German research institute coming to New Haven
BioMed X picks city for first U.S. site
An independent research institute based in Germany has chosen New Haven as its first location here in the United States.
BioMed X, which is based at the University of Heidelberg, selected the city from an initial field of 80 possible locations, according to Mark Johnston, who will head the research center in New Haven. Johnston said he expects BioMed X’s New Haven labs to open in September, with a team of six researchers assembled.
“We are still in the process of negotiating a lease with one of the local commercial real estate firms that have experience with lab facilities,” Johnston said. “I can say that all of the options we are looking at will be within walking distance from the Yale School of Medicine campus, which was important for us because it means we will be embedded into the local bio-ecosystem.”
BioMed X, which was launched in 2013, has grown to a workforce of about 70 people in Germany, he said.
“Each of our research teams comprises a group leader and several postdoctoral scientists, PhD students, and research assistants,” Johnston said. “Each new project brings a new team on board. We will probably have around two to four new teams each year.”
BioMed X officials chose New Haven because of Yale’s worldclass reputation and the opportunity it provides for researchers to collaborate with experts at the university for the mentorship of specific projects, he said. Other factors that ultimately led BioMed X to select New Haven were the availability of high quality lab space and a geographic location close to the pharmaceutical companies that it partners with in doing its research.
For its first U.S-based research project, BioMed X will focus on immunology and tissue engineering, working with sci
entists from AbbVie, an Illinoisbased biopharmaceutical company that was spun off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013.
Josh Geballe, managing director of Yale Ventures, said the arrival of BioMed X in New Haven “complements our thriving biotech life sciences community.” Yale Ventures was an initiative university officials launched last year to reshape the way the Ivy League school helps professors and students turn their research into commercial ventures.
“They bring a unique model of scientific innovation and talent development to the New Haven innovation ecosystem, attracting dozens of the world’s best early career academic scientists to move, thrive, and live in our community,” Geballe said of BioMed X. “We are thrilled that they chose New Haven over several other larger cities and believe this shows New Haven’s growing reputation as a global hub for innovation.
BioMed X’s selection of New Haven marks the second time in less than a year that a foreign entity in the biotech field has selected New Haven as its base for U.S. operations. Nuritas, an Irish biotech, announced in May 2022 that it had selected the city as its North American headquarters.
Nuritas officials have not yet selected a specific location for the headquarters, according to officials with AdvanceCT, a nonprofit organization that promotes business growth in the state and is aiding the company in its search.
“Our CEO, Peter Deniouss, spoke to their CEO and she told him that Nuritas is still focused on getting their key people in place,” said Shirar O’Connor, AdvanceCT’s vice president of marketing. “Once they get those people in place, then they will go ahead and secure their office space.”