Equity and Access

Apprentices Spark Opportunity and Optimism

The MLSC continues to expand access to hands-on life sciences learning through the High School Apprenticeship Challenge, which facilitates and funds paid internships for underrepresented and low-income high school students throughout Massachusetts.

This year, MLSC President and CEO Kirk Taylor joined educators and students at New Bedford High School and Brockton High School to celebrate their latest cohorts of the High School Apprenticeship Challenge. In New Bedford, 33 students completed an after-school lab training program, supported by more than $48,300 in MLSC funding this year and over $238,100 since 2019. In Brockton, 15 students participated in an after-school biotechnology lab training program, supported by $50,800 this year and more than $284,800 invested since 2018. Upon completion of the training program, the MLSC facilitates and funds paid internships for students to apply their skills in real-world settings.

Since the program launched in 2016, the MLSC has supported over 950 internships at more than 120 organizations. Interns have represented nearly 200 Massachusetts high schools and over 500 students have participated in MLSC-sponsored lab training programs designed to better prepare them for internships.

The MLSC’s investment in these Gateway Cities extends beyond the High School Apprenticeship Challenge to include state-of-the-art equipment and teacher training. In New Bedford, the MLSC provided more than $292,000 in capital funding and $30,000 for teacher professional development to establish the school’s biotechnology lab, which is now a pivotal cornerstone of its STEM offerings. This fiscal year, the district received an additional $175,000 for equipment and $45,000 for teacher development.

For Brockton High School, the MLSC has provided $616,471 for life sciences equipment, teacher training, and curriculum development. Additionally, in 2019, Brockton Public Schools received $200,000 to catalyze the district’s plans to adopt a comprehensive and innovative science curriculum for all seven of their middle schools.

From Potential to Profession: A New Pathway into the Life Sciences

The MLSC's Pathmaker program funds industry-aligned training programs that prepare participants for career success and strengthen the life sciences workforce across Massachusetts. Through partnerships with education and workforce training providers, the program supports the development of a skilled and diverse talent pipeline while addressing critical industry needs.

To date, $11.5 million has been invested in Pathmaker training organizations across the Commonwealth, supporting the creation of over 1,000 training opportunities. These efforts have connected talent with employers, resulting in 101 unique companies hiring Pathmaker graduates.

On average, graduates have reported earning twice as much after completing the program, demonstrating the strong economic impact and career advancement the initiative delivers.

The MLSC has been proud to spotlight the stories of individuals whose career journeys have been shaped by Pathmaker.

Chelsea, MA resident Abraham Barrientos was an automotive technician for just under four years. One day at work, he was fixing an older BMW 3 Series with a radio that wouldn’t turn off, and while working on the car, he heard an ad for the MLSC’s Pathmaker program. The ad talked about switching career fields and joining the biotech industry with no prior experience needed, which caught his attention. Today, Abraham is a Manufacturing Associate for the OPUS Columns team at Repligen Corporation in Waltham, MA. He credits the Pathmaker program with Myra EB Systems for providing the support, flexibility, and hands-on training he needed to succeed.

Camryn Daniel was fresh out of high school and looking for employment, actively applying to a range of entry-level roles in hospitality, security, and EMS. Camryn wasn't sure how to move forward until a family member introduced her to Bioversity, an innovative life sciences career training program funded by Pathmaker. Through Bioversity's hands-on training and job placement support, Camryn was hired by Thermo Fisher Scientific in their Unity Lab Services division, providing lab operations support to CRISPR Therapeutics.

At Middlesex Community College (MCC), Andrew Bellingham completed the Pathmaker Advanced Manufacturing with Robotics & Automation Program after more than a decade in the travel industry. He works the third shift as a full-time Associate Manufacturing Technician at Insulet Corporation, utilizing the skills he gained during the program. MCC received $292,445 to support training for 30 participants.

David Foy came to Bioversity with experience in events management and real estate sales. After graduating from the training program in June 2024, he began his career at Abcam as a Logistics Technician, where he quickly took on leadership and mentorship roles to support team success. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in IT and Business Management and plans to bridge technology and operations in the life sciences. Bioversity has received $750,000 through the MLSC's Pathmaker program to train 65 students for careers in the life sciences industry.

