Changing from business to biotech/genetics - Possible without new bachelor?

[BioDream]

I graduated with a bachelor degree in business administration in 2006 (foreign country). We don't do GPA there, but my uGPA is probably around 3.0. I worked on the family business for a while, then moved to the U.S. (husband was transferred). I didn't work for a very long time, just published a few ebooks online (in my native language). I knew I wanted to go back to school for a long time, but (not worth explaining the whole situation here) my husband wouldn't let me.

Fast forward 10 years I got a divorce and enrolled in a community college to start getting core science courses. I'm halfway through with a 4.0 GPA. I always had a passion for science and only went to business because of family pressure. I live in Boston, so there's a lot of opportunities in biotech here, but for most part, you need a PhD to have a successful career in industry (I don't want to work in academia). 

I'm trying to get it right, now that I'm "free", so to speak. But here's the thing: I'm 37 years old, with no science background, other than these community college classes. 

I initially thought I would need a second bachelor degree in science to successfully make this change and be accepted in a PhD program. However, professors and counselors I've been talking to say that I don't need another undergraduate degree and that doing a masters after the core science block would be enough.

My concern is that my GPA is too low for graduate school, but as I've been reading, it seems that the way that education works in the U.S., I can never erase my past. That number will follow me forever, regardless of a second bachelors. How much coursework would be necessary to raise my uGPA to acceptable levels?

I also hear that the farther you are from your previous education, the less important it is. But the problem is that I haven't done much of anything since then, other than be a housewife. 

On the other hand, due to financial aid limitations to second bachelor candidates and lifetime limit on federal loans, the only schools that I could afford to attend are the state schools, which in MA are not well regarded. I've also been told that associating myself with say, UMass, would be more detrimental to my application.

I'm trying to figure out if getting a bachelor in biology or biochemistry would really raise my chances of getting into a doctorate program in genetics/biotech, or if I could "fix" my GPA with an associate degree in science and then proceed to get a masters before applying. Some people suggested getting the Harvard Extension School masters in biotechnology and then applying to a full time masters in a really good school. HES would be an "intermediate step" between my weak background and a strong science program. 

I'm lucky enough to already work in biotech (as an executive assistant) and have the chance to do real scientific research in my community college (in molecular biology), participate in journal clubs (which I hear, students only get exposed to in graduate school). So, I believe these things are a plus and may offset the fact that I don't have degree in science.

What do you guys think?