Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and officials from the genetics research firm Jackson Laboratory will announce a “major collaboration” in bioscience Friday morning, according to Malloy’s office.

On Wednesday, former UConn President Philip E. Austin, who serves as the university’s interim vice president for health affairs, said that a “major scientific group” will be relocating to Connecticut, likely creating hundreds of jobs. He said the move was related to Bioscience Connecticut, an $864 million plan to expand and renovate the UConn Health Center, with a goal of making the region a leader in bioscience.

The Jackson Laboratory has more than 1,400 employees in California and Maine. It conducts genetic research on mice with the goal of discovering how to prevent, treat and cure human disease. It also provides materials and support for other scientists, including by breeding colonies of mice for research at other labs.

Others scheduled to attend Friday’s 11 a.m. announcement include Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner Catherine Smith, UConn President Susan Herbst, and legislative leaders.

Arielle Levin Becker covered health care for The Connecticut Mirror. She previously worked for The Hartford Courant, most recently as its health reporter, and has also covered small towns, courts and education in Connecticut and New Jersey. She was a finalist in 2009 for the prestigious Livingston Award for Young Journalists, a recipient of a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and the third-place winner in 2013 for an in-depth piece on caregivers from the National Association of Health Journalists. She is a 2004 graduate of Yale University.

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