Greater Boston Life Sciences Sector Continues to Grow

Maxence Desjonquères (far left), CEO of Biose, meets with Massachusetts life sciences and economic development leaders in the Massachusetts Pavilion at the BIO 2016 Convention in San Francisco.

CAMBRIDGE, MA—The life sciences sector is on a roll in Massachusetts and specifically in Greater Boston. This week, two life science firms announced plans to locate operations in Lexington and Cambridge. With the two new companies making Greater Boston their home, a total of 14 new life sciences companies have announced plans in the last 12 months to establish their operations in Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center . On Thursday, French pharmaceutical company Biose announced at the 2016 BIO International Convention in San Francisco that it was opening its first US office in Cambridge at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Kendall Square. The Cambridge office will focus mainly on licensing activities. Biose’s designs and markets “live biotherapeutic products to improve human health.” The firm has spent the past 50 years working in the gynecology, infectology and gastroenterology sectors in Europe, South America and South-East Asia. Biose has clinical proof of concept in multiple therapeutic areas and a microbiota-centered pipeline, currently containing more than 15 therapeutic projects in areas including clostridium difficile infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, metformin associated diarrhea and recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, for which they have reached human proof of concept and are ready for licensing, the company states. In a statement released in reaction to Biose’s decision to open an office in Cambridge, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker states, “The life sciences cluster continues to grow in Massachusetts, and we are excited to welcome Biose into the fold. The increasing number of global companies making Massachusetts their U.S. headquarters is a testament to the strength of the ecosystem we have built, the unbeatable talent and the bright future of life sciences in the Commonwealth.” “When we decided to open a subsidiary in the US, the Boston area was a clear choice for us,” says Maxence Desjonquères , CEO of Biose. “From a business perspective it is one of the leaders worldwide for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, with all of the potential partners we need to develop and advance our R&D projects.” He adds that with Boston just a seven-hour flight away from its home base in France, the company’s French and American workforces will easily be able to work together. Earlier this week, Globest.com reported that Brammer Bio will be establishing a 50,000-square-foot headquarters facility at 45 Hartwell Ave. in Lexington. The company officially announced its plans in Lexington at the 2016 BIO International Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. The Lexington facility is dedicated to late phase development, including Phase III and commercial production of viral vector-based and cell-based advanced therapies. Brammer Bio is a cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization. The company’s Lexington corporate headquarters will be operational by the second quarter of 2017.