{"id":649838,"date":"2026-03-12T07:38:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/649838\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T07:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T07:38:17","slug":"the-next-cambridge-la-sets-its-sights-higher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/649838\/","title":{"rendered":"The Next Cambridge? LA Sets Its Sights Higher"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles region may be the little sister to San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, but it\u2019s nevertheless a significant\u2014and growing\u2014player in the California life sciences scene. Over 3,000 companies, including Amgen, Kite Pharma and Takeda, have locations in Los Angeles County, more than any peer regions, according to the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (LA DEO<\/a>).<\/p>\n

A 2025 sector report<\/a> from public policy organization California Life Sciences (CLS) also underscores the area\u2019s importance. The report noted that the LA region is one of California\u2019s fastest-growing life sciences hubs. It also highlighted that the industry generates nearly $58 billion in annual economic output in the area.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles region\u2019s significance and growth are further reflected in recent funding activity. The sector report noted that in 2024, the area secured $4.4 billion in venture capital investment, a 119% increase and \u201ca signal of growing investor confidence in LA\u2019s innovation pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n An Embarrassment of Riches<\/p>\n

When describing the region\u2019s life sciences scene to BioSpace, \u201cgrowing\u201d was the first word that came to mind for Stephanie Hsieh, CEO of BioscienceLA, a not-for-profit organization working to support and promote the life sciences ecosystem in Greater Los Angeles. \u201cThriving,\u201d \u201cvibrant\u201d and \u201cinnovative\u201d were additional descriptors she chose.<\/p>\n

Regarding innovation, Hsieh said creativity is in the region\u2019s DNA given the area\u2019s legacies in the movie and entertainment, aerospace and engineering industries. There\u2019s an incredible mashup with biotech and life sciences, she noted, whether it\u2019s the ocean economy and biotech or agriculture and biotech. As an example, she named Santa Monica, California\u2013based Provivi, which creates pheromone-based solutions for sustainable pest management in crops including cotton, rice, corn and soybeans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re really good as a region at pushing the boundaries on sort of what the definition of life sciences encompasses,\u201d Hsieh said.<\/p>\n

Another key part of the LA region\u2019s life sciences scene that she highlighted is its impressive research institutions and healthcare systems. Those include the University of California, Los Angeles; University of Southern California; City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment organization whose U.S. locations include a site in Duarte, northeast of LA; and Cedars-Sinai, a nonprofit academic healthcare organization serving the LA community and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have this embarrassment of riches,\u201d Hsieh said.<\/p>\n

\n A Fragmented, Complex Region<\/p>\n

Still, the region has its challenges, with fragmentation at the top of the list, according to Hsieh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s our biggest problem is we are so large and so spread out that you don\u2019t see the whole of what\u2019s here,\u201d she said. She noted that there are 88 cities within Los Angeles County.<\/p>\n

In addition to fragmentation, Hsieh also cited complexity as a challenge. For example, she said, which economic development group do people talk to about incentives? Choices in LA include the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the city of Los Angeles\u2019 Economic and Workforce Development Department and the Los Angeles Business Council.<\/p>\n

BioscienceLA is trying to help navigate these issues by being life sciences organizations\u2019 first stop for information, according to Hsieh. She said once companies share their needs and what they\u2019re looking for, her organization can recommend the top cities that fit their parameters and work well with businesses on issues such as permit expediting.<\/p>\n

\n Benefits From Ports to People<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges, there are multiple benefits for life sciences companies that locate in the LA region, according to Hsieh. She said they include not only the ports that bring in imports but also the consultants and business services that help quickly move goods and drugs like biologics. Customs personnel understand that they can\u2019t just sit on things for weeks, she noted.<\/p>\n

Hsieh also highlighted the ability for companies to manufacture in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially this past year, we\u2019ve been focused a little bit more on the biomanufacturing side because we just sort of see this really unique set of conditions and confluence of factors coming together to really be the time for us to\u2014as we said at our economic summit back in October\u2014seize our biomanufacturing moment here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The LA region\u2019s talent pool is another benefit for employers, according to Hsieh. That pool includes over 8,700 life sciences graduates annually, according to the LA DEO. The region also employs over 50,000 people in the industry, according to CLS\u2019 sector report, which drew data from a TEConomy Partners\u2019 analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics\u2019 QCEW data and Lightcast. In 2024, employment was 17,587 for biopharma research and development (R&D); 13,808 for bioscience-related distribution;13,165 for other R&D, testing and medical labs; and 9,802 for medical devices and equipment.<\/p>\n

Regarding the region\u2019s life sciences employees, the report noted, \u201cIts workforce spans academic labs, startup incubators, clinical settings, and large-scale manufacturers, making LA a key player in building California\u2019s future talent pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pipeline is expected to expand in the next few years. In September, the LA DEO announced the state of California had awarded $23.9 million to Los Angeles County life sciences projects to advance inclusive growth and create 10,000 regional jobs<\/a> by 2030.<\/p>\n

\n Global Recognition on Horizon?<\/p>\n

When it comes to where the LA region\u2019s life sciences scene will be five years from now, Hsieh isn\u2019t thrilled when people say they want it to be the next Cambridge, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018No, no, no, we\u2019ll never be the next Cambridge. We\u2019re so much bigger than that,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cBut I do see us as a recognized global hub and a model for what a truly international and diverse global hub\u2014innovation hub\u2014could look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hsieh\u2019s vision reflects BioscienceLA\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to create, enable, grow a thriving, vibrant, enviable life science ecosystem in the region for community benefit,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, that enviable piece is the piece that we\u2019re striving for. I think the pieces are all coming together too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Hsieh, the LA DEO hopes to establish the Los Angeles region as a global life sciences hub. As part of that effort, in July, the department launched a five-year life sciences industry strategy and action plan<\/a> built on four pillars to address the area\u2019s challenges and leverage its strengths: alleviate physical space constraints; encourage firms to start, grow and hire; strengthen cluster infrastructure and brand; and boost workforce inclusivity.<\/p>\n

In the July announcement, LA DEO Director Kelly LoBianco said, \u201cWe are committed to partnering with industry stakeholders to keep our homegrown startups here, train our diverse workforce for quality life sciences jobs, and send a clear message to the global life sciences community that Los Angeles County is ready to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles region may be the little sister to San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":649839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2961,224,5337],"class_list":["post-649838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116215067898336261","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}