Woburn, MA Adlai Nortye, a clinical-stage global biopharma firm, has opened a custom-built 4,500 s/f lab at Cummings Properties’ 12 Gill St. building. The firm made its first two local hires and anticipates expanding its staff to 10 people by the end of this year.

“Woburn was my very first choice to build our lab,” said Zhihong Chen, Ph.D., V.P. of cancer biology and pharmacology at Adlai Nortye and head of the Greater Boston site. “Greater Boston is the center for new drug discovery. We wanted to avoid the traffic and expensive overhead costs of Cambridge even though many biopharma companies choose to concentrate in that academically rich area. We will have easy access to Rte. 128 and Rte. 93, and thousands of companies are already located along the Rte. 128 corridor.”

Cummings Properties’ 180,000 s/f building at 12 Gill St. is home to other biotech firms, including Medtronic, MitraBiotech, and Peritia, Inc.

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place on August 8 with guests including Mark Sullivan, executive director, Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment; Christopher Gilrein, director of development, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center; and Ben Bradford, director of development, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Mayor Scott Galvin also stopped by later in the week for a personal tour and to welcome Adlai Nortye to town.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Adlai Nortye to the biotech hub in Woburn,” said Steve Cusano, the leasing officer for Cummings Properties who worked directly with Chen on the lease. 

“Our in-house design and construction groups were delighted to partner with the Adlai Nortye team to build a lab that not only meets all the firm’s needs but also offers panoramic views from a fourth-floor corner location with large windows and upgraded finishes. It is a showcase facility.”

Adlai Nortye is a science-led biopharmaceutical company discovering, developing, and commercializing new drugs that will activate the immune system to fight cancer cells. It is currently collaborating with Novartis, Eisai, and Oncolytics on multiple oncology/immuno-oncology campaigns. Originally started in China and now a global company, Adlai Nortye has one other U.S. location, in New Jersey.

Cummings Properties manages a portfolio of 11 million s/f of commercial space in 11 suburban communities north and west of Boston. Most of these properties are owned by Cummings Foundation, with 100 percent of all rental profits supporting hundreds of local charities. The Cummings organization awards $25 million annually to Greater Boston nonprofits, and it has awarded more than $225 million to date.