At Quincy College, JP Ronaldo Dena enrolled in the Pathmaker Biotechnology and Good Manufacturing Certificate Program after emigrating from Haiti less than two years ago. Balancing English for Speakers of Other Languages classes and full-time work, JP completed the program, was hired at Fagron Sterile Services in Canton, and was promoted to the position of Compounding Technician within six months. Quincy College received $750,000 in 2023 to support training for 75 students through Pathmaker.

Axonis Reaches New Heights

MassNextGen entrepreneur Joanna Stanicka, PhD and her team at Axonis Therapeutics announced the successful completion of a $115 million Series A financing to support the development of novel neuromedicines for neurological disorders.

This milestone marks the largest single funding round ever achieved by a MassNextGen awardee, demonstrating the strength and impact of the program in supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs across Massachusetts.

Founded by Dr. Stanicka, Axonis Therapeutics is developing a new generation of medications designed to treat neurological disorders such as epilepsy and pain. The company’s lead program, AXN-027, is advancing towards clinical development and represents a first-of-its-kind approach to treating these conditions.

Originally launched in 2018 to ensure greater gender parity in the next generation of life science entrepreneurs, the MLSC's Massachusetts Next Generation (MassNextGen) Initiative has expanded in recent years to support a larger pool of entrepreneurs with a broad, more inclusive focus. Awardees receive a year-long customized package of support, which includes non-dilutive grant funding, a lab bench at a sponsoring incubator, and access to a network of seasoned professionals from the life sciences ecosystem helping them to refine their business strategies and effectively raise capital.

Additionally, awardees highlight their company to sponsors, awardees, and investors at the end of the program year in a “showcase” event to promote relationship building.

Axonis Therapeutics has also grown its team by leveraging the MLSC’s internship programming, which funds internships for small companies and connects them with up-and-coming talent.

The company received over $143,800 in support from the MLSC, which enabled them to hire a total of eight interns between 2020 and 2023.

Increasing the number of successful entrepreneurs is in the best interest of the entire life science industry, and as such, this initiative is a public-private partnership between the MLSC and our corporate sponsors. These include Anchor Platinum Sponsor, Takeda, as well as ABI-LAB, Berkshire Innovation Center, Cambridge Scientific Labs, Hatch.Bio Labs, InnoVenture Labs, Johnson&Johnson, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, M2D2, Mansfield Bio-Incubator, Portal Innovations, and the UMass Boston Venture Development Center.

Reimagining Health Through Inclusive Discovery

Health equity has long guided our programming, and under the implementation of the Mass Leads Act, it continues to shape every decision we make at the MLSC. This year, the MLSC launched its new Health Equity Accelerator to support projects that address health disparities and advance equitable outcomes across the Commonwealth. This program provided targeted grants to Massachusetts-based non-profit and for-profit organizations developing life sciences-driven solutions that promote health equity in underserved communities.

Five projects each received awards of $50,000 to target health disparities, foster research, and discover solutions that promote health equity in Massachusetts.

Awards were announced at the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind. Projects supported through this inaugural round of funding spanned a wide range of focus areas at institutions across Massachusetts, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, UMass Chan Medical School, Boston Medical Center, Tufts University, and Tatum Robotics. These efforts include improving digital health tools for individuals with substance use disorders, reducing perinatal mental health inequities, developing bias-free medical devices, creating new devices to prevent the spread of tick-borne diseases, and enhancing accessibility for the DeafBlind community.

The Howe Innovation Center at Perkins is an ecosystem support center that is amplifying

real-world accessibility problems by connecting DisabilityTech innovators and investors to end users to build a more accessible world. The Innovation Center works collaboratively to centralize primary market research and user testing with the disability community for corporates, startups, and universities.

As part of its mission to accelerate innovation, the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins launched a “Startup in Residence”, a pilot incubator program for DisabilityTech startups in Massachusetts. Tatum Robotics, a Health Equity Accelerator awardee, which has also received funding through the MLSC’s MassNextGen Initiative and hosted a total of 11 interns through its internship programming, is Howe’s first startup in the pilot program.