Readout of Mayor de Blasio and Seattle Mayor Murray's Roundtable Discussion with Leaders in the Life Sciences Industry

April 5, 2017

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray co-chaired a roundtable discussion this afternoon with leaders in the life sciences industry. The nearly two-hour session took place in Seattle's City Hall. It included representatives from Life Sciences Washington, BioTherapeutics, the Allen Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Seattle Children's Institute, Celgene, Novo Nordisk, the University of Washington and New York City's Economic Development Corporation. The mayors discussed their cities' shared commitment to the future of the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. Mayor de Blasio described recent city investments in life sciences and his Administration's focus on partnering with the growing industry to create local jobs and spur important global innovation. Mayor de Blasio extended roundtable participants and Mayor Murray an invitation to visit New York City's developing life sciences campus. Discussion participants offered ideas that municipal governments can adopt to help support the academic, philanthropic and investment communities surrounding the life sciences industry. Mayor de Blasio's box lunch included a roasted chicken sandwich.