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A new kid on the block is carving out space in the Oregon economy鈥檚 pecking order. Bioscience is a diverse array of establishments spanning industry, education and health care entities. It can be sorted into agricultural feedstock and industrial bioscience, drugs and pharmaceuticals, medical devices and equipment, research, testing and medical labs, and bioscience-related distribution. The latter is categorized as delivery of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and agricultural bioscience products that often require specialized technologies including cold storage and regulated product monitoring, for example.

An economic impact report released earlier this year showed Oregon鈥檚 800-plus bioscience establishments to have contributed $6.5 billion to the state鈥檚 economy in 2017, with $3.9 billion in exports. These establishments supported more than 47,000 jobs directly and indirectly. A 2018 report from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the national trade association, shows Oregon having particular specializations in agricultural and pharmaceutical products and research and testing.

Major league players are here, including Lilly, Genentech and Amgen. But about half of the state鈥檚 establishments have four or fewer employees, and bioscience establishments can be found in each of Oregon鈥檚 counties. This is according to Liisa Bozinovic, who relocated from California to Oregon earlier this year to become the Oregon Bioscience Association鈥檚 (OBA) executive director.

Signs of confidence are readily found. One is $363 million in basic bioscience research funding obtained by Oregon hospitals and universities.

Then there鈥檚 two adjacent buildings to be built in Portland鈥檚 Central Eastside Industrial District. Dubbed the NIR Center, for New Industrial Revolution, it will provide 347,000 gross square feet of space 鈥� including bio-safety level 2 wet lab space. Bozinovic says these are the first facilities designed specifically to cater to bioscience needs to be built in Oregon exclusively with private money.

鈥淚t will help remedy one of the biggest barriers to growth of Oregon鈥檚 bioscience sector, which is the lack of lab space,鈥� she said.

Construction of the NIR Center will follow renovation of a three-story warehouse to create a fourth floor. That building, also in the Central Eastside Industrial District, is named the Eastside Innovation Hub. Summit Development Group is the developer of both projects. Of the Hub鈥檚 40,000 gross square feet, 18,000 will be occupied by Lake Oswego-based Revelar Health. Led by President/CEO Chris Marsh, Revelar produces an exhalent device that measures aldehydes in a person鈥檚 breath. Aldehydes are a product of cell damage, and measuring them can indicate the presence of diseased cells.

The plan is for the NIR Center to house graduates of the Oregon Bioscience Incubator. Operated by the nonprofit Oregon Translational Research and Development Institute (OTRADI), the OTRADI incubator opened its doors in 2007 in the South Waterfront District.

Many key players wear multiple hats. Take immunotherapist Dr. Bernie Fox who, with his son Bernard Fox III, founded UbiVac. They are developing drugs to enable immune system cells to recognize and attack different types of cancers. Current drugs don鈥檛 work in people whose immune systems do not recognize different types of cancers. Perfected, the market for these types of drugs is in the billions of dollars. As for other hats, the elder Fox holds an endowed chair in cancer research at Providence Cancer Center and also teaches at OHSU.

Many bioscience products are regulated by the FDA and other federal agencies while the patents鈥� underlying innovations are often litigated in state and federal courts, making engagement with government a core priority for OBA.

鈥淩egulations with the best of intentions can have unintended consequences that obstruct the innovation and production cycle,鈥� Bozinovic said, adding 鈥渋ntellectual property protection is a top priority.鈥�

Access to capital is another priority.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about money, for academic and training programs and to incentivize outside investment in startups and early stage companies,鈥� said Nancy Lime, an OBA board member and senior vice president at device and diagnostics company Sedia Biosciences. This fall, OBA will hold its first Legislative Academy 鈥� a day and a half of briefings, forums and visits to company worksites to educate lawmakers on what it takes to continue to grow the state鈥檚 biosciences sector.

One more thought: diseases that proliferate in warm climates will become much more widespread due to climate change. Those include malaria as well as dengue fever, Zika, chikungunya and West Nile virus 鈥� and North America won鈥檛 be exempt. By the same measure, warmer weather will unleash diseases that destroy crops.

CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, has reported that executives at big pharma companies expect huge demand for medicines to deal with the climate-induced proliferation of disease. Linking Oregon鈥檚 reputation as a leader in the fight against climate change to its growth in bioscience could serve as another area where Oregon bioscience could produce both economic gains and better human health in a hotter future.

There鈥檚 a lot happening with bioscience in Oregon. Let鈥檚 keep moving the needle.

Matt Slavin founded M.I. Slavin to provide consulting in project management, strategic planning, research and communications. Contact him at 503-619-5601 or [email protected].