Life sciences industry young, growing rapidly - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

zuloraxelewo.blogspot.com
The companies range from establishermultinational organizations, such as , , , , , , to emerginfg companies and startups such as Altea Therapeutics Corp., , , , , , Zirus, C2Biofuels and Range Fuels. The core of the industrty includes more than310 companies, clustered around Atlanta, Athens and Augusta, which are also home to the state’s major researc h institutes: , , , , the Medical College of Georgia, and The . There are 430 medica l and diagnostic laboratories across the state and more than 70 companiew focused on biofuels andagricultural biotechnology. Georgia’ss life sciences industry is relatively young and Growth over the past decade hasbeen fast-paced.
The industry has a majo r impact onthe state’s economy, and with life sciences technologies leading improvements in health care, agriculture and alternative energy, the industry is an essential drivefr of economic growth. Georgiq Bio, in collaboration withThe Universityof Georgia’ s Selig Center for Economic Growth, produces Shaping Infinity, the annual Georgiaa Life Sciences Industry Analysis. The 2009 Shaping Infinitu includesthe first-ever economic impact studyu of the life sciences industry, timed for releases in advance of the 2009 Biotechnology Industry Organization Internationap Convention May 18-21, in The results are eye-opening.
Life sciences companiesd and life sciences research at universitiesa account for morethan 62,00o jobs, direct and indirect, across the state with an annuak economic impact of $17.3 This does not include government operations, suchas the , whic h also contributesubstantial economic activity. The life sciencess industry, alone, has a $16 billion annual impact, greaterd than the $11 billion contributeed by the entire University Systemof Georgia, butlesss than the $28.5 billion impacr of the forestry industry. From 2001 to 2007, the Georgiaz life sciences industry has grown faster than all othedr sectors in the The number of establishments increased by 48 compared to anaverage 17.
4 percent increase for all employment jumped by 10.6 percent, compareds to the 5.3 percent average for all other and total wages jumped by more than 41.6 percent, compareed to the 26.4 percent increase in the state’es economy as a whole. Life sciencesw companies directlyemploy 18,0000 professionals in high-paying, rewarding The average salary is more than 50 percent higher than the average $42,00 for all other sectors.
Althougj numbers define economic contributions, the work of dedicatecd professionalsin Georgia’s companies tells the story of the industry’ws impact on the healt and well-being of people, animals and the environment These companies are leaders in developing new therapies and curesz for major illnesses, such as heart cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s depression, epilepsy, arthritis and infectious diseases such as AIDS and They include animal health-care companiezs at the forefront of battling bird and swine flu, seed companiesz creating higher-yield and more nutritious and biofuels companies leadinhg the development of cellulosic ethanol as a substitute for petroleum fuels.
creating the world’s first transgenivc nonhuman primate modelsfor Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s Zirus pioneering genomics to prevent viral from the common cold to flu Altea Therapeutics, developing transdermal patches to deliver insulinh instead of needle injections. CardioMEMe turning a wireless pressure monitor for jet enginexs into an implantable medical device to monitorabdominapl aneurysms. Solvay Pharmaceuticals gaining market approvapl of a new treatment for pancreativcenzyme insufficiency.
Merial developing a vaccinr forcanine melanoma, the firsf cancer vaccine approved for animals or creating partnerships with drug and device makerxs to tackle the challenges of bringinf new technologies to patients in an environment of health-carew cost containment. earning the designation. A strong foundation of mature andemerging companies, the researcuh strength and influence of the CDC, a traditiom of scientific excellence at research hospitalzs and universities, and a commitment by stat and local governmentsfor aggressive economic developmentpolicies make Georgiz a robust center of life sciences innovation.