Startup that preps kidneys for transplants buys Palm Harbor property
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Dec 5, 2023

A startup focused on preserving organs for transplantation has purchased a Palm Harbor industrial property for $4.2 million.

AlloCyte LLC purchased the 24,560-square-foot building at 3816 DeSoto Blvd. from P&B Partnership on Nov. 10, according to Pinellas County property records. AlloCyte LLC secured a $4.2 million loan from First Horizon Bank for the transaction.

The sale will bring two life sciences companies to the Tampa Bay area — AlloCyte and 34 Lives, both based in West Lafayette, Indiana. AlloCyte manufactures the liquids that preserve organs for transportation, and 34 Lives “rescues unused kidneys for transplantation,” according to a release.

Heidi Tuttle-Beisner, broker-owner at Commercial Asset Partners Realty, represented the seller, P&B Partnership. Jessica Gould of Realty Trust Group represented the buyer. P&B Partnership is affiliated with Thomas Osypka, former owner of medical device manufacturer Oscor.

Oscor had been headquartered at the property for 34 years and was purchased by Integer in 2021. The building was constructed 34 years ago when the Osypka family founded Oscor. It — and later Integer – have been the building’s only occupant.

“We’ve experienced a significant increase of interest in moving to this area from medical users, ranging from R&D to manufacturing,” Tuttle-Beisner said in a release. “The area’s business-friendly atmosphere, excellent quality of life and significant medical initiatives, such as the 775-acre Moffitt Cancer Center project and the expansion of Tampa General Hospital, consistently draw life sciences companies.”

The site features a two-story industrial building. AlloCyte will move into the first floor, and 34 Lives will lease the second floor when Integer, the current tenant, moves to a new location in April.

AlloCyte will hire 25 to 30 people next year for manufacturing roles at the site, and 34 Lives is expected to hire 25 to 30 people with medical and surgical expertise, according to Chris Jaynes, CEO of 34 Lives.

Due to a worldwide shortage in transplant preservation solutions that started during the pandemic, 34 Lives leadership and investors “determined it is in their best interest to control their own supply chain. As a result, the company launched AlloCyte last year to produce preservation liquids for the company.”

“The property in Palm Harbor was a good fit for us because the first-floor manufacturing capabilities for AlloCyte were exactly what we needed, as were the ‘clean rooms’ upstairs for 34 Lives, which essentially are built like operating rooms, with certain air filtration and other requirements for sanitation,” Jaynes said in a release. “This is an ideal location for 34 Lives because of the number of transplant hospitals in Florida, including the Miami Transplant Institute, the nation’s largest kidney transplant facility.”