Two local innovation giants are working to make St. Louis a global leader in neuroscience.
A group composed of members from BioSTL and Washington University recently announced its submission to Phase 2 of the U.S. National Science Foundation Engine for $160 million in grant funding to support its NEURO360 initiative. The project would position the St. Louis region as a neuroscience juggernaut, while capitalizing on insights from local partners across industry and academia to stimulate a booming neuroscience ecosystem in the metro area.
"If you think about tech hubs where a lot of the innovations are happening, you don't inherently think about St. Louis," says Justin Raymundo, BioSTL’s vice president of innovation Ecosystem-Building. "Our work over the past 20 years has been to build it into an innovation economy, but advocate for it on a national level."
St. Louis is already home to an impressive collection of neuroscience research and investment. Much of this occurs at the academic institutions that dot the region, including Wash. U., Saint Louis University, and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. BioSTL supports these efforts by creating a focal point for researchers, investors, city leaders, government officials, and local businesses to collaborate on breakthroughs in neuroscience, an area of study that focuses on the nervous system. In other words, neuroscience research touches on everything from Alzheimer's and dementia to pain, addiction, and other disorders.
"Historically, we've seen neuroscience lag in translation to practice because of various barriers around understanding the brain or delivery of treatment into the brain itself," Raymundo says. "Thinking about neuroscience-driven innovations, it can impact folks with Alzheimer’s, it can address brain tumors and impact mental health."
Last year, Wash. U. and BioSTL received $1 million from the NSF's Regional Innovation Engines to spur collaborations that could create economic, societal, and technological opportunities for St. Louis. The latest grant would be transformative for the region, bringing federal funding that would bolster the region’s existing neuroscience and neurotech infrastructure.
While the $160 million in funding is the next big prize, NEURO360 is only the latest initiative from BioSTL, which has worked to build up the neuroscience industry in St. Louis during the past two decades.
"We've been able to launch 100 new companies that created about 1,000 new jobs in St. Louis, attracting nearly $3 billion in capital," Raymundo says. "We've launched new facilities, [and] we've really helped jumpstart an innovation economy here in St. Louis. It's helped us develop the muscle memory to be able to launch the NEURO360 engine."
Growth in neuroscience doesn't necessarily mean jobs only for people in lab coats. Raymundo said St. Louis presents a unique opportunity for an inclusive and equitable ecosystem that benefits a variety of local sectors, including manufacturing, lab maintenance and management, and other roles that don't require higher-education degrees.
This top-down approach is the essence of BioSTL's mission. With a significant influx of funding, the group will be able to introduce locals to new career opportunities—and reintroduce the country to St. Louis's long history of discovery.
"BioSTL exists to elevate St. Louis, to continue to tell its story across industries and attract investment to the city," Raymundo says. "It's been a quiet champion of galvanizing investment."
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