Wistar, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center and Blumberg Institute Partner to Accelerate Philly Life Sciences
By Mark Terry
May 11, 2023
Three Philadelphia-based life sciences organizations have formed a strategic collaboration to advance biotech research from “bench to bedside.” The Wistar Institute, the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC) and the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute will work to generate even more life science development in the Philadelphia region.
Louis P. Kassa III, CEO of the Hepatitis Foundation, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and the PABC, told BioBuzz, “We’ve been working on this for years. I’ve known Heather Steinman (Wistar’s SVP of Business Development and Executive Director of Technology Transfer) for quite some time, and we really wanted to try and get the institutions to work together and leverage what we both do well.”
The Wistar Institute, a 2023 BioBuzz Award Winner, is a global leader in research and discovery in cancer, immunology and infectious disease. The PABC is a nonprofit incubator promoting the life sciences and regional economic development. The Blumberg Institute manages the PABC. The Institute is a nonprofit focused on translation research in the life sciences. The Blumberg Institute and the PABC share a campus with their sister institution, the Hepatitis B Foundation in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
“We really see this partnership as kind of a kickstart for making it broader and having more people involved,” Kassa said. “It’s about accelerating technologies, early-stage startups, and making sure that we can keep these companies in Philadelphia.”
He adds that they look at The Wistar Institute as the “gold standard for independent research institutions. And, of course, I’m a little biased, but I believe the Blumberg Institute is right up there, too. We have some of the best scientists in the world working in our establishment. And we have two incubators that really have a blueprint for success, speed-to-market know-how, and a network that we think could benefit both Blumberg and Wistar.”
Wistar, according to Steinman in a press statement, sees the opportunity to “leverage Wistar’s preclinical assets in both oncology and infectious diseases with the PABC/BSBI’s access to capital, infrastructure and life science sector talent pool to further enhance the innovation ecosystem in the region.”
Kassa indicates they plan to “explore funding sources such as government grants, state, federal, international, and overseas partners. There are a lot of opportunities and I think it would be attractive for EDA (U.S. Economic Development Administration)-type grants to foster and help create this relationship and help move it forward.”
Part of the partnership will include B+Labs at Cira Centre in University City. This state-of-the-art incubator is managed by the PABCR. In addition, The Wistar Institute and PABC plan to co-host a series of seminars focused on new translational science as well as early-stage life sciences startup how-to seminars.
Kassa noted, “B+Labs and the PABC have a national reputation for being the premier model for acceleration. The national average for early-stage success is about eight-and-a-half years, according to a Cambridge Associates study. That could be an IPO, an acquisition or revenue. Our independent audit in 2019 showed we’re at about three-and-a-half to four years. And that’s because we have a tremendous services-based incubator. And we have access to the C-suites from the pharma companies in our network where we’re located. We have those relationships.”
Blumberg spins out four or five companies per year and this collaboration would be an opportunity for Wistar to jump into that network and do the same thing.
“We’re working together right now to develop the collaboration,” Kassa told BioBuzz. “We’re looking into developing a groundwork for Wistar to be involved in our network, and of course, us utilizing their expertise. Wistar will have a presence at our two incubators and their facilities. We’re looking at the synergies of putting these two institutions together to see how things will develop.”
Although several years in the planning, Kassa says they’re currently taking things step by step.
“Philadelphia is always fifth through ninth in the life sciences clusters, and this is now focused on how we can do more things together,” Kassa said. “Heather and I are big champions of the Greater Philadelphia area, and we would like to see this build and have others join in. Along with the state and some VC support, we’re looking at how we can springboard this and maybe get into the top five. The time is now for the Greater Philadelphia region to make that big push.”
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Mark Terry is a freelance writer, editor, novelist and ghostwriter. He holds a degree in microbiology & public health and spent 18 years in infectious disease research and clinical and research genetics prior to his transition to a writing career. His areas of expertise include biotechnology, pharma, clinical diagnostics, and medical practice management. He has written literally thousands of articles, as well as market research reports, white papers, more than 20 books, and many other written materials. He currently lives in Michigan with his family.
