Organizers of the Minnesota Science Park (MSP) say their project to launch science and technology hub on the east side of the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis has been in the works for a decade.
That’s ironic because ten years ago, another project to launch a university-related science and technology hub also was taking shape, but this one ended up across the river in St. Paul.
That effort, the University Enterprise Laboratories (UEL), didn’t ignite a biotechnology corridor in the Twin Cities as organizers had hoped. Today, the building is trying to carve out its own niche as an incubator for promising medical and biotech startups.
BioLabs Pegasus Park Cultivates Life Science Ecosystem
Gabby Everett, the site director for BioLabs Pegasus Park, offered a tour of the space and shared some examples of why early-stage life science companies should choose North Texas.
In truth, you really can’t mention MSP without thinking about UEL — something MSP officials seem to note in their press materials.
“Currently, there is no relationship between UEL and the Science Park,” the materials say. “However, UEL is a valuable facility, which anchors the area just across the Minneapolis-St. Paul border from the Minnesota Science Park’s easternmost boundary…. Both the Science Park and UEL’s activities will hasten development and provide the necessary infrastructure for the private sector to access the University campus.”
Notice the word “currently,” which combined with the paragraph’s complimentary tone about UEL suggests the possibility that the two institutions could one day form some sort of partnership.
“I can’t think of any reason why I would say no,” said Paul Knapp, chair of the UEL board of directors. However, he stressed there are no discussions, though he has spoken to Peter Bianco, a former general manager of UEL who’s now spearheading MSP, about the park.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
“We support anything that encourages private investors to help create the (biotech) cluster,” Knapp said.
That UEL could one day join forces with MSP would be something of a miracle, given the acrimonious history of the players behind the projects.
Back in the early 2000s, Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and then Mayor Randy Kelly of St. Paul, who were not exactly best buddies, jostled over UEL. Kelly ultimately prevailed, and UEL ended up at an old Target distribution center on University Avenue.
But their rivalry pales in comparison to the one between Frank Cerra, dean of the university’s medical school, and Robert Elde, dean of College of Biological Sciences. It’s not much of a secret that two men don’t like each other. Elde was the driving force behind UEL, while Cerra, a strong supporter of MSP, is one of the major brains behind the Biomedical Discovery District (BDD).
But alas, maybe it’s time to let bygones be bygones. UEL,k after all, hosts the university’s Office for Technology Commercialization and hopes to serve as an incubator for companies originating from technology created by school’s Medical Device Innovation Fellowship Program.
Plus, UEL is located close enough to MSP that it seems perfectly natural to imagine a technology corridor stretching from Biomedical Discovery District and MSP in Minneapolis to UEL in St. Paul.
“If successful, the Minnesota Science Park’s activities will catalyze the area between BDD and move eastward,” MSP’s press materials say. “Over time the area between the BDD and UEL will fully develop into a science and technology cluster.”
