Alumni find niche in biotechnology

For the biotechnology industry, New Jersey is an exciting place to be. The area around Princeton is teeming with biotech companies whose cutting-edge research is at the vanguard of progress in their fields.

These companies like the Princeton area for several reasons. For one, officials for GeneProt, Inc., a company based in New Brunswick, note "the need to access a highly qualified and skilled scientific and technical work force," and as such, "to forge relationships with leading universities and academicians."

Because biotech companies rely on scientific research, it should come as no surprise that the industry is full of Princeton alumni. Donald Drakeman GS '88, who is a part-time lecturer in the politics department, has been the president, CEO and a director of Medarex, Inc. since its founding in 1987.

Drakeman's biopharmaceutical company develops antibody-based therapeutics to fight cancer and other life-threatening and debilitating diseases. Though he is biased toward Medarex, Drakeman praised the entire biotech field.

"It's a wonderful field for people who like to learn all the time," he said. "The most exciting part about biotech is that at the end of the day you have done something to benefit mankind."

At the same time, Drakeman spoke very highly of the "terrific people" in the business. "The area provides high-paying high-tech jobs for well-educated people," he noted. "There's an atmosphere of growth and enthusiasm."

On the advantages of the Princeton area for biotechnology companies, Drakeman referred to it as "the nation's medicine chest." He pointed to its proximity to capital markets — Princeton is an affluent community, and it is near New York, the financial center of the world. He also mentioned the benefits of being around first-class scientific research. "There's a critical mass here," he said.

The relationship between the industry and the state government is very good, Drakeman noted. The state does its best to make the area congenial to running a biotechnology business, and in turn the companies provide jobs.

"We keep hearing we're in recession," Drakeman noted, "but here is a sector that continues to thrive more so than ever before. It gives New Jersey another thing to be proud of."

Another alumnus, Carl Feldbaum '66, is president of the Biotech Industry Organization in Washington, D.C. The organization represents more than 1,000 biotech companies, academic institutions and state biotechnology centers in all 50 states and 33 other nations.

After majoring in biology at the University and obtaining a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Feldbaum first came to Washington in 1973 to work with Archibald Cox as an assistant special prosecutor for the Watergate prosecution team. In Washington, he became founder and president of Palomar Corporation, a national security think tank.

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He also served as assistant to the Secretary of Energy and the inspector general for defense intelligence in the Department of Defense. In 1979, Feldbaum was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from Defense Secretary Harold Brown. His book, "Looking the Tiger in the Eye: Confronting the Nuclear Threat," won the Christopher Medal and was a New York Times notable book of the year in 1988.

Feldbaum's prognosis for the future of the biotech industry is optimistic. One area that he foresees will achieve significant advances in the near future is research dealing with aging.

"More than 100 biotech companies are engaged in research and development for new medicines to treat age-related disorders," he said. "Aging is one of our industry's most significant areas of research."

Feldbaum stated he would not be surprised if one day in the near future headlines started appearing such as, "80-Year-Old Runs New York Marathon in Less Than Three Hours," "100-Year-Old Inventor Creates New Electric Car" or "115-Year-Old Couple Renews Wedding Vows (2nd Marriage for Both)." However, what he deems more incredible is his prediction that no one will be terribly surprised at the appearance of these stories.

He noted, "Most of us share some understanding, or at least the common hope, that we will live longer than our parents and grandparents. But we must question, will our longer lives be what we expect them to be? Will there be more life in life?"