Cross-border partnership starts with Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases

PROVIDENCE, R.I. and WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Rhode Island Life Science Hub (RILSH) and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) today announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work toward a shared regional biobank. The partnership will plan how Rhode Island hospitals can join the MLSC-supported biobank network, creating a trusted source of high-quality samples and data, collected the same way under careful controls, that researchers across both states can use.

The current participating Massachusetts hospitals include Baystate Medical Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Medical Center Health System, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, and UMass Chan Medical School. Alongside the participating healthcare institutions, industry partners will support the program’s core infrastructure. Advarra, DNAnexus, Datavant, and Azenta will provide expertise in ethics and regulatory oversight, secure data systems, privacy-preserving data linkage, and biospecimen management. Additional partners will generate molecular and multi-omic data, further increasing the scientific value of the resource.

The first focus will be Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases, a core area of research in Rhode Island. As the program grows, the partners plan to expand into other disease areas. Over the coming months, RILSH and the MLSC will build a shared plan for infrastructure and governance, with the goal of reaching a final agreement.

What this means

• For patients and families: Rhode Island patients will have a new way to help find better treatments for Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. Those who choose to take part can know their donation is handled with care, kept private, and put to work in research that could help families like theirs.
• For researchers: Scientists in both states will gain a larger, high-quality pool of samples and data, all collected the same way, helping speed new discoveries.
• For the region: One shared system means smart use of public dollars, less repeated work, and a stronger New England research community that draws investment and jobs.

“Science and disease don’t stop at state lines, and neither should our research. One of the biggest gaps in research today is high-quality data collected the same way, every time. By building one shared platform instead of two, we make smart use of our capital and give the scientific community a trusted baseline of data to advance new treatments. Rhode Island is starting with Alzheimer’s because it is a core strength here, and we plan to grow from there,” said Bob Cormier, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Life Science Hub.

“Massachusetts has made significant investments in scientific infrastructure, and this partnership presents an exciting opportunity to extend the reach and impact of those investments beyond the Commonwealth. By expanding the MLSC’s biobank network into Rhode Island, we can increase access to high-quality biological samples and data, strengthen regional research collaboration, and accelerate discoveries that advance our understanding and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases,” said Liz Graham, MLSC Interim President and CEO.

“The hardest part of studying brain disease is getting enough good data, collected the same way, from enough people. By joining a regional network, Rhode Island researchers can work at a scale neither state could reach alone, and that’s how discoveries move faster,” said Bharat Ramratnam, MD, Senior Vice President of Research, Brown University Health and Co-Chief Scientific Officer, Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health (BIRCH).

About the Rhode Island Life Science Hub
The Rhode Island Life Science Hub (RILSH) is a quasi-public state entity working to grow and serve Rhode Island’s life-science community — investing in, coordinating, and connecting academia, industry, clinical care, and capital to translate innovation into economic growth and improved health. Its vision is a Rhode Island recognized as a global life-science leader — a destination where companies from anywhere can build and grow, and where discovery becomes better health for people everywhere. As the state’s central coordinating organization for life sciences, RILSH is a gateway into Rhode Island’s research institutions, health systems, and talent — bringing companies and partners together to advance medical and scientific breakthroughs. For more information, please visit www.rilifescience.com.

About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is a quasi-public economic development investment agency dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the life sciences in Massachusetts, home to the most verdant and productive life sciences ecosystem in the world. Through public-private funding initiatives, the MLSC supports innovation, research and development, commercialization, and manufacturing activities in the fields of biopharma, medical device, diagnostics and digital health. Since 2008, the MLSC has strategically deployed nearly $1.2 billion in Massachusetts, through a combination of grants, loans, capital infrastructure investments, tax incentives and workforce development programs. These investments have created thousands of jobs and propelled the development of new therapies, devices and scientific advancements that are improving patient health and well-being in Massachusetts and beyond.

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SOURCE Rhode Island Life Science Hub