Beryllium Expands Into Pharma Hub of Boston
April 29, 2015
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
BEDFORD, Mass.— Seattle and Bedford-based Beryllium, a scientific research company, is opening a 24,000 square-foot research facility in Bedford, Mass. that will provide easier access to clients the company collaborates with located in the Boston area, a hub a biotechnical and pharmaceutical research.
“With this expanded laboratory and office space, we believe Beryllium is ideally situated near the invaluable Massachusetts pharma/biotech ecosystem. The new facility and location are ideal, and being part of the Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem is priceless as we expand our integrated drug discovery platform services and increase our reach along the East Coast,” John Pontin, the company’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.
With the Boston-area expansion, Beryllium will also be expanding its number of employees. The company is currently hiring for three positions, two research associates and a research scientist. Karen Sharma, a spokesperson for Beryllium, said the company will soon post announcements about other positions as well.
The new site include office space and 15,000 square-feet of state-of-the-art laboratory space where Beryllium will continue to provide client companies and academic institutions with drug discovery services, integrated biophysics platforms and cell/functional biology solutions, the company said.
The new Massachusetts location complements the company’s current 17,000 square-foot facility on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, the company said.
Beryllium has a history of working with various companies to study infection diseases and develop solutions. Earlier this year Beryllium and Gilead Sciences, Inc. presented research on how the hepatitis C virus replicates its genome. According to the research the virus uses RNA as genetic material which must be replicated in order to propagate the viral infection. The study showed how Gilead’s HCV drug Sofosbuvir worked as a treatment for the virus.
It’s no secret that the greater Boston area is experiencing a boom in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, as more companies, such as IBM’s new Watson Health Unit, locate their headquarters and satellite offices to the area.
One of the reasons for the greater Boston area becoming such a major hub in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries is the plethora of research universities in the area. Boston also has one of the highest educated workforces in the nation.
Not only are smaller companies calling the Boston area home, but many larger and established pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer Inc. , GlaxoSmithKline , Takeda Pharmaceuticals , Sanofi, Biogen Idec, Inc. and Novartis AG have presences in the city. The close proximity of so many pharmaceutical and university laboratories provides researchers and scientists easy access to clinical studies and building partnerships between companies.
“Massachusetts’ life sciences sectors are the fastest-growing sectors of our economy, and companies like Beryllium are an important reason why,” Governor Charlie Baker said in a statement. “We welcome Beryllium’s expansion in Bedford, and look forward to partnering with them to create jobs, and further economic growth and development.”
As Boston Booms, What’s Next for Biotech?
After a week that saw Boston biotechs vastly increasing their rosters and a new IBM health unit installed, BioSpace wants your predictions for what Boston can expect in the next year. Get out your crystal ball and tell us what you think is most likely in the cards for Genetown!