ALilly Institute for Genetic Medicine, 15 Necco Street, Seaport Innovation District, Greater Boston. Photo courtesy Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. quarter century after it began life as a garage start-up, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.’s (NYSE: ARE) decision to focus on the niche segment of life science real estate looks sounder than ever as demand for sophisticated lab space across major U.S. markets sits at an all-time high.

Pasadena, California-based Alexandria is the only publicly traded, pure-play office/laboratory REIT. The company, led by founder and Executive Chairman Joel Marcus, focuses exclusively on highly specialized lab space used for research and development in the booming life science industry.

Image: Lilly Institute for Genetic Medicine, 15 Necco Street, Seaport Innovation District, Greater Boston. Photo courtesy Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.