Fast Growing Life Sciences Company Chromatin Leases at University Technology Park At IIT
Chromatin, Inc. has signed a lease to move its headquarters and its molecular biology research and development operations to the Technology Business Center (TBC) at University Technology Park At IIT (UTP), it was announced today.
Chromatin develops and markets novel proprietary technology that was first developed at the University of Chicago. The company’s technology enables entire chromosomes to be designed and incorporated into plant cells. These mini-chromosomes can be used in any plant to simultaneously introduce multiple genes while maintaining precise control of gene expression. Chromatin’s mini-chromosome technology can be used to deliver genes that benefit the agricultural, nutritional, energy, pharmaceutical, and chemical sectors. Visit http://www.chromatininc.com for more information.
“UTP is a great setting for our research and provides access to excellent facilities and connections to the City of Chicago and IIT,” said Daphne Preuss, Chromatin’s CEO and co-founder. “We are experiencing significant growth and UTP provides capacity for our current and future needs.”
“We’re delighted to welcome Chromatin to UTP,” said David Baker, UTP Executive Director. “Our goal is to bring businesses like this to the park in order to foster and promote research in the life sciences and technology and help keep growing technology companies in Chicago.”
Chromatin’s lease includes options to extend the term and to expand into additional space. Chromatin’s recent licensing agreements with leading agriculture companies, as well as the company’s newer activities in the biofuels sector, are expected to spur this growth.
Chromatin will join more than 20 technology companies now calling UTP home. These companies, ranging from start-ups employing two individuals to the North American headquarters of Comarch, a Polish software development firm, have added 113 new jobs to Chicago’s South Side in the year since the park opened.
University Technology Park At IIT is an entrepreneurial ecosystem designed to nurture a wide range of technological and scientific innovation with the support of the talent and resources available at IIT. The Technology Business Center and Incubator make UTP one of the premier technology parks in the country. The TBC offers access to a variety of IIT biomedical research laboratories, pre-clinical testing, cancer and toxicology research and highly-qualified student researchers. UTP is located at 3440 S. Dearborn in Chicago, 4 miles south of Chicago's Loop, and will eventually consist of 9 buildings with 1.5 million square feet of state-of-the-art space on 15 acres.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.
