Life Sciences Incubator to Open in Space Held by Amador Bioscience
By Alex Keown | March 15, 2024
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A new life sciences incubator is open for business in Germantown, providing lab and office space for startups and early-stage companies.
Located at 20400 Century Blvd., the 10,576 square-foot incubator is located in the same building where other life sciences companies call home, including Seraxis, Cellicure, Barinthus Biotherapeutics, and Amador Bioscience, which currently has the lease for the space.
The space initially belonged to translational and clinical contract research organization, Amador Bioscience to support eventual expansion. However, after a strategic review, company leadership realized it was not ready to occupy the space and saw an opportunity to boost the life sciences ecosystem by turning it over for use as an incubator.
The new life sciences incubator space includes 12 benches, as well as two larger separate spaces for scale-ups and meeting space for tenants. Equipment is already in place and the space is move-in ready. The new incubator will be ideal for companies or organizations focused on conducting research and beginning drug development programs. The price point for leasing space is expected to be lower than average, which will be welcome news to startups that are typically cash-conscience.
Lab space is in high demand in the Germantown region, as well as the entirety of the BioHealth Capital Region. According to the CBRE 2023 U.S. Life Sciences Outlook report, there is a less than 2% vacancy rate for lab space in the region. In fact, the Germantown Innovation Center, which is located at Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science & Technology at Montgomery College, has had to turn potential tenants away due to the demand.
Amador Chief Executive Officer Nina Bos told BioBuzz that turning the space over to the new life sciences incubator will be advantageous for the overall ecosystem. It will provide startups with space to conduct research and eventually scale their operations.
“There’s nothing nicer or nobler than to support the industry. To support the industry, you need to support startups,” Bos said. “It’s good for the region, it means employment and security. It’s good for the economy. Hopefully, these companies can grow to become substantial employers.”
This is not the first time Amador has sacrificed available space for the benefit of startups. The company turned additional space it held in the Bay Area to be used as an incubator for startups.
Since the new life sciences incubator space is located in the same building as Amador, the company is willing to provide its in-house experts like Amador’s Scientific Director of Bioanalysis & Biomarkers George Hristopoulos as a potential resource for the startup companies. Hristopoulos said startups often don’t have the financial resources to bring in needed experts to support the development of their assets and programs.
“If there is work that needs help, we can offer them our expertise,” Hristopoulos said.
For more information about the space and its availability, contact Rory Allen at 703-850-0346 or [email protected].
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Alex Keown is a freelance journalist who writes about a variety of subjects including the pharma, biotech, and life science industries. Prior to freelancing, Alex has served as a staff writer and editor for several publications.
