BIOTECH/PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY REVIEW
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here may be remote regions of Greenland and the Sahara that are not competing aggressively for biotechnology projects, but that could well change. Research and development in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries is uncovering a wealth of new applications for indigenous plants and organisms globally, giving virtually every area an opportunity to develop a local biotechnology industry, provided the necessary resources are present. New medicinal and other uses for fish oils in the Canadian Maritime provinces, herbs in China and other locations and lots of other local organic material are just the beginning of a bio-scientific scenario that will touch most corners of the globe. Whether the R&D, product development and commercialization takes place locally or at a remote location can have a significant economic development impact.
For many years, certain areas have fostered biotech clusters that today have become world-class centers of R&D and product development. Eastern Massachusetts, northern and central New Jersey, the St. Lawrence Seaway corridor in Québec, the life sciences corridor in Maryland and the Research Triangle in North Carolina are among those locations.
More recently, another tier of locations is emerging with robust biotech R&D industries. These include greater Memphis and other parts of Tennessee (a bio-logistics cluster is in place in Memphis thanks to companies seeking proximity to Federal Express's hub), Pennsylvania's Life Science Greenhouses, Missouri's BioBelt, the Indianapolis Life Sciences Corridor, the Medicon Valley in northern Europe and The Netherlands, to name a few.
Still other regions are now emerging or making themselves known on the global level as areas seeking to grow local biotech industries. In Europe, these include Flanders in Belgium, the Biotech Sunbelt and the Lille Nord-Pas de Calais, Midi-Pyrenees and Pays de Loire regions in France, as well as Thuringia, Munich and Bavaria in Germany. Cross-border regional alliances, such as INeurope, also are emerging. INeurope encompasses the Liege area in Belgium, the Aachen area in Germany and Maastricht in the Netherlands; these areas are adjacent to each other geographically.
Similar regions are emerging in the United Kingdom and Ireland. And Australia, China and Singapore all have established biotechnology centers of excellence.
Take Worcester, Mass., for example. "If you draw a two-hour driving circle from Worcester, you will encounter 10 out of the 125 medical schools in the country, two of the top engineering schools in the world -- MIT and Worcester Polytechnic Institute -- and New England's only regional veterinary campus," notes Dennis Guberski, president of Biomedical Research Models, a pre-clinical medical research company specializing in diabetic complication pathways and oral delivery of vaccines. The company is a tenant in one of two MBI Innovation Centers operated by Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, a Worcester-based, independent, tax-exempt corporation that supports the development of biotech research and medical device companies in the region. The company, which employs 50 people, is currently in 25,000 square feet (2,300 sq. m.) in four sites in the Worcester area.
"There is a host of other biotechnology companies, and this has created a nexus for development," adds Guberski. "The telecommunications infrastructure is in place, and CEOs participate in a Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, which gives us some buying power and a forum in which we can discuss common goals."
With 10 colleges in the Worcester area alone, finding workers is not a problem, says Guberski. "It's a phenomenal work force -- well-educated and trained. And until recently, the Worcester area had a wonderfully affordable housing market, but I understand it's become the second-hottest housing market in the country."
So the Worcester area has the two key attributes necessary for building a biotech R&D cluster: universities and proximity to other biotech companies and resources. The same is true of the regions emerging as challengers to the standbys, such as Indiana's life sciences corridor.
For many years, certain areas have fostered biotech clusters that today have become world-class centers of R&D and product development. Eastern Massachusetts, northern and central New Jersey, the St. Lawrence Seaway corridor in Québec, the life sciences corridor in Maryland and the Research Triangle in North Carolina are among those locations.
More recently, another tier of locations is emerging with robust biotech R&D industries. These include greater Memphis and other parts of Tennessee (a bio-logistics cluster is in place in Memphis thanks to companies seeking proximity to Federal Express's hub), Pennsylvania's Life Science Greenhouses, Missouri's BioBelt, the Indianapolis Life Sciences Corridor, the Medicon Valley in northern Europe and The Netherlands, to name a few.
Still other regions are now emerging or making themselves known on the global level as areas seeking to grow local biotech industries. In Europe, these include Flanders in Belgium, the Biotech Sunbelt and the Lille Nord-Pas de Calais, Midi-Pyrenees and Pays de Loire regions in France, as well as Thuringia, Munich and Bavaria in Germany. Cross-border regional alliances, such as INeurope, also are emerging. INeurope encompasses the Liege area in Belgium, the Aachen area in Germany and Maastricht in the Netherlands; these areas are adjacent to each other geographically.
Similar regions are emerging in the United Kingdom and Ireland. And Australia, China and Singapore all have established biotechnology centers of excellence.
Sine qua non
The common denominator, whether the area is a household name or an emerging player on the biotech R&D stage, is the presence of one or more universities. Leading universities generate new research initiatives, attract funds and populate spin-off companies once research has reached a point where venture capital can help begin the commercialization process. Some would say they are a "sine qua non" -- a Latin phrase meaning "without which there cannot be."Take Worcester, Mass., for example. "If you draw a two-hour driving circle from Worcester, you will encounter 10 out of the 125 medical schools in the country, two of the top engineering schools in the world -- MIT and Worcester Polytechnic Institute -- and New England's only regional veterinary campus," notes Dennis Guberski, president of Biomedical Research Models, a pre-clinical medical research company specializing in diabetic complication pathways and oral delivery of vaccines. The company is a tenant in one of two MBI Innovation Centers operated by Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, a Worcester-based, independent, tax-exempt corporation that supports the development of biotech research and medical device companies in the region. The company, which employs 50 people, is currently in 25,000 square feet (2,300 sq. m.) in four sites in the Worcester area.
"There is a host of other biotechnology companies, and this has created a nexus for development," adds Guberski. "The telecommunications infrastructure is in place, and CEOs participate in a Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, which gives us some buying power and a forum in which we can discuss common goals."
With 10 colleges in the Worcester area alone, finding workers is not a problem, says Guberski. "It's a phenomenal work force -- well-educated and trained. And until recently, the Worcester area had a wonderfully affordable housing market, but I understand it's become the second-hottest housing market in the country."
So the Worcester area has the two key attributes necessary for building a biotech R&D cluster: universities and proximity to other biotech companies and resources. The same is true of the regions emerging as challengers to the standbys, such as Indiana's life sciences corridor.