Mice research company scampers to Sacramento to buy larger quartersMaine-based

Another example of service companies adding locations to better serve research facilities in the Sacramento, Davis and Solano County area.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Mice research company scampers to Sacramento to buy larger quartersMaine-based

Jackson Laboratory moves office, lab from West Sac
Sacramento Business Journal - by Celia Lamb Staff writer
The Jackson Laboratory, a mutant mouse organization based in Bar Harbor, Maine, plans to move its West Coast office and laboratory from West Sacramento to a bigger building in Sacramento.

The nonprofit company breeds mice for sale and performs research under contracts with biotechnology researchers and drug companies.

The company bought a warehouse on Raley Boulevard. It is still working on a business plan for the new facility and expects to announce more in the fall, company spokeswoman Joyce Peterson said.

"We're moving from a leased to an owned facility, so that's a sign of our commitment to remaining in California and the Sacramento area," she said.

A Sacramento City Council staff report said the project will eventually bring 200 jobs to the city. Jackson Lab has about 63 employees in West Sacramento.

Jim Rinehart, citywide division manager for Sacramento's Economic Development Department, said he expects other biotechnology companies will want to locate near Jackson Lab.

"The benefit of this company goes well beyond the number of jobs," he said. "It is a catalyst to attract other businesses that do beneficial work for all humankind."

Jackson Lab was landlocked in West Sacramento and unable to expand, Rinehart said. The expansion and conversion of the 77,000-square-foot Sacramento warehouse into a laboratory and research facility will require an environmental review by the city.

The company will receive a sewer connection fee credit from the Sacramento County Regional Sanitation District, but no economic incentives.

"It's a straight market-rate job," Rinehart said.

Jackson Lab is one of the oldest and largest suppliers of genetically altered mice for research, said Kent Lloyd, associate dean for research at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

"Mice are the No. 1 animal model used in research today studying human disease, development and behavior disorders," he said.

Jackson Laboratory has more than 3,500 strains of mice, including more than 800 types with genetic mutations that make them prone to cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease and autoimmune diseases. The organization has highly-inbred strains prized by researchers. Because the genetic make-up and behavior of those mice are so well-known, they're easy to compare with other mice in medical studies, Lloyd said.

Founded in 1929, Jackson Laboratory has 1,377 employees and operating revenue of $150.6 million last year.

On April 30 the organization announced plans to build a three-story, 13,000-square-foot data center on its Bar Harbor campus. A $1 million bond issued by the state of Maine helped fund the $3.5 million project.



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