Video, Audio, Photos and Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Celebrates the Opening of New York's First Cell and Gene Therapy Hub at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo

Governor Hochul: “We're not just radically changing health outcomes for decades to come, we're ensuring that Buffalo and Western New York will always be known at the cutting edge of this - as the hub of life-saving research… CGT is one of the fastest growing treatment tools in our medical field today, and it has a limited potential for changing the outcomes for individuals diagnosed with cancer and rare diseases.”

Hochul: “Success is measured by more grandkids getting to know Grandma and Grandpa. Success is more holiday tables that are not empty, but full, and fewer families that know the loss of the most beloved person in their life.”

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the opening of the Roswell Park GMP Engineering and Cell Manufacturing Facility, New York's first cell and gene therapy hub, located at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo. The expansion also realizes Governor Hochul’s 2023 State of the State commitment to bolster the state’s leadership in the fast-growing CGT sector through establishment of an Upstate cell and gene therapy hub to catalyze its growth in Western New York.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

What a great day for Buffalo? I'm not just talking about the game - but as long as we're talking about the game, how extraordinary was that? It just felt so Buffalo, you know? Everybody was so excited and energetic, and to just run up the score like that. I'm not going to go through all the - but, thank you, Josh Allen for being our MVP, soon to be the nation's MVP of football this year and for many years to come because you lift our spirits. And as we think about this holiday time and find ourselves at Roswell - something else we are so proud of, in addition to the Buffalo Bills - we're so proud of Roswell, which has also shaped our identity.

People think of us for many, many reasons, and one is that we have exceptional, exceptional cancer care in an institution that really punches above its weight. For a community of our size to offer what Roswell offers, but not just in the past and present, but their forward-looking leadership, embracing new technologies - this is what I find so exciting.

And the leader of that, those efforts, is Candace Johnson, and I want to thank you. It is not an easy job to be where you are. You have stepped up, you have excelled and I thank you. Thank you for your commitment as well. Almost two years ago, I stood before the legislature - and many of them are here with me today - and I want to give a special shout out to my friends, my Western New York team, my own. I'm not just saying I'm Josh Allen, I'll never say that, but these are the people that support me so intensely when we go to Albany and have to fight for projects that affect Western New York.

And the leader of that team is none other than the Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who - thank you, thank you. Without her voice, I could assure you that over many, many years of her service, we would not have had the major projects and the dollars delivered to this region. So, she is exceptional and she'll always be at my side as we go forth.

Also, Senator Pat Gallivan has joined us. It's great to see you, Pat. Happy holidays to you and your family. Assemblymember Bill Conrad - the same to you, thank you for your support. Assemblymember Monica Wallace - extraordinary leader, we look forward to her next chapter.

It's great to see Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon and congratulations on the snow removal, okay? Because it can go either way, I know this. So, thank you and all of our local elected officials, and I'll be introducing Chris Vogelsang and thanking him for sharing his story in a few moments.

But, when I stood before the legislature - which is the State of the State address, which I'm actually working on now for January - I made a commitment to the people of the state. I said, “We would strive to do what others before have believed was impossible - that we could actually heal the sick and create a world where there's less pain and suffering. And in the process, we could create jobs, foster a whole new innovative industry that would revitalize local economies across our state, but particularly here in Western New York.”

And my friends at Roswell and across this community know I keep my word. I said we would do this. So today, we open a $98 million dollar Roswell Park Cell and Gene Therapy Center, supported by $30 million dollars from the State of New York - that's what a commitment's all about.

And we're not just radically changing health outcomes for decades to come, we're ensuring that Buffalo and Western New York will always be known at the cutting edge of this - as the hub of life-saving research. And cell and gene therapy sounds a little futuristic - maybe out of Star Trek or something - but the possibilities it holds. It's not science fiction - it's reality, it's happening. And CGT is one of the fastest growing treatment tools in our medical field today, and it has a limited potential for changing the outcomes for individuals diagnosed with cancer and rare diseases.

And with this, the cells are growing outside the body - this is fascinating to me - or genes are introduced to eradicate harmful mutations, and then they’re fine-tuned in the lab and reintroduced into the patient and they quickly go to work. It’s brilliant, and I thank all the doctors and the medical teams who are the brilliant minds behind this that's happening right here. It’s so amazing to me.

