Robert Coughlin has overseen some of the world’s most groundbreaking advancements in life sciences.
As President & CEO of MassBio for 13 years, Coughlin helped Cambridge’s Kendall Square become synonymous with innovation in biotechnology and biomedical research. Today, more than 120 biotech companies, large and small, dot the map of Kendall Square.
Most importantly, all that development has resulted in extraordinary improvements in patients’ lives.
Coughlin, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 and later Undersecretary of Economic Development in Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration, spent much of his political career fighting to open regulatory pathways for research in many areas, including gene and cell therapy and cystic fibrosis, a rare genetic disease. The mission became personal when his son, Bobby, was born with cystic fibrosis.
Bobby and tens of thousands of other cystic fibrosis patients have celebrated major advancements over the past decade. New drugs have been developed that drastically improve quality of life and survival rate for cystic fibrosis patients.
Coughlin currently serves as Managing Director at JLL, a global commercial real estate leader. JLL and ADA Forsyth recently partnered to construct ADA Forsyth’s new headquarters in Somerville, Massachusetts. The state-of-the-art, LEED Platinum-certified purpose-built facility serves to expand ADA Forsyth’s research capacity and usher in the future of oral health technology development and care.
The building will host dentech 2025, where Coughlin will deliver a keynote address on his experience leading innovation in one of the world’s most renowned cradles for technological advancement.
ADA Forsyth sat down with Coughlin to learn more about what he’s looking forward to taking away from dentech 2025, biotech development in Boston and Cambridge, and keeping the patient at the center of innovation in life sciences.
What are you looking forward to as you join us for dentech 2025?
Robert Coughlin: I’m excited to learn more about oral health, and how we can educate the general population on how their oral health ties into their overall health. Oral health is a story that hasn’t been heard enough or traveled far enough.
At dentech, we’re getting so many of the most powerful, most knowledgeable people in the same room. All of them play a role in creating an ecosystem where we can continue to be the best place in the world for innovation.
Most of your career, your focus has been development in the life sciences. What does it take to build and maintain the cradle of innovation we have here in the Boston/Cambridge area?
RC: For our cluster here in Massachusetts, it’s important that we keep the focus on talent. You need the best talent to be the tip of the spear as it relates to innovation. In any area where we need innovation, whether it’s oral health, regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapy, or neurology, we’ve been fortunate to be the tip of the spear for a long time. Innovation doesn’t happen by accident, and it’s getting more and more competitive.
Your story is a perfect example of the importance of always putting the patient first. Biotech and life sciences in general depend on cooperation between research and academia, government resources, and industry. How do all those moving pieces keep the focus on the patient?
RC: I came into this industry as a patient advocate and policymaker, and most importantly, a dad. People call me a “Dadvocate.” I fought for my son his entire life, until he got a therapy and continue to fight today for even further progress.
I think it’s a huge miss when patients aren’t part of the conversation, whether you’re talking about a drug, device, or tech application in a dental office. If you’re not solving an unmet need, you don’t have a business. We’re focusing on solving really important unmet needs — the medical needs of people. How do you know exactly what patients need if you’re not engaging with them?
In my experience with the CF Foundation, we started making great strides when engaging with the community and patients to establish clinical trial endpoints. My son, who now works as a patient advocate, played a big part in advocating for improved aerosolized nebulizers and powdered nebulizers. Advancement in that drug delivery gave him back hours of life – time that he can spend playing hockey with his friends, doing homework, or getting more sleep. That huge improvement in his and others’ lives happened because people incorporated patient feedback into decisions.
Over the past couple of years, JLL has helped construct our new headquarters at 100 Chestnut St. in Somerville. But your personal relationship with ADA Forsyth goes back much further. Tell me about the connection you have with our organization.
RC: I have been connected with Forsyth for about three decades, since I served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
I love this place. I think Forsyth’s leadership has done an incredible job finding a shared mission with the American Dental Association. The research conducted at that beautiful new building in Somerville has a direct pipeline to changing people’s lives and improving care for patients.
When I got the call to speak at dentech 2025, I couldn’t have accepted faster. It’s going to be a fantastic experience.
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In-person registration for dentech 2025 is completely sold out, but you can still join us virtually to hear from Coughlin and many more leaders in life sciences, technology development, and oral health leadership and advocacy on Oct. 9-10.
