Amgen, Enzo BioChem and Amphista Therapeutics Open New Facilities (Updated)
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Amgen opened a new research and development site in San Francisco Bay, which will be used to discover new therapeutics for cancer, inflammatory disease and cardiometabolic disorders, the company announced Thursday.
The new 245,000-square-foot facility known as the Gateway of the Pacific complex will be in the Oyster Point development. The nine-story building will create a space for 650 company employees working across 24 different functions.
An Amgen spokesperson told BioSpace that some employees have already moved into the new facility and begun their research. The 650 employees who will be housed in this facility are a mix of current employees who will be shifted from other locations and a batch of new hires, the spokesperson confirmed.
For Amgen, this week's ribbon cutting has been three years in the making. The Thousand Oaks-based company signed its lease for the facility in 2019.
When the deal was announced, Amgen indicated that the facility's modern lab and workspace design would foster greater collaboration among team members and increase innovation. The site provides a flexible and customizable state-of-the-art scientific research and development facility to support scientific research.
In its announcement, Amgen stated that the new space's design meets high environmental sustainability standards. The company submitted the site for LEED and FitWel-certification.
Saptarsi Haldar, vice president of cardiometabolic research and site head for Amgen San Francisco, said the new South San Francisco facility is "home to a perfect combination of technology and biotech innovation, making Amgen an attractive place for local scientific professionals looking to build an inspirational, rewarding career."
The new building will also support a special unit dedicated to genome analysis, pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism, translational safety and bioanalytical sciences.
BioMed Realty is developing the Gateway of the Pacific complex. When the complex is complete, it will provide 1.3 million square feet of space for life science companies.
Enzo Opens 100,000 Square Foot Site
Across the country in New York, Enzo Biochem announced the opening of a 100,000-square-foot laboratory and research facility.
Enzo has been on an expansion streak. In 2018, the company began expanding its manufacturing operations at its facility on Long Island.
The company acquired a commercial building adjacent to its own, providing it with an additional 36,000 square feet of space, giving it a total of 101,000 square feet. The hiring of new employees accompanied that expansion to support additional manufacturing capabilities.
In its announcement about the new research facility, Enzo Biochem noted it has plans to expand its headcount in the coming months. The new hires will support Enzo's plans to grow its diagnostics, life sciences and clinical laboratory services.
Hamid Erfanian, CEO of Enzo Biochem, told BioSpace that the company has been in a transformative period, and the new research facility is a sign of continued growth expected to come soon.
"The last few years for Enzo have been transformative, and our new 100,000 square foot state-of the-art laboratory and research facility in Farmingdale is just one sign of our success and our plans to expand our operations in several exciting new areas including in the life sciences sector where we see tremendous opportunities for growth," Erfanian said.
"We are planning now for many new hires, new facilities and new services areas that will keep us in the lead as a world class leader in clinical laboratory operations, life sciences and diagnostics, and as an active and supportive member of our community."
From Scotland to England
Protein degradation company Amphista Therapeutics, which inked deals with both Merck KGaA and Bristol Myers Squibb earlier this year, opened a new lab space in Cambridge, England. The new facility is a consolidation of its entire U.K. operations.
The new facility will also allow it to expand its headcount by an additional 20 employees by the end of the year. Amphista currently employs about 50 people.
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