Oregon
Portland, OR
September 28, 2026
the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) visited Portland, Oregon on the latest stop on the Biotech Across America Roadshow. Commissioner Paul Arcangeli and U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06) joined local biotech industry leaders and members of the state’s research community to learn more about how the Beaver State is shaping the U.S. biotech industry and building its future workforce.
In its April 2025 report to Congress, the NSCEB found that commercialization of biotech products and the development of a sustained talent pipeline are among the challenges faced by the American biotech industry.
“The biotech industry in Portland is thriving thanks to the interconnectedness of its strong biotechnology ecosystem and excellent universities,” said NSCEB Commissioner Paul Arcangeli. “These combined assets are setting the state up for success by creating the sustained talent pipeline needed to harness the potential of biotechnology well into the future.”
“Oregon’s unique concentration of life sciences, semiconductor manufacturing, robotics, and advanced engineering positions our state to lead the nation in developing biotechnology solutions that strengthen our economy and national security,” said Representative Andrea Salinas (OR-06). “We showed the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology what that looks like, from DNA manufacturing at Twist Bioscience in Wilsonville to the students in PCC’s bioscience lab. When we make these technologies at home, we create careers for Oregonians and make our country safer. I will keep working to bring federal investment to Oregon to support our workers and businesses.”
“Oregon is one of the few places where semiconductors, AI, engineering, and life sciences already share a corridor, and where the classroom and the factory floor talk to each other,” said Dr. Ndeye Makalou, Interim President and CEO, Oregon Life Sciences. “Companies tell our universities and community colleges what skills they need next, and those schools train the people who fill the jobs. The Commission saw that system at work. With sustained federal support for community college and apprenticeship pipelines, Oregon can help build more of America’s biotechnology capacity and security here at home.”
“Advances in biotechnology depend on the ability to build and test new ideas at scale,” said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. “At Twist, we provide solutions across the biological continuum – DNA, RNA and proteins – that enable researchers in industries such as therapeutics, diagnostics and academia to navigate complex challenges with precision, scale and speed. We’re proud to be a part of the growing bioeconomy in Oregon and to welcome the Commission to our Wilsonville site to show what can be made possible with advanced manufacturing and automation alongside a skilled local workforce.”
Event Details
In the first session of the visit, Commissioner Arcangeli and Rep. Salinas headed to Twist Bioscience where they joined a roundtable discussion focused on how Oregon is leveraging its strengths in semiconductor manufacturing, AI, advanced engineering, and life sciences to accelerate biotechnology production and strengthen U.S. national security. They also discussed the statewide Life Sciences Competitiveness Taskforce. which is building partnerships among academia, government, and industry to enable the commercialization of biotechnology in Oregon. This session ended with a facility tour of Twist Bioscience.
After, Commissioner Arcangeli visited the Genentech Hillsboro Technical Operations center for a presentation on the company’s latest work and facility tour. Genentech recently announced a major expansion of the Hillsboro site that would expand end-to-end U.S. production capabilities and strengthen the resilience of the domestic medicine supply chain.
To end the visit, Commissioner Arcangeli and Rep. Salinas visited Portland Community College’s (PCC) Rock Creek Campus which is providing hands-on biotechnology education and workforce training designed to prepare students for careers in Oregon’s growing bioscience sector. A deep-dive presentation from PCC, Oregon Health & Science University, University of Oregon, and Oregon State University explored how an interconnected academic ecosystem is giving students hands-on experiences across biotechnology and preparing them for careers in life sciences and beyond.
Participants included:
- U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas
- Aronora, Inc.
- Business Oregon
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute
- Genentech Inc.
- Office of Governor Tina Kotek
- Office of U.S. Representative Janelle Bynum
- Office of U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici
- Office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
- Oregon Bioscience Incubator
- Oregon Business Council
- Oregon Entrepreneurs Network
- Oregon Health & Science University
- Oregon Life Sciences
- Oregon State University
- Penderia Technologies
- Seran Biosciences
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Twist Bioscience
- University of Oregon
