Here is the web site for CURNA, the spin off lab formed by Dr. Claes Wahlestedt in Jupiter, Florida. While it's not the first spin off out of Scripps Florida, it is the second. And it is the first that uses purely local talent. And what's even better, two of the lab techs are students from Palm Beach Community College.
Ten years ago, the idea of local CC students working in the field of biotech in the state of Florida was laughable. One needed to work the tourist trade - waiter, waitress, line cook - or work in agriculuture because that's what Florida did for a living. Our scientific minds went to scientific destinations - none of which were in Florida.
Not so anymore - we have Scripps Florida in Palm Beach County, Torrey Pines in Port St. Lucie, Burnham in Orlando, to name just a few. We can also add Max Planck to the Jupiter roster. The economic terrain has been transformed in the state of Florida. We have tremendous potential to massively contribute to the understanding of how to keep human beings healthy, to reshape the path of drug discovery, and to make better informed decisions about our personal healthcare, that of the nation, and of the world. Big heady talk, especially for those of us who came to Florida years ago from major metropolitan areas. Can this really be happening in Florida? Apparently, it is. In Jupiter, they are no longer stupider.
If you don't follow biotechnology and science, and the only reason I do is because my father was so sick for so long with Alzheimer's disease, these names might still sound familiar to you - they've long been the leaders in scientific research. What's new is that they've come to my home town. I marvel at Scripps Florida - my husband works at Cooks, right across the street - especially at night when the streets are quiet. It seems to be running 24 hours a day, and looks to be, literally, the flag ship of scientific discovery with a spire that reaches into the sky, poking the heavens for answers.
The Unforgettable Fund contributes to the Alzheimer's research of Dr. Claes Wahlestedt at Scripps Florida. His lab is somewhere in this building...
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