Friday, May 16, 2008

Raindance moves to Lexington from Conn.

By Ryan McBride

A Connecticut life sciences firm — with Nobel laureates on board — plans to move its entire operation to the Boston suburbs later this month as it looks to nearly double its work force, company officials said.

Raindance Technologies Inc., which develops tools for life sciences research, has leased a 28,000-square-foot building in Lexington. Raindance employs about 35 workers and expects to add 30 employees this year in research, sales and manufacturing posts, said Stephen Becker, its chief commercial officer.

With technology developed by scientists from Harvard University and Europe, Raindance’s lead microfluidics product rapidly identifies genetic signatures in DNA contained in droplets measured in picoliters — one trillionth of a liter — through tiny channels on a chip. Becker said the commercial launch of the product, which will be sold to enhance the utility of DNA sequencers, is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

Raindance has chosen to base operations near the Hub to tap the pool of life sciences talent in the area, Becker said. Also, the firm late last year named a Bay State life sciences executive, Christopher McNary, to be its CEO. 

The company — which has such scientific advisers as Nobel laureates Jean-Marie Lehn, Aaron Klug and Richard Roberts — will open its Lexington office at 44 Hartwell Ave. in a site previously used by MGI Pharma Inc. on May 27. 

Raindance has contacted Massachusetts officials about the expected billion-dollar incentive package for life sciences now pending in the Legislature, Becker said, but he did not provide details.
“This is yet another example of the (Gov. Deval Patrick’s) life science initiative generating both private investment and job growth here in Massachusetts,” said Kofi Jones of the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.