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Virginia boasts a robust and flourishing biotechnology and life sciences industry. Its strategic location places the Old Dominion near the Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland corridors. Within its own borders, however, Virginia offers much in the arena.

Virginia hosts a large and growing number of biotechnology and life science corporations. These include Access BIO in Boyle; Adenosine Therapeutics, LLC in Charlottesville; AdivaMed in Ashburn; Advanced Therapy Products, Inc. in Glen Allen; Afton Scientific Corporation in Charlottesville; Apollo PACS, Inc. in Falls Church; American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) in Manassas; Arkios BioDevelopment International; Ascend Therapeutics, Inc. in Herndon; ASD BioSystems in Danville; astre Corporation in Alexandria; Atley Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Ashland; AVID Medical in Toano; Best Medical International, Inc. in Springfield; Bio-Cat, Inc. in Troy; Bio-Track LLC in Richmond; BioCatalyst International, Inc. in Charlottesville; BioInformatics, LLC in Arlington; Biological Monitoring, Inc. in Blacksburg; Biologics Consulting Group, Inc. in Alexandria; BioRosettex in Arlington; Biotage in Charlottesville; BioTraces, Inc. in Herndon; Biovail Technologies Ltd. in Chantilly; Bode Technology Group, Inc. in Lorton; Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc. in Petersburg; Bostwick Laboratories in Glen Allen; Cary Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Great Falls; Chrysalis Technologies in Richmond; Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. in Richmond; ContraVac, Inc. in Charlottesville; DiaKine Therapeutics, Inc. in Charlottesville; Diffusion Pharmaceuticals, LLC in Charlottesville; Dilon Technologies LLC in Newport News; Dynaphore, Inc. in Richmond; Dynex Technologies, Inc. in Chantilly; ECR Pharmaceuticals in Richmond; Edenspace Systems Corporation in Dulles; eduSoft LC in Ashland; Empirical Technologies Corporation in Charlottesville; Gi Stimulation. Inc. in Charlottesville; Glen Research Corporation in Sterling; Global Cell Solutions, Inc. in Charlottesville; GlobaleMed, LLC in Alexandria; Imgen Technologies in Alexandria; INCOGEN, Inc. in Williamsburg; Indoor Biotechnologies, Inc. in Charlottesville; Insight Therapeutics, LLC in Norfolk; Intrexon Corporation in Blacksburg; K2M, Inc. in Leesburg; Kinnakeet Biotechnology in Midlothian; KOL Bio Medical Instruments in Chantilly; Light BioScience, LLC in Virginia Beach; Luna Innovations in Roanoke; Medgenics Inc. in Vienna; Mediatech, Inc. in Herndon; Mikro Systems, Inc. in Charlottesville; Mineral Sciences, LLC in Fairfax; in Richmond; Ocucure Therapeutics, Inc. in Roanoke; PluroGen Therapeutics, Inc. in Charlottesville; Reco Biotechnology in Richmond; Revivicor, Inc. in Blacksburg; Tau Therapeutics, LLC in Charlottesville; Vatring Pharmaceuticals in Wytheville; and several others.

The Old Dominion hosts strong academic institutions that perform groundbreaking scientific research and offer technology assistance services to researchers. George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax offers its impressive Life Sciences department, which conducts research in several centers such as the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM), the National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases (NCBDID), the Center for Biomedical Genomics (CBMG), and the Center for the Study of Genomics in Liver Disease (CSGLD). GMU also offers the services of its Office of Technology Transfer, which advises faculty, students, and staff on issues related to intellectual property. Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond is home to many research centers, including the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, the Center for Environmental Sciences, the Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences, and the VCU Massey Cancer Center. VCU also provides its Office of Technology Transfer to aid researchers through the commercialization of intellectual property developed at the university. Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties (VTIP) identifies, legally protects, and markets intellectual properties derived from research at Virginia Tech, in addition to facilitating the creation of new or start-up business and jobs based on University intellectual property. The University of Virginia (UVA) provides its Office of Economic Development to aid faculty, students, alumni, and business community partners by fostering connections to the programs, services, and networks supporting innovation and economic growth within or outside the University. UVA also hosts the University of Virginia Research Park, set on 562 acres (2.27 square kilometers or 227 hectares) within close proximity to a major route to Washington, D.C., and accommodating offices, and wet and dry laboratories. The Fontaine Research Park houses numerous research facilities and a rehabilitation hospital and center for musculoskeletal medicine. The University of Virginia Patent Foundation evaluates intellectual property developed from UVA research, and protects commercially viable inventions in addition to licensing their rights to industry. Old Dominion University in Norfolk offers its Center for Biotechnology to produce innovative, high quality scientific products and services in addition to educating skilled adults. Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) provides the services of its Office of Technology Transfer to stimulate basic and applied research within the education, research, and clinical activities of the school, and it evaluates all EVMS and acquired inventions for development, patentability, and licensing potential. Additionally, EVMS is home to impressive research centers such as the Cardiovascular and Renal Research Center, Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, and Thomas R. Lee Center for Ocular Pharmacology.

Virginia's biotechnology and life sciences industry is supported by organizations and incubators designed to foster growth in the sector. The Center for Innovative Technology aims to enhance the research and technology transfer activities of Virginia universities, and also works toward promoting new technologies, entrepreneurs, and technology companies, for both government and private sector clients. The NewVa Corridor Technology Council (NCTC) is a non-profit corporation that works to serve and promote the technology industry for the purpose of driving prosperity in western Virginia. NCTC strives for this goal by building strong local networks, facilitating connections to regional education institutions, promoting supportive infrastructures and resources, promoting diverse sources of capital, supporting entrepreneur and technology-friendly public policies, and supporting the development of an enabling culture in the region. The Virginia Biotechnology Association is a non-profit association which works to promote the biotechnology industry in the Old Dominion, to expand the knowledge and expertise of the state's businesses concerning biotechnology through seminars and other educational methods, to enhance public awareness of Virginia's biotech industry and the scientific, economic, and other benefits it provides, and to represent Virginia's biotech industry interests before federal, state, and local legislators and regulators.

Research in Virginia's biotechnology and life sciences industry is enhanced by several notable research centers and institutes. The Biotechnology Institute, based in Arlington, provides education to teachers, students, and the public about the promise and challenges of biotechnology, and offers year-round programs to aid understanding and awareness about the field among teachers and students. The Janelia Farm Research Campus at Howard Hughes Medial Institute in Ashburn is a world-class biomedical research complex that houses a broad range of scientific programs, serving as an intellectual hub for up to several hundred scientists from diverse disciplines, encouraging interdisciplinary teams to solve challenging biological problems. The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) in Blacksburg is dedicated to the study of the biological sciences. VBI focuses research on host-pathogen-environment interactions and uses bioinformatics toward this goal. VBI promotes interdisciplinary collaboration between diverse fields such as mathematics, plant pathology, economics, and other fields, and develops genomic, proteomic, and bioinformatics tools that can be applied in the study of infectious diseases, new vaccine discovery, and drug and diagnostic targets. The Carilion Biomedical Institute in Roanoke partners scientists, researchers, and the medical and business communities to create major advances in healthcare via biomedical research.

With its vast academic, industrial, and organizational resources, Virginia seems assured tremendous success and growth in the biotechnology and life science industry.

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