Lilly Opens New Gateway Labs in San Diego

Eli Lilly and Company opened its newest Lilly Gateway Labs (LGL) site in San Diego, California. This expands its network of shared innovation hubs to support early-stage biotechnology companies by providing lab space and opportunities to collaborate with Lilly scientists.

The new facility is located on the One Alexandria Square Megacampus in Torrey Pines. LGL San Diego features 82,514 square feet of flexibly designed laboratory and office space to accommodate up to 15 life sciences companies.

Lilly Gateway Labs offers startups access to wet lab facilities along with tailored scientific engagement and strategic guidance to help navigate the complexities of drug discovery and development. The model is also designed to accelerate progress towards key milestones by combining infrastructure with deep expertise. 

The companies based in Gateway Labs represent a diverse array of therapeutic approaches and disease areas, aligned with and outside of Lilly’s core focus areas. 

LGL San Diego is Lilly’s fourth U.S. Gateway Labs site, joining two locations in South San Francisco and one in Boston. The model is also expanding globally, with a newly opened LGL site in Beijing. 

LGL is one component of Lilly Catalyze360, alongside Lilly Ventures, Lilly ExploR&D, and Lilly TuneLab, supporting biotech innovation by providing access to strategic capital, lab space and technology, and research and development capabilities, including advanced AI models.

Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer, and president, Lilly Research Laboratories and Lilly Immunology, said, “The future of medicine depends on combining the strengths of academia, biotech, and large pharma to solve some of the most difficult diseases facing patients.”  

“Our Lilly Gateway Labs model is working. We’ve seen sustained growth by staying true to our high-touch partnership approach. We start every engagement by asking how we can help. That mindset drives everything we do, from activating the Lilly network to provide scientific input to offering timely strategic counsel that helps founders avoid common pitfalls,” said Julie Gilmore, Ph.D., vice president, and global head of Lilly Gateway Labs and Catalyze360 Portfolio Management.