b'The company needs room to grow thankson training, education, and workforce to a promising new treatment for babiesdevelopment, have really enabled us to born with spinal muscular atrophy causedbe more collaborative as a group and work by a missing or malfunctioning survivaltogether to highlight whats important to motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. Brandedus as an industryespecially with having Zolgensma, the therapy uses a modifiedso many different, smaller companies and virus to deliver a functional copy of thestartup companies in the area, she said. SMN1 gene via a single IV treatment.AGC BIOLOGICS CHOOSES When the corrected gene is absorbed,Novartis Gene Therapies plans to use these small patients bodies can producethe Longmont facility to help developCOLORADO a critical protein, halting the diseasegene therapies beyond Zolgensmaand STRONGER progression. It received conditionalcontribute to Colorados growing geneThe global biopharmaceutical Contract approval from the European Commissiontherapy leadership.Development and Manufacturing Organization (EC) in May 2020. (CDMO) joined Colorados life sciences We couldnt be more excited about Looking to expand, Novartisbeing in Colorado than we are, and toecosystem in June of 2020. The company Gene Therapies purchased a drugbe doing this novel type of approach towill invest $100 million in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Longmonttreating patients, Dyer said. We are in TOGETHER: from AstraZeneca in April 2019. Whenthe right place, for sure. commercial manufacturing facility in Boulder. it comes online, the facility will supplyIt will bring 280 new jobs to Colorado as part six buildings with 700,000-square-feetCERAPEDICS: WESTMINSTER of a package of state and local incentives. for biologic drug manufacturing, offices, laboratories, warehousing and utilities.Colorado also is the right place forThe facility is expected to begin full-scale NEWCOMERS MAKE THECerapedics, a company that servesoperations and manufacturing by April 2021. The company chose Longmont not justthe orthopedic and spine surgeon Photo Courtesy: Zoetis C A SE FOR COLOR ADObecause of the facility but also thecommunity worldwide. The Westminster-local talent pool, including a strongbased company is the brainchild of pipeline of future talent fed by theAndrew Tofe, Ph.D., an expert in bone WRITTEN BY KAREN BROWN science, technology, engineering andregeneration therapies. As CEO ofSince its commercial launch in math (STEM) programs at UniversityCeraMed Dental, he developed three2016, i-FACTOR has grown into a of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Statetypes of bone substitutes for use inmultimillion-dollar business, with a CO lorado is fast becoming abiotechnology and pharmaceuticals,resources and advice on issues ranging fromUniversity and the Colorado School ofdental restoration.250% increase in sales in 2018 and a heavyweight in the globalmedical device and diagnostics, andhiring to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Mines, said Sally Dyer, the companys70% jump in sales in 2019. To support life sciences arenaanddigital health. They are joined by a steadyvice president of manufacturingTofe realized the technologys potentialthat growth, Cerapedics has increased its it has built even more muscle in recentstream of companies moving to Colorado.NOVARTIS GENE THERAPIES:operations and site head.beyond dental reconstruction. In 2006,Colorado team from 16 to 58 and overall years thanks to a rapidly evolving,When you talk to these newcomers,LONGMONT he founded Cerapedics and developedheadcount from 26 to 94, according to collaborative ecosystem. they share consistent themes that ledColorados vibrant life sciences communityi-FACTOR, a bone graft material forGeneral Manager Edward Sawyer. them to the Centennial State: a talentedOne such business is Novartis Genealso influenced the decision. Coloradopatients with degenerative cervical disc The state is home to more than 720and educated workforce, an attractiveTherapies, which develops cutting-edgeBioScience Association and the Coloradodisease. The drug-device combinationA July 2019 expansion at its Westminster companies and 32,000 workers in fieldsenvironment for business and perhaps mostgene therapies to combat life- BioScience Institute, a 501 (c) (3)provides a structural framework thatheadquarters bumped up the floorspace that include ag bio and animal health,crucially, a supportive ecosystem that offersthreatening neurological diseases. organization that focuses exclusivelytriggers patients cells to regrow bone. from 14,000 to 24,000 square feet. 8BIOSCIENCECOLORADO//2020-2021 BIOSCIENCECOLORADO//2020-20219'