The Los Angeles region is one of California’s fastest-growing life sciences hubs, according to a California Life Sciences sector report. The CEO of BioscienceLA discusses the market’s strengths, challenges and where it might be five years from now.
The Los Angeles region may be the little sister to San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, but it’s nevertheless a significant—and growing—player in the California life sciences scene. Over 3,000 companies, including Amgen, Kite Pharma and Takeda, have locations in Los Angeles County, more than any peer regions, according to the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (LA DEO).
A 2025 sector report from public policy organization California Life Sciences (CLS) also underscores the area’s importance. The report noted that the LA region is one of California’s fastest-growing life sciences hubs. It also highlighted that the industry generates nearly $58 billion in annual economic output in the area.
The Los Angeles region’s significance and growth are further reflected in recent funding activity. The sector report noted that in 2024, the area secured $4.4 billion in venture capital investment, a 119% increase and “a signal of growing investor confidence in LA’s innovation pipeline.”
An Embarrassment of Riches
When describing the region’s life sciences scene to BioSpace, “growing” was the first word that came to mind for Stephanie Hsieh, CEO of BioscienceLA, a not-for-profit organization working to support and promote the life sciences ecosystem in Greater Los Angeles. “Thriving,” “vibrant” and “innovative” were additional descriptors she chose.
Regarding innovation, Hsieh said creativity is in the region’s DNA given the area’s legacies in the movie and entertainment, aerospace and engineering industries. There’s an incredible mashup with biotech and life sciences, she noted, whether it’s the ocean economy and biotech or agriculture and biotech. As an example, she named Santa Monica, California–based Provivi, which creates pheromone-based solutions for sustainable pest management in crops including cotton, rice, corn and soybeans.
“I think we’re really good as a region at pushing the boundaries on sort of what the definition of life sciences encompasses,” Hsieh said.
Another key part of the LA region’s life sciences scene that she highlighted is its impressive research institutions and healthcare systems. Those include the University of California, Los Angeles; University of Southern California; City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment organization whose U.S. locations include a site in Duarte, northeast of LA; and Cedars-Sinai, a nonprofit academic healthcare organization serving the LA community and beyond.
“We just have this embarrassment of riches,” Hsieh said.
A Fragmented, Complex Region
Still, the region has its challenges, with fragmentation at the top of the list, according to Hsieh.
“That’s our biggest problem is we are so large and so spread out that you don’t see the whole of what’s here,” she said. She noted that there are 88 cities within Los Angeles County.
In addition to fragmentation, Hsieh also cited complexity as a challenge. For example, she said, which economic development group do people talk to about incentives? Choices in LA include the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the city of Los Angeles’ Economic and Workforce Development Department and the Los Angeles Business Council.
BioscienceLA is trying to help navigate these issues by being life sciences organizations’ first stop for information, according to Hsieh. She said once companies share their needs and what they’re looking for, her organization can recommend the top cities that fit their parameters and work well with businesses on issues such as permit expediting.
Benefits From Ports to People
Despite the challenges, there are multiple benefits for life sciences companies that locate in the LA region, according to Hsieh. She said they include not only the ports that bring in imports but also the consultants and business services that help quickly move goods and drugs like biologics. Customs personnel understand that they can’t just sit on things for weeks, she noted.
Hsieh also highlighted the ability for companies to manufacture in the region.
“Especially this past year, we’ve been focused a little bit more on the biomanufacturing side because we just sort of see this really unique set of conditions and confluence of factors coming together to really be the time for us to—as we said at our economic summit back in October—seize our biomanufacturing moment here,” she said.
The LA region’s talent pool is another benefit for employers, according to Hsieh. That pool includes over 8,700 life sciences graduates annually, according to the LA DEO. The region also employs over 50,000 people in the industry, according to CLS’ sector report, which drew data from a TEConomy Partners’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ QCEW data and Lightcast. In 2024, employment was 17,587 for biopharma research and development (R&D); 13,808 for bioscience-related distribution;13,165 for other R&D, testing and medical labs; and 9,802 for medical devices and equipment.
Regarding the region’s life sciences employees, the report noted, “Its workforce spans academic labs, startup incubators, clinical settings, and large-scale manufacturers, making LA a key player in building California’s future talent pipeline.”
That pipeline is expected to expand in the next few years. In September, the LA DEO announced the state of California had awarded $23.9 million to Los Angeles County life sciences projects to advance inclusive growth and create 10,000 regional jobs by 2030.
Global Recognition on Horizon?
When it comes to where the LA region’s life sciences scene will be five years from now, Hsieh isn’t thrilled when people say they want it to be the next Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“I’m like, ‘No, no, no, we’ll never be the next Cambridge. We’re so much bigger than that,’” she said. “But I do see us as a recognized global hub and a model for what a truly international and diverse global hub—innovation hub—could look like.”
Hsieh’s vision reflects BioscienceLA’s purpose.
“Our mission is to create, enable, grow a thriving, vibrant, enviable life science ecosystem in the region for community benefit,” she said. “So, that enviable piece is the piece that we’re striving for. I think the pieces are all coming together too.”
Like Hsieh, the LA DEO hopes to establish the Los Angeles region as a global life sciences hub. As part of that effort, in July, the department launched a five-year life sciences industry strategy and action plan built on four pillars to address the area’s challenges and leverage its strengths: alleviate physical space constraints; encourage firms to start, grow and hire; strengthen cluster infrastructure and brand; and boost workforce inclusivity.
In the July announcement, LA DEO Director Kelly LoBianco said, “We are committed to partnering with industry stakeholders to keep our homegrown startups here, train our diverse workforce for quality life sciences jobs, and send a clear message to the global life sciences community that Los Angeles County is ready to lead.”
