Louis P. Kassa III, CEO of the Hepatitis B Foundation, Blumberg Institute and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center named to Philadelphia’s Power 100
For the second consecutive year, Louis P. Kassa III, MPA, chief executive officer of the Hepatitis B Foundation, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC), has been chosen by the Philadelphia Business Journal for its Power 100 list, which is being released this week.
Kassa became named CEO of the organizations on July 1, 2022, succeeding co-founder Timothy M. Block, PhD. In 2019, Dr. Block was named by the Philadelphia Business Journal to its Power 100 list.
The magazine noted last year that Kassa not only led a major expansion at the PABC’s Doylestown campus and attracted new companies from across the country, he worked with Brandywine Realty Trust’s leadership to open B+labs at Cira Centre in Philadelphia in 2022. A state-of-the-art facility, B+labs was filled to capacity with biotech startups shortly after opening.
Loren Danzis, Esq., who chairs the PABC’s Board of Directors, said: “We at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center are committed to helping grow the life sciences in our region and statewide by both advancing home-grown innovation and by recruiting top early stage biotech companies from across the U.S. We’re proud but not at all surprised that Lou Kassa’s influential role in Greater Philadelphia’s biotech industry is being recognized.”
The PABC has close to 100 member companies, mostly small to mid-size science, research and pharmaceutical companies. Nearly 50 of those companies have operations on the Doylestown campus, which is home to the Hepatitis B Foundation, which operates globally, and the Blumberg Institute, which is the Foundation’s research arm. There are 19 companies operating in B+labs at Cira Centre. PABC companies have produced drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and medical devices, and a recent economic study found that the PABC’s economic impact exceed $7.3 billion during the period 2016-2021.
About the Hepatitis B Foundation: The Hepatitis B Foundation established the PABC in 2006 to be a home for its research institute and create a knowledge community that would accelerate the pace of research toward a cure for hepatitis B and liver cancer. As the world’s leading hepatitis B advocacy and research organization, the Foundation is one of the most active proponents of improving hepatitis B screening, prevention and treatment of the disease. We are the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is based in Doylestown, Pa., with offices in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. To learn more, go to hepb.org, read our blog at hepb.org/blog, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@hepbfoundation) or call us at 215-489-4900.
About the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute: An independent, nonprofit research organization, the Blumberg Institute was launched in 2003 by the Hepatitis B Foundation to advance its research mission. Today, the Institute is one of the nation’s leading centers for translational research in hepatitis B and liver cancer. The Institute supports drug discovery, biomarker discovery and translational biotechnology around common research themes such as chronic hepatitis, liver disease and liver cancer in an environment conducive to interaction, collaboration and focus. For more, follow us on Twitter, @BlumbergInstit1, and LinkedIn.
About the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC): Located in Doylestown and Philadelphia, Pa., in the heart of the Philadelphia-New Jersey pharma belt, the PABC is a nonprofit life sciences incubator-accelerator offering state-of-the-art laboratory and office space to nearly 70 early-stage biotech companies. The PABC uses a highly successful services-based approach to nurture and guide its member companies to success, advancing biotechnology, maximizing synergies among nonprofit scientists and their commercial colleagues, and launching new ideas and discoveries. To date, more than 75 companies have called PABC their home. PABC tenants account for 17% of all National Institutes of Health SBIR grants awarded in Pennsylvania and over the years have created billions of dollars in market value from IPOs, acquisitions and commercial valuations. For more information, please visit the PABC website, pabiotechbc.org and follow us on LinkedIn.