Biotech company aims to start industry renaissance in Sacramento region
SACRAMENTO — A new lab opening in Rancho Cordova may signal the start of a biotech renaissance in the Sacramento area.
Thermogenesis, a biotech company, is creating new labs for new gene therapy technology.
"We can see Sacramento becoming one of the more important centers for life sciences," said Dr. Chris Xu, the CEO of Thermogenesis.
Dr. Xu said it's a win for the city as much as it is for his company.
"They can come in with a brilliant idea and say, 'I have this idea. I have a design for this product. Can you handle the rest?' " he said.
Michelle Willard of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council agrees.
"We are producing the top talent in the country for biotech and life sciences," she said.
Why is this marriage of the private and public sectors working so well? Dr. Xu said that is because "there's much more products coming out of a university than in the past."
Essentially, UC Davis is creating a pipeline of students and startups that can utilize this new space to keep talent at home and dollars in the economy.
"When they see a project like Aggie Square, they think 'OK, this market is proven and we can continue attracting and recruiting companies and scaling our business,' " Willard said.
That also creates possibilities for the future.
"That allows Sacramento to attract new startups in new-stage to medium-sized companies," Dr. Xu said.
That is the potential for other industries as well as other universities in the area.
"These jobs stay here in the Northern California market and in the Greater Sacramento region, and when you're building a university-led economic development model, it helps attract these companies to the region," Willard said.
Thermogenesis said the labs are already set to welcome any startups or businesses that are interested in finding the next big breakthrough.
