Today, his company, which mines the human genome to generate therapies for mental illnesses, has grown to 30 employees, a growth Palfreyman credits, in part, to the new locale. The Washington, D.C. region "has a strong infrastructure in biotechnology and computer sciences," he notes. "That combination, plus the proximity to NIH and academia, is what makes this area so powerful for genomics." Compared to Boston, he says, the Washington area seems more entrepreneurial, having a Silicon Valley "feel" to it. "This is a very business-friendly climate in which to build a top-notch scientific team."
The national capital region, which stretches into both suburban Maryland and Virginia, does have its drawbacks, to some, of course: traffic is horrendous (third worst in the nation, after Los Angeles and San Francisco); the summers can be positively torrid; prime lab space rents for a premium; and national policy wonks crowd the neighborhoods. But biologists ...
