Alexion, AstraZeneca’s Rare Disease group, indicated Thursday it plans to expand its presence in New Haven with space at the new bioscience tower currently under construction at 101 College St. 

The company is headquartered in Boston, but has a New Haven presence, with roughly 500 employees working at its research facility at the existing tower next door, at 100 College St. 

Alexion indicated it expects to occupy the new space by the end of 2023. The expansion is expected to grow the company’s research capabilities, and will double its lab floor space, according to an announcement.

Alexion also indicated it is currently recruiting to fill 50 open positions in New Haven, with more than 50% of those roles in research and development.

The company also anticipates more hiring with the addition of the new space and continued growth of its research and development efforts in the Elm City.

The 101 College St. space is expected to be LEED certified – Platinum level, in alignment with  AstraZeneca’s Ambition Zero Carbon program, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from global operations by 98% by 2026, the company said.

Sharon Barr, head of research and product development at Alexion, said, “Connecticut has been home to our Center of Excellence for world-class rare disease research and process development teams for 30 years, and it is a privilege to be a leader in the growing New Haven biopharma ecosystem."

"In addition to doubling our lab space and broadening our research capabilities, I am thrilled that our expansion will enable us to continue growing our team of passionate, diverse and ambitious scientists working to advance Alexion’s innovation engine for patients living with rare diseases,” Barr added.

Developer Carter Winstanley broke ground on the 101 College St. tower project last year, and at the time projected it would take two years to build. The new 10 story tower at 101 College St. will have roughly 500,000 square feet of laboratory, research and meeting space. 

The new tower has already attracted other future tenants, such as Yale University and bioscience company Arvinas. BioLabs of Cambridge, which manages co-working space for life science startups, will run a new Yale-backed incubator in the building.

UK-based AstraZeneca finalized its $39 billion acquisition of Alexion in July 2021. 

Alexion has developed treatments for a range of disorders and diseases, such as lysosomal acid lipase deficiency, neurofibromatosis, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, hypophosphatasia, and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. It has five medicines approved currently, including Kanuma, Koselugo, Soliris, Strensiq and Ultomiris, according to its website. 

Garrett Sheehan, president & CEO of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, said the company’s expansion demonstrates the growing potential that the bioscience industry sees in the New Haven region and its talent pool. 

“The expansion is a continuation of growth for the increasing cluster of bioscience companies in the New Haven region,” Sheehan said. “The expanded lab space at 101 College Street will be key to address the concerns over lab space in the state, and we are enthusiastic about the work that will be conducted in the new space.”