Watertown Board of Health Approves Biosafety Permits for Three Biotech Companies

WATERTOWN — October 19, 2022 — Watertown Board of Health approves biosafety permits for three biotechnology companies and hears a father's plea over his disabled son's pool access at Perkins School. The three-member board — Chair Barbara Beck, Dominic Amitrano, and Richard Arnold — voted 3-0 Wednesday to approve permits for Archaea LLC, which works with donated human skin tissue for cosmetics research; AutoIVF Inc., which develops IVF automation technology at Arsenal Labs; and Abata Therapeutics, which is moving to 100 Forge Road and conducts T-cell therapy research for autoimmune diseases. Brad Parsons, the new chair of the Watertown Biosafety Committee, told the board the town has now issued 52 permits and eight registrations to 60 life sciences companies since the program launched in 2020. Health Director Larry Ramdin committed to seeking a written commitment from Perkins School for the Blind that a severely disabled student — who has been isolated to solo swim sessions under a disputed reading of a state pool code — will be allowed to swim with peers, telling the boy's father, "I can't imagine how difficult this is for you."