This article first appeared in BioMatters® Fall 2026, MichBio’s magazine on Michigan’s bioscience industry.
Before any new therapy reaches a patient, someone has to prove it is safe. NorthernBio has done that work for more than 30 years, and in 2025 the company made its largest investment yet: a purpose built preclinical research facility in Muskegon, Michigan, designed to take on more complex studies for sponsors in Michigan and across the country.
NorthernBio is a preclinical contract research organization (CRO). Its studies show whether a new drug, biologic, gene therapy, cell therapy or medical device is safe before human trials begin. The company specializes in targeted delivery, getting a therapeutic precisely where it needs to go in the body, which has made it a trusted partner for demanding programs in neuroscience, ophthalmology and cardiovascular disease.
A new preclinical research facility in Muskegon
The facility at 2725 Olthoff Drive is now NorthernBio’s corporate headquarters. It spans more than 125,000 square feet and brings together operations that had outgrown the company’s longtime home in neighboring Norton Shores.
The building was designed to mirror clinical procedures rather than approximate them. It includes 22 animal rooms, two dedicated surgical suites, a necropsy suite and an on site MRI suite. Study teams can move from surgical intervention to imaging to sample analysis without the delays of shuttling between locations.
The buildout also created more than 50 new positions across research, surgery and veterinary care, adding directly to West Michigan’s biosciences workforce.
More capacity for preclinical studies
Current capacity covers more than 2,500 rodents, roughly 800 nonhuman primates, 200 canines, 150 swine and additional capacity in rabbits and sheep.
That capacity matters beyond NorthernBio’s own growth. Michigan’s biotech, gene therapy and medical device developers, along with sponsors from other states, now have more room to run complex studies here instead of sending the work elsewhere.
Targeted delivery across three therapeutic areas
Neuroscience. The team supports intracerebroventricular, intrathecal and intracisternal delivery. Custom large animal stereotaxic frames and a Philips 3T MRI confirm precise placement in work that supports many of today’s gene therapy programs for neurological disease.
Ophthalmology. A full range of ocular delivery routes and specialized imaging equipment support next generation treatments for blinding eye diseases.
Cardiovascular. Surgical and interventional teams model myocardial infarction, heart failure and peripheral artery disease across large animal species for sponsors developing new heart therapies.
Experienced teams and GLP compliance
The study director team brings a combined 50 plus years of GLP study design experience, and the surgical team brings more than 60 years of combined targeted delivery expertise. A dedicated quality assurance group operates under FDA GLP, AAALAC accreditation, USDA registration, OLAW assurance and DEA licensing.
NorthernBio also follows the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement) in how it designs and conducts animal studies, a principle at the core of its scientific integrity.
Three Michigan locations
Beyond Muskegon, NorthernBio operates two more facilities. Norton Shores focuses on rodent research and ophthalmology. Portage houses a dedicated bioanalytical team supporting biodistribution, pharmacokinetic and immunogenicity work for gene and cell therapy sponsors nationwide.
Part of Michigan’s biosciences infrastructure
Michigan’s life sciences sector spans diagnostics, digital health, agriculture and patient advocacy. NorthernBio’s expansion shows the state is increasingly where therapies are proven safe, not only where they are discovered. The company intends to be part of that infrastructure for its next chapter, as it has been for the last 30 years.
Better lives begin here.
Planning a preclinical study? Contact NorthernBio to talk with a study director about your program.
Originally published in BioMatters® Fall 2026 by MichBio.