Bristol-Myers Squibb to expand in academic-rich research centers in Cambridge, San Francisco

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. will expand its presence in research centers in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and San Francisco, as it cuts jobs in Connecticut, the biopharmaceutical company announced Thursday.

The New York-based company will open a research site in Cambridge — home to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard — in 2018 and expand its research site in San Francisco. The expansion is expected to be completed next year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb said it's discontinuing virology research, including early research in hepatitis B and HIV. About 100 positions will be eliminated as a result. The discontinuation of the research is consistent with the direction of the research it announced in 2013, the company said.

In Cambridge, scientists will focus on research into genetically defined diseases, molecular discovery technologies and discovery platform chemistry.

It will relocate up to 200 workers from its Wallingford, Connecticut, and Waltham, Massachusetts, sites and a limited number from New Jersey. Of 900 jobs in Connecticut, 300 will be moved to Massachusetts and New Jersey, 100 will be cut and 500 will remain at a different site in the state to be determined.

The announcement of job reductions in Connecticut coincides with a political debate over tax increases approved by the Democratic-run legislature and strong opposition from businesses that say higher taxes would kill jobs. Bristol-Myers Squibb spokesman Frederick J. Egenolf said the company's actions are not related to the state budget.

The company is focusing on priority areas such as immuno-oncology and exploring disease areas of "highest unmet medical need" where Bristol-Myers Squibb can bring the greatest value.

Increasing its research presence in "hubs of scientific excellence and innovation" will offer scientists the opportunity to work in state-of-the art labs in communities that offer strong opportunities in science, research and business, he said.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said in a statement she is "deeply troubled" by the announced job cuts in Wallingford.