CORTEX
A metamorphosis is under way in midtown St. Louis, Missouri.
The venerable Midwestern U.S. city’s history as a manufacturing hub is giving way to its burgeoning reputation as a biotech giant. Local, internationally renowned institutions and civic leaders have joined forces to spur life sciences research, development and
commercialization.
CORTEX, founded
to promote biotech development, has been central to the dramatic
growth of a bustling regional plant and medical sciences industry,
in and around St. Louis. The headquarters and the 240-plus-acre
district are a stone’s throw from the great medical schools
and research centers of Washington University, Saint Louis University
and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
CORTEX: A District to Live, Work and Play
Situated just
to the west of downtown, CORTEX is adjacent to historic neighborhoods
and Forest Park—a city park that's larger than Central Park
in New York. Here is an oasis for thought and action: The park
is not only home to many cultural attractions, but opportunities
for outdoor pursuits from golf and tennis to rollerblading. A
world-famous Zoo is right there, along with the Science Center,
Art Museum and an incomparable outdoor theater, The Muny.
Many who come to visit and decide to stay find the line between work and play is blurry.
CORTEX Benefits at a Glance
CORTEX is
a “one-stop shop” that provides easy access to everything
a young or mature life sciences company needs to succeed—e.g.,
from helping sort out various economic incentives to providing
turnkey services including site selection/ acquisition and design/build.
CORTEX offers companies:
• World-class biotech amid historical neighborhood amenities
• Lower cost of living, but incomparable quality of life
• Proximity to world-class research institutions
• Unprecedented investment, in-town venture capital
• A consortium of powerful entities committed to success
• A responsive facilitator with a track record of delivering everything
promised, ahead of schedule and under budget
Location, Location, Location
CORTEX is
nestled between a vibrant, 10,000-acre city center that's the
very picture of urban renaissance—and Forest Park, a jewel
even before its recent $100 million renovation.
But the cornerstone of CORTEX is its proximity to innovative research and development—institutions within the district annually receive more than $500 million in research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Between the Park and CORTEX is Washington University Medical School. The prestigious institution is continually ranked among the top medical schools in the country. Here, at Washington University and around the world, physicians are using devices and treatment techniques that sprang from the joint efforts of scientists and entrepreneurs and have gone from bench to bed in St. Louis.
Anchoring
the CORTEX district's east end is Saint Louis University (SLU)
and its medical school. In the new, 10-story, 206,000-square-foot
Doisy Research Center, Saint Louis University researchers advance
SLUÕs world-leading vaccine development and clinical trials
programs, while enjoying the time to relax in the adjacent Zen
garden. Nearby, the Center for Emerging Technologies (sponsored
by CORTEX partner University of Missouri-St. Louis) is undergoing
its third major expansion to accommodate the space needs of burgeoning
start-up companies. At this incubator and numerous others in and
around town, ideas born of brilliant minds are nurtured. Ideas
become fully formedÑcommercially viable, life-saving.
Center for
Emerging Technologies (CET) is home to many start-ups that partner
closely with research at both medical schools. CORTEX's proximity
to the medical schools provides an ideal environment for these
corporate/university partnerships.
Also on the
east end is one of several thriving urban neighborhoods, Grand
Center, where it's hard to tell where SLU ends and the city begins.
This type of synergy is typical throughout the district. Grand
Center is a thriving cultural district, home to the Pulitzer Foundation
for the Arts, the Sheldon Concert Hall, and Powell Hall, home
to the world-renowned Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.
(click here for a larger version)
Biotech Surging at all Four Points of the Compass
While CORTEX is anchored on the east and west by major research institutions, commercial growth and cultural activity thrives in all directions. On the south border is the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden, another founding sponsor of CORTEX, where urgent biodiversity-focused research continues apace.
To the north is the Central West End, a 100-year-old neighborhood that includes many historically significant homes and the landmark Chase Park Plaza, an upscale hotel and residence that serves as a centerpiece of the dining and entertainment district.
At the center of the district, both new and mature life sciences companies are taking advantage of the great research minds in St. Louis.
Stereotaxis launched at CET, where it began the process of commercializing its magnetically guided devices to assist in cardiac surgery. The NASDAQ-traded company now has its corporate headquarters in a post-incubator wet lab building in the CORTEX district. This state-of-the-art, LEED certified building provides 170,000 square feet of space for growing companies. Designed with special features like vibration-resistant flooring essential to delicate research procedures and measurements, the building is equipped to handle the needs of any kind of biotech project. Eye-catching architecture and high-tech design make the building a centerpiece
of CORTEX.
