A global pharmaceutical company is moving into Center City next year \u2014 and it could be a \u201cgame-changing\u201d development for Philly\u2019s biotech scene, a leader in the space says.<\/p>\n
Eli Lilly and Company<\/a> announced last week a new Lilly Gateway Labs location at 2300 Market Street. The site will serve as an incubator<\/a> for local early-stage biotech companies, offering lab space<\/a>, resources like capital and access to the company\u2019s scientists and executives.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe see it as a tremendously positive signal.\u201d<\/p>\n Tiffany Wilson, president and CEO of the University City Science Center<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re really going to be able to help us turn innovation into impact faster through the investment,\u201d Tiffany Wilson, president and CEO of the University City Science Center<\/a>, told Technical.ly, \u201cnot only dollars, but the in-kind support that they provide to companies that they\u2019re supporting to get them to the point where they can grow and scale.\u201d<\/p>\n This announcement is \u201cstrong external validation\u201d for the life science ecosystem in Philly, and could improve systems that build life sciences companies in the region, she said.<\/p>\n The Science Center has an existing relationship with Eli Lilly through Avid Radiopharmaceuticals. The diagnostics company started at the Science Center in 2004, was acquired by Eli Lilly<\/a> in 2010, but maintained its presence in University City over the years, Wilson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eli Lilly chose Philadelphia as its next incubator site because of those existing connections and the region\u2019s reputation in the life sciences industry, according to Julie Gilmore, vice president and global head of Lilly Gateway Labs.<\/p>\n Philadelphia\u2019s track record showed Eli Lilly that there is a lot of potential here that the company thinks it can help harness, Gilmore said. Support and collaboration from the city government, orgs like the Science Center and a strong workforce pipeline are also factors that make Philadelphia stand out<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re embedding Lilly in innovation hubs specifically to get close to early science that we find compelling,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are very thoughtful about where we take Gateway and have been evaluating Philadelphia for a while. We believe it checks all of our boxes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Philly\u2019s positive life sciences reputation persists\u00a0<\/p>\n The Eli Lilly move is a much-needed win for biotech companies, especially after a shaky year for Philadelphia life sciences, with workforce reductions and struggles to retain federal support<\/a>.<\/p>\n The region\u2019s gene therapy star Spark Therapeutics<\/a> announced plans to restructure<\/a> after its parent company Roche designated the firm as a financial loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shortly after, Spark announced plans to lay off about half of its employees<\/a> and that the remaining workers would be incorporated into Roche. And Spark isn\u2019t alone. Companies like Century Therapeutics<\/a> and Adaptimmune<\/a> announced significant layoffs this year, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n But these barriers haven\u2019t significantly tainted Philly\u2019s industry reputation. Other major orgs still want to build a presence here, too. For example, Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global equipment and services company, announced a partnership and opened its second Advanced Therapies Collaboration Center<\/a> with BioLabs Philadelphia<\/a> earlier this month.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Eli Lilly Lab is just another one of those opportunities for smaller startups to get their big break. Eli Lilly is already working with stakeholders in Philly\u2019s biotech community to select therapeutics companies for the space.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies are thoughtfully selected with the intent of building a community grounded in scientific promise and top-tier talent,\u201d Gilmore said. \u201cWe are able to tailor our expertise to meet a biotech\u2019s needs, whether scientific strategy, organizational or professional.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Building opportunities for local companies\u00a0<\/p>\n Philly\u2019s life sciences notoriety largely comes from major research institutions, like the University of Pennsylvania<\/a>, which have spun out successful companies. It supported Spark Therapeutics in developing the first FDA-approved gene therapy, Luxturna, and Penn researcher Carl June, who made the first FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy Kymriah.\u00a0<\/p>\n