SEATTLE, Wash. – Cushman & Wakefield and JLL today jointly announced that the firms have represented Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Inc. in a long-term lease agreement to develop an approximately 83,000-square-foot Research and Development (R&D) and Manufacturing Center in Seattle, Washington.
Sonoma Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing engineered regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The state-of-the-art facility will support the R&D and manufacturing of Sonoma Bio’s pipeline of gene-modified Treg therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases at scale.
Managing Director Steve Lico of Cushman & Wakefield’s Palo Alto office and Managing Director Kris Richey Curtis of JLL’s Seattle office represented Sonoma Bio in the transaction. Lico and Richey Curtis have partnered to represent Sonoma Bio since the biotech company’s inception in 2019.
“As we continue to watch the Seattle biotech ecosystem expand and evolve, we are excited to support Sonoma Bio’s significant growth in Seattle,” said Richey Curtis.
Sonoma Bio’s new R&D and Manufacturing Center will include the development and use of cutting-edge technologies and capabilities, from cell selection and genetic modification to intelligent manufacturing automation and information technology systems. The integration of this infrastructure and scientific expertise will enable Sonoma Bio to move efficiently from molecular target identification to in-house full-scale production for multiple products and indications in Phase 2 clinical trials and beyond.
The center will be located at 501 Elliott Avenue West, a property owned by Office Properties Income Trust and being redeveloped by The RMR Group into Unison Elliott Bay. Sonoma Bio will serve as the anchor tenant kicking off leasing activity at the three-building project. Tim Jones and Joe Gowan of JLL serve as the project’s leasing team and represented RMR in the lease.
“Seattle has an established legacy of delivering many firsts in the cell therapy field for cancer and we are building upon those insights to advance our pipeline of engineered Treg therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,” said Jeff Bluestone, Ph.D., Co-Founder, and CEO of Sonoma Bio. “This Center will create highly-skilled scientific, engineering and manufacturing jobs in the Seattle area, taking advantage of the deep local capabilities and expertise. As we move into the next phase of growth at Sonoma Bio, we want to unite talent across the thriving life science communities of Seattle and San Francisco.”
