South Carolina’s Upstate: Where Life + Science Thrive

October 15, 2025 | SCbio, in partnership with the S.C. Department of Commerce, continues to showcase South Carolina’s rapidly expanding industry, define its sectors and attract companies and individuals alike to “Build the life—and the science—that propels the future.”

Its latest video features Dave Shalaby, president of Poly Med Inc., who shares why South Carolina is the ideal place for biotech companies to grow and thrive. The state offers strong industry partnerships, direct access to life sciences executives and a robust talent pipeline coming from the state’s leading academic institutions. South Carolina offers everything companies need to succeed, along with an exceptional quality of life.

Located in Anderson, in South Carolina’s Upstate region, Poly-Med is the leading producer of bioresorbable polymers used in medical devices that perform mechanical functions or deliver targeted drugs to patients. The company’s team of more than 210 employees, ranging from skilled technicians to Ph.D. engineers, is actively developing next-generation platforms and technologies expected to reach the market within the next five to ten years.

The full campaign, “Life + Science,” underscores how South Carolina’s ambitious, world-class life sciences ecosystem offers a welcoming community for companies, scientific researchers, and other organizations looking to blaze a new trail in the life sciences.

In 2024, the S.C. Department of Commerce released its strategic framework for economic growth, the guide for the state’s economic development efforts to increase its competitiveness for new business and capital investments. Through data-driven research, S.C. Commerce identified the life sciences as one of three long-term areas of focus to enhance economic prosperity.

About SCbio

SCbio is the definitive, unifying leader in South Carolina’s life sciences sector, fostering authentic collaboration and innovation across academia, startups, government and established enterprises. As a member-driven economic development organization, SCbio represents more than 1,000 organizations employing more than 87,000 professionals. Our members are unified by a mission to positively impact humanity through science across the ecosystem of advanced and specialty manufacturing; digital health and the data frontier; and cutting-edge health specializations. For additional information about SCbio and the life sciences industry, or to become a member, visit SCbio.org.

See this post at SCbio: https://www.scbio.org/south-carolinas-upstate-where-life-science-thrive/