MIAMI-The University of Miami Life Science & Technology Park (UMLSTP) continues its momentum with four new leases. The new deals take down another 7,550 square feet of office and research and development space, bringing the occupancy rate to 63% just four months after the park opened.

The park's newest tenants are medical device firm Binder Biomedical, medical consulting firm Specialty Telehealth Services, the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce and DemeRx, the first University of Miami spin-off company to take space. DemeRx is researching treatments for drug addiction among patients coping with chronic pain, paving the way for a new class of non-addictive meds.

“The most exciting aspect of these four leases following our grand opening in September is that the park's momentum continues and should persist well into 2012,” Bill Hunter, the leasing manager for the Wexford Science & Technology-owned University of Miami Life Science & Technology Park, tells GlobeSt.com. “We are expanding our international marketing platform to illustrate the opportunities that exist within the Miami Health District and the synergies that can be realized within the park and the surrounding community. DemeRX and Binder Biomedical are examples of the companies we are capturing early on, as they are entering their commercialization phase.”

Hunter notes that adding DemeRX to the tenant mix strengthens the relationship between the UMLSTP and UM. With the synergies between the Park, the University and the medical community in the Health District, he says, the park’s strategic location offers developing companies like DemeRx a sound platform for expanding their research and business operations.

Binder Biomedical is privately held medical device start-up founded in 2009 with the goal of combining quality engineering with surgeon innovation. Founded in Boca Raton, the company is relocating its headquarters to the park. Binder Biomedical currently provides surgeons with medical devices for the treatment of complex orthopedic and neurological spinal disorders.

“We are excited to be at the park and closer to the University of Miami Tissue Bank, our manufacturing partner for our X-Graft Interspinous allograft,” Lawrence Binder, president of Binder Biomedical, said in a statement. “The close proximity to the tissue bank and nearby hospitals positions us to more easily collaborate with our customers and suppliers. We look forward to being an integral part of the park by becoming the go-to company for developing surgeon’s ideas.”

The UMLSTP’s current master plan includes five buildings offering between 1.6 and 2 million square feet of space at full build out. Beyond lab and office space, the park will contain restaurants and retail outlets to serve Miami’s Health District and residents of nearby neighborhoods. The park’s advanced technology features include cloud computing data storage and management and hardwired access to Downtown Miami’s Network Access Point of the Americas--or NAP--data center, which offers direct, satellite-based connectivity to Latin America and Europe.