MassBio’s 2025 State of Possible Conference was a testament to what makes the Commonwealth truly one-of-a-kind in health innovation. As Governor Maura Healey and House Speaker Ron Mariano took center stage, they each re-emphasized Massachusetts’s unwavering commitment to driving cutting-edge science, research, and therapies that have already positioned the state as a global leader in the field.
At the Omni Seaport Hotel in Boston, against the bright blue MassBio backdrop and amidst looming cuts to federal funding and nationwide agency layoffs, Governor Maura Healey pledged to ensure that Massachusetts remains a global leader in life sciences. She emphasized the need for continued investment in innovation to drive the future of healthcare and improve access to life-saving treatments, highlighted the importance of collaboration between government, industry, and the research community, and vowed that her administration would continue to create an environment where the life sciences not only survive but thrive.
“The Trump administration’s attacks on science, attacks on healthcare, really strike at the core of our ecosystem and our economy,” the Governor said, pointing out that every dollar invested in research returns $2 to $3 back to the Commonwealth in economic activity. She continued by touting Massachusetts’s own recent successes in advancing the life sciences, including the third iteration of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative that injected the industry with a $500 million capital investment over the next decade to improve workforce needs and company advancement, and Cambridge’s ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub, approved in 2023 to help companies navigate regulatory landscapes and bring ideas to market. “We are all about getting money out the door and implementing all the great policy.”
Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano, an instrumental partner in making Massachusetts the global hub of biotech innovation, was honored with the 2025 Industry Champion Award during SOP, thanks to his longstanding advocacy on industry’s behalf. From his time as Chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services and then House Majority Leader to his current role as Speaker, Mariano has shown a deep commitment to securing long-term investments and promoting policies that benefit both the life sciences and the people of the Commonwealth.
To prove his point, during his acceptance speech, the Speaker announced that the House of Representatives will reject a controversial matter imposing a tax on certain pharmaceutical products from their FY2026 state budget proposal, ensuring Massachusetts can remain a pro-innovation state without additional tax burdens. He also highlighted patient-centric policies the House has pushed for several legislative sessions and committed to bringing them back up for debate: requiring insurance companies to count consumer assistance towards out-of-pocket maximums; making drug manufacturer coupons that help pay for prescriptions permanent; and requiring pharmacy benefit managers to pass at least 80% of the discounts they negotiate directly to patients at the pharmacy counter. By revisiting these policies, Speaker Mariano and his colleagues have again demonstrated their desire to maintain an environment where industry can grow while ensuring that healthcare remains affordable and accessible to all residents.
This year’s State of Possible wasn’t just a conference, it was a reaffirmation that Massachusetts is the place where the impossible becomes possible. Bold leadership, cross-sector collaboration, and a shared vision for the future of health innovation have propelled the state to the forefront of the global life sciences stage – and with further parallel advancements in techbio and Artificial Intelligence, as showcased in subsequent SOP panels, “Expanding Techbio” and “Legends of Biotech,” it seems the Commonwealth has only just begun.
As CEO and President Kendalle Burlin O’Connell conveyed in her remarks honoring two lifelong friends’ battles with cancer, “It is through collaboration, bold leadership, and a shared commitment to science and innovation that we can create lasting change.” MassBio continues to foster collaboration across the ecosystem, advocating for policies that support advancement and ensure that patients have access to the breakthroughs that will shape the future. The uncertain and bumpy road ahead will require ongoing cooperation and the public-private partnership on display at State of Possible certainly gave those in the audience the confidence that Massachusetts has the resolve to push forward together.
Watch Governor Healey on BiotechTV
