Eli Lilly Completes $90M Biotech Expansion in San Diego

By Ariela Moraru

Lilly Biotechnology Center, San Diego

Eli Lilly and Co. has completed the $90 million expansion of its Biotechnology Center in San Diego. The added space will cater to the company’s core therapeutic areas of immunology, diabetes, oncology, neurodegeneration, as well as the emerging area of pain.

Located at 10290 Campus Point Drive, the Biotechnology Center was established in 2009, and has grown by 145 percent with the addition of 180,000 square feet of working space and of a new laboratory called the Lilly Life Science Studio. The expansion of the biotech facility encourages the collaboration between Lilly experts in biotechnology, discovery chemistry and research technologies, as well as external experts. The facility is close to other biomedical research institutes, two miles from the University of California San Diego and one mile from Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

“This year we announced a commitment to invest $850 million in our U.S. operations based on our potential for growth and the company’s long-standing investment in the U.S. market,” said David Ricks, Lilly’s chairman, president & CEO. “Today, as part of that commitment, we are pleased to say our research footprint in San Diego has been expanded.”

San Diego footprint

Lily has been in San Diego for 13 years, starting with the acquisition of Applied Molecular Evolution Inc. in 2004, followed by that of Structural Genomics in 2008. Lilly leased around a quarter of Campus Pointe in 2009, a 450,000-square-foot facility developed, owned and managed by Veralliance Properties. Veralliance partnered with Prudential Real Estate Investors (now PGIM Real Estate) on the development. The center has created more than 100 jobs since its establishment, with more than 200 scientists currently working in various research activities. 

“Expanding our presence in San Diego will not only help us discover and deliver innovative medicines faster, but will also help us achieve our goal of launching 20 new medicines in 10 years,” said Jan Lundberg, executive vice president for science and technology & president of Lilly Research Laboratories, in a prepared statement.

Image courtesy of Eli Lilly and Co.