District Member C2N Diagnostics Set to Anchor $100M WashU Redevelopment in Cortex

Washington University's plans for the site of the former Goodwill Building in the Cortex Innovation District are taking shape, as the nine-figure redevelopment now has a confirmed anchor tenant: C2N Diagnostics.

The now $100 million project includes renovating the seven-story Goodwill Building, at 4140 Forest Park Ave., plus adding a four-story addition. The project is being led by WashU affiliated developer BOBB LLC, according to a Wednesday news release from WashU announcing details of the project.

C2N Diagnostics, which develops tests for Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases, late next year will move into the complex, which will rebrand as Catalyst: Powered by WashU. The firm will take up over half the planned 163,000 square-foot Catalyst development, occupying the first three floors. The 82,451 square feet that C2N will occupy will house its corporate headquarters and an expanded research lab. The move effectively triples the size of the firm's operations, it said in a news release Wednesday.

While officials with Cortex have discussed C2N anchoring the Goodwill Building project, the firm had not publicly made a commitment to relocating there until Wednesday.

“This news is a testament to the enthusiastic backing we’ve received in St. Louis, the extremely talented team members we employ, and the health care professionals who’ve embraced our technology and premium quality testing services," C2N Diagnostics CEO Joel Braunstein said Wednesday in the release. "We’re especially excited to be growing in the Cortex Innovation District, where we started and where we feel we exemplify its passion for providing the resources needed to shape the future.”

C2N, founded in 2007, has operated from the BioSTL building at 4340 Duncan Ave. and CIC Labs at 20 S. Sarah St., both in the Cortex Innovation District. The company said Wednesday that in addition to its new space at Catalyst, it also will maintain its existing lab facility and turn it into a center to drive innovation across its biopharmaceutical research services and medtech business units, as well as international collaborative research initiatives.