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Nevada’s biotechnology and life science industry shows promise in continued growth. The Silver State
provides attractive incentives for doing business, with no state corporate income tax and no personal
income tax; strong economic growth; an excellent telecommunications and technology infrastructure; and
a location that places it within close proximity to the Pacific Rim and to the San Francisco Bay Area
biotech hub.
Nevada is home to a number of biotechnology and life science companies. These include
AMIGENICS in Las Vegas; East Park Research, Inc. in Las Vegas; Samaritan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Las Vegas; Sierra Sciences, LLC in Reno; Noninvasive
Medical Technologies, Inc. in Las Vegas; and CardioVascular
BioTherapeutics, Inc. in Las Vegas, among others.
Nevada’s educational institutions greatly aid life science and biotechnology industry endeavors.
The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) offers several
programs and centers involved in research or research assistance. Among these, the Nevada Genomics Center is a core facility providing assistance to researchers in
small and medium size research laboratories; services include structural genomics and functional
genomics. Also at UNR, the Department of Animal
Biotechnology provides education in animal sciences, animal biotechnology, and pre-veterinary
medicine. UNR’s Conservation Genetics
Center uses high-throughput genomic analysis for research in conservation biology, and offers a
state-of-the-art DNA Analysis Facility. The Nevada Transgenic Center at UNR aims to make transgenic technology and training
available to researchers via a gene targeting center, microinjection center, and animal services.
Additionally, UNR provides its Technology Transfer
Office (TTO), which identifies, protects, and transfers all technologies developed at the
University of Nevada, Reno and the Desert Research
Institute to private sector companies for commercialization. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) provides its own impressive resources,
including its Office of Technology
Transfer, which protects intellectual property and promotes inventions for commercialization.
Additionally, the Harry
Reid UNLV Research and Technology Park, now under development and owned by the UNLV Research Foundation, will support research growth at UNLV and provide over 3
million square feet (0.28 square kilometers or 27.9 hectares) of office and research space, including
wet and dry laboratories.
Nevada also offers institutions providing groundbreaking research. The Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI) in Las Vegas is the state’s official cancer
institute, and is a nonprofit organization committed to developing a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center. The NVCI provides a
collaborative environment of research for the prevention, detection, treatment of cancer, and
education for patients and their families. The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute (LRBI) in Las Vegas aims to discover cures for memory
disorders and dementia associated with such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s,
Parkinson’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and other brain dysfunctions. The LRBI will
construct a national research resource in Nevada for testing and validating interventions with the
goal of slowing or preventing the progression of neurodegeneration. The Nevada Neurosciences Institute (NNI) is a privately funded, nonprofit foundation
whose goal is to support clinical research, public outreach, and education regarding illnesses and
injuries of the brain and spine, and has been designated a Neuroscience Center of Excellence (COE).
The Silver State is home to several organizations and associations whose goal is to foster growth
in the biotechnology and life sciences industry. The Nevada IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), funded by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), aims to expand
and support Nevada biomedical research funding. INBRE provides research support services, training,
and equipment for investigators, as well as educational and training opportunities for faculty members
and students. The UNLV Research
Foundation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to
support UNLV research and economic development in Southern Nevada by developing and maintaining UNLV
research and technology parks. The Nevada
Development Authority (NDA) is Southern Nevada’s largest economic development agency and attracts
new companies as well as assisting local companies in expansion projects.
With its academic, industrial, and organizational resources, as well as a business-friendly
climate, Nevada promises great potential within the biotechnology industry.
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