Biosciences Industry in Northern Kentucky: Focused on Improving Life
The region is home to an expanding life sciences field that already has 20 research labs and laboratory equipment manufacturers located here.
The biosciences industry in Northern Kentucky is becoming a national hot spot for life sciences companies and innovations aimed at improving life.
The region is home to more than 20 medical and pharmaceutical research labs and laboratory equipment manufacturers. Plus, area leaders are taking steps to boost that number, not to mention discoveries to help people lead healthier lives.
One example is the OneNKY Center, a 45,000-square-foot office building that’s expected to open in 2025. The building will include the Covington Life Science Lab, which will provide cost-effective research and development facilities for early-stage companies in the life sciences industry and offer educational and training opportunities.
“The Covington Life Science Lab in the OneNKY Center will fill a gap in the region and be a resource for entrepreneurs and early-stage researchers,” says Lee Crume, president and CEO of BE NKY Growth Partnership, a regional economic development company. “They will benefit from having immediate access to the region’s growth organizations and leaders in the OneNKY Center.”
Booming Biosciences
In a target industry study that consulting firm EY conducted for BE NKY, employment in the life sciences sector is projected to grow 30% in Northern Kentucky from 2020 to 2025.
Building on Success
Though the lab is a huge development for the area, it is just part of the growing biosciences industry in Northern Kentucky. Existing companies are expanding in the region, adding more lab space, hiring new talent and creating new technologies. And more growth is on the horizon.
“With CTI’s global headquarters in Covington and strong medical research institutions in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, the region is poised for tremendous growth in the life sciences sector,” Crume says.
CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services is a global contract research organization that provides clinical trial services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device firms. It has developed several proprietary tools and platforms that help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trials. The company specializes in rare diseases, cell and gene therapies, and complex programs in critically ill patients.
National Impact
Also making waves in the life and health sciences sector is Bexion Pharmaceuticals in Covington. This clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is dedicated to developing novel therapies for cancer and other unmet medical needs. Focused on solid tumor therapies, Bexion’s lead compound, BXQ-350, demonstrates promise in preclinical studies, drawing the medical world’s attention as it strives to revolutionize cancer treatment.
In Newport, Ethos Labs, which specializes in high-quality diagnostic testing, developed the Foundation Pain Index. This diagnostic tool helps uncover pain’s biochemical origins, allowing doctors to better treat chronic pain sufferers.
“Ethos is focused on continuing to develop new, innovative testing and assessments that help health care providers identify the true causes of patients’ health challenges and disorders,” says Brian Kincaid, co-founder and CEO of Ethos Labs. “We recently launched the Targeted
Biochemical Assessment (TBA), which provides actionable insight into underlying causes of suspected conditions to improve patient outcomes. The TBA adds to a core of Ethos testing services, including toxicology, pharmacogenetics, respiratory pathogens and infectious diseases. We will continue to expand the diagnostic testing capabilities of our headquarters and high-complexity lab in Newport s we focus on helping more people throughout the U.S.”
Fighting Illness
Other companies promoting health care innovations in the region include Thermo Fisher Scientific in Campbell County and Gravity Diagnostics in Covington.
Thermo Fisher, which is expanding its laboratory operations in Highland Heights, was a crucial player in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps the company’s most significant contribution was developing PCR tests, which are considered the gold standard for COVID-19 testing.
Gravity Diagnostics, which also provided important innovations during the pandemic, provides high-quality testing services essential for diagnosing and treating various diseases.
As Crume notes, the Covington Life Science Lab will help draw even more entrepreneurs in life sciences to the region and accelerate growth. It will provide the critical space, equipment and technologies to power discoveries while also creating an environment of entrepreneurial support and cooperation – a place where innovators can encourage and assist one another.
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