Industry Snapshot

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South Carolina boasts a burgeoning biotechnology and life science industry. With organizations designed to foster growth, high quality academic resources, and numerous companies, the Palmetto State seems assured of an exciting future in the field.

Various organizations help to ensure South Carolina’s continued success in the biotechnology and life science industries. The Palmetto Biotechnology Alliance is the South Carolina affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). The Alliance is a member organization aiming to foster the life science industry via advocacy for enhancements and infrastructure expansions, networking among companies and research institutions, and educating the public about the industry’s favorable economic impact, while aiding South Carolina’s economy and citizens. The Palmetto Biotechnology Alliance also works alongside the South Carolina Biotechnology Incubation Program (SC Bio). SC Bio is a not-for-profit organization uniting industry, university, and private entities with the goal of developing new life science companies in the state. SC Bio aims for success by helping to create jobs in research, development, and manufacturing, creating new companies developing new biotech products, creating research from South Carolina’s universities, and retaining skilled graduates and professionals. Health Sciences South Carolina represents a partnership among Clemson University, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, Palmetto Health, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. The goal of Health Sciences South Carolina is to conduct collaborative health science research to improve the health, education, workforce development, and strong economy for South Carolinians. The collaborative partners have pledged funding of nearly $2 million each for 10 years in order to accomplish this goal.

South Carolina hosts many life science and biotechnology companies. These include ArborGen, LLC in Summerville; Argolyn Bioscience, Inc. in North Charleston; Equi-Tox, Inc. in Central; IRIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Florence; Oakwood Products, Inc. in West Columbia; Ortec, Inc. in Easley; Pharmaceutical Development Center (PDC) in North Charleston; Spartanburg Pharmaceutical Research in Spartanburg; and Capsugel in Greenwood, among others.

South Carolina’s biotechnology industry benefits greatly from its outstanding academic resources. Claflin University in Orangeburg is home to the Center for Biotechnology, whose goal is to prepare students for leadership in biotechnology-related government, private sector, and university arenas. Clemson University (http://www.clemson.edu) in Clemson offers such research centers as the Clemson University Genomics Institute, a state-of-the art research facility focusing on the discovery and functional analysis of important genes from plants, animals, microbes, and humans; the Institute for Nutraceutical Research; and the Clemson Experiment Station. Clemson University also offers its Office of Technology Transfer, which works with the Clemson University Research Foundation to commercialize the university’s intellectual property via technology transfer, licensing agreements, and new venture formations, in addition to developing a strong research infrastructure and participating in sponsored research activities. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston received over $189 million in fiscal year 2005-2006, and is home to such research centers as the Hollings Cancer Center, the Marine Biomedicine & Environmental Sciences Center, and the Neuroscience Institute, among many other prestigious centers providing care and research. The University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia received over $173 million in fiscal year 2006 from external sponsors to aid research, public service, and training projects. Additionally, the USC boasts research areas such as biomedical research, which covers a broad spectrum of subjects including cancer, neuroscience, diabetes prevention, biohealth preparedness and bioterrorism issues; the USC NanoCenter for nanotechnology research; environmental research, with such resources as the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences; and Future Fuels, which is home to the nation’s only National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells (IUCRC) and which seeks alternatives to fossil fuels. USC also offers its Office of Intellectual Property, which leverages USC intellectual property by working with business and entrepreneurial interests in order to benefit the University, its faculty, the public, and South Carolina.

Several research centers provide state-of-the-art research in the Palmetto State. The Greenwood Genetic Center is a not-for-profit institute which provides clinical genetic services, laboratory testing, educational programs and materials, and conducts research in medical genetics. The Greenwood Genetic Center also provides diagnostic services, treatment, and prevention programs for the reduction of risk and severity for disabling conditions, and partners with the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs in this endeavor. The Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in Charleston is a world-class NOAA research facility, operated by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), aiming to use science and biotechnology applications for the protection and restoration of coastal ecosystems, particularly in relation to the condition of the environmental and marine organism and human health. Three USDA Agricultural Research Service centers reside in South Carolina: the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, the Cotton Quality Research Station at Clemson University, and the Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center in Florence. The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) represents the applied research and development laboratory at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS).

With so many outstanding resources within the Palmetto State, South Carolina shows tremendous potential for future endeavors in the biotechnology and life sciences industry.

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