Missouri Drives Innovation in Healthcare

Across the entire state, local companies with international pedigree are taking advantage of high-quality resources in Missouri to drive industry-wide changes for health innovation, data management, and cutting-edge research. Companies like Pfizer, Mallinckrodt, Centene, and Evernorth are all bolstering the state’s reputation as a leader in human health.

KC BioHub Awarded $38.1 Million to Bolster Kansas City Biomanufacturing

Read More KC BioHub Awarded $38.1 Million to Bolster Kansas City Biomanufacturing

Advancing Human Health Across Missouri

Across the state, Missouri’s educational institutions, public-private partnerships, and federally backed initiatives are advancing the research, technologies, and manufacturing capabilities shaping the future of human health.

In Columbia, the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), the highest-power university research reactor in the United States, plays a critical role in nuclear science, medical research, and the production of radioisotopes used in cancer treatment and diagnostic imaging. Operating at 10 megawatts, MURR is the only U.S. producer of multiple critical medical isotopes and has helped support treatments for millions of patients.

The University of Missouri is advancing NextGen MURR, a new 20-megawatt, state-of-the-art research reactor planned for Discovery Ridge in Columbia. The project is designed to expand medical isotope research and production, support cancer treatment and theranostics, and strengthen the domestic supply of critical radioisotopes for decades to come.

In St. Louis, the API Innovation Center (APIIC) is strengthening domestic pharmaceutical production through a public-private partnership that brings together government, industry, and academia. APIIC is advancing the development and manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), leveraging advanced manufacturing technologies and existing manufacturing capacity to build a more resilient U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain. Its work is also expanding Missouri’s capabilities in pharmaceutical research, development, and advanced manufacturing.

In Kansas City, the KC BioHub is building on the region’s established strengths in human and animal health to advance biologics and biomanufacturing. Designated as a federal Tech Hub by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, KC BioHub is focused on expanding domestic biomanufacturing capacity, strengthening supply chains, accelerating innovation, and developing the workforce needed to support the next generation of biologic medicines and therapies. In 2026, the initiative received $38.1 million in EDA funding to advance regional biomanufacturing innovation, workforce development, and industry growth.

Together, these efforts demonstrate the depth and connectivity of Missouri’s human health ecosystem, from nuclear medicine and medical isotope production to pharmaceutical manufacturing and next-generation biologics. For companies looking to develop, manufacture, and commercialize new health technologies, Missouri offers the research institutions, industry partnerships, infrastructure, and talent to move innovation forward.

Be on the Forefront of Cutting-Edge Research

Missouri is home to world-class research institutions, innovation communities, and public-private partnerships advancing breakthroughs in human health. From St. Louis’ leading bioscience ecosystem and Kansas City’s biomedical research community to the University of Missouri’s groundbreaking work in radiopharmaceuticals, researchers and companies are turning discoveries into new technologies, treatments, and opportunities.

Across the state, initiatives like Cortex Innovation District + BioSTL and NextGen Precision Health + Missouri Innovation Center and BioNexus KC connect research, industry, and investment to accelerate innovation and strengthen Missouri’s position in the future of human health.

• 458,860 +

  Employees

  in Missouri’s human health industry
• 70,732

  healthcare industry establishments

  in Missouri

Join the Leaders Shaping the Future of Human Health

Pfizer’s site in Chesterfield, Missouri played a critical role in developing and manufacturing a key component of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. MRIGlobal in Kansas City has earned international recognition for its health research services supporting the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, veterinary, and agrochemical industries worldwide. 

The University of Missouri’s National Swine Resource and Research Center is the country’s only NIH-funded swine resource center developing and supplying swine models to biomedicine fields. It also houses the only Rat Resource and Research Center, and one of three Mouse Resource and Research Centers in the U.S.

The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis was one of the first three sites to begin full-scale human sequencing as part of the Human Genome Project. Scientists there were the first in the world to decode the complete DNA sequence of a cancer patient. And Washington University in St. Louis recently completed construction of a $616 million neuroscience building, the largest of its kind in the U.S.

Look Who’s Already Here:

What Missouri Can Do for You

Missouri’s human health sector is thriving with world-class medical research, a skilled healthcare workforce, and innovative infrastructure to support growth and breakthroughs.

Considering expanding your human health operations to Missouri? Learn how our team can help.