Biotech firms leaving big US cities for the suburbs

New York

THE biotech industry is facing high rents and tight lab space in Boston, New York and San Francisco, forcing companies into the suburbs in a sign that the "live, work and play" movement into big cities may have hit a roadblock.

For example, Modern Meadow, a biotech startup poised to manufacture leather from the fermentation of natural collagen protein without using live animals, was looking at a prohibitive US$200 million cost to build its own lab and manufacturing facility in New York City.