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Tennessee possesses an impressive infrastructure for the biotechnology and life science industries. The Volunteer State offers a skilled workforce, several life science and pharmaceutical companies, renowned universities and medical centers, and organizations designed to foster growth in the life science industry sector.

Tennessee benefits greatly from the innovative research and educational opportunities at its academic institutions. The University of Tennessee (UT) maintains associations with public and private agencies such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Battelle Memorial Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, and the Boston Baskin Cancer Group. UT is home to several research centers, such the Center for Environmental Biotechnology (CEB) at UT Knoxville and the Center of Genomics and Bioinformatics at UT Memphis, which is the university’s health sciences campus. Additionally, UT provides the services of the Office of Research (OR), which supports and promotes research at the Knoxville campus by administering sponsored programs, ensuring regulatory compliance, overseeing research funding and accounting, providing laboratories and services, and fostering new start-up companies based on the university’s research discoveries. Vanderbilt University in Nashville is renowned for its biomedical research strengths. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center is home to the School of Medicine, the Vanderbilt University Hospital, the Vanderbilt Clinic, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, the Vanderbilt Heart Institute, the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute and the only one of its kind in Tennessee. Vanderbilt is known as the largest employer in Middle Tennessee and the second largest private employer in the state, and received over $346 million in competitive research funds for fiscal year 2005-06. Vanderbilt also offers its Office of Technology Transfer and Enterprise Development (OTTED), which aids research by protecting and preserving the university’s intellectual property assets, licensing technology developed by Vanderbilt researchers, and assists in business start-ups that commercialize Vanderbilt technology. Practical life science employment education can be obtained from Tennessee’s colleges. Nashville State Community College in Nashville offers an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S) degree in biotechnology. Additionally, Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis offers an A.A.S for biotechnology technician. East Tennessee State University in Johnson City is home to the Quillen College of Medicine, known for excellence in rural medicine education.

Tennessee is home to several renowned institutions that participate in life science research activities. One of the nation’s top assets for research resides in Tennessee: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). ORNL is managed for the Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, and in addition to its goal of producing clean and abundant energy, it is also the site of groundbreaking biological research. ORNL’s Biosciences Division specializes in understanding complex biological systems and their relationship with human health and the environment, with facilities dedicated to Mammalian Genetics and Genomics, Computational Biology, Biophysics and Biomedical Technologies, and Toxicology and Risk Analysis. ORNL also conducts fossil fuel bioprocessing research. The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis is a pediatric treatment and research facility aiming to find cures for children with catastrophic diseases, and conducts numerous clinical trials. The Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) in Nashville conducts clinical trials in ten therapeutic areas through its affiliation with a network of hundreds of physicians, and offers research support services to drug development sponsors and investigator sites around the country.

Tennessee’s biotechnology and life sciences industry benefits from organizations designed to foster growth in the sector, thereby improving the economy and life for Tennesseans. The Tennessee Biotechnology Association (TBA) is a statewide organization comprised of scientists, researchers, clinicians, legislators, members of academia, and business professionals formed to develop and support the life sciences industry for Tennessee. TBA works to enhance access to capital for existing companies, supports business recruitment in the state, and encourages outside investment in Tennessee companies, research, and technologies. TBA is a member of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). The Memphis Bioworks Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to build upon the thriving bioscience industry in Memphis, and to establish the region as an internationally recognized center for the development and commercialization of biomedical technology. Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc. (CET) represents a partnership between Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Vanderbilt University, and the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation. CET works to provide research entities with a commercial development infrastructure for their technologies, providing such services as technology transfer licensing, regulatory expertise, and assistance in obtaining funds for development. The CET Life Sciences Center in Nashville provides early-stage life sciences companies with flexible laboratory and office space and equipment.

Many notable biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms reside in the Volunteer State. Among these are Apocom Genomics in Knoxville; Atom Sciences, Inc. in Oak Ridge; BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. in Franklin; Bioinventions LLC in Johnson City; BioVentures, Inc. in Murfreesboro; Celtek Bioscience in Nashville; Charles D. Sullivan Co. Inc. in Nashville; Crown Laboratories, Inc. in Johnson City; Cumberland Pharmaceuticals in Nashville; DDN/Obergfel in Memphis; EDP Biotech Corporation in Knoxville; Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport; Galbraith Laboratories, Inc.; Genetic Assays, Inc. in Nashville; Genetics Associates, Inc. in Nashville; GTx, Inc. in Memphis; King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Bristol; Molecular Designs International in Memphis; Protherics in Brentwood; Transnetyx, Inc. in Cordova; VDDI Pharmaceuticals in Brentwood; arGentis Pharmaceuticals, LLC in Memphis; Graceway Pharmaceuticals, LLC in Bristol; LifeCyte, Inc. in Memphis; Prismic Lights International in Murfreesboro; Provectus Pharmaceuticals Inc.; RxBio Inc. in Johnson City; and Stewart-Jackson Pharmacal Inc. in Memphis, among others.

With its universities, institutes, organizations, and companies, Tennessee promises continued innovation and success in the biotechnology and life sciences industry.

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