IU center's gift may sprout jobs in life sciences

The Simons' $50 million donation to the Indiana University Cancer Center could further raise the state's profile as a life-science center.

"A gift of this size, in an area where Indiana has as much promise as cancer research, could do some wonderful things," said David L. Johnson, president of BioCrossroads, a life-science nonprofit that supports the sector. "This could put Indiana on the map as a place for cancer research."

It could help launch bioscience startup companies and bring more wealth to the region, state and local officials say.

About five years ago, BioCrossroads identified cancer research as one of eight "centers of excellence" that could help build the region's life-science economy, he said.

Tens of thousands of people are employed at major hospitals and research centers across the United States, often with wages twice as high as in traditional economic sectors.

Those centers often generate dozens of small companies begun with university research or that license university patents.

From Boston to San Diego, world-class medical research centers helped spawn many of the country's high-tech regions.

According to a study earlier this year by Battelle and the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the nation's 1.2 million bioscience jobs generate an additional 5.8 million jobs in the economy.

But it's not a slam-dunk proposition. Almost every state is competing fiercely to build bioscience bases in industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to agriculture. Those that are able to create the most respected research institutions and build an entrepreneurial climate often have the edge.

Already, the IU School of Medicine has spun off a handful of startups, including CS-Keys, a company started by researcher Linda Malkas that is developing a test for breast cancer. Now officials are hoping the latest gift will help.

"From an economic development standpoint, a gift of this magnitude will invariably create many quality, high-paying jobs for our state," Michael S. Maurer, Indiana's secretary of commerce and president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp., said in a statement.

IU cancer researcher Dr. Mark Kelley said the donation would help researchers translate basic science research to clinical uses faster. And that will have potential to breed startup companies and licensing revenue for the medical school.

"Research generates new intellectual property, which helps in that effort," he said.

As the medical school's cancer center is able to recruit other researchers, the region will attract others like them, drawn by a similar mission to be close to the action, some officials say.

"Researchers are an entrepreneurial breed, with very promising ideas and discoveries, and a real eagerness to translate that into ways to help human health," said BioCrossroads' Johnson. "In turn, that often helps the economy."

Call Star reporter John Russell at (317) 444-6283.