SAN DIEGO– Element Biosciences Inc., developer of the Element AVITI™ System, a new and disruptive DNA sequencing platform, today announced that it has moved its headquarters to the Alexandria Tech Center located on the 37-acre, 14-building campus in the Sorrento Mesa life science hub of San Diego, California. Alexandria Tech Center includes amenities such as a fitness center, fire pits, meditation gardens, eateries and conference space. Element will anchor 10055 Barnes Canyon Road, occupying 186,000 square feet. The five-story building is designed for a 50/50 mix of lab and general office space featuring an open concept with natural materials like wood and concrete.
Element celebrated this debut event at its official ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday, with remarks from its CEO and co-founder, Molly He, PhD, and SVP of Finance and Administration, Logan Zinser, CPA. Special guests included City of San Diego Mayor, Todd Gloria, President and CEO of Biocom California, Joe Panetta, and co-chief investment officer and San Diego Regional Market Director of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., Daniel Ryan.
“We are excited to move into our new headquarters as we continue to grow and disrupt every ‘element’ of the DNA and genetic sequencing market with AVITI,” said Dr. He. “Our technology will empower the scientific community with more freedom and flexibility to accelerate our collective impact on humanity — so that together, we can realize the incredible.”
Since its inception in 2017, Element has assembled a team of experts in various fields, including biologists, geneticists, scientists and engineers with experience developing genetic tools. With the launch of AVITI and other technologies in the pipeline, the company continues to expand its workforce in several key areas including commercial, finance and accounting, and general and administrative services. This move will consolidate employees working in three separate locations under one roof and provide the additional space needed for future workforce growth. The Alexandria Tech Center campus is designed to promote health, wellness and productivity so that employees can “work the way they live” while giving employers an edge to attract and retain the most talented individuals.
Element is a vital part of San Diego’s life sciences community, which is considered the third largest biotech and pharmaceutical hub in the nation. In 2020, San Diego County’s life science industry directly employed more than 72,000 people and was responsible for nearly 178,000 jobs with total earnings of $16 billion, according to Biocom California’s 2021 Economic Impact Report.
“With AVITI, Element is eliminating the barriers to research access and expanding the opportunities for research innovation — by creating more affordable, adaptable and accurate life science tools for basic, applied and clinical research,” said Dr. He. “This technology enables researchers to better understand biology and improve human life — from decoding the basis for infectious diseases like COVID-19, to determining the genetic profile of individual cancers and inherited diseases, to discovering and developing new drug therapies.”