For those of you who swear sigh whenever an empty Wellesley storefront is filled by another bank or real estate business, let us introduce you to 4G Clinical, taking up residence now at 370 Washington St. next to Hoffman Insurance.
No, it’s not the fancy chocolate shop or sports bar you might really have been hoping for, but it is a cool biopharma startup whose tagline is “Bringing crucial medicines to those who need them, faster.” So just maybe, this is an even more important arrival.
The 4G in this company’s name has nothing to do with the jargon bandied about by wireless service providers, but rather, a fourth-generation Randomization and Trial Supply Management system, or RTSM as my friends in the know call them.
“RTSM systems are responsible for enabling critical functions of a clinical trial, from randomizing patients (who gets the active drug vs. the placebo), dispensing drug (ensuring patients receive the correct dose) and site resupply (controls the flow of drug from the manufacturer to the depot to the clinical site),” writes Amy Ripston, head of marketing.
One compelling piece of 4G’s story is that co-founder Dave Kelleher was diagnosed while in his 20s with Multiple Sclerosis, and is active in finding a cure.
4G Clinical, one of whose founders hails from Dover, has been biding its time in temporary digs in Wellesley, having announced plans in June to lease the space on Washington Street. “Wellesley is our first home!,” says Ripston, one of 27 4G Clinical employees — about a third of which work in the Wellesley office. 4G, which launched in October of 2015, has employees in 7 countries and expects to grow its Wellesley workforce.
And with $7.5M in venture funding to date, 4G certainly won’t feel out of place around here.
“chocolate shop or sports bar you might really have been hoping for”.
Ha! My wife wants precisely the former. I am not really a “sports bar” guy, but another nice (formerly ubiquitous but now not so much) gastropub (but perhaps a bit more traditional – an open fire somewhere would be cool) might be nice to complement The Local. (The business must be there – in a Town full of people who don’t like to wait, people are routinely waiting 20-30 mins at The Local.)
WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE OLD CITY SPORTS LOCATION? That would be perfect for a pub – and don’t whine about parking! There is plenty and people should do more walking and cycling (yes, with the whole family!) anyway.
I should also add that I think 4G is a great addition to town. My only question, however, is given the “clinical” in its name, how many people will walk in there per day asking if it is a cosmetic surgery clinic?