Eikon Therapeutics to shift headquarters to Millbrae

MILLBRAE >> Eikon Therapeutics has signed a lease that will enable the biotech company to both expand and shift its headquarters to a modern tech and life sciences campus in Millbrae.

The biotech company signed a lease for 285,000 square feet of office and laboratory space at the Alexandria Life Sciences Campus in Millbrae, Eikon said

Thursday. The complex is located near the corner of Rollins Road and Adrian Road.

“We are proud to expand our presence in the region,” said Roger Perlmutter, chief executive officer with Eikon Therapeutics.

Eikon is moving its headquarters from Hayward to Millbrae, the company said.

The biotech company has developed technologies to track real-time movements of proteins within cells as a way to develop new treatments for an array of dangerous diseases.

Potentially 750 Eikon employees could work at the new Millbrae offices, the company estimated.

Alexandria Real Estate, a Pasadena-based developer with several major office projects in the Bay Area, is developing a big campus in Millbrae that would total 637,000 square feet.

“Eikon is in an exciting phase of growth that has benefited tremendously from the diverse pool of talent across research, engineering, and technology that exists in the Bay Area,” said Alfred “Freddie” Bowie, chief financial officer with Eikon Therapeutics.

Three office buildings and an amenities center are expected to be the primary structures in the new tech campus, along with a parking garage.

The buildings are slated to include modern office spaces as well as advanced research and laboratory facilities. The complex is scheduled to be completed by sometime in 2024.

The under-construction tech campus is across the street from the Millbrae Transit Center. BART and Caltrain both serve the transit hub, which will enable people to take public transportation to big cities such as San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco.

“This new campus with robust public transit access as well as uniquely inspiring design and amenities will enable Eikon to recruit the best talent,” said Terezia

Nemeth, an executive vice president and the Bay Area regional market manager for Alexandria Real Estate.

Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate firm, represented Eikon Therapeutics in its search for office space.

“Eikon Therapeutics captures the best of the Bay Area's culture of missiondriven innovation,” said Tom Williams, Millbrae's city manager. “It is an exciting time of future-looking development in our city.”