And the doctors call this a paradigm shift, and the applications are nearly unlimited. And we're already seeing positive results as we treat not just cancer, but ALS and Parkinson's, heart disease, MS, and so many more. This scientific revolution is changing lives already, and it holds deep personal meaning to me.

Those of you who know me growing up here in Western New York, who knew my parents, knew my mother - a real leader. She was one of the first voices back in the 70s to stand up for victims of domestic violence. She helped start Haven House, she was a counselor for families and people, and she used to take us as kids to the Neighborhood Information Center on Sycamore, which she helped start with Sister Desponsada - those who remember this story - helping people in need, senior citizens, people of all backgrounds who are falling on hard times.

She used to take me to the Perry Street projects as a kid. We'd be going up the stairs with lots of food for people and helping them. We didn't have a whole lot ourselves. We were shopping at used clothing stores, we were buying discount groceries, but my mom knew there were people who needed more. And I want you to know she instilled those values in me that are still with me today.

And when my mother got the diagnosis of ALS, for someone who used her voice for others and to lose her own voice, it was rather tragic. But she always pointed to the sign on her refrigerator that she lived her life by where she used to say, “Go into the world and do well, but more importantly, go into the world and do good.”

I try to live Mom's story, her lesson she taught me every single day, and I only wish that we could have had therapies like this, because I lost her right before I became Lieutenant Governor, and I miss her every single day. And so many other families have similar stories. I'm not unique. I'm not the only one, I know that.

But I'm so committed to this, and even ALS. Last year, we committed $25 million - first time ever - to fund ALS research, and that was an effort that was helped partnered by one of the great innovators and builders in New York City, Dan Doctoroff. Look up his name. Many, many significant projects associated with him. And since his diagnosis, he became a champion for ALS.

It's also another reason why I just spoke to beloved former Congressman Jack Quinn on Friday about Parkinson's and how I signed the Parkinson's registry bill that he championed along with the Michael J. Fox Foundation. These are all personal reasons to me on why we have to keep fighting harder.

And patients who have this diagnosis, they and their families want to know one thing - that everybody in the whole system, from their state government, to the institution that's giving them their care, places like Roswell, all the advocates, all of them are fighting and fully committed to working nonstop toward treatments and cures.

And I will say this again, first Governor from Buffalo since Grover Cleveland - I'm actually told he's from New Jersey, and that's where he's buried, okay? So I might just be Buffalo's only Governor, okay? But because of that, I know what Roswell means to this community. This is just not the name of another institution. We have thousands of institutions - yes, they're all important - but I know what Roswell means because my friends and their loved ones have been saved by Roswell.

So, I come here - I didn't want to miss this event, heading to Albany momentarily - but I said, “I have to be here to tell this community what you already know.”

But as your Governor, I can sing your praises all over the state because I know what goes on here and I know how you keep people alive and you do everything you can. What a dedicated staff you have here. These are God's angels on Earth and I thank all of you. I thank all of you.

And I knew when we came forth with our $620 million through our Life Science Initiative that I want to make sure that Roswell was part of this and I'm going to continue. And this continues our investment. We're not done yet. Don't keep asking for money every day. But it's not just success by a building, a place - success is measured by more grandkids getting to know Grandma and Grandpa. Success is more holiday tables that are not empty, but full, and fewer families that know the loss of the most beloved person in their life. We can stop that, this is how we do it and I'm so grateful to the Roswell family and to Western New York for your support and the philanthropy and all the people who believe in this because you know I'm a Buffalo Bills-backer and I'm a Roswell-backer and I always will be.

So thank you, thank you so much.

And I want you to meet an individual. The face of what I'm talking about. We're not talking in hypotheticals. Real people's lives are being changed and lengthened and they're here. And Christopher Vogelsang is one of those stories. He knows the work that's being done here. He and his wife Karen have a powerful story to share with you, that I want you to take pride in, all of you, and know that when Christopher was diagnosed with lymphoma back in 2008, that's a long time ago, he underwent cell therapy here at Roswell.

I'm so proud to say that Christopher is in remission and he's here to tell us his story. And let's give Christopher a warm welcome and tell him, let the world see the faces of those whose lives have been prolonged, lengthened, enriched because of Roswell. Thank you, Christopher. Thank you to you and your family. Let’s welcome him up.