In his latest post, Matthew Johnson takes us to Chicago \u2013 America\u2019s \u201cWindy City.\u201d Known as a printing and publishing heavyweight and a finance and insurance hub, Chicago\u2019s emerging industries have always had to compete for recognition with the city\u2019s more established ones; a burdensome challenge for a city whose history is so closely linked with the industries that birthed it. Despite this, Chicago\u2019s biosciences sector is thriving. Matt\u2019s recent visit shines a light on some of the institutions committed to commercializing research in the biosciences thus reinventing Chicago as a potential hub for biomedical discovery.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Without question, Chicago is one of America\u2019s truly iconic cities \u2013 it\u2019s contributions to American industry, finance, art and architecture, food, music, sports, and culture are essential to the character of the nation.<\/p>\n Indeed, the prominence of so many of Chicago\u2019s assets means that others go relatively unrecognized. Such is the case with the region\u2019s biomedical sector which, despite the number of global healthcare companies headquartered there, carries a healthy chip on its shoulder that comes with being perceived as \u201cflyover country\u201d. As with Detroit<\/a>, I particularly enjoy building connections in places with something to prove.<\/p>\n I arrived at O\u2019Hare Airport and took a taxi to Lake County, a tiny suburb to the north of metropolitan Chicago. Lake County is home to the global headquarters of Abbott Laboratories and its biopharmaceutical spin-off AbbVie, as well as Naval Station Great Lakes, the U.S. Navy\u2019s primary technical training command. Juxtaposed with these massive operations is little Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science<\/a>\u00a0(RFUMS), a specialized medical research and education institution of just over 2,000 graduate students.<\/p>\n RFUMS is named for Dr. Rosalind Franklin, whose famous x-ray diffraction image known as \u201cPhoto 51<\/a>\u201d helped elucidate the double helical structure of DNA, and is focused exclusively on graduate medical training and translational research. Prior to speaking at an evening event at RFUMS, I toured the institution and was shown the brand new Innovation and Research Park<\/a>\u00a0under construction. This investment in incubation infrastructure, along with the institution\u2019s bold decision to organize their research activities by disease areas<\/a>\u00a0rather than scientific disciplines, to me demonstrates RFUMS\u2019 commitment to commercial development of research. I expect that this facility will become a unifying hub for the life science community in Lake County.<\/p>\n Back in \u201cThe Loop\u201d I visited MATTER<\/a>, a healthcare-focused incubator. Modeled after the renowned 1871 tech incubator down the hall, MATTER currently supports dozens of digital health, medtech, and therapeutics companies through a variety of services.<\/p>\n One of the notable activities housed at MATTER is the Chicago Innovation Mentors (CIM)<\/a>, a 6-month accelerator program for science-based ventures. I attended one of their monthly meetings while at MATTER, and was delighted to learn that a number of Canadian companies have benefited from the program thanks to the efforts of the local Trade Commissioners out of the Consulate General of Canada<\/a>\u00a0in Chicago. A special shout out to Chantal Glass who was invaluable in helping to fill my schedule while in the city! If you\u2019re a Canadian life science company looking for advice on doing business in Chicago or the broader Midwestern US, I recommend getting in touch<\/a>\u00a0with Chantal.<\/p>\n Finally, I had the great pleasure of visiting the downtown campus of Northwestern University and learning about the fascinating nanoparticle research done by the lab of Dr. Shad Thaxton<\/a>. With potential applications in treating cardiovascular disease and cancer, Dr. Thaxton\u2019s lab has benefited from the supportive translational culture at Northwestern and connections to local entrepreneurs and early-stage healthcare investors. Everyone in Canada knows how difficult it can be to secure this kind of early support for a biotech venture, so it\u2019s clear that Chicago has some critical elements in place to seed a thriving bioscience sector.<\/p>\n I had a great few days in Chicago \u2013 it\u2019s undeniably energetic yet abounds with Midwestern warmth. There are great things happening in the healthcare sector there, and I encourage young Canadian companies looking to enter the US market to take note.<\/p>\n Restaurant recommendations: Free Rein<\/a>, GT Fish & Oyster<\/a>,Mr. Brown\u2019s Lounge<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bloomburton.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Chicago_MJohnson.png\")
Kapoor, Anish. Cloud Gate. 2006<\/em>. Chicago. \u2013 photograph by Matthew Johnson, 2018<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n