Fort Collins Coloradoan
April 21, 2003

Northern Colorado Poised For Biotech Growth
by Pat Ferrier

City hopes proximity to CSU, other research centers will help it get a piece of the pie, too

As the state of Colorado drives to make biotechnology a cornerstone of the state's economy, Northern Colorado wants to ensure it's a strong piece of the foundation.

With thousands of potential jobs at stake, Colorado is setting its sights on rivaling Massachusetts and California as a biotech mecca.

It's an effort spearheaded by the governor's office, Colorado Institute of Technology and the Colorado Biotechnology Association - which met this week in Fort Collins.

But it will require close cooperation among industry, academia and government to realize the full potential of Colorado's biotechnology field, said Ralph Christoffersen, chairman of the Colorado Biotechnology Association.

What it means to Fort Collins is the potential for more higher-paying jobs, notoriety and the ability for biotech companies already here to recruit and retain workers.

According to state estimates, biotechnology now accounts for 98 of every 1,000 jobs in the state.

In the next five years, biotech could add more than 100,000 jobs.
Much of that will be in medical and veterinary research, medical devices and drugs, and plant pharma - farm crops that can be used to develop new synthetic drugs.

The state's mission dovetails with efforts by the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. to develop a base of biotechnology jobs in the region.

Biotech, however, is the new glamour girl for economic developers throughout the country.

" About 80 percent of economic development groups in the country are chasing biotech," said J.J. Johnston, chief executive officer of Loveland-based NCEDC.

" Because of the presence of CSU, Larimer County is superbly positioned to grow its bioscience industry here," he said.

The driving force in Northern Colorado will most certainly be Colorado State University, with its $183 million in research and development expenditures, renowned veterinary school, Centers for Disease Control and agriculture program.

With redevelopment of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver into a square mile of science research businesses and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center nearing completion, people are looking for the next opportunity, said Tony Frank, vice president of research at CSU.

That opportunity likely will center on infectious diseases and agriculture, "the heart and center of what we do here," said Frank, who touted the expansion opportunities available at CSU's foothills and south campuses.
" The real question is whether Colorado will catch on and go" as a hub of biotechnology research and development.

A new report commissioned by the Governor's Office of Innovation and Technology outlines the goals and challenges of making that happen, but Frank and others believe it can occur in five or six years.

With companies like Atrix Laboratories, Heska, XY Inc., and bioBubble, the region is well suited for expansion into the biotechnology sector.

" It would be a positive step for Northern Colorado in building the economy and contributing to positive growth," said Starla Kovar-Clark, marketing and customer relations manager at bioBubble, 3024 W. Prospect Road, which manufactures clean rooms for biomedical research.
So what is considered biotechnology?

Any industry involved in pharmaceutical development, agricultural production, medical device assembly and biological research and testing.
Atrix Laboratories, a drug delivery and pharmaceutical company, is at the forefront of biotechnology in Northern Colorado.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Bethune said he is optimistic that the state can pull off the task.

" Colorado has all the right parts: living conditions, climate, environment, lifestyle and school systems for families.

If the state can remain consistent through different administrations and put the word out, "we'll be seeing some real results in the next three to four years," he said.

Northern Colorado, with acres of farmland, is also well-positioned to take advantage of the growing plant pharma industry that would change genes in corn to make proteins and other things necessary for pharmaceuticals, said Christine Snowberger, deputy director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

" Part of the strategy for the state is going to be following plant pharma," said Snowberger.

Her office will tie biotech into future programs and trade missions. When the governor goes on trade missions, "we'll try to have him meet with biotech companies," as well as other companies, Snowberger said.
Growing genetically modified corn or other crops requires large tracks of buffer land around the crops to avoid cross-pollination or contamination from other crops.

" We have that," said CSU's Frank. "And we can control that buffer by not irrigating it."

The disadvantage is that crops do require irrigation. And the linchpin in the entire plant-pharma industry is the question of how people feel about genetically modified crops.

" As members of the scientific community, we need to be able to demonstrate that if we go down this road we can be safe and that the benefits which are reasonably apparent will be worth the risks because we can minimize the risks," he said.

But until science can determine public sentiment, Frank is not sure the public will move toward plant pharma.

" If pharmaceuticals move in that direction, Colorado will get to play in the action," Frank said.

The potential is huge.

The Fitzsimons complex alone is expected to employ about 38,000 workers and generate about $8 billion in revenue by the end of the decade, Christoffersen said.

Marketing agency Burns Marketing Communications, 363 W. Drake Road, believes the market will be so strong in Northern Colorado that it hired former Heska scientist Eric Weber to help move the firm into the biotechnology area.

Weber will work with the Colorado Biotechnology Association and NCEDC to promote the region as biotech-friendly and work with individual biotech companies looking for help with marketing and development.

" We have felt there was a real need to have the capability to bridge the biotech companies and their science with the marketing," Weber said. "That's what my mission is."

Paul Ray, director of the Governor's Office of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, summed up the state's hopes: "If we can move biotech from an emerging industry to a cornerstone of Colorado's economy, we will have pulled off something spectacular."