RESEARCH
These red tanks at the Harbor Branch aquaculture facility contain juvenile fish.
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tions for more than 40 years when Port St. Lucie snagged Torrey
Pines Institute of Molecular Studies and then the Vaccine and
Gene Therapy Institute with the help of then-Gov. Jeb Bush,
kicking off the city’s dream of becoming the center of a biotech
cluster of research facilities. But that was not to be ... the Great
Recession punched a huge hole in that plan when VGTI collapsed,
along with Digital Domain, another new business in Tradition.
But the City Council’s 12-year-old dreams of a biotech corridor
in Tradition were revived in April when Torrey Pines Institute for
Molecular Studies and Florida International University announced
that they are seeking state and university approvals for Torrey
Pines to become a part of the university. The city in late April
quickly voted its support of the acquisition.
The city went through hard times when VGTI and Digital Domain
folded, Mayor Greg Oravec said, but “sometimes you have to
wait a long time for things to work out and succeed.”
That proved to be true. On May 28, the city entered into negotiations
with Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute for the former
VGTI building. Lerner is one of the largest research institutes
in the nation. Cleveland Clinic now operates the Tradition Medical
Center. Lerner proposes to create a vaccine and immunotherapy
institute that will become the focal point for development of
therapies across the areas of cancer, neuroscience, infectious
disease and allergies.
Another international biotechnical company will co-occupy
the building with Cleveland Clinic. The proposal would result in
a reduction of $1.5 million in operating expenses plus property
taxes that are incurred annually by the City. It is expected to create
about 100 jobs with a significant economic impact, says City
Manager Russ Blackburn. >>
HARBOR BRANCH
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INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE
Indian River State College students take advantage of studying aquaculture at Harbor Branch.
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