SmartLabs Announces Launch of its Most Advanced Managed Research Center

East Cambridge site establishes largest network of novel modality development and bioproduction capacities by any organization in the world and expands company’s Greater Boston footprint by 75%

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SmartLabs, a company reinventing how therapies and medical devices are developed and brought to market by building the most advanced labs in the world, announced the launch of a new research, development, office, and related production center opening in East Cambridge in late 2024. The addition of the most advanced SmartLabs facility to date will equip the company with the largest network of labs and production centers in the world that can support next-generation modalities including cell and gene therapy.

The new facility at 100 CambridgeSide, a mixed-use complex owned by a partnership between New England Development and a client advised by UBS Asset Management, will join SmartLabs’ four existing Managed Research Centers in Cambridge and Boston along with three sites in South San Francisco and Philadelphia. Since its debut in 2015, SmartLabs has hosted more than 17 percent of all venture-funded life science projects in the region; the new East Cambridge site will expand SmartLabs’ Greater Boston footprint by 75 percent. Since the spring of 2021, SmartLabs has more than doubled its footprint nationwide as companies have adopted its Laboratory-as-a-Service model as a validated and democratized alternative to traditional approaches to R&D.

The new facility will enable programs of all sizes to advance from discovery to clinical trials with a single seamless platform under one roof – a task never before accomplished by an industry infrastructure partner. 100 CambridgeSide also represents the most environmentally and financially responsible way to develop therapies by recycling infrastructure at scale, preventing billions of dollars in construction waste.

“To accelerate the translation of initial research into treatments that reach patients, the next generation of clinical manufacturing must be in the heart of where R&D is happening. By colocating labs and bioproduction capabilities in a single facility available on a fractionalized access model, SmartLabs has changed the game for drug development,” said Amrit Chaudhuri, CEO and co-founder of SmartLabs. “We are excited to bring our advanced capabilities to CambridgeSide and to expand our national network.”

Over the past year SmartLabs has announced the launch of two additional research centers – in all, SmartLabs’ network will offer more than 100 clinical production suites, and will host labs outfitted for research, pre-clinical work, clinical trials, and related manufacturing.

By colocating R&D and office facilities with related manufacturing, research teams have unprecedented communication and access between research, development, clinical production, and the leading local hospital partners running clinical trials.

Traditionally, companies must choose between building internal research and clinical production capabilities or outsourcing to a vendor. Building such a facility can cost over $150 million upfront, in addition to ongoing operating costs. Outsourcing requires less capital upfront, but leaches intellectual property and cedes control over key elements of development. SmartLabs offers development capabilities on a subscription model, reducing costs to $5 million to $10 million for a year of production capacity and allowing clients to maintain control over each step of their process.

SmartLabs’ proven model has already yielded impressive results for clients. Post-Series A clients reach Phase 1 clinical trials approximately 10 months faster than comparable companies.

Scott Burns, Real Estate Asset Manager, UBS Asset Management, says, “SmartLabs is a preeminent operator of managed life science environments. We are thrilled that SmartLabs will create its newest Boston area lab/office facility in East Cambridge, at the heart of CambridgeSide. The end-to-end research, testing and production capabilities that will be offered at the new facility will provide unparalleled flexibility to pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the area.”

“We are pleased to welcome SmartLabs to 100 CambridgeSide,” says Douglass Karp, President of New England Development. “100 CambridgeSide is part of CambridgeSide’s transformative redevelopment which, upon completion, will feature five interconnected buildings totaling 2 million square feet and includes retail, office/lab, residential and adjacent hotel uses. The development offers unparalleled amenities including shops, restaurants, entertainment, services, indoor parking, and easy access to major roadways,” he adds.

About SmartLabs

SmartLabs is reinventing how therapies and medical devices are developed and brought to market by building the most advanced labs in the world. Employing proprietary construction technologies and the most advanced set of laboratory resources in the world, SmartLabs enables programs of all sizes and scales to develop from discovery into clinicals trials through one seamless platform. By co-locating R&D facilities with the pilot-scale manufacturing that results from those programs, SmartLabs facilitates unprecedented communication and access between all players in the biotech R&D and manufacturing space. Members across the biotech hubs of Greater Boston, South San Francisco, and Philadelphia are able to outsource infrastructure and accelerate timelines while controlling their own science, saving 2-24 months in scale-up time and up to 95% in upfront capital expenditures. For more information, please email info@smartlabs.com or visit SmartLabs.com.

CambridgeSide

The reimagined CambridgeSide is a place to shop, dine, work, live and relax in Cambridge, MA, just steps from downtown Boston. CambridgeSide features one great waterfront location with shops, restaurants and planned future life science, office, residential and additional retail, restaurants, and green spaces under construction. Upon completion, CambridgeSide will feature five interconnected buildings totaling 2 million square feet. CambridgeSide’s remains open during construction featuring a mix of retailers including Apple, Superdry, Sephora, T.J.Maxx and more. The diverse mix of dining options includes The Cheesecake Factory, in addition to 13 eateries. CambridgeSide is handicapped and MBTA accessible (Green Line T to Lechmere Station or Red Line T to Kendall Square to the free CambridgeSide Shuttle Bus), and offers attached, covered parking. For directions and information, call 617-621-8666 or visit CambridgeSide.com. CambridgeSide is a mixed used complex owned by a partnership between New England Development and a client advised by UBS Asset Management.

New England Development

For over forty years, New England Development has taken a creative, entrepreneurial approach to real estate development and management - delivering and sustaining successful projects across a wide range of property types. These projects transform complex challenges into preferred locations, generate long-term value to communities, afford compelling opportunities for local and national businesses, and offer sought-after experiences to a wide range of consumers. The company is acclaimed for creating some of the country's most widely recognized and successful regional centers, as well as multifaceted developments that combine retail, residential, hotel, life science and office uses. Outlet centers, high-end and street-front retail, airport retail, golf courses, restaurants, and marinas round out New England Development's robust portfolio. For more information, visit NEDevelopment.com.

UBS Asset Management

UBS Asset Management is a large-scale asset manager with a presence in 23 markets. It offers investment capabilities and investment styles across all major traditional and alternative asset classes to institutions, wholesale intermediaries and wealth management clients around the world. It is a leading fund house in Europe, the largest mutual fund manager in Switzerland, the second largest fund of hedge funds manager and one of the largest real estate investment managers in the world.

MacDougall Advisors
Carolyn Noyes
cnoyes@macdougall.bio