13,000-square-foot training facility is the first East Coast location for Illumina, a California-based global leader in genomics

BALTIMORE, Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems, celebrated today the grand opening of its new training facility in the University of Maryland (UM) BioPark.

The 13,000-square-foot Illumina Solutions Center provides training lab capabilities and office space for customers and commercial teams. It is the company's first commercial location on the East Coast and will host hundreds of employees and customers annually.

Proximity to the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences was a key factor in Illumina's decision to join the UM BioPark's thriving community of innovative life sciences companies.

"We believe this location will facilitate collaborative engagement in research activities with our academic partner, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB)," shared Mark Van Oene, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Illumina. "We are inspired by all the ways genomics can stimulate economic activity to maximize impact in the region and fuel research with the potential to improve health outcomes for patients."

"Attracting Illumina, a premier life sciences company, to the BioPark reinforces the value of combining university research, entrepreneurial activity, corporate engagement, and community development in a dense, collaborative, programmed environment," said Jim Berens, Chief Executive Officer of Wexford Science & Technology.

Adjacent to the UMB campus in downtown Baltimore, the 14-acre UM BioPark community is home to more than 40 companies and 1,000+ employees. Wexford is currently designing its newest building in the BioPark, 4MLK, a 330,000-square-foot lab and office building, that is expected to be completed in 2021.

"The UM BioPark provides an ideal environment for private-sector companies and UMB's academic centers to collaborate," said Jane Shaab, Senior Vice President, Research Park Corporation, and Associate Vice President for Economic Development, UMB. "Welcoming Illumina and celebrating the grand opening of its solutions center, is a boon to UMB and the life sciences industry in Maryland."

About Illumina
Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as the global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit www.illumina.com and follow @illumina.

About the UM BioPark
The UM BioPark is a thriving community of biomedical research, technology, and medical device companies alongside focused education and workforce development programs. Located in downtown Baltimore, adjacent to the UMB, the BioPark's urban campus offers easy access to UMB's vibrant academic medical center, translational research, and clinical treatment centers. For early-stage to mature bioscience companies, the BioPark offers laboratory and office space that can be designed to fit specific needs. Learn more at www.umbiopark.com.

About Wexford Science & Technology
Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, provides real estate strategies and solutions exclusively to universities, academic medical centers, and research institutions. Wexford works collaboratively with its partner institutions to help create and develop vibrant, mixed-use, amenity-rich Knowledge Communities that are built on a foundation of research, discovery, and entrepreneurial activity.

Knowledge Communities operate as a nexus for leveraging academic intellectual capital, innovation, and infrastructure; concentrating talent, resources, and service providers; and enabling pathways for corporate collaboration, startup creation and growth, place-based networking, and idea exchange. www.wexfordscitech.com