New Orleans biotech Obatala Sciences opens a lab at MUSC’s Blue Sky Labs

Obatala Sciences, a New Orleans biotechnology company, has opened its first East Coast operation in a lab at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Blue Sky Labs in downtown Charleston.

The company plans to invest $656,000 and create 46 jobs and training opportunities, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce, which announced the project Oct. 8. Operations are already running, the state said.

Obatala develops and manufactures biomaterials, stem cells, media and advanced tissue models to support preclinical medical research, according to the state. Founded in 2017, it serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic researchers looking for alternatives to animal models in studies of obesity, diabetes, cancer and regenerative medicine, according to Charleston County.

The Charleston site will handle partnership development, translational research, product development and future scale-up, according to the state. The company is hiring biologists, biotechnicians and people with biotechnology degrees and will pay average wages of $46 an hour, the SC Daily Gazette reported.

“Expanding into Charleston County through our partnership with MUSC and Blue Sky Labs gives us access to an extraordinary innovation ecosystem and creates a meaningful bridge between our New Orleans headquarters and South Carolina’s growing life sciences community,” co-founder, President and CEO Trivia Frazier said in the announcement.

MUSC opened Blue Sky Labs in November 2024 in its former College of Pharmacy building at 280 Calhoun St. The incubator has more than 20 leasable wet labs, according to MUSC, and 80% of its space was already claimed when it opened, the Post and Courier reported.

“Obatala Sciences is an exciting early example of how this collaborative approach can strengthen Charleston’s innovation ecosystem,” said Jesse Goodwin, MUSC’s chief innovation officer, in the county’s release.

The announcements did not mention state incentives for the project. Job seekers can reach the company at careers@obatalasciences.com, according to the state.