Los Angeles’ Most Advanced Life Science Co-Working Space Opens for Business, Welcomes Eight Innovative Startups

LOS ANGELES — The Lundquist Institute, formerly the Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute (LA BioMed), has launched the most advanced, state-of-the-art shared wet laboratory and office space facility in the Los Angeles region, BioLabs LA at The Lundquist.

Fourteen companies have been accepted into the incubator, with eight already in residence. The capacity of the space could accommodate up to 30 of the region’s top startup life science companies. Early tenants include startups backed by teams that have previously launched successful, publicly traded biotech companies as well as international companies looking to establish a US presence.

With this new co-working space, life-saving discoveries from the next generation of great scientists can flourish—and most importantly, get to patients faster. To attain equivalent coworking facilities, Los Angeles-based startups previously have had to move to either San Diego, the Bay Area, or Boston. 

Companies that set up shop at BioLabs LA at The Lundquist have access to over one million dollars in shared, cutting-edge equipment, and world-class programming and events. Startups also have the opportunity to forge partnerships with The Lundquist Institute’s distinguished roster of more than 400 researchers, several of whom have launched their own startups. Companies can choose the facilities that are right for them and scale up as necessary, whether that is a single lab bench, a private lab, or a full suite of offices. In addition to member companies, BioLabs LA is designed to be a gathering place for the industry to connect and network. Supporters and sponsors include Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eppendorf and Biocom. 

BioLabs LA at The Lundquist is located in the crown jewel of The Lundquist Institute campus at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, its new blue-glass 78,000-square foot, $63 million Medical Research Lab. Situated on the building’s third floor, the incubator has 18,000 square feet of laboratory, office and meeting space, and specialized facilities cell culture, microscopy and even device development. It contains an extensive array of shared equipment, giving startups the tools they need to be truly competitive.

The Lundquist Institute campus is located near Los Angeles International Airport and Long Beach Airport, making it convenient for entrepreneurs and investors to visit the campus and co-working center. Catalyzed by The Lundquist Institute, Los Angeles is increasing in importance as a bioscience cluster, with BioLabs LA at The Lundquist leading the way into the next generation of innovation.

“The opening of BioLabs LA at The Lundquist is a milestone for us and for the life science community in Los Angeles,” said Keith Hoffman, PhD, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Technology Transfer at The Lundquist Institute. “We are excited to welcome great startups into one of the most advanced innovation centers of its type anywhere in California.”

 “Los Angeles has been known to be the epicenter for some great legacy industries including entertainment and aerospace; as the bioscience industry emerges in Los Angeles, we hope that the same magic and entrepreneurial spirit that made great movies will also translate to great medical discoveries. BioLabs LA at the Lundquist Institute is the first facility in Los Angeles that combines all the elements that make innovation in life science successful. We are looking forward to showcasing it to the international biotech community,” said Susie Harborth, COO of BioLabs.

As with all BioLabs sites, the Los Angeles site is designed by a team of scientists and entrepreneurs with decades of experience in business formation and startup success. It offers flexible, fully-equipped and permitted shared lab and office spaces with inspired designs that foster interaction and collaboration. It also provides concierge service as well as technical and administrative support. BioLabs LA at The Lundquist is part of BioLabs' growing network of facilities, which includes locations in San Diego, Calif., Raleigh-Durham, N.C., Princeton, N.J., Boston and Cambridge, Mass.; the San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.; Philadelphia, Pa. and New York, N.Y.