PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — West Philadelphia takes another step forward as a national leader in gene therapy.
Medical and bioscience research and development company Spark Therapeutics is bringing a new Gene Therapy Innovation Center to the heart of University City, planned for the corner of South 30th and Chestnut streets.
Leaders broke ground Thursday on its upgraded and relocated headquarters in a state-of-the-art center on Drexel University’s campus by 30th Street Station, a six-story complex expected to cost $575 million. The company says it will have a 99-year lease at the building.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says this new facility adds to the city’s already-prominent spot in innovative sciences.
“We are a growing hub for biosciences, robotics, and advanced manufacturing,” Shapiro said. “We have a reputation for producing some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in history.”
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Spark CEO Ron Philip says this 500,000-square-foot space allows them to do a number of things crucial to their gene therapy work.
“We’re going to need a lot more capacity to help thousands of patients and we’re also going to need control, and that’s what this building is going to allow us to do,” said Philip.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier says in addition to the critical cell and gene therapy development that will have a global impact, it will also help the city’s commerce and job-creation efforts.
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“This facility will create high paying jobs that will give Philadelphians from all walks of life, even those without a college degree, an opportunity to come to work every day and provide for their families,” said Gauthier.
“Let's also celebrate the opportunities this facility will create to lift working-class Black and brown residents out of poverty and into prosperity.”
Construction on the building is expected to finish in 2026.