A new biotech incubator specializing in immunology will open in around two years at the site of a former Ford auto plant on Baum Boulevard.
The UPMC Immune Transplant and Therapy Center is a joint venture between the state’s largest hospital system and the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt is rehabbing the building and UPMC is contributing $200 million for research.
"We’ll have some academic space around basic immunology, immunotherapy, around cancer biology, around aging science, and organ and rejection, organ transplantation," said Dr. Bob Ferris, an immunologist and director of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. "What we’re also going to do is offer up space for collaborations with industry."
Ferris says the industry collaborators might be anything from small biotechs to big pharmaceutical companies. Research will contribute to the fields of cancer, aging and organ transplantation, among others.
"In short, 5000 Baum will leverage the power of proximity," said Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. "That cross pollination that can happen when we connect and work together on the technology and the partnerships that will help translate their discoveries."
The University of Pittsburgh estimates that this center will create at least 2,000 jobs.
