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Passage Bio helping to revitalize old BMS site Biological research firm one of several in Hopewell pursuing advances in gene therapy By SUe Ferrara
Birthday treats available from Pennington-based Dana Does Desserts.
Dana Does Desserts: Former teacher unleashes baking passion By Jack DeeGaN Ever since she was little, Pennington resident Dana Moss has been passionate about baking and cooking. She’s spent her life doing it with her family, and despite that passion, it wasn’t until recent years that she was able to turn it into a business and live out her dreams of owning her own creative business. Always con-
sidering herself an artist, she wanted to pursue a career where she could own her own creative business. “I started probably about 10 years ago, just making it for my own kids or family members. I would make things just for fun, I’m an artist as well, not only do I bake but I really take the time to do fun colors and just make my products fun,” she said. Before she started her new
dream business, she worked as a teacher. It wasn’t until she moved to Pennington from Florida during the pandemic, that she took a chance to pursue the career she had always dreamed of and opened up “Dana Does Desserts” from her own home. Since 2020, Moss, 43, has been pursuing her dream career of running her own business baking and cooking deserts See DESSERTS, Page 17
According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office study, close to 30 million Americans wrestle daily with the consequences of one of 7,000 rare diseases. Half of those suffering from rare diseases are children who often don’t live beyond the age of 5-years-old; many die in infancy. And nearly 75% of these 7,000 rare diseases are caused by genetic mutations. Rare diseases are defined by the National Institutes of Health as “a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people.” These diseases are also referred to as orphan diseases because drug companies have shown little interest in research and development for these conditions. In 1983, Congress tried to encourage pharmaceutical R&D for these conditions when it enacted the Orphan Drug Act. But traditional drug regimens usually treat symptoms which can extend a patient’s life as
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opposed to providing a cure. Now though, horizons look brighter for the millions of people with rare diseases thanks to advances in genetic research. Gene therapy provides new hope for those with rare diseases that they might live longer, and healthier, lives. And some of that very important gene therapy research and development is being done in Hopewell under the leadership of Pennington resident Bruce Goldsmith. Goldsmith is the president and chief executive officer of Passage Bio, a gene therapy company based in Philadelphia which has opened a satellite location on the old Bristol Myers-Squibb Hopewell campus, now called Princeton West Innovation Campus. Like many biotech firms, Passage Bio is connected to a university research lab; in this case, the affiliation is with UPenn’s Gene Therapy program. While he now resides in Pennington, Goldsmith grew up with his brother and parents in Woodstock, New York, attending schools next door in the town of Saugerties. And no, as an aside, the famous concert did not happen in his hometown; it happened in Bethel, New York, about 90 minutes southwest of Woodstock. See PASSAGE, Page 10
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