Biotech’s L.A. presence grows, with trade groups fighting over turf
In a sign of growing interest in Los Angeles County as a major biomedical hub, the California Life Sciences Assn. has opened an office in Monrovia.
It also this week announced partnerships with two organizations in the L.A. region — LA BioMed, a nonprofit research institute in Torrance, and the biotech incubator Lab Launch, in Monrovia.
The association said its latest undertakings will help new biomedical businesses in greater Los Angeles organize their operations, assist companies in getting their products commercialized, boost political advocacy for the industry and provide professional resources for people looking to advance in the life sciences field.
The moves follow an expansion by the San Diego-based life science trade group Biocom, which opened its L.A. office this summer.
But they also have sparked a rivalry with an established L.A. industry group.
The two entities are being criticized by the Los Angeles-based Southern California Biomedical Council. The council’s president and chief executive, Ahmed Enany, said Biocom and the association are interlopers more interested in gaining turf than in helping the region.
Although the L.A. region has noted research universities and hospitals, it has long been overshadowed by the massive life science hubs in San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area.
For years, government and business leaders in greater Los Angeles have tried to increase biomedical activity there, and Biocom has joined such efforts. In addition, the University of Southern California has pushed a plan to create a “biotechnology park” near the campus.
Sara Radcliffe, president and CEO of the California Life Sciences Assn., said the expansion and partnerships in the Los Angeles region bring stronger direct assistance for local companies and greater advocacy in Sacramento, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere for policies that foster biomedical growth.
“Both LA BioMed and Lab Launch are focused on helping advance exciting research,” Radcliffe said. “That’s something we’re really passionate about. We focus on making sure entrepreneurs have access to advice, informational resources, networking — experts to help them with every aspect of development of drugs, devices and diagnostics.”
Services include legal advice, counseling on how to talk with investors, tips for building relationships with patient-support groups and insights on how to make sure projects indeed address unmet medical needs.
The association’s new office increases the geographic overlap between it and Biocom. In addition to the Los Angeles region, both groups have offices in San Diego and the nation’s capital. The association also has offices in Sacramento and South San Francisco, while Biocom also has an office in Tokyo (it calls Japan the most important international partner).
Biocom promotes Southern California as a mega-region for life sciences. It champions Los Angeles as providing benefits that San Diego lacks, such as a more global profile and easier access to key centers around the world.
For its part, San Diego offers a geographically compact and highly organized biomedical community, Biocom said. Along with Orange County, it boasts a wide range of research and commercialization services.
Enany, the head of the Southern California Biomedical Council, said Biocom and the California Life Sciences Assn. are expanding out of self-interest.
“In response to Biocom moving north, [the association is] coming south. There’s a competition between the two organizations on who’s going to dominate California’s public policy and advocacy” in the life science sector, he said.
The council will continue to focus on serving local entrepreneurs and remain “above the fray” as Biocom and the association vie for turf, Enany said.
bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com
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