not be where we are today without the partners that have helped us launch our efforts," said Ms. Lozofsky. "I am grateful for the support and engagement by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, Mayor Garcetti's office, the L.A. City Workforce Development Board, L.A. Bioscience Hub, Nixon Peabody, Cal State Los Angeles, and the L.A. Venture Association."

"As we've traveled the county, we've come to know and work with other incredible organizations, such as LARTA Institute, Biotech Connection L.A., Medtech Innovator, Lab Launch, and the Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative Incubator," Ms. Lozofsky continued. "The support of the regional economic development groups and several of the tech transfer offices is also broad and widespread. It gives us incredible drive and humbles us to work with so many passionate people dedicated to this industry. There is great collaboration among these constituencies, who share in the quest to improve the human condition."

One of the challenges for the Los Angeles region is the geographic distribution, with no single life science cluster or hub. Instead, there are many smaller centers, each with unique advantages and opportunities. Biocom will continue to apply its expertise in addressing the needs of life science companies to build additional programs, resources and services to meet the needs of its Los Angeles members.  

For more information about Biocom's Los Angeles office, please visit us at www.biocomla.org.

About Biocom

Biocom is the largest, most experienced leader and advocate for California's life science sector. We work on behalf of more than 900 members to drive public policy, build an enviable network of industry leaders, create access to capital, introduce cutting-edge STEM education programs, and create robust value-driven purchasing programs.

Founded in 1995 in San Diego, Biocom provides the strongest public voice to research institutions and companies that fuel the local and state-wide economy.  Our goal is simple: to help our members produce novel solutions that improve the human condition. In addition to its San Diego headquarters, Biocom operates a core office serving the Los Angeles market, satellite offices in Washington, D.C. and Tokyo, and has a continuous staff presence in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. Our broad membership benefits apply to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics and diagnostics companies of all sizes, as well as to research universities and institutes, clinical research organizations, investors and service providers.

For more information on Biocom, please visit our website at www.biocom.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (@BIOCOMCA).

SOURCE Biocom

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