The pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company is set to shake up the biotech scene in San Diego next year, laying the foundations for its first-ever Lilly Gateway Labs site, in what's being billed as a landmark move to accelerate early-stage biomedical innovation. According to a company's press release, the facility, in collaboration with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, will offer state-of-the-art lab space and expertise to up-and-coming scientific entrepreneurs eager to push the boundaries of medicine.
Expected to open its doors in the first half of 2024, the San Diego location builds upon an expanding network of lab innovators, joining siblings in San Francisco and Boston. "We are excited to expand our footprint in San Diego, as it is home to a thriving life sciences community," Daniel Skovronsky, chief scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories, told PRNewswire. The new lab space is strategically designed to help quickly turn groundbreaking concepts into life-saving therapies.
San Diego's biohub stands to gain nearly 62,000 square feet of versatile lab space curated by Alexandria's University Town Center campus, poised to host a bevy of up to 10 companies alongside more than a century of biotech and Lilly professionals. The setup is primed to foster a hotbed of innovation, where rentable, flexibly designed labs and open workstations encourage a buzz of scientific exchange.
Julie Gilmore, Ph.D., vice president and global head of Gateway Labs, emphasized the importance of the new facility, stating, "The expansion of our Gateway Labs model will grant scientists access to Lilly's research operations, mentorship, and expertise in an environment made to foster scientific breakthroughs." Not only are companies invited to join the incubator, but potential financial backing could also flow from Lilly itself and venture capitalists, creating fertile ground for the next wave of medical discoveries, as reported by PRNewswire.
For nearly 150 years, Eli Lilly and Company has been at the vanguard of producing medicines aimed at bettering lives worldwide. They've stamped their authority across diabetes care, Alzheimer's disease, and more, reshaping how the health industry tackles formidable diseases.
