DEVENS — While the company is set to celebrate 20 years of business in 2023, members of the Seqens family, local and international, had something else to commemorate Tuesday morning.
Joined by a coalition of local legislators, including state Sen. Jamie Eldridge and members of the Devens Enterprise Commission, the $1.4 billion French biotech and pharmaceutical giant celebrated the completion of and move to a “state-of-the-art” research and development facility at 67 Buena Vista St. The lab is set to replace a smaller facility located on Jackson Road.
Seqens President and CEO Pierre Luzeau said he was excited to continue the company’s partnership with Devens and the state of Massachusetts. A “global player” in the industry, he said Seqens could play a “crucial role” in public health through that partnership.
“Massachusetts is a leader in the pharma industry,” Luzeau said. “Creative, innovative, it’s one of the most dynamic places in the world as far as drug discovery and development — it’s somewhere you have to be if you want to be in the pharma industry.”
“[Seqens] can play a crucial role in public health, and we’re excited to do that here (in Devens),” he said.
A complete transfer to the new, 15,000-square-foot space is expected by the end of February, according to Seqens Director of Research and Development Christophe Eychenne-Baron. Research at the lab is expected to focus on controlled substances, polymers, lipids and expanded uses of mRNA technologies.
The company’s lone research and development facility in the United States, the lab is expected to employ up to 40 scientists by the end of 2026, double what the Jackson Road building could support.
To fill those new positions, Luzeau said he was “eager” to hire those qualified in the Devens community and the greater Boston area and even called it a “priority.” Eychenne-Baron said a strong connection with that group and, more generally, the state’s “biotech ecosystem” was “key” to Seqens’ operations going forward.
“Interaction with the [biotech] community is key to what we do,” Eychenne-Baron said. “It’s not always easy, but we know can find the right people here and we hope to bring in as many local minds as possible.”
After he presented Luzeau with a congratulatory citation, Eldridge said he was “grateful” that the company remained in Devens and has continued to contribute to the local economy and job growth.
“The mission of Devens is economic development, to create more jobs and to ensure people in the region are hired,” he said. “So the fact that Seqens stayed here and has prioritized the people of this region is very encouraging.”
Eldridge also said he hoped Seqens’ presence alongside Bristol Myers Squib, another pharmaceutical company located in Devens, would help foster the “growing biotech and healthcare cluster” in the area.
“This technology, it just feeds innovation, which is critical in the healthcare industry,” he said. “If we can take further steps to expand that sort of cluster here in Devens, not only would it create more jobs and contribute to the economy, but it would address numerous healthcare challenges we’re faced with everyday.”
“I think [Seqens’ continued presence in Devens] will do a lot of good,” he said.
Looking ahead, Luzeau said his “dream” for the new facility was to maintain Seqens’ “conviction” and commitment to its customers and those that are sick. He also said it was rewarding to know that the company’s work at research and development facilities and manufacturing sites around the world contribute to the public good.
“The dream is to be a company that can serve our customers from A-to-Z,” he said. “This new facility is more than capable of contributing to that.”
“Having the chance to see our products go to market and cure people, it’s always nice,” he said.
