Gladstone Institutes: Best Place for Postdocs to Work

Life sciences journal The Scientist ranks San Francisco-based J. David Gladstone Institutes as the best place to do postdoctoral studies, jumping from 12th place in 2005.

The Institutes’ recent move across the street from UCSF’s Mission Bay campus has strengthened their affiliation with the university, where postdocs and faculty hold joint appointments.

Primary research efforts at the Institutes focus on 3 clinical problems: cardiovascular disease, AIDS, and neurodegenerative disorders. Each institute is organized around research units consisting of scientists, postdoctoral researchers, research associates, and students. 

Mission Bay Life Science Campus

Alexandria Real Estate Equities has just secured the first tenant for the 2.1 million square foot Mission Bay life science campus the firm plans to complete by 2013.

Sirna Therapeutics is moving its headquarters to 1700 Owens St., the first building Alexandria is constructing. The 155,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed later this year, and Sirna will occupy nearly 40,000 square feet. Sirna focuses on developing therapeutics for a wide range of diseases using RNA interference technology.

Alexandria plans to sign up a life science cluster of tenants within the building — including venture capital firms with a focus on biotechnology, other R&D-focused companies, and academic research programs. The complex abuts two important nonprofit research centers: the David Gladstone Institute and the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research.