Area Development
Birmingham-based molecular diagnostics company BioGX plans to expand its R&D and manufacturing capabilities at a new corporate headquarters in Shelby County, Alabama. The company is investing $5 million and plans to add 30 new employees to its roster of 80.

BioGX purchased a building on Valleydale Road in Shelby County for the move from its current location at Innovation Depot, a business incubator in downtown Birmingham, according to Birmingham Business Alliance. The move to the new facility will take place in stages throughout 2021.

“While the company has been rapidly expanding its operations and looking for a new facility for over three years, the COVID-19 pandemic demanded we scale up our operations at breakneck speed to meet the global demand for our growing portfolio of products,” said Dr. Michael Vickery, executive vice president and chief scientific officer of BioGX.

In the past year, BioGX developed technologies to accelerate accurate, large-scale testing to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. According to state economic development officials, BioGX’s growth is another example of the growth taking place in Alabama’s bioscience industry, which is home to 780 companies and organizations, employing nearly 18,000 people. The industry has an annual economic impact calculated at $7.3 billion.

“BioGX has grown into a leading provider of molecular diagnostics, and its presence will continue to enhance our region’s growth in life science and medical diagnostics,” said Mark Brown, vice president of business retention and expansion at the BBA. “We look forward to working with the team at BioGX on future growth opportunities.”

Drew Honeycutt, CEO of Innovation Depot, one of the Southeast’s largest business incubators added, “We are absolutely thrilled for BioGX’s success, and we feel fortunate to have been able to offer them a place to grow over the years. That being said, we’re also excited about how this will free up wet lab space in our building, which will hopefully provide opportunities for more companies to follow in BioGX’s footsteps.”