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PS Pharmaceuticals has come a long way from its early days of extracting venom from spiders, scorpions and centipedes in its drug discovery efforts. Those small creatures are now long gone as the Salt Lake City biopharmaceutical company fosters its research into treatments for a variety of afflictions including osteoporosis and gastrointestinal disorders.
     Founded in 1986 by Hunter Jackson, a former anatomy professor at the University of Utah — affectionately called the "U of U" by locals — NPS seems poised to turn the corner as one of the state's first viable biopharmaceutical companies. NPS moved into its new 100,000-sq.-ft. (9,300-sq.-m.) headquarters at the University of Utah Research Park on Jan. 1, 2005.
     Perhaps a more important milestone will involve its promising new osteoporosis treatment Preos, now proceeding toward FDA approval. It will be the first drug the company will develop and sell. Its first product, Sensipar, an endocrine disease treatment, was developed and marketed through a partnership with Amgen. Through the years NPS has also had alliances with AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and the pharmaceutical division of Tokyo's Kirin Brewery.

"Utah attracts people who believe a balance in life is important." — Dr. Carl R. Kjeldsberg, CEO and chairman of ARUP Laboratories

     The company has raised and invested more than $850 million in venture capital funds over the last 19 years. NPS, which employs about 375, also has operations in Mississauga, Ontario, and Parsippany, N.J.
     The new headquarters building, with a spectacular view of the Salt Lake Valley, was built with expansion in mind as the company moves its products to market in the coming years. For NPS, there was no consideration of moving its headquarters away from its Utah roots.
     "Our company grew up here," says David L. Clark, vice president, corporate affairs for NPS. "Our scientists are here. There's no problem at all attracting scientists here. We have a vibrant little core of companies in Utah," Clark says of the state's life sciences sector, clustered primarily in the Salt Lake City metro area.
     NPS is one of a growing number of life sciences companies emerging from technology developed at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University and Utah State University. Technologies range from drug discovery to a wide array of medical devices to developments in homeland security.
     A growing niche is in genetics and genomics research, with several companies building research around the precise family record-keeping of the Mormon Church.
     "The Mormon Church has kept accurate family records for many years and as a result there is a unique genetic database here that has become a tremendous resource," says Brian Moss, president and executive director of the Utah Life Science Association. "It is the most dynamic database of its kind in the world. The only one that's close is in Iceland."
     Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF) and Sorenson Genomics are divisions of the Sorenson Companies. SMGF, a nonprofit organization, is developing a database of DNA profiles linked to different populations. Its database currently has more than 50,000 samples. Sorenson Genomics, a genomic laboratory, has been instrumental in identification of many of last year's Asian tsunami victims.
     Many in the life sciences field cite the natural allure of the Rocky Mountains as a key to the sector's development. They say that the quality of life factor is particularly important to scientists.
     "The quality of life in Utah with its proximity to nature is a big attraction," says Dr. Carl R. Kjeldsberg, CEO and chairman of ARUP Laboratories, a leading reference laboratory owned by the University of Utah that does nearly $250 million in annual business. "The climate is wonderful here."
     For Kjeldsberg, a former member of the Norwegian national ski team, much of the attraction centers around the region's slopes. "Utah attracts people who believe a balance in life is important," he says.
     Each of the Rocky Mountain states have efforts in the life sciences field. The following chart offers a look at what each state offers to promote development in this growing field.