In its report, Transwestern states, “Numerous build-to-suit projects are expected to deliver more than 2 million square feet to the Cambridge market by the end of 2017. Since Vertex Pharmaceuticals led the biotech charge into the Seaport District in 2014, other notable firms such as Keryx BioPharmaceuticals and Intarcia Therapeutics have followed while Dublin-based Shire expanded its headquarters in Lexington to create the region's largest suburban biotechnology campus. With access to capital and strong indicators, Greater Boston has witnessed 20 lab building sale transactions year to date.”

Other key positive and negative economic takeaways from the Transwestern lab report included:

• East Cambridge was active during the second quarter with 482,000 square feet of positive absorption, the most in a single quarter for that region.

• There was an increase of 10,170 biotech jobs in the first two quarters of this year, down 18% from the previous two quarters.

• The suburban markets saw significant activity, in both sales and leases, with availability dropping to 14.5% at the end of the second quarter.

• The laboratory construction pipeline includes the Novartis expansion at 191 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. The 550,000-square-foot facility that is 100% leased is due to be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year. Other Cambridge lab properties in development include 300 Massachusetts Ave., a 250,000-square-foot facility to be occupied by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. The property is 94% leased and is to be delivered in the first quarter of 2016. Other Cambridge lab properties to be delivered later in 2016 and beyond include the 277,801-square-foot 610 Main St. building (fourth quarter 2016); 50-60 Binney St., a 541,000-square-foot building that is 46% leased (third quarter 2017) and 100 Binney St., a 431,500-square-foot building that is 52% leased (fourth quarter of 2017).