Biotech drug developer Protein Design Labs will open a new $200 million plant in Brooklyn Park next week to mass-produce antibodies for treating a variety of medical conditions.It will be Minnesota’s first biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility, and state officials hope it will help jumpstart biotech growth here.In the next few years, Fremont, Calif.-based Protein Design Labs (PDL) will add 100 employees to its present Twin Cities staff of 180 as the plant goes through the lengthy testing and regulatory approvals necessary to become a commercial operation."It’s a really big deal,” said Bob Elde."It’s a really big deal,” said Bob Elde, dean of biological sciences at the University of Minnesota, who is a key player in the state’s effort to build a biosciences industry. “I think this is the forerunner of an opportunity to do this several times over."In addition, Elde thinks the PDL plant will be a critical source of management and operational talent for local biotech startups.Brooklyn Park officials are excited to have a player in the new economy on their budding business corridor along Highway 610."This is where the future of manufacturing is going,” said Ann Bateman, business developer for the city’s community development department. “They will provide economic stability and great jobs for our community."The decision to build the PDL plant preceded Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s biosciences industry initiative launched in 2003. Still, PDL’s expansion validates the state’s efforts, said Ray Front, head of MNBIO, the trade organization for the state biotech industry.
