New York Invests Heavily in Biotech
Development
From VOA Learning English, welcome to As It Is! I’m Jonathan Evans in Washington.
On our program today, we have two reports about technology companies. Two large Internet
companies recently bought two technology businesses based in India. We will tell you about the
deals later in the show. But first, our technology reporter, June Simms, tells about some American
efforts to develop new businesses.
New York Invests Heavily in Biotech Development
New York City and the State of New York are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to become a
major player in the development of high tech industries. They have developed 40 workspaces,
known as incubators, to assist start-up businesses.
Harlem Biospace is an incubator for biomedical engineering. It gives young entrepreneurs a low-cost
way to develop their ideas and businesses. For a low monthly payment, they are given desk space
and use of a laboratory. The young people pay for their own raw materials.
“This is great. The reason is because it is so cheap and it has the wet lab that we need. So I order
chemicals that I need, and I’m given the facilities here to do my experiments.”
Tyler Poore and his partner are developing a product that will kill bacteria. It can be put on household
goods, like a sponge for cleaning. He and the 17 others at Biospace share a common goal: to find
solutions to biomedical problems.
Edwin Vazquez is investigating the mystery of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. He
says suggestions from others in the building make the work environment at Biospace a real plus.
“There’s nothing better than sitting down in a room like this when there is a lot more people around
and you got something that is exciting and you go to a lunchroom and you start talking to your other
colleagues. All of a sudden, somebody knows a researcher that is doing something similar to you or
that can complement your research. You get in contact and things happen.”