Roche and Genentech triples the size of facility on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus  – 

Follows Roche’s expanded $2 billion investment in Holly Springs, NC manufacturing site focused on its cardiometabolic portfolio

Roche and life science real estate venture firms Breakthrough Properties, Tishman Speyer, and Bellco Capital announced last week that the company will more than triple its footprint at Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) in Boston, MA, expanding from 30,000 to 100,000 square feet. Developers emphasized that proximity to Harvard will enable deeper academic-industry collaboration, positioning the site as a hub for scientific partnerships.

New space is part of the One Milestone life sciences district

The new space is a part of One Milestone, a 100‑acre life sciences district developed by Breakthrough Properties, with portions of the Roche facility expected to open in mid‑2026. In the original leasing agreement announced in March 2025, Roche planned to hire up to 500 employees to support a Genentech-led R&D center focused on cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism (CVRM). While official numbers have not yet been released, we expect the number of employees to increase with a larger facility.

This follows Roche’s announcement last week of a $2 billion expansion in Holly Springs, NC, where Genentech will expand its manufacturing capacity for its cardiometabolic and obesity portfolio.

Interview with Dr. Chakravarthy on Roche’s R&D focus at ERC

In May 2025, our team had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Manu Chakravarthy, Senior VP and Global Head of CVRM Product Development at Roche. He emphasized that the Boston Innovation Center at ERC is designed as a home base for researchers involved in drug discovery, translational medicine, clinical development, data science, AI/ML, and computational biology. Dr. Chakravarthy highlighted Roche’s close collaboration with Harvard’s ecosystem, including the Data Science Initiative and Medical School.

He also stated that several of Roche’s key pipeline candidates would be research priorities at the center, including:

  • CT-996 once-daily oral GLP-1 RA, assessed in a phase 2 trial (n=340) in people with overweight or obesity, with expected completion in July 2026;
  • CT-868 once-daily dual GLP-1/GIP RA, which Roche announced in 3Q25 to advance to phase 3 for people with T1D and BMI ≥25 kg/m2 in 2026; and
  • Zealand-partnered petrelintide, a long-acting amylin analog, currently evaluated in two phase 2 trials: (i) the 42-week phase 2b ZUPREME-1 trial (n=494) for people with overweight or obesity, expected to complete in March 2026; and (ii) the 28-week phase 2 ZUPREME-2 trial (n=216) in people with overweight or obesity and T2D, expected to complete in June 2026.

Roche continues to expand its US footprint to meet its $50 billion investment goal by 2030

This expansion is part of Roche’s broader $50 billion commitment to expanding R&D and manufacturing in the US by 2030, announced in April 2025. The company currently operates 13 manufacturing and 15 R&D sites across the country, with major investments underway including:

  • Holly Springs, NC $2 billion site focused on the cardiometabolic portfolio;
  • Indianapolis $550 million site for Accu-Chek SmartGuide CGM manufacturing;
  • New facilities in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts;
  • Expanded R&D faculties in Arizona, Indiana, and California; and
  • Expanded manufacturing and distribution capacity in Kentucky, Indiana, New Jersey, Oregon, and California.

Close Concerns’ Questions

  1. How does Roche plan to prioritize manufacturing capacity among its pipeline candidates?
  2. How might Roche envision integrating Harvard students and faculty into its broader academic‑industry collaborations?
  3. What new scientific or operational capabilities does Roche plan to add as it grows from 30,000 to 100,000 square feet at the ERC?

--by Kayla Mathieu, Kat Moon, Monica Oxenreiter, and Kelly Close

Roche and Genentech triples the size of facility on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus -
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