About the NYC Builds Bio+ Life Science Real Estate Development Symposium

We invite you to the Second Annual NYC Builds Bio+ Real Estate Development Symposium to examine the progress and potential that New York City has for the life sciences. The Symposium is NYC Builds Bio+’s flagship event and was launched in 2018 as a catalyst for driving targeted life science initiatives in New York City. All proceeds from the Symposium will be dedicated to supporting NYC Builds Bio+, New York’s premier not-for-profit association connecting commercial life science opportunities to the City’s real estate development community.

Creating Specialized Life Science and Lab Space in New York City

Traditionally, the life science real estate industry has been defined by the convergence of science, medicine and commercialization in global efforts to improve human health. With the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, the growth in this segment of life sciences has accelerated with a strong emphasis on Precision Medicine, targeted personalized cancer treatment and Precision Wellness. All of these areas combine a focus on genomics and biology with other technologies such as wearable technologies, big data and artificial intelligence. With twelve of the leading academic institutions and medical centers in the world, New York City is poised to be a leader in this field.

While the development of new drugs and personalized medical treatment is still a major driver of the industry, future growth will also come from new technological developments such as synthetic biology, which holds the promise for the future of biological manufacturing as well as the development of applications across a broad range of industries such as energy, agriculture, healthcare, chemicals, materials and bioremediation. New York City is uniquely positioned to be a leader in this field, having pioneered the nexus between biology, design and new materials. New York City institutions have recruited scientific leaders in this field to advance research and attract a growing number of companies who are commercializing new products created from engineering biology.

Given these and other drivers, the life science industry in New York is primed for rapid growth, but constrained by a lack of available, affordable laboratory space in locations that allow a “clustering” effect, offering synergies where research, investment and technology transfer can take place to spawn new companies. The shortage of supply is further complicated by a lack of knowledge and understanding amongst the New York real estate community about the potential for the market, the specialized infrastructure required by life science companies, and the financial components of development and lease transactions for life science companies.

Event Photo Gallery

Agenda

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM: Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM: Welcome

Speaker:

• Mitchel W. Simpler, PE, Managing Partner, Jaros Baum & Bolles

8:45 AM – 9:00 AM: The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Key Themes in a Changing U.S. Life Science Industry

Speaker:

• Nancy J Kelley, President and CEO, Nancy J Kelley + Associates

Life sciences is not just about the development of therapeutics and medical devices anymore, although those sectors still represent important components of the industry. The opening key note will focus on key new industries involved in life sciences from emerging technology platforms, biomanufacturing, chemicals and materials, engineered cell therapies, agtech, food & consumer goods, and the environment and energy. All of this activity is merging tech and bio, broadening the range of life science space required, as well as the business opportunities, location and nature of work in life science clusters across the country.

9:00 AM – 9:40 AM: Putting New York City on the Map: An Overview of National Trends & Leading Markets

Moderator: 

• Seth Pinsky, Executive Vice President and Investment Manager, RXR Realty

Speakers: 

• Steve Purpura, Vice Chairman, Managing Director, Life Sciences Consulting Group, CBRE
• Bill Harvey, Managing Director, Newmark Knight Frank
• John Cahill, Senior Vice President, JLL
• Don Crotty, National Life Sciences Center of Excellence, Skanska USA Building Inc.

This session will explore what is happening across the top ten U.S. life science clusters (where investment is increasing, vacancy rates are falling and rental rates increasing), focusing on two of the strongest life science clusters in the United States – Boston and San Francisco – which could provide a benchmark for New York City. It will include talks on what’s next for New York City in the midst of this activity.

9:40 AM – 11:00 AM: How New York City Life Science Sub Clusters are Fueling Growth Across the Boroughs

Moderator:

• Doug Thiede, Senior Vice President, Healthcare and Life Science, New York City Economic Development Corporation

Speakers:
Long Island City

• Elizabeth Lusskin, President, Long Island City Partnership
• Rob Albro, Managing Director, King Street Properties

Midtown East

• Robert J. Schneider, Associate Dean for Therapeutics Alliances, NYU Langone Health
• Timothy P. O’Connor, Executive Vice President, The Rockefeller University
• Yasmeen Ahmed Pattie, Principal, East Egg Project Management

Manhattanville

• Jonathan Schifrin, Senior Vice President, CBRE (on behalf of Scott Metzner, Janus Properties)
• Michael Aberman, MD, President & CEO, Quentis Therapeutics

Midtown West

• Matthew Weir, Senior Vice President, Taconic Investment Partners
• Alan Rigby, President & Chief Scientific Officer, HiberCell

Hudson Square

• Kathleen Kearns, Vice President, Development and Communications, New York Genome Center

Developers, building owners and institutions are responding to the strong life science market trends and forecast, expanding the New York City life science footprint to meet the increasing demand for life science space in the City. The short-term challenge is to secure the right spaces quickly and create interconnected dynamic environments, while the long-term challenge is to develop more challenging parcels and find opportunities for developing open parcels of land proximate to academic institutions. These activities are taking place in a number of life science “subclusters” that are emerging throughout the City: Long Island City, East Side Midtown, Manhattanville, West Side Midtown and Hudson Square.

