From the Editor: Please Come to Boston

It’s springtime in the northern hemisphere, with the days getting longer and warmer, and the flowers blooming. Even though I now live in Texas, I’m reminded of my many walks around Boston and Cambridge in the spring. I lived in the Boston area for twenty years and developed a tradition of taking a day, in May, to enjoy the city and spring.

In the morning, I would grab a coffee and a croissant at Kendall Square and sit on one of the benches along Memorial Drive, overlooking the Charles River, and enjoy the view. I would then walk across the Longfellow Bridge, stopping along the way to see the sailboats or duck boat. After that, I would walk down the Esplanade, cross over Storrow Drive, and walk through Back Bay. After a late lunch, I would continue, through the Public Garden and across the Boston Common. Next was a trip on the T from the Park St. station to the Hynes Convention Center station. Once on Massachusetts Ave., I then crossed the Massachusetts Ave. Bridge and walked through MIT, to end up back at Kendall Square. By that time, the sun was setting and it was time to go home. I have many fond memories of Boston, my annual walks, and all the people I met while living in Massachusetts.

This year’s CRS annual meeting is in Boston. Boston is now a hub for biotechnology and medical devices, growing since the 1980s. Cambridge and Kendall Square are home to several large pharma and biotech companies, Harvard, and MIT, as well as start-ups and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Boston is home to the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC).

The annual meeting will feature prominent scientists discussing the future of delivery science, emerging technologies, and our industry’s current and future challenges. Plenary speakers include Prof. Robert Langer (MIT), Dr. Henry Brem (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Amar Sawhney (Ocular Therapeutix), and Prof. Paula Hammond (MIT). Premeeting workshops will cover novel delivery platforms, basic concepts of oral drug delivery, and enabling successful liposomal formulation. Thirteen scientific sessions will offer an exciting lineup of invited speakers and moderated discussions. Include the poster sessions, technology forums, networking events, and receptions, and you have all the activities for a wonderful time in Boston.

Inside this issue of the CRS Newsletter, you will find two Scientifically Speaking articles, more details about the annual meeting, the DDTR Update, and Companies/People in the News.

Hopefully you will be able to attend the Boston meeting this July, see an old friend or make a new one, and take a walk. If not, then maybe set aside a day of your own, to walk and enjoy your favorite park, beach, mountain, or city.

All the best,
Steven Giannos