The building is also home to the Consortium for Translational Research in Advanced Imaging and Nanomedicine
(C-TRAIN). This Washington University Medical School project is part of the Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, one of the National Cancer InstituteÕs flagship projects to encourage collaboration between major research institutions and private sector companies on the study of nanomedicine for the detection and treatment of cancer.
What’s in an Acronym?
CORTEX*
stands for the Center of Research, Technology and Entrepreneurial
Exchange. But it's no accident that it's also the largest part
of the human brain, associated with higher brain function such
as thought and action. Not to mention intuition and foresight.
"When
you drive through this area, you'll see many biotech buildings,
scores of biotech firms and thousands of new, high-paying jobs,"
John Dubinsky, president of CORTEX, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
when ground was broken in 2004. In recognizing the CORTEX organization's
expert facilitation in navigating the development process and
accessing economic incentives, the City of St. Louis has given
CORTEX full redevelopment rights for 190 acres in the district.
With these rights, Dubinsky's prediction is coming to fruition,
and much sooner than many observers thought possible.
The
type of biotech and related businesses within the district and
nearby runs the gamut, from quite small to very large. In midtown,
not far from CORTEX, pharmaceutical giant Sigma-Aldrich also has
its headquarters; nearby is the company's Life Science Technology
Center, a $57 million research and technology center and home
to 220 life science chemists and a corporate learning center.
Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, maintains
its global center for biologics on a research campus in St. Louis.
At the other end of the spectrum, companies in the incubator stage, and those that have recently emerged, have invented and are commercializing everything from treatments for cancer to devices that simplify heart surgery.
*CORTEX is a not-for-profit partnership of Washington University, Saint Louis University, the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Missouri Botanical Garden. The consortium also includes founding partners Civic Progress, the City of St. Louis and the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA).
Ideal Conditions for Life Sciences Growth
CORTEX's
St. Louis location provides young and mature companies with numerous
competitive advantages. Cost of living is much lower than on either
coast. The local work ethic means that workers stay in a job longer,
greatly reducing turnover. A stable corporate base maintains a
strong local workforce. New business opportunities abound as more
companies emerge, thanks to local venture capital firms that now
have well over $600 million under management.
Take the case of Nathan Lakey, formerly of Boston. His C.V. includes developing new DNA sequencing technologies for the Human Genome Project at Harvard Medical School. The entrepreneur was well established in the Northeast before relocating to St. Louis and joining Orion Genomics, where he serves as president and CEO. Orion, based at CET, is pioneering a method for early cancer detection and improved treatments.
"Our
original idea was to develop and market novel genome technologies
in agriculture. Because two of our founding scientists were at
Washington UniversityÕs School of Medicine and St. Louis
was in the heart of ag country, we decided to locate here,"
said Lakey.
The
mix of nascent companies and cutting-edge research is a force
to be reckoned with, and is attractive to ambitious young men
and women focused on starting—or augmentingÑa career
in the life sciences.
Bicycle Traffic and Pedestrians in Lab Coats
CORTEX is more than just a research park—it's a true life
sciences neighborhood. There's a 24-hour energy to the Central
West End, where CORTEX is generating so much promise, and synergy.
Long before dawn, the nighttime buzz of the restaurants and cafes
simply changes in tone as residents start their day amid the physicians,
researchers and students who begin heading for classes, the lab
or hospital. City living is affordable and varied, from stately
mansions along Forest Park to condos historic and new. MetroLink,
the light rail system, serves the entire district, connecting
CORTEX to downtown, the airport and other regional amenities,
but those so inclined can also bicycle from home to work to Forest
Park for a refreshing spin after work.
A few miles to the east of CORTEX, a revitalized downtown has enjoyed nearly $4 billion in development this decade. Startup companies, boutiques and unique eateries flourish in downtown spaces that were once warehouses.
An Obvious Choice for Biotech Headquarters
Solae, an international biotech company that develops and produces food additives and products from soy, was formed by a partnership of Bunge and DuPont. As Solae grew, the company could have relocated anywhere in the country, or the world. Instead, Solae decided to build its $40-million corporate headquarters in the CORTEX district.
R.
Michael Reed, Solae's vice president, facilities, says CORTEX
cut through a lot of red tape by expediting required approvals,
permits and other details involved in working with government
and other entities. CORTEX also was a great help in explaining
and delivering various economic incentives.
"CORTEX
believed in the mission and dream of Solae relocating to this
life sciences area," Reed says. "They were attentive
to our needs and journey from researching available incentives
throughout the project to move-in day. Their on-going support
provided a comfort zone for us throughout this project. We know
we made the right decision to relocate our world headquarters
to CORTEX."
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