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With the release of BioOhio's Ohio Bioscience Growth Report 2009 this month, I've been thinking about the changes I've seen in our region's life science industry during the last eight years.

Research, the foundation of regional technology-based economic development, has grown extensively at both the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, evidenced by national research rankings. UC has current national research rankings in neurology (9th), environmental health (10th), and microbiology, molecular genetics, biochemistry and psychiatry (16th). UC and Ethicon-Endosurgery have a $10 million collaboration in obesity based on UC's national prominence in this area. Children's current national clinical research rankings include digestive diseases (1st.), respiratory diseases (3rd), diabetes and endocrine disorders and neonatal care (4th), Cancer (5th), Orthopedics (6th), neurosurgery and neurology (8th), heart and heart surgery (10th) and kidney disorders (12th).

Early efforts in technology transfer from the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's have matured, and both institutions have professionally led intellectual property offices. Public universities in Ohio can now hold equity in companies formed from their technology, enabling UC to spin out more companies. Federal funding supports research that generates results with tangible benefits to society, and institutional policies for faculty advancement provide the impetus for commercialization of research. There are more opportunities than ever to create companies from these efforts; opportunities that we have seen firsthand.

At BIOSTART, we support experienced pharmaceutical and medical device executives who license technology from UC and Children's to move medical products to market through a start-up company. To date, we have served more than 120 companies and helped them raise over $180 million in federal grants, contracts, equity investments and strategic partnerships.

Now, some believe that mergers and acquisitions make it difficult, if not impossible, for Cincinnati to create a viable life science cluster. The facts clearly indicate otherwise. The number of locations has increased 37% and the number of jobs increased 15%, driven by medical labs and diagnostic imaging, R&D and pharmaceuticals and therapeutics. The regional life science cluster provides 30,000 jobs, $8.9 billion in output, and $1.9 billion in labor income, while generating $667 million in federal, state and local taxes. Today, our fastest growing companies include Medpace in clinical research, Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Patheon in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and Girindus in contract R&D.  Life science companies are locating throughout the region in Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Clinton and Brown counties.

Progress during the past several years is evident, and as we reflect on what we have done to get to this point, we can also take time to look at our near-term challenges, which include:

• Capital availability and access,
• Greater risk tolerance for life science opportunities,
• Executive leadership for our developing companies, and
• Collaboration among our neighbors in Kentucky and Indiana to build a multi-state regional hub for our emerging companies.

However, if our current situation is any evidence of our ability to innovate and advance, these challenges will undoubtedly be tomorrow's successes.