Contact: Bruce Gerson
(412) 268-1613

For immediate release:
November 20, 2001

Regional Leaders Unite Behind Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse Plan

Comprehensive 10-Year Prospectus to Develop Capabilities in Fast-Growing Bioscience Industry Submitted to State

Leaders of the Pittsburgh region's universities; health care, bioscience industry, and economic development organizations; and government today released a prospectus outlining a comprehensive 10-year community strategy to position the region as a global leader in the bioscience industry.

The prospectus was submitted to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as southwestern Pennsylvania's request for funding for the development of a Life Sciences Greenhouse, one of three authorized by legislation signed into law in June 2001. The prospectus embeds the region's Greenhouse in a comprehensive regional economic development strategy, which also incorporates Pittsburgh BioVenture, a biosciences planning effort launched by the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University in spring 2001.

Unified Approach Seen as Essential

Regional leaders began to pursue a unified Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse approach immediately following passage of the Greenhouse legislation.

"We need to move Pittsburgh forward exponentially rather than incrementally," says Mark A. Nordenberg, Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. "That can happen only if we work together, linking all stakeholders from initial idea to new company or new jobs and leveraging existing efforts. In this competitive environment, a piecemeal approach is destined to fail."

"The BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse strategy is strong because it is comprehensive," adds Jared L. Cohon, Carnegie Mellon University President. "It approaches the development of our bioscience potential as a whole, spanning the research, technology, commercialization and economic development environments and emphasizing the need to combine a sense of urgency with a long-term view of the region's opportunity."

"Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse is exactly the support the region's bioscience industry needs to thrive," says D. Lansing Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cellomics, Inc. "The Greenhouse will be the centerpiece of technology commercialization and economic development efforts. It also will be the single organization to exploit synergies among university research strengths and facilities, and coordinate those efforts with economic development."

Biosciences Leadership Translates into Jobs, Economic Growth, Improved Health Care

"In the decades ahead, a strong bioscience capacity will mean jobs, economic growth and improved quality of life for those regions that keep up with the fast-paced change in this dynamic industry," says Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey, one of a broad cross-section of stakeholders serving on the BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse Steering Committee.

In its proposal to the Commonwealth, the southwestern Pennsylvania region requested $40 million of the $100 million in Greenhouse funding allocated by the state over five years. The projected overall cost of the region's comprehensive 10-year plan is $600 million, including public and private dollars.

If full funding is achieved, economic impact projections include at least 5,000 new jobs in the bioscience industry, along with substantial indirect job creation; start-up and attraction of 110 bioscience companies; and inflow of $334 million in Federal and other funds.

"The Pittsburgh region is well positioned to become a national leader in the development of the biosciences," adds Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, also a Steering Committee member. "The 10-year plan reflects input from hundreds of people representing more than 62 organizations. It is exceptionally insightful and will help ensure that our efforts are well-focused and coordinated."

Plan Builds on Strengths, Targets Opportunities

"The Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse prospectus builds upon the region's exceptional strengths in biomedical research and clinical care, as well as engineering and information technology," says Walter Plosila of the Battelle Memorial Institute's Technology Partnership Practice, who led much of the research and analysis behind the plan.

"One of the most important trends in the bioscience industry is its convergence with IT and engineering," Plosila explains. "The world-class work underway at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and UPMC Health System within the local bioscience and IT industry and elsewhere offer a tremendous advantage."

"UPMC is an important part of the equation," Plosila adds. "It is an anchor for the bioscience industry, translating laboratory breakthroughs to clinical application, serving as an incubator of ideas and entrepreneurial activity, and drawing and developing top talent."

By cross-referencing the region's formidable strengths with expected market trends and opportunities, the prospectus identifies four core research areas for development in the region:

- Drug discovery tools and targets
- Tissue/organ engineering and regenerative medicine
- Medical devices and diagnostic
- Therapeutic strategies for neurological and psychiatric disorders

The prospectus also outlines five strategies supported by 22 recommendations for action:

Strategy 1: Build research stature and reputation in core research areas that can position Pittsburgh for scientific leadership as well as clinical research and care.

Strategy 2: Develop incentives and mechanisms to better link research to technology and commercialization within the Pittsburgh region.

Strategy 3: Nurture and develop entrepreneur-based bioscience enterprises as a primary way to build a stronger bioscience industry base in Pittsburgh.

Strategy 4: Invest and develop the region's talent pool in the biosciences from entry level to senior level personnel.

Strategy 5: Build capacity within the region's economic development organizations to help bioscience firms locate, expand or start up in western Pennsylvania.

A Priority for the Region; Our Generation's Legacy

Over the next several weeks, priority activities include fundraising, establishment of a legal Life Sciences Greenhouse entity as required by the legislation, and recruitment of management to begin to implement the plans outlined in the prospectus.

"The biosciences industry offers this region an unparalleled opportunity," says David Shapira, PRA Chairman. "The successful implementation of Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse is a major priority for the region. This will be our legacy to future generations."