36 www.gflalliance.org Photo by Mark Freerks - South Florida Business Journal

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South Florida Operations LeadSkanska USA Building Inc.

“Broward County offers companies like ours access to life science companies and market resources that lead to new partnerships and

business opportunities. Skanska is a proud member of the Alliance because it fosters collaboration among life science leaders, academia and research institutions,

and economic development organizations to maintain the industry’s continued success. As a leading business destination, Broward is the place where all these resources come together to help businesses in the life sciences industry thrive.”

Jorge Moros

GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE ALLIANCE ECONOMIC SOURCEBOOK 37GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE ALLIANCE ECONOMIC SOURCEBOOK 37(Above) Photo courtesy of Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center

Life SciencesBy nurturing a collaborative culture, Greater Fort Lauderdale provides a stimulating and supportive business environment for biomedical, pharmaceutical, clinical research and other life sciences companies.

oday, South Florida is home to one of the nation’s most dynamic industry clusters with convenient access to

leading research institutes and academic institutions. To the north are Scripps Florida, Max Planck Florida Institute, Torrey Pines Institute, and Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. In Greater Fort Lauderdale – a longtime home for many biomedical companies – Nova Southeastern University is expanding its life science research facilities, and to the south, the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine is investing in its biomedical research and commercialization programs. The region’s academic institutions, research parks and economic development organizations have joined together to form

Life Sciences South Florida (LifeSciencesSF.org), an initiative inspired by other successful regional economic development clusters, such as Silicon Valley in California, and Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. To stimulate economic growth in South Florida, LSSF links the elements of the innovation ecosystem: research, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and life sciences companies to accelerate research commercialization. Additionally, the life sciences and biotechnology workforce is being strengthened by enhanced K-20 STEM education and talent development in the region. For the private sector, a key asset is the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research, which facilitates the creation of spin-off companies from technology developed at Florida’s publicly

funded research institutions. The institute provides support services, including building relationships with seasoned entrepreneurs, in order to hasten the growth of commercially viable discoveries.

A Diverse Industry Cluster South Florida is home to more than 1,500 bioscience businesses and institutions that employ more than 26,000 people and generate over $4 billion in sales, according to recent surveys. Leading companies in Greater Fort Lauderdale include:• Actavis, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals, Since 1992, the company’s pharmaceutical manufacturing and warehousing facility in Davie has

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MAKO Surgical Corp.Photo by Mark Freerks,

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Nursing Students at Nova Southeastern University

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manufactured about 2.2 billion units annually. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, and the European Medicines Agency.• Aveva Drug Delivery Systems, a Miramar-based Nitto Denko company focusing on transdermal drug delivery systems. • Sunrise-based Bioheart, Inc., which has developed an innovative approach to repairing damaged heart muscle by using the body’s own cells. • Bolton Medical in Sunrise, which develops new products for endovascular aortic treatment. • Florida Supplement, a nutraceutical manufacturer and packager of nutritional supplements in tablets, capsules, liquids and power blend forms. Located in Hollywood, Florida Supplement has manufactured nutritional supplement products for customers in the United States, Latin America and Europe.• Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc., a fully integrated contract manufacturing organization (CMO) of monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins for preclinical and phase I/II/III clinical trials. Plantation-based GBI has worked with companies of all sizes. • Hema Diagnostic Systems, LLC, a Miramar company that produces a full line of rapid diagnostic assays for major infectious disease testing (for export only).• ImmunoSite Technologies, LLC (IST), a Miramar-based provider of automation, design and customization of complex biological assays to biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.• MAKO Surgical Corp., a medical device

company with headquarters in Davie, markets its RIO® Robotic-Arm Interactive Orthopedic system and its proprietary RESTORIS® implants for minimally invasive orthopedic knee procedures.• Micrus Endovascular, a medical device manufacturer acquired by Johnson & Johnson. Based in Miramar, the facility is now part of Codman Neurovascular, a business unit of Codman & Shurtleff, Inc., the global neurosurgery device company of the DePuy Family of Companies within Johnson & Johnson.• Nipro Diagnostics, a leading supplier of co-branded blood glucose monitoring systems throughout North America. Nipro’s Fort Lauderdale locations house corporate, manufacturing, packaging and R&D facilities. In 2011, the Florida Manufacturers Association named Nipro Diagnostics its “Manufacturer of the Year.” • Fort Lauderdale-based OmniComm Systems, Inc., a global provider of eclinical solutions. • OrbusNeich, which develops therapies for physician customers around the world at its Advanced Research and Development facility in Fort Lauderdale.• SHL Pharma, a company of the SHL Group, the world’s largest privately owned designer, developer and manufacturer of advanced drug delivery systems, recently announced the $6 million expansion and renovation of its manufacturing and R&D facility in Deerfield Beach.• Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., whose facility in Weston handles engineering, information technology and purchasing services.

Academic Research Facilities Nova Southeastern University’s researchers are at the leading edge of scientific breakthroughs on many fronts. Aided by more than $82 million in outside funding, more than 205 basic, applied and clinical research projects improve patient care, make new drug discoveries, reduce mental health disorders, and examine the forces that impact the oceans. NSU is developing a new 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research (CCR) for medical, pharmaceutical, dental, and oceanographic research. An integral part of NSU’s 26-acre, mixed-use, high-tech research office park, the CCR will provide wet labs for many of NSU’s innovative researchers, as well as a General Clinical Research Center, an outpatient facility with a centralized clinical research infrastructure for investigators in multiple disciplines. The center will also house NSU’s Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine; Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research; the Emil Buehler Research Center for Engineering, Science and Mathematics; and Broward County’s only private incubator for information security businesses. In 2013, NSU opened the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Institute for Neuro Immune Medicine. The leading-edge institute will treat patients with conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), Gulf War Illness (GWI) and other neuro immune conditions, as well as conduct basic and clinical research in this field. In 2012, NSU opened the Center for Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Science Research Facility at NSU’s Oceanographic Center in Hollywood. Funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, America’s premier coral reef research center is solely dedicated to coral reef ecosystem research. Another ocean research facility – Florida Atlantic University’s Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering (SeaTech) – is located in Dania Beach. Established in 1997 as a state-funded Type II research center, the institute is part of FAU’s Department of Ocean Engineering. Its team of world-class faculty members, engineers, technicians and students are engaged in federally and industry-sponsored ocean engineering research and technology development in the areas of acoustics, marine vehicles, hydrodynamics and physical oceanography, marine materials and nanocomposites. For more information on life sciences companies, see www.gflalliance.org

(Above) Nipro Diagnostics - Photo by Mark Freerks - South Florida Business Journal

The South Florida Business Journal would like to thank the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance

for their years of dedication to our community.

South Florida Business Journal has dedicated over 30 years to growing business in South Florida. Whether you read us in print, online or on the go, our goal is the same: Deliver in depth stories and breaking news to help you grow your business.

6400 North Andrews Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 main 954.949.7600 | www.southfloridabusinessjournal.com

Thank you.