Overview

The University of Florida is a premier research institution, attracting $494M in research funding for the 2004-05 fiscal year, with the Health Science Center receiving $257M of this funding to support research in the medical and life sciences. Technology transfer income at UF hit an all-time high at $40.3 million. Discoveries in the basic health sciences have the potential to translate into new medical treatments. Currently, it costs nearly one billion dollars to turn a research discovery into a commercial medicine, due in large part to the expense of clinical trials, and drug manufacturing and testing that satisfy federal regulations. Of the products tested in Phase I human clinical trials, 45% graduate to Phase II, 10% move to Phase III, and only 5% are commercialized. Translational research is focused on transitioning the innovations discovered in the laboratory into the clinic, where safety and efficacy can be evaluated. The CERHB facilitates translational research by providing expertise and infrastructure to investigators at the University of Florida, local start-up companies, and other universities, research institutions, and companies in the Southeast. The CERHB is playing an integral role in developing the biotechnology cluster in Florida by fostering new company formation, existing company expansion, and attracting outside companies to the region.

CERHB Business and Technology
Development Program

Biotechnology is becoming an industry of major importance to the United States economy. test tubes Worldwide 2002 biopharmaceutical revenues were approximately $24 billion, about 6% of the worldwide pharmaceutical market of $395 billion. Biotechnology is a young industry with biopharmaceutical sales expected to reach $50 billion by 2006. In 2001, there were about 100 biotechnology products on the market, but 1,394 in the pipeline. The explosive growth potential represented by the pipeline from the Human Genome Project and Counter-Bioterrorism Initiatives is both the challenge and the promise of the industry. The promise for Florida is development of life saving and life enriching therapeutics from world-class research, and the creation of high-quality jobs for our citizens. The primary mission of CERHB is to improve infrastructure by expanding biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and facilitating technology transfer from the laboratory bench to the marketplace.

The explosive growth potential represented by the pipeline from the Human Genome Project and Counter-Bioterrorism Initiatives is both the challenge and the promise of the industry. The promise for Florida is development of life saving and life enriching therapeutics from world-class research, and the creation of high-quality jobs for our citizens. A primary mission of CERHB is to improve translational research capacity by expanding biopharmaceutical manufacturing and testing capacity, and facilitate technology development from the laboratory bench to the marketplace. Opening in June, 2006, Florida Biologix® will help fulfill this mission.

CERHB Education Program

personnel The expanding biopharmaceutical industry requires trained technical and professional personnel. Currently, there is a national shortage of trained personnel who are capable of developing, manufacturing, and testing new drug products. To meet this need, curricula are being established in regulatory compliance, quality systems, and biomanufacturing, and a new training facility has been built complete with classrooms, conference areas, cleanroom simulator, and wet labs outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment. This initiative contributes significantly to this emerging field by training our workforce for high-wage jobs in a clean industry. The training programs will serve high school, community college, and university students throughout the state of Florida.


Summary

The CERHB contributes to Southeast regional economic development, Research and enables our local companies to more rapidly develop new technologies and novel approaches to solving biomedical problems. The prospect for these companies to interact with faculty involved in exciting research provides unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and technology commercialization that benefits Florida companies, faculty, students, and the entire community. The expansion of biomanufacturing capacity in Florida and the training of a high-tech workforce are essential to the economic success of the statewide biotechnology industry and the advancement of new medical therapies.