Capital markets activity in the life science sector climbed to new records in 2021, with investment volume hitting more than $18 billion – and experts expect pricing will only continue to rise this year.

That's a 64% increase year over year, according to a new report from Newmark. The annual average pricing for life science and R&D space with an office component hit an average of $537 per square foot nationally in 2021, more than 50% higher compared with figures from five years ago.  Class A pricing for trophy assets in markets like Cambridge, South San Francisco, Sorrento Mesa in San Diego and South Lake Union has hit more than $1000 per square foot.

Standout transactions include Blackstone's $3.4 billion acquisition of Brookfield's Cambridge portfolio, as well as Alexandria's $1.5 billion acquisition of two lab assets in Boston's Fenway district.