Winston-Salem, North Carolina, June 6, 2023 – Today Governor Roy Cooper visited Wake Forest Biotech Place to speak at the World Stem Cell Summit.
“The very fact that the World Stem Cell Summit is here in Winston-Salem is a testament to our state’s and this region’s commitment to the life sciences,” said Governor Cooper.
After receiving his award for helping push forward regenerative medicine, Cooper highlighted how university leaders helped transform the Innovation Quarter.
“Just last year, our Innovation Quarter here generated about $1.6 billion dollars for Winston-Salem and surrounding areas,” said Cooper.
That’s why Governor Cooper says the state has become a hub for this type of regenerative research.
“First, it’s a willingness to invest in our universities and our healthcare systems and making sure that we are helping to recruit biotechnology and life sciences companies to North Carolina.” said Cooper.
Anthony Atala, the Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, says this technology not only brings money to a region but can also make significant scientific developments.
“We can actually help to improve patients’ health by using their own cells or by printing tissues and organs,” said Atala.
Atala says he’s preparing for more biotech jobs to come in.
“One of the efforts that we are putting forward is this Workforce Development Program, which has been active and funded by the National Science Foundation, to train the next generation of our workforce so we can make the workforce available as companies move into our region,” said Atala.