NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- A new analysis of the nation’s biotech centers by the Yale University Office of New Haven & State Affairs shows that the New Haven, CT, region has one of the leading biotechnology clusters in the United States and that it commercializes research at a faster rate than several much-larger metropolitan areas.
The analysis conducted by Yale shows that although New Haven has a significantly smaller population than other leading biotech centers, its “efficiency at translating research into commercial activity appears to be particularly strong compared to other centers.”
In fact, the rate of commercialization in the New Haven biotech industry is greater than several larger hubs, such as the Los Angeles, Seattle-Tacoma and Philadelphia metropolitan areas.
“New Haven biotech is remarkably efficient at commercializing research,” said Jon Soderstrom, managing director of the Yale Office of Cooperative Research. “Compared to the commercialization rates of other biotech centers, New Haven is having a surprisingly large impact on the industry.”
The analysis was based on a Brookings Institution assessment called “Signs of Life,” which examined the strength of biotechnology centers across the country. Using the Brookings methodology, Yale assessed the impact of the New Haven biotech industry by separating the New Haven area’s contribution from the New York City cluster, into which it was blended. Then, analyzing the data, the university found that -- on its own -- the New Haven region’s biotech industry would have ranked as a leading biotech center, a result of New Haven’s particular strength and efficiency at commercializing research.
The growth in biotechnology research and commercialization has been fueled by the fast growth in university spin-outs, including more than 20 Yale-related companies and two companies emerging from the University of Connecticut.
“The combination of strong university research, New Haven’s proximity to major pharmaceutical companies, and a critical mass of start-ups, has made New Haven one of the nation’s leaders in biotechnology,” said Soderstrom. “We at Yale are proud of our contribution in helping New Haven become one of the nation’s leading biotech centers.”
Yale has contributed significantly to the area’s biotech growth, facilitating the transference of technology to commercial products, helping companies attract funding for product development and providing support in a variety of other ways.
As a result, the number of ventures originating from Yale research includes:
-- Five publicly traded companies. -- Twenty-six companies developed by Yale’s Office of Cooperative Research. -- Nine companies currently in development.
In fact, eight New Haven area Yale startups are conducting clinical trials now or will be conducting them this year, including:
-- Rib-X (New Haven): initiated Phase I clinical trial in December, 2005 -- VaxInnate (New Haven): expected to initiate Phase I clinical trial for flu vaccine in 2006 -- Applied Spine (New Haven): expected to initiate Phase I clinical trial in mid-2006 -- Alexion (New Haven): involved in Phase III trials for Eculizumab. -- Achillion (New Haven): involved in Phase II trials for its HIV program. -- Phytoceutica (New Haven): involved in Phase II trials for PHY906. -- Vion (New Haven): involved in Phase II trials for Triapine and Phase III trials for Cloretazine. -- SEER Pharmaceuticals (Southport, CT): involved in Phase I trials for Curcumin.
The growth in New Haven area biotech activity is likely to increase as the State of Connecticut begins to fund stem cell research activities both at Yale and the University of Connecticut. The state’s commitment to embryonic stem cell research, formalized in 2005, will soon begin to fund significant research programs.
The University of Connecticut recently announced that respected scientist Ren-He Xu, a leading researcher at the University of Wisconsin, will serve as director of its new human embryonic stem-cell lab, beginning in April.
A Yale announcement about its plans is expected soon.
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