The Roche Genentech Innovation Center Boston has been launched at Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston, MA. Roche officials say the move will further strengthen the partnership in areas such as disease biology, engineering, and artificial intelligence/machine learning.
The Center will serve as Roche’s Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism (CVRM) hub that will also support some of Roche’s and Genentech’s efforts in AI and data science to accelerate drug discovery and development. The labs will be equipped for advanced research, and over time the center could employ up to 500 people, reports Roche. Manu Chakravarthy, MD, PhD, senior vp and global head of CVRM Product Development, will be the center’s site head.
With the new center, Roche and Genentech are expanding their presence within the Greater Boston innovation ecosystem, leveraging local talent and anchoring an entrepreneurial hub at Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus, according to a Roche spokesperson, who adds that this new investment highlights Roche’s dedication to advancing healthcare through academic and scientific collaboration.
The hub has also been created to strengthen an existing relationship between Harvard and Roche that has been in place for over a decade. These drug discovery efforts have included work to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria as well as the use of AI in cancer research to identify targeted approaches to treatment and to analyze the effectiveness of new cancer drugs in clinical trials.
“Roche has a significant presence in the U.S., and this new center is one of a number of research and manufacturing investments that Roche is making in the U.S. through Genentech and Roche Diagnostics,” says Thomas Schinecker, CEO of Roche.
“In a region grounded in innovation in the sciences and health, when leading biomedical companies and research universities work together, breakthroughs follow,” adds Alan Garber, president of Harvard. “We are delighted that the Roche Genentech Innovation Center will launch the first phase of the Enterprise Research Campus. The new Center will bring new talent and new opportunities to pursue our shared commitment to discovery for the advancement of human health.”
Value chain in the United States
Roche has the entire pharma and diagnostics value chain in the United States with four Genentech sites spanning R&D, production, and distribution in its pharmaceutical division and seven sites focused on R&D and manufacturing in Diagnostics, points out Schinecker, who notes that the company has more than 25,000 employees in America, invested $11 billion in the United States in the last 10 years, and will continue investing in the country.
Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus, the first phase of which is underway and developed by Tishman Speyer and Breakthrough Properties, has been intentionally designed to foster innovation and collaboration. Located adjacent to Harvard’s Science and Engineering Complex and near Harvard Business School, the ERC will be a mixed-use development integrating research and laboratory space, residential buildings, a hotel, a conference center, retail units, and a variety of community-centered outdoor spaces. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed in 2026.