INDIANAPOLIS – Real transformational biotech convergence. The top biotech reactor facility in the world. Adult stem-cell FDA trials. FDA trials for tissue reengineering. Dominant pharmaceutical leadership. The orthopedic capital of the world. Dozens of new entrepreneurial life sciences companies fueled with fresh money.

While these phrases may not be typically associated with Indiana and its capital city, visitors to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) site at BIO 2007 will soon know why they should.

The considerable life sciences advances of the Hoosier state will be out in full force next week at the annual international BIO conference, according to Indiana Secretary of Commerce Nathan Feltman.

Want evidence of transformation? Cook Medical’s Project Phoenix took an aging building in southern Indiana that was once the world’s largest television assembly facility and completely renovated it into a pharmaceutical contract manufacturer of mammalian cell culture-based products.

Now the home of Cook Pharmica, the division of Cook Medical recently took home the 2007 “facility of the year” award from the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE), INTERPHEX and Pharmaceutical Processing magazine.

“Considerable evidence of Indiana’s progress into becoming a life sciences player is evident,” said Indiana Health Industry Forum (IHIF) CEO Michael Brooks.

While numerous Indiana-based companies will be present in varying degrees at BIO 2007, the IEDC display will feature a hot bed of activities. Representatives from BioCrossroads, BioConvergence, Indiana University, Dow AgroSciences, KPMG, Purdue’s Discovery Park, the Anson Group, the IHIF, PreClinOmics, 5MetaCom, Safis Solutions and Cook Pharmica will appear.

Is Indiana in fact a real player?

As Hoosiers know, the state is home to a $13.6 billion global life sciences industry that includes such life sciences leaders as Eli Lilly, Cook, Roche Diagnostics and Dow AgroSciences. Battelle Memorial Institute named Indiana one of the nation’s top four life sciences leaders in terms of the number and concentration of life sciences jobs in 2006.

In its biannual budget, the Indiana General Assembly provided an additional $70 million for the state’s 21st Century Research & Development Fund, which was overhauled by the IEDC in 2006 to focus on start-ups and emerging high-tech companies that exhibit demonstrable growth potential.

What kind of impact is this fund having on Indiana? Added IEDC President Kevin Boscacci: “Without the 21st Century Research & Development Fund, Prosolia would be located in California for sure. This [IEDC-administered fund] is incredibly intelligent and is [atypical government] behavior. The leverage for Indiana is fantastic.”

Having a record year with more than $8 billion in new capital investment, Indiana scored big early in 2007 with the announcement that California-based Beckman Coulter is moving a significant portion of its biomedical manufacturing operations to Hoosierland.

Beckman Coulter cited several advantages offered by Indiana including the state’s renewed focus on supporting life sciences companies and its business-friendly environment.

“By relocating our operations to the Indianapolis area, we can work aggressively to manage our costs and maintain our leadership position in centrifugation, which is an important asset of the company,” said Pam Miller, senior vice president of supply chain management for the company.

Perhaps the biggest 2007 biomedical win to date for Indiana is the location of the new global headquarters for Oxford BioSignals Medical in central Indiana. This U.K. company is now in the process of establishing its international life sciences operations in the Hoosier state. It’ll bring 120 clinical, technical, operational and commercial positions.

“As we research potential locations to grow our company, it became apparent that Indiana values the life sciences and health industry,” said Oxford BioSignals Medical CEO Frank Cheng.

In a state where a full 10 percent of its work force is already engaged in biotech and the life sciences, Indiana remains poised for major growth. Once derided as “the Mississippi of the North,” the Hoosier state exhibits robust signs of real transformation.

“Anyone seriously studying the state will find that we have a strong record of innovation,” said the IHIF’s Brooks, who will be in the IEDC facility at BIO 2007. “You can’t ignore facts. The fact is that Indiana is emerging into a position of leadership on key fronts.”

Michael Snyder is principal of The MEK Group, a marketing and business development consulting firm that provides communications-driven strategies to increase market share, enhance productivity and build distinctive brand awareness. Snyder can be reached at msnyder@themekgroup.com.
Click here for Snyder’s full biography.

Previous Columns in 2007:
‘Little 500’ Bike Race Sports 21st Century Indiana University RFID (4/26/2007)
Manufacturing Critical For Global Success, Indiana Expert Says (4/19/2007)
First-Ever Indiana Robotic Proton System Nukes Deep Tumors (4/12/2007)
Purdue’s Discovery Park a $350 Million ‘Driver For Change’ (4/5/2007)
Cellulosic Fuels, Ag Tech to Play Key Role in Indiana’s Future (3/30/2007)
With FCC Deadline Looming, Indiana Ponders Telemedicine (3/22/2007)
Realigned TechPoint Set to Energize Indiana IT Growth (3/15/2007)
Indiana General Assembly on Tech: Chaos or Collaboration? (3/9/2007)
Indiana DSI Initiative Sets New Vision of Innovative, Large-Scale Tech Transfer (3/1/2007)
No ‘Corn Dot-Com Bust’ For Indiana Ethanol, Says Ag Secretary Miller (2/15/2007)
Battelle Report: Indiana Biosciences Again Established as National Player (2/8/2007)
Indiana Defense Muscle Grows With West Gate Tech Park Expansion (2/1/2007)
Twenty in 10: President Bush Leaps Future of Hoosier Biofuels Forward (1/25/2007)
Outlook on Indiana-Based Biofuels, World Markets: ‘We’re Ready’ (1/18/2007)
ChaCha in Indiana Attracts Funding From Amazon, Compaq Founders (1/11/2007)
Purdue Ethanol Tech May Render Current Fuel Production ‘Obsolete’ (1/5/2007)
Click for 2006 column archive.
Click for 2005 column archive.

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