Friday, January 7, 2022

Cape Ann's Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute Making Waves

Yesterday, I joined with U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton, Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Gloucester's Mayor Greg Verga, and members of the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, Inc. to tour their facilities, and talk about the powerful impact that GMGI is having on life sciences, the next generation of advances in workforce training, and our understanding of molecular genomics. 

At every turn, GMGI has worked to pioneer not only scientific discovery but also new efforts to attract and train young area talent in their Gloucester Biotechnology Academy. Representative Ferrante and I have helped secure millions of state dollars for GMGI for the state-of-the-art laboratory to train new generations of biotechnology technicians, And funding for a marine program to be run by the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute in coordination with the University of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries, and $1.3 million in the economic development bill for a GMGI and Ocean Genome Legacy/Northeastern Marine Science Center joint proposal to mine the rich genetic diversity of marine organisms through new sequencing technologies. 

Congressman Moulton praised GMGI and he is right to do so because they are quickly moving towards being a leader in marine biotechnology. The research and training performed at GMGI and through the accademy are not only important for what it will teach us about our precious marine resources, but it will also be critical for informing our sound decisions about managing the fish stocks that support our commercial fishing industry, our economy, and our way of life.