BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse Aims to Develop Bioscience Industries
Leaders of the Pittsburgh region's health care and bioscience industries, economic development organizations and local government have united with Pittsburgh BioVenture, a biotechnology planning effort launched by Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh last spring, to release a 10-year strategic plan 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 incorporates Pittsburgh BioVenture.
The plan was modeled after the successful Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse, a consortium of electronic chip designers and manufacturers that was recently established.
"The BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse strategy is strong because it is comprehensive," said Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon, co-chair of the Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse Steering Committee along with University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg.
"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."
"We need to move Pittsburgh forward exponentially rather than incrementally," Nordenberg said. "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."
"Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse is exactly the support the region's bioscience industry needs to thrive," said D. Lansing Taylor, president and chief executive officer of 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."
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. Earlier this year the state set aside $100 million in tobacco settlement money to establish Greenhouses across the state. 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, and the start-up and attraction of 110 bioscience companies. An inflow of $334 million in Federal and other funds is also projected for the region.
"The Pittsburgh region is well positioned to become a national leader in the development of the biosciences," said Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, a member of the BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse Steering Committee. "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."
"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," said 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 information technology (IT) and engineering," Plosila explains. "The world-class work under way 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 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," Plosila said.
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 diagnostics, and therapeutic strategies for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
"Carnegie Mellon has strengths in all four core research areas," said medical doctor and lawyer Victor Weedn, principal research scientist and director of the university's biotechnology initiatives. "In addition, the university has a lot to offer in computer science, business, information technology and engineering generally that will help bring these new commercial products to society."
The prospectus also outlines five strategies supported by 22 recommendations for action. The strategies are:
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, chairman of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) and Carnegie Mellon Trustee. "The successful implementation of Pittsburgh BioVenture/Life Sciences Greenhouse is a major priority for the region. This will be our legacy to future generations."
For the complete text of the prospectus, visit the Web at www.pittsburghregion.org
Bill Flanagan (Allegheny Conference on Community Development and Pittsburgh Regional Alliance)
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