Tampa Bay is getting $47.3 million in federal money to help the U.S. make more of its own cancer-fighting radiopharmaceuticals, drugs that use radioactive material to find and treat tumors.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, announced Oct. 29, goes to the Florida Oncology and Radiopharmaceutical Growth Engine, or FORGE. The coalition is led by Moffitt Cancer Center and Speros, Moffitt’s 775-acre life sciences campus in Pasco County. With matching money from partners, the five-project package totals about $88.2 million.
The goal is to fix a supply problem. The isotopes behind the treatments often come from outside the country.
“Every radiopharmaceutical treatment starts with an isotope, and too much of that supply still depends on sources outside the United States,” said Josh Carpenter, president of Speros and chief integration officer at Moffitt. “We are building the facilities, the companies and the workforce to make, test, and deliver these therapies right here in Tampa Bay.”
The money covers the full pipeline, from making the drugs to training the people who give them:
• A $16.9 million, 130,000-square-foot manufacturing plant at Speros. Cyclotrons inside will produce isotopes and make drugs for research, clinical trials and industry partners.
• A $15 million, four-story office and lab building at Speros that will become the permanent home for startups and growing biotech companies.
• A $4.3 million incubator, run by Tampa-based Embarc Collective, that will support up to 20 early-stage companies.
• A $6 million USF program to train nuclear pharmacists, who prepare and dose the drugs for patients.
• A $5 million expansion of radiography and imaging programs at Pasco-Hernando State College to train the technologists who perform the scans.
Tim Holcomb, CEO of Embarc Collective, said the effort could create thousands of jobs over the next decade.
PHSC President Eric Hall said the college will add advanced credentials in CT and mammography.
“This investment will open doors for our students, help local professionals advance their careers, and strengthen the skilled workforce that Moffitt and other healthcare providers rely on,” Hall said.
Charles Lockwood, dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy “will help train the pharmacists who will help transform how cancer is treated.”
The coalition won the grant through an EDA program that helps disaster-hit areas build long-term economic resilience.
The projects build on Moffitt’s roughly $600 million investment at Speros. At full operation, FORGE-driven growth is projected to support about 4,000 jobs across the region, including 1,100 at Speros. It is also projected to generate $2.6 billion in regional earnings through 2037 and $3.2 billion statewide. Startups from the incubator are expected to attract $174 million in venture capital.