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Louisiana shows great promise in becoming a center for biotechnology and life sciences. The Pelican State boasts prestigious academic institutions and organizations that aid it in this goal.

Notable biotechnology and life science companies in Louisiana include BASF Corporation with operations in Geismar and Shreveport; Bayou Biolabs in Harahan; Morriss & Dickson Company Ltd in Shreveport; BioJEN, LLC in Baton Rouge; Embera NeuroTherapeutics, Inc. in Shreveport; Qyntessa Biologics in Baton Rouge; TransGenRx Inc. in Baton Rouge; and V-Labs, Inc. in Covington, among others.

The state of Louisiana offers several organizations to foster growth in the biotechnology sector. The Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana (BRF) is an independent, non-profit organization founded to diversify the Shreveport-Bossier economy. The Foundation supports the InterTech Science Park, an 800 acre (3.2 square kilometer or 324 hectare) urban science and technology park in Shreveport; the PET Imaging Center; education and workplace development programs; and support for the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport (LSUHSC-S). The Louisiana Alliance for Biotechnology (LAB) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to expanding biotechnology research and business development throughout Louisiana; LAB aims to facilitate development for an interactive consortium of university and private sector researchers in biotechnology and molecular biology, to assist with technology transfer to the private sector, to enhance community quality of life, to develop and research ways for improving and expanding the state’s agriculture and industry, and to coordinate state, federal, academic, and business sector efforts to improve economic conditions via further development in its biotechnology sector. The Louisiana Department of Economic Development works towards the expansion of the state’s life science industry by aiding an entrepreneurial culture to support the formation and growth of biotech firms in Louisiana, and establishing a seed capital fund for early stage proof-of-concept and business formation. Among the efforts initiated for these goals are three regional innovation centers in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, which provide low-cost wet lab incubator space and integrated business development services; the establishment of the Good Manufacturing Practice laboratory for stem cell research and the creation of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center of New Orleans; and funding the Louisiana Gene Therapy Research Consortium.

Louisiana’s prestigious academic institutions enrich life science research through foundations, technology transfer assistance, and research facilities. Louisiana State University offers several important resources. Among these are the Division of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine (BioMMED) at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge, providing five service-oriented centralized core laboratories; the LSU System Research and Technology Center (LETC), an incubator for companies with wet-lab needs serving small and start-up businesses developing and commercializing university technologies; and the LSU AgCenter’s Biotechnology Laboratory (ABL), a multidisciplinary research group representing both plant and animal scientific disciplines, whose primary goal is to develop new commercial products and establish biotechnology as one of Louisiana’s future leading industries. The AgCenter also provides the Hill Farm Research Station, one of 20 research stations within the center. LSU also boasts the LSUHSC School of Medicine Neuroscience Center of Excellence, whose mission is to foster and conduct science that advances the understanding of brain function and nervous system diseases, and to mentor the development of neuroscientists and clinician-neuroscientists through fundamental and translational research. Tulane University boasts such renowned resources as the Health Sciences Center, the National Primate Research Center, the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and the School of Medicine. The University of Louisiana offers the University Research Park, located on 143 acres (0.58 square kilometers or 57.9 hectares) and providing a new research and business environment for emerging and established companies via its laboratories, offices, and facilities for basic and applied research. The University Research Park aims to provide educational training, promote University research and development in partnership with industry and government, assist in new venture growth, promote economic development, and aid in technology transfer. The University of Louisiana also provides the New Iberia Research Center at Lafayette, which specializes in nonhuman primate species breeding, management, and importation and offers research resources for the development and characterization of nonhuman primate models with the goal of promoting human quality of life.

With so many remarkable assets at its disposal, Louisiana seems assured a promising future in its biotechnology and life science industry.

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