Seven years since I first went, the 2023 AAAS Annual Meeting is back in D.C. March 2-5, and I couldn’t be more excited. And if you’re not able to join in person, never fear – there’s also a virtual option as well.
As time has marched on, I’ve seen more and more impressive training programs pop up across the BioHealth Capital Region and the nation. Everything from specialized biotech training courses such as Bio-Trac to incredible biotech-focused associate degrees such as those offered through Montgomery College, Frederick Community College, and the Universities at Shady Grove. Communities colleges are partnering with nearby industries and offering internships and apprenticeships, some of which actually pay for students’ tuition and all but guarantee a job after finishing.
To add to the growing list of recent life science real estate developments in Greater Philadelphia, this week Scheer Partners shared that SkyREM, a real estate investor, owner, and developer with properties across the country, has big plans to convert Philly’s historic Quartermaster site into the Quartermaster Science + Technology Park. The $250 million commercial redevelopment project will include both wet and dry lab space catering to early-stage life science startups as well as more established companies.
Matt has over 30 years of experience in life sciences, business development, and entrepreneurship. He has founded and directed numerous companies, including ones that manufacture, wholesale, warehouse, and sell products on an industrial scale, as well as companies that perform environmental and analytical testing.
Philadelphia-based Context Therapeutics reported that its clinical collaborator, Stemline Therapeutics, had its Orserdu (elacestrant) approved by the FDA. Stemline Therapeutics is a U.S.-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Italy’s The Menarini Group.
West Conshohocken, Pa.-based Keystone, a commercial real estate development and investment company, is more than doubling lab space in Philadelphia’s Center City. The company recently announced the expansion of its laboratory space at The Curtis, adding 200,000 square feet to provide more than 325,000 square feet.
XyloCor Therapeutics, based in Wayne, Pa., recently announced its Phase I/II EXACT trial has wrapped the Phase II portion of the study. The trial was evaluating the company’s lead gene therapy candidate XC001 (encoberminogene rezmadenovic) in patients with refractory angina.
Despite its challenges, 2022 still proved to be an exciting year for life science real estate in the City of Brotherly Love. Companies announced various new projects throughout Philadelphia, targeting niches like university graduates and biomanufacturing. While experts say the city’s growth is due to slow down, it’s impossible not to acknowledge the leaps and bounds Philly has made recently.
Even as 2023 brings continued economic uncertainty, the Philly life sciences community has much to be optimistic about. Here are five companies whose potential 2023 achievements make them worthy of attention in the first half of the year.
In January, ACCP published a paper that highlights the need for increased diversity in drug development. The paper, dubbed “The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Drug Development and Clinical Trial Conduct” recommends increasing efforts to recruit more trial patients from varying racial backgrounds.