At a dedication of the new Jeffrey Leiden Center for Cell and Genetic Therapies in Boston's Seaport on Tuesday US-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (Nasdaq: VRTX) announced plans to build another 344,000 square foot facility in the Seaport to support the company's continued rapid growth, in particular the expansion of its cell and genetic therapies programs.
With the completion of this new site expected in 2025, Vertex will occupy 1.9 million square feet of real estate in the Seaport across five sites, making it the largest biotech in Boston in terms of square footage.
Vertex dedicated its site at 316-318 Northern Avenue in honour of the company's executive chairman and former CEO, Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D. Leiden I is a new state-of-the-art cell and genetic therapies research and clinical manufacturing site, which accommodates more than 400 employees, with 70% of the facility dedicated to lab and research space. Cell and genetic therapies are two rapidly emerging therapeutic modalities with the potential to treat the underlying cause - and even cure - several of the serious diseases Vertex is working on including sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, type 1 diabetes and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The further expansion, being developed in partnership with Related Beal, Boston Real Estate Inclusion Fund and Kavanagh Advisory group, is a new 344,000 square foot facility located at 20-22 Drydock Avenue. Once this facility is complete, the two buildings will be known as the Leiden Campus and will help support the company's continued growth in multiple disease areas, spanning multiple modalities and further enable its research and development teams to bring transformative therapies to patients. The new building will house labs, offices and manufacturing capabilities for approximately 500 additional employees.
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