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Turning Life Science Research into Life-Changing Innovation

Life science and biomedical research is driving exciting innovation with the potential to change our lives in ways we can only begin to imagine—and it’s happening right here in Greater Lansing. As home to one of the world’s leading research universities, Michigan State University, the Greater Lansing region has a national presence in life science research and biotechnology field and an excellent reputation for seamlessly taking technology from the laboratory to the marketplace. Discover the difference a location in our area can make for your company.

Greater Lansing Life Sciences and Biomedical Highlights

• Segment contributes $4 billion to the local economy

• 25,000+ Greater Lansing residents employed in this sector

• Includes a diverse variety of fields that ranges from healthcare delivery to pharmaceutical research to laboratory equipment manufacturing.

• Located in the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor—an industry cluster located on I-96 and US-131

• Roughly 3 times higher concentration of industry businesses vs. the Michigan state average

• 17.8% growth in this industry sector from 2001-2006

• 273 net new businesses from 2001-2006—the third highest level of growth across all industry sectors

Top 5 sectors within this industry cluster

Sector	Adjusted Employment in Tri-County Region*
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	772
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	1408
Testing Laboratories	1452
Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists)	3740
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	7298

*Weighted to reflect the portion of this sector that’s dedicated to this industry cluster, not total number of employees.

Source: Regional Cluster Analysis Report of the Lansing Metropolitan Region; August, 2009 (Appendix F)

 

Excellent labor resources and highly competitive wages

The Greater Lansing region delivers a pool of extremely skilled and experienced employees at wage rates that are below national averages.

Standard Occupational Classification Code	Occupation	Mean Hourly Wage in Lansing-East Lansing	Mean Hourly Wage in MI	Mean Hourly Wage in US
19-0000	Life, Physical and Social Science Occupations	$29.02	$28.04	$30.90

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

Michigan State University—a catalyst for industry success

We’ll be honest: having Michigan State University (MSU) in our backyard gives us an almost unfair advantage. Because, where else can you tap into this wealth of research and innovative thinking and this track record of effective tech transfer, with such an affordable cost of doing business? The short answer: pretty much nowhere else.

Here are just a few of the MSU programs that are helping us create world-class life science and biomedical companies:

• Carcinogenesis Laboratory—through MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, this laboratory is devoted to conducting research on the origins of human cancer.

• Biomedical Research and Informatics Center—a collaborative effort between the colleges of Human Medicine, Natural Sciences, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. The Center’s principal mission is to support and develop National Institute of Health research.

• Laboratory for Advanced Application in Glycochemistry—provides a national and international resource to academia and industry in the area of carbohydrates in medicine and materials.

• Macromolecular Structure, Sequencing and Synthesis Facility—delivers cutting-edge analysis of biomolecules; facility has extensive instrumentation resources.

• Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station—a multi-disciplinary program supported by 600+ MSU scientists. Investigating a wide range of topics include forest product development, food safety and water quality.

• MSU Extension—provides information and research that supports and strengthens the state’s life sciences industry.

The following businesses got their start with help from MSU:

• Great Lakes Ethanol—a cooperative of 300+ farmers that produces 57 million gallons of ethanol each year

• Draths Corporation—uses research from MSU to create products that are typically petroleum-based from environmentally friendly alternatives.

• Neogen Corporation—manufactures and markets a line of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test kits and reagents that are used worldwide.

• Plas-Labs, Inc.—manufactures controlled-environment devices that permit high-level medical research on communicable diseases.

Ratings/Rankings

• MSU is ranked # 7 for its College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Primary Care program by US News and World Report

• MSU is ranked # 30 for its Graduate Chemistry program by US News and World Report

Effective tech transfer is a MSU hallmark

Entrepreneur Magazine called MSU Technologies—MSU’s tech transfer arm—“a tech transfer office on steroids,” and it’s easy to see why!

• Committed to bringing the best of Michigan State University’s ideas to the marketplace and facilitating economic development in the state—and has an excellent track record of doing just that

• Well-staffed office spends extensive time monitoring and combing through University research to track down and assess ideas likely to make the transition from the lab to the marketplace

• Incorporates real-world feedback into the research and development process

• Business friendly licensing and technology transfer process

For more information, visit www.technologies.msu.edu