The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, Inc. (PLSG), a partnership to put the region's life sciences industry on a fast track for growth, has attracted its first company-Renal Solutions, Inc.- and has secured $33.33 million in seed funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Renal Solutions, Inc., (RSI) a medical device and healthcare service company based in West Lafayette, Ind., is relocating to western Pennsylvania to avail itself of the region's deep medical, research and business assets. RSI focuses on patients with chronic kidney failure and has developed a self-
contained, transportable kidney dialysis product that enables patients to self-
administer dialysis therapy in their own home without the need of a health care
professional. The device improves patient's clinical outcomes and quality of life, while reducing medical costs.
The PLSG, a partnership of Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh, the region's biotechnology industry, economic development organizations, and state and local governments, was formed to position the region as a global leader in biotechnology. It was established to provide a powerful catalyst for the region's life sciences sector, linking bioscience researchers and entrepreneurs, and improving their access to funding, leading-edge laboratories and equipment, and market opportunities.
The PLSG grew out of an original plan known as BioVenture developed by Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh. The PLSG's core research areas are drug discovery tools and targets, medical devices and diagnostics, tissue/organ
engineering and regenerative medicine, and therapeutic strategies for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker, along with PLSG officials, made the recent announcements at a press gathering on April 3 at Cellomics, Inc., a biotechnology spin-off of Carnegie Mellon that develops software and equipment for testing new drug therapies. Also that day, Schweiker announced $66.66 million in state support for Life Sciences Greenhouses in Philadelphia and Hershey. Last year the state set aside $100 million of its tobacco settlement fund to support three Life Sciences Greenhouses across the state.
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