Life Science

ORYZON Opens U.S. Operation

(l to r) Dennis Benzan, Vice Mayor of Cambridge; Angus McQuilken, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center VP for Marketing & Communications; State Representative Jay Livingstone; Lisa Hemmerle, Economic Development Director for the City of Cambridge; Carlos Buesa, President & CEO of Oryzon; Peter Abair, MassBio Director of Economic Development & Global Affairs; and Dr. Russell Greig, Member of Oryzon’s Board of Directors celebrate the opening of the company’s first U.S. office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

(l-r) Dennis Benzan, vice mayor of Cambridge; Angus McQuilken, MLSC VP for marketing & communications; State Rep. Jay Livingstone; Lisa Hemmerle, Cambridge economic development director; Carlos Buesa, president and CEO of Oryzon; Peter Abair, MassBio director of economic development & global affairs; and Dr. Russell Greig, Oryzon’s board of directors.

Cambridge, MA – Oryzon Genomics announced that the company is opening a U.S. operation that will be located at 245 First Street in Cambridge. After incorporation of its U.S. affiliate, Oryzon Corp, in July 2014, the U.S. arm of Oryzon Genomics is now fully launching its operations in Massachusetts. Oryzon plans to have 15% to 20% of its total headcount in its U.S. office in the next quarter.

Oryzon is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and the European leader in epigenetics, a field of biotechnology that tries to modulate the enzymes governing the regional functionality of the chromatin and thereof the expression of genes residing there. By switching off those modulators, genes that are improperly activated can be turned off, stopping the progression of grave diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.

Through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Massachusetts is investing $1 billion over 10 years in the growth of the state’s life sciences supercluster. These investments are being made under the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, proposed by Governor Patrick in 2007, and passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Patrick in 2008. MLSC has been in discussions with Oryzon since first meeting with them at the BIO convention in Boston in 2012.

Oryzon’s president and CEO, Dr. Carlos Buesa, said, “We are very happy and excited in this crucial moment in our company’s history. Massachusetts is clearly the place to be for an epigenetic company, a hub that is hosting the major U.S. players in the field, like Epizyme or Constellation, and with a huge concentration of pharma industry and health technology.”

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Buesa went on to say that, “As the epigenetics European leading company, we have already achieved a number of important milestones in Europe. Taking now the leap across the Atlantic is the natural progression on our maturation process as a company. I have no doubt that this project was not only necessary now but it is also going to be a success in the years to come. Becoming a successful player in the U.S. biotech market, the most important in the world, is the next challenge for our company.

“As the epigenetics European leading company we have already achieved a number of important milestones in Europe, taking now the leap across the Atlantic is the natural progression on our maturation process as a company. I have no doubt that this project was not only necessary now but it is also going to be a success in the years to come. Becoming a successful player in the U.S. biotech market, the most important in the world, is the next challenge for our company.”

 “On behalf of the Center, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Oryzon as they open their first Massachusetts facility,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the agency charged with implementing Governor Patrick’s 10-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative. “We first met with Oryzon at the BIO Convention in 2012 and couldn’t be happier to welcome them to the growing life sciences cluster in Massachusetts.”

“We are so pleased to work with Dr. Buesa and the Oryzon team as they grow to build operations in the United States,” said Robert K. Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio. “They are following the lead of a number of European companies choosing Massachusetts for the base in the U.S., and we are excited to welcome their expertise and leadership here.”

“Today we welcome Oryzon’s very literal groundbreaking move, which will allow our local residents and scientists to join in their accomplishments in the groundbreaking field of epigenetics, which is at the epicenter of life science breakthroughs,” said State Representative, Marjorie C. Decker.