Dallas builds $2.5 billion federal biotech and life sciences hub

Dallas is one of three regional locations for the Health Advanced Research Projects Agency, a new federal agency created by the Biden administration to advance health outcomes by developing highly effective solutions to difficult health problems. will be the home base. This announcement reflects North Texas' growing reputation as a leader in national biotechnology and life sciences development.

Earlier this year, the agency announced it would select three locations to serve as regional hubs, and ARPA-H announced Tuesday that its $2.5 billion independent federal agency-supporting customer experience hub will be based in Dallas. The announcement comes after a two-year statewide collaboration with universities, industry and other partners in Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio to bring biomedical and research opportunities to the Lone Star State. . Advanced Technology International will operate the space as the hub's consortium management company.

Pegasus Park will host this institute, which will transform ARPA-H's investments and research into real-world implementation and clinical trials in the name of improving health outcomes. “This will highlight Dallas as an alternative to Boston and Silicon Valley and help grow the industry to diversify the Texas economy,” said Lyda Hill Philanthropies' Biotechnology Initiative. said Tom Ruth, divisional CEO who was instrumental in establishing the agency. To Dallas. “The agency remains committed to translating research into health change.”

For the past two years, Ruth and his team have given presentations, hosted field visits from federal officials, and lobbied Congress to persuade ARPA-H to make Texas its home. Dallas will join Washington, DC and Boston as his other ARPA-H hubs, with DC handling stakeholder engagement and operations. Boston will focus on investment funds in the biotechnology industry.

The hub will be built in existing space at Pegasus Park. This includes immersive experiences, testing self-administered diagnostics, simulated patient care scenarios, medical device development, patient listening sessions, and more.

“North Texas is home to some of the best researchers and innovators, and the selection of Dallas to host the ARPA-H Customer Experience Hub shows that we can still do great things when we work together as Texans.” “There is,” said Democratic Rep. Colin Allred. -Dallas, was instrumental in bringing the Hub to Dallas. “Today’s announcement further solidifies our region’s position as a national leader in healthcare research and breakthrough new treatments. This hub will also bring great employment to our already growing region. and foster economic development.”

Pegasus Park is already the heart of Dallas' biotech industry, with a 26-acre, 750,000-square-foot campus housing biotech and life sciences development, social impact hubs, commercial tenants, and entertainment and dining facilities. It was renovated in 2020 to accommodate. . It is home to the only non-coastal location of biotech accelerator BioLabs, and UT Southwestern and the Healthcare Wildcatters have also moved into the space. A $110 million, 135,000 square foot Bridge Lab facility will be built for the development, providing lab suites and flexible space for life sciences companies.

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said, “Pegasus Park is now located within a medical district alongside leading hospitals and organizations dedicated to advancing science and technology, improving health outcomes and creating social impact. “We are uniquely equipped to support ARPA-H's success.” He led a delegation advocating for Pegasus Park to become his ARPA-H's home base.

ATI began as a project to assist the Department of Defense in conducting research and prototypes and is now established to lead and manage federal technology research and development collaborations. Move into Pegasus Park's space, accept new members, foster engagement in the health system, manage how innovators interact with his ARPA-H, and raise funds to achieve the agency's mission. distribute.

Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio will also work with ARPA-H to provide university and health network support. San Antonio will lead the way in immersive experience design efforts due to its diverse population, health challenges, and collaboration between the healthcare and biotech industries. The hub aims to create accessible solutions while tackling some of the most difficult health care issues, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, equity, and cost containment.

“Using a hub-and-spoke model allows us to achieve efficiencies not otherwise achievable, such as quickly contacting patients, providers, and other stakeholders,” said ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn. ” She honors the history of DARPA's original ARPANET, which ultimately became the Internet, and we established the foundation for an ambitious 50-state network that will support medical innovation across the country. I am.”

Texas has recently been on an upward trajectory due to increased research capacity at its universities and infrastructure support for the biotechnology industry. Dallas has been recognized by commercial real estate giant CBRE as an emerging life sciences market and has a growing presence in the life science talent pipeline. UT Southwestern, TCU's School of Medicine, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center collaborate with other local universities to provide a talent pipeline. Earlier this week, ARPA-H announced a $45 million grant to a research team led by Rice University bioengineer Omid Veisse.

“They were clearly impressed with Pegasus Park,” Ruth says of federal decision-makers. “We have argued that the diversity of our state's population reflects the future of our nation. If we are to have an impact on the health outcomes of Americans, things need to change in Texas. Let’s go.”