The orthopedic implants that revived your daughter’s athletic career. The tiny cameras that caught your dad’s colon cancer early. The at-home COVID test that made it safe to gather at the holidays. Those life-changing technologies were developed by companies headquartered in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
That story of Lehigh Valley’s innovative, rapidly growing life sciences community was shared with a global audience of more than 20,000 at the BIO 2025 International Convention.
The convention, held June 16-19 in Boston, is the premier event for biotechnology. It is a platform for collaboration and to share breakthroughs and chart the future of health care, agriculture, and sustainability.
Doug Warfel, Director of Attraction and Lending at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), participated to promote the Lehigh Valley as a location where life sciences thrive.
And Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro attended to highlight Pennsylvania’s leadership in life sciences and strategic investments to drive innovation, grow the economy, and create good-paying jobs.
“Lehigh Valley's life sciences sector has grown by about 50% over the last decade,” Warfel said. “Lehigh Valley has the talent these companies need to innovate and develop products that are impacting lives every day.”
The Lehigh Valley is home to more than 170 life sciences business establishments – manufacturing facilities, labs, research centers, offices, and distribution centers – that employ more than 6,000 people. 
They include global brands such as B. Braun, Olympus, OraSure Technologies, Sharp, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, along with emerging startups such as Thread Bioscience and Ilico Genetics.
One recent addition is Gesellschaft für Micronisierung mbH (GfM), a German company that is establishing its U.S. headquarters in Bethlehem. GfM specializes in micronization of pharmaceutical, food, nutritional, and cosmetic ingredients. The project will bring up to 100 jobs.
LVEDC participated at BIO 2025 in partnership with Pennsylvania state leaders, including Shapiro and top officials at the Department of Community and Economic Development.
Life sciences is one of the key sectors of the Lehigh Valley economy that LVEDC is targeting for growth in its new strategic plan for 2025-2027.
Life sciences also is one of the key sectors identified for growth in Pennsylvania’s economic development strategy, which Gov. Shapiro unveiled last year in the Lehigh Valley at OraSure Technologies.
At BIO 2025, the governor joined Biotechnology Innovation Organization CEO John F. Crowley for a discussion before an audience of thousands of industry innovators, investors, and researchers.
“Pennsylvania is home to world-class research institutions, cutting-edge companies, and a workforce ready to lead the next generation of innovation — and the life sciences sector is an area where the Commonwealth is poised for explosive growth,” Shapiro said.
“We’re building on that legacy with a bold economic development strategy and targeted investments to grow the industry, support R&D, and bring life-saving treatments — manufactured at home in Pennsylvania — to market.”
Gov. Shapiro’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26 would allocate $65 million more for innovation, including $30 million for life sciences through coordination with research universities to help companies bring new technologies to market. The budget requires approval from the General Assembly, with negotiations ongoing.
During his budget address in February, Shapiro highlighted innovation occurring in the Lehigh Valley.
“Let’s take B. Braun, a leading life sciences company in the Lehigh Valley. They produce IV fluids, pharmacy products, and complex medical devices – and last year, they sourced $200 million in raw materials and equipment from over 100 Pennsylvania-based suppliers,” he said during his address.