Fierce Biotech Says RTP Is Nation’s No. 4 Biotech Hub

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North Carolina’s Research Triangle region is the nation’s fourth leading hub for biotechnology activity, trailing only Boston, San Francisco and San Diego, says Fierce Biotech, an online publication that covers the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

The ranking is based largely on recent company demand for lab space and lab space under construction, as assessed by CBRE Research, a real estate market intelligence firm.

Despite not being “big or famous in one way or another” like the three cities cited, “here comes Research Triangle Park, a little haven of R&D sitting between Raleigh and Durham,” writes Annalee Armstrong, author of the Fierce Biotech article on the nation’s top biotech hubs.

“The medicines being manufactured in Research Triangle Park are cutting-edge,” Armstrong writes. “Novartis just got clearance in April to begin producing its spinal muscular atrophy gene therapy Zolgensma there. The company has a 170,000-square-foot plant already waiting to start cranking out the gene therapy.”

The article also cites commercial activity just outside the Park’s borders, including new manufacturing sites in Morrisville for Enzyvant, a regenerative medicine company, and Kriya Therapeutics, a gene therapy company.

The greater Research Triangle region that includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill has about 10.6 million square feet of commercial bioscience lab space, is ranked No. 3 in research funding from the National Institutes of Health and is a leader in biologics manufacturing, the article notes.

The piece also cites North Carolina’s large life sciences community of 790 life sciences companies and 2,500 related service providers as an international force.

“The biggest names in pharma -- Biogen, Novartis, Pfizer and more -- have space there, and every day new biotechs are emerging with an NC ZIP code,” Armstrong writes.

“Taken together, the quality, depth, and breadth of scientific expertise and innovation across the Triangle provides an advantage for companies of all sizes and stages of development,” said Laura Rowley, Ph.D., vice president of life science economic development with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

“RTP has cultivated an ecosystem that is able to nurture companies from inception to commercial launch and beyond. It is gratifying to have a major industry publication such as Fierce Biotech reflect the findings of CBRE Research, hailing the RTP area as one of America’s top biotech hubs.” 

Barry Teater, NCBiotech Writer
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