Governor sees ‘biotech revolution’ in the making

At the university’s Biotechnology Center, Gov. Tommy Thompson peers into a microscope at the lab of new professor David Schwartz, right, who has developed an “optical mapping” technology that can map whole genomes with remarkable speed. Thompson also viewed a new “gene chip” technology developed here that could make DNA analysis cheaper and more accessible to scientists. Photo: Jeff Miller

Gov. Tommy Thompson’s fast-paced tour Nov. 30 through the biotechnology landscape at UW–Madison, from computer-packed genetics labs to nascent startup companies, was a showcase of great expectations.

Perhaps none are greater than Thompson’s, who wants Wisconsin to emerge as a national leader in biotechnology development. Throughout the day, Thompson got a look at the intellectual works in progress that could make that expectation a reality.

“The competition is on,” Thompson proclaimed early in the day at the university’s Biotechnology Center. He told the story of a recent summit of Midwestern governors, in which his counterparts in Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania all claimed to be regional leaders in biotechnology.

Thompson urged the gathering of scientists and administrators to be aggressive in promoting this field of the future. “Where will Wisconsin’s niche be (in biotechnology)?” he asked.

There were clues scattered throughout the visit.

At the Biotechnology Center, Thompson toured the lab of new professor David Schwartz, who developed an “optical mapping” technology that can map whole genomes with remarkable speed. Thompson also viewed a new “gene chip” technology developed here that could make DNA analysis cheaper and more accessible to scientists.

At University Research Park, he heard the stories of three entrepreneurs who turned UW–Madison scientific advances into thriving companies. One of them, called Tetrionics, began a decade ago as a small, high-risk company developing drugs for osteoporosis and cancer. Today, it’s poised to enter a new $5 million, 24,000- square-foot building at the park with potential for 65 employees.

Provost John Wiley noted how quickly investments can pay off in this field. The $1.5 million bioscience initiative, spearheaded by Thompson last year, “has paid just staggering dividends in a year’s time,” he said. The initiative, which allowed for the hiring of eight new faculty, is directly responsible for nearly $30 million in additional research grants and contracts secured by faculty, Wiley said.

The total funding within biotechnology, which includes the Laboratory of Genetics and the new Genomics Center, now totals more than $57 million and is growing rapidly. In the last year alone, research produced 30 faculty-initiated patents.

“This is an expensive venture,” said Michael Sussman, director of the Biotechnology Center. “But we have been successful in bringing in the kind of money and talent needed to succeed …. The genomics pot is boiling, and there is a revolution happening in the way we do biology.”

Other developments on the horizon include the Waisman Center’s Translational Research Facility, expected to be completed in fall 2000. It will be one of the only places in the country capable of producing gene therapy products “clean” enough for use in human clinical trials.

Terrence Dolan, director of the Waisman Center, said this new building will help drive the center’s ultimate goal of curing the myriad genetic diseases that affect children. There are anywhere from 6,000 to 7,000 genetic diseases that affect human health, he said.

Thompson also heard about a proposal to create a new master’s-level training program in biotechnology. The program would fill a huge gap in the training of highly skilled technicians and create a quality work force that would be a tremendous advantage to Wisconsin industry.

Apparently, excitement over biotechnology is starting to spread. Wiley noted that 30 percent of 1999 UW–Madison freshman intend to major in biology.