An op ed by Chrissy Buteas, President and CEO, HealthCare Institute of New Jersey

As America prepares to celebrate our 250^th anniversary, it’s worth reminding ourselves that New Jersey has been known as the “Crossroads of the Revolution” since our nation’s founding. From Washington’s daring Delaware River crossing to surprise British and Hessian troops in Trenton, to the Battle of Princeton a few days later, and to the Battle of Monmouth a few years later, New Jersey played a pivotal role in turning the tide of the war in our favor. As we approach our sesquicentennial, we will remember those brave young patriots who fought and died to help found the greatest nation on Earth.

But back in 1776, it wasn’t British muskets or cannons that killed the most soldiers in the Continental Army – it was diseases like smallpox, dysentery, pneumonia, and typhus, or infections from otherwise treatable battle wounds that led to staph, sepsis, gangrene, and death.

Since the American Revolution, there have been remarkable advances in global health.  The average life expectancy in 1776 America was only 38 years.  Today, the average life expectancy in the United States is 79.

Why did America gain the upper hand over the British and win our independence?  And why has life expectancy doubled since then?  The answer to both questions is the same:  New Jersey.

New Jersey has played a unique yet critical role not only in the American Revolution but also in curing diseases, discovering new life-saving treatments, and advancing human health. Nearly 150 years ago, several small start-up companies began opening shop in New Jersey—companies like Johnson & Johnson in 1886, BD a few years later, and Merck shortly after that. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, New Jersey began to turn the tide again—this time against deadly illnesses, infections, and other life-threatening conditions as these companies established new research labs, expanded medical manufacturing plants, and attracted scientists and medical professionals from other states and countries.

Soon, the “Crossroads of the American Revolution” also became known as “the Medicine Chest of the World,” and we began saving lives around the country and the planet by finding new treatments and cures right here in New Jersey.

In the ensuing years, New Jersey and America’s life sciences – the biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies that invest hundreds of billions of dollars each year in the research and discovery of new medicines, medical technologies and diagnostic tools – were finding innovative, cutting-edge ways to increase life expectancy from around 40 years to 50 years.  Then 60.  Then 70.  Today, we’re on the cusp of 80.

How did the life sciences in America and New Jersey achieve this? How did we arrive at this miraculous period in human history? Here’s how.

VACCINES: Over the past 200 years, life sciences companies have developed and countries around the world have approved life-saving vaccines for diseases that once decimated entire populations. While flu and COVID vaccines are frequently discussed in today’s world, our modern society is built upon vaccines for smallpox, rabies, polio, tetanus, measles, and malaria—diseases and infections that once crippled societies, economies, and nations. Today’s vaccines extend far beyond the earlier ones; we can now vaccinate against cervical cancer, hepatitis, and the RSV virus, among many other conditions. Modern society would not be possible without our industry’s ability to vaccinate against some of the deadliest diseases.

CANCER TREATMENTS: In colonial times, treatments for cancer and other conditions involved practices like bloodletting and leeches. In the 1940s, chemotherapy was in its infancy but began to become a widely accepted – and life-saving – practice. Today, modern science has developed unimaginable innovative ways to treat cancers, such as CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor) therapy, where a patient’s own T-cells are extracted from their body, reengineered to attack specific cancer types, and then reintroduced into that patient’s own body; and radioligand therapy (RLT) in which a radioactive particle is bound with a molecule that attacks only the cancerous tumor – and not the healthy tissue, muscle and organs around the tumor.

GENE THERAPIES: Life sciences companies have embarked on a new generation of medical innovations, including gene therapies, in which a patient’s own stem cells are modified and edited at the cellular level to correct genetic defects. These treatments are now being used to address several genetic conditions, such as inherited blood disorders like sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia, severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), and certain forms of blindness (like Leber's congenital amaurosis). Many more treatments are on the horizon.

MEDICAL DEVICES: From the band-aid to the MRI machine, from robotic surgeries to knee and hip implants, medical device and technology companies have been revolutionizing medical care for centuries, and at an increasingly accelerating rate. From the stethoscope to today’s heart and diabetes monitors connected to our cell phones, these life sciences companies and their innovations are used to keep hundreds of millions of patients alive every day.

DIAGNOSTICS: From the thermometer for fevers to the old petri dish used to detect strep throat, diagnostics have been at the forefront of medical treatments for hundreds of years. Today’s life sciences companies have enabled us to conduct biomarker diagnostic testing that can identify a wide range of conditions, including various cancers, autoimmune diseases, hard-to-diagnose rare conditions, and even some non-cancerous conditions by examining a patient’s genetic material. These biomarkers can assist not only with diagnosis but also with determining treatment selections and which specific medicines will generate the best response in an individual patient.

The list of breakthrough medical technologies, medicines, devices, and diagnostics that America’s and New Jersey’s life sciences have researched, discovered, and delivered to patients over the past 150 years has been astonishing. Without these breathtaking and innovative treatments and cures, our average life expectancies would resemble those of the 1700s, and people wouldn’t be living even half as long as we do now. Moreover, we’re not done – these biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies are working hard every day to find that next breakthrough, that next cure, and that next innovation that will save even more lives and enable us to live longer, with less pain and more independence.

New Jersey should be proud that our state has been pivotal to the success of TWO revolutions – the American Revolution and the medical innovation revolution. New Jersey stands out among all the other states as “The Crossroads of the American Revolution” and “The Medicine Chest of the World.” New Jersey’s innovation and our nation’s independence – perfect together.

This post is sponsored content from the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey.