June 25, 2002

MIT Startup Leases Space with Cummings

Woburn, MA - GenoMEMS, Inc., a recently formed biotech equipment developer, reportedly leased 6,300 square feet at 3 Gill Street, Woburn, from Cummings Properties. According to company officials, GenoMEMS has the exclusive worldwide license to technology developed at MIT and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

GenoMEMS is said to be applying this technology in the construction of large scale Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) for DNA electrophoresis.
GenoMEMS' first product is an ultra high-speed DNA sequencer said to be 10 times faster than products currently available, while costing much less per sequence. Shimadzu Biotech, a large Japanese analytical instrumentation manufacturer, is reportedly partnering with GenoMEMS in the marketing of the instrument, which GenoMEMS has indicated should be available in the second quarter of 2003.

MIT scientists Dr. Dan Ehrlich, Dr. Paul Matsudaira, and Dr. Lance Koutny, founders of GenoMEMS, are widely recognized pioneers in applying MEMS technology to the life sciences. Dr. Koutny led the extensive search for a fabrication facility before selecting a location with Woburn-based Cummings Properties.

Juliette Reiter of GVA Thompson Doyle Hennessey & Everest represented GenoMEMS and worked with Anthony Addonizio and John Wiseman of Cummings Properties to complete the lease transaction. Wiseman, leasing manager for Cummings Properties noted, "GenoMEMS is a leading edge company perfecting a technology that is very important for the biotech industry, which coincidentally includes many of its neighbors." Cummings Properties currently leases almost a million and a half square feet to more than 70 firms in the life sciences.