39 North‘s Helix Center Biotech Incubator, part of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership), is a destination location for bioscience, agricultural technology and plant science startups. Clients have access to more than 33,000 square feet of affordable wet labs, dry labs, office space, financing and collaboration. With these resources readily available, MediBeacon, a medical technology company, chose to start their company from Helix.
“The Helix Center proved to be an ideal location for MediBeacon,” said Steve Hanley, MediBeacon Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “While at the Helix Center, MediBeacon expanded its R&D pipeline and successfully executed on important clinical programs. The facilities offered the right balance of shared resources, first class laboratories and room for independent growth. We are grateful for the support from the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and from those at the Helix Center.”
MediBeacon was created in 2012 in a management buyout. Technology from Mallinckrodt/Covidien was included in the buyout, and the company has since started clinical studies focusing on transdermal detection of proprietary fluorescent agents as a means to measure physiological function. MediBeacon has since acquired 35 US patents. In 2015, MediBeacon welcomed its largest equity investor, Pansend Life Sciences of HC2 Holdings, Inc. In 2019, the company entered into a $30 million investment and exclusive commercialization partnership with Huadong Medicine Co., Ltd. The China-based pharmaceutical company is listed as a leading company on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
After successful growth with the support of the Helix Center and 39 North ecosystem, they are moving into a new headquarters in 39 North.