Monday, September 22, 2008

Genzyme opens new LEED-certified science center

By Mass High Tech Staff

Genzyme Corp. announced the opening of its new LEED-certified science center in Framingham, today. The $125 million, 180,000-square-foot facility can house 350 employees in a building intended for the early-stage research of cancer, heart disease, genetic diseases, and endocrinology and neurological disorders.

Construction of the science center was announced in 2005, with an expected completion in the first quarter of 2007.

The building is one of 10 laboratories in the U.S. to achieve gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System. Among its green features are low-flow water fixtures, efficient heating and cooling systems and extensive glass use to lower light expenses. In all, the company reports energy savings of 26 percent and water savings of 40 percent.

Genzyme (Nasdaq: GENZ) maintains 14 buildings and more than 1 million square feet of space in its Framingham campus, as well as a research and development facility in Waltham.

In recent news, Genzyme issued a recall of a single lot of its anti-rejection drug, thymoglobulin, due to the fact that it may not be as stable as it should.

The company also announced last month, along with Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif., the start of Phase 3 clinical trials of the companies’ lipid-lowering drug, mipomersen, used for the treatment of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (heFH), a genetic disease that inhibits the body’s ability to metabolize low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

With 11,000 employees worldwide, Genzyme reported a 2007 profit of $481 million on revenue of $3.8 billion.