11:00 AM – 11:15 AM: Networking & Exhibitor Hall
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM: From Incubator to Innovator: Companies Fueling the Next Major High-Growth Industry

Moderator:

• Michael K. De Chiara, Senior Partner, Zetlin & De Chiara

Speakers: 

• Joe Landolina, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Cresilon
• Brett Spector, Co-Founder and CEO, Fesarius Therapeutics
• David McElligott, Chief Scientific Officer, Petra Pharma
• Ann E.Weber, PhD, Senior Vice President, Kallyope Inc.

Life science company formation and financing in New York City have increased over the last several years, with well-financed start-ups spun out of the major academic medical centers founded by well-known and prestigious scientific leaders. These companies have attracted successive rounds of funding and are now expanding out of the incubators. They will become mid-sized companies in the next three to five years.

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM: Lunch
12:45 PM – 1:30 PM: Meet the Startups: Creating Space for the Next Wave of Life Science Tenants

Moderator: 

• Mark Ralph, Executive Director, Global Head of Contracts and Alliance Management, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Speakers: 

• Samuel K. Sia, PhD, Co-Founder, Harlem Biospace
• Eva B Cramer, PhD, Vice President for Biotechnology and Scientific Affairs at SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• Boris Shor, PhD, Bio IDEA, Founder/CEO, Manhattan BioSolutions
• Ariel Weinberger, CEO and Co-Founder, Autonomous Therapeutics
• Nishta Rao, Managing Director, BioLabs@NYULangone

Over the past several years, 5 incubators have been formed or grown in New York City. These organizations house the start-up companies that will ultimately build NYC’s life science cluster. Over the next three years, more than 90 companies will graduate from these facilities and will need step out space. The need for developers and building owners to plan for this now is critical. This session will also include a representative from a major academic medical center in the City to talk about the start-ups coming out of academia.

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM: Expanding the Footprint for Life Science Real Estate in New York City

Moderator: 

• Michael J. Werner, Partner in the Real Estate Department, Fried Frank 

Speakers: 

• Anthony M. Montalto, Jr., Associate Partner, Jaros, Baum & Bolles
• Lois Mate, Associate Partner, Ennead Architects LLP
• Caroline Slater, Director Quality Research and Training, Safety Partners
• Zachary Bernstein, Partner, Fried Frank Real Estate Department
• Steve Rizzo, Principal, Rizzo Group

In December, 2016, the Department of City Planning, the NYC Building Department and NYCEDC, issued a memorandum about the implications of life sciences research, testing and development in NYC commercial zoning districts 9A, that greatly expanded the number of areas and buildings eligible for life science development in New York City. This panel will clarify some open issues with the Memorandum to give building owners and developers greater clarity and guidance about R&D uses in areas zoned 9A in New York City.

2:15 PM – 2:50 PM: Case Studies for Life Sciences Development: How the Shifting Location and Nature of Work in Life Science Clusters is Changing

Moderator: 

• Brian Aronne, Senior Vice President , Hunter Roberts 

Speakers: 

• Christopher Zelisko, AIA, Principal, Jack L. Gordon Architects
• Andrea Lamberti, AIA, Partner, Rafael Vinoly Architects
• Amy Parker, Director of Business Development, SITU
• James R. Braddock, AIA, Partner, Mitchell Giurgola
• Stas Gayshan, Managing Director, Cambridge Innovation Center

Life sciences includes organizations within the healthcare industry – pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device sectors – but also increasingly digital health, agriculture, chemicals, new materials, and bioremediation, as technology evolves and new fields like engineering biology develop. From conventional offices to highly sophisticated research laboratories and cutting-edge production facilities, there is an array of space required by the industry. With real estate costs at all-time highs and availability at all-time lows, real estate owners and user are shifting priorities and creating new models using real estate as part of the innovation strategy for new ideas. This panel will feature service providers that will discuss the changing nature of life sciences real estate environments, placemaking amenities and creating live/work/play/shop communities that attract top life science talent.

2:50 PM – 3:00 PM: Call to Action and Next Steps: Building The New York City Life Science Cluster with NYC Builds Bio+
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Reception

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