Exploratory Science Center
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pharmaceutical research |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts , United States |
Key people | Daria Hazuda (Chief Scientific Officer, until 2021), Juan Alvarez (Interim leader, 2021–2022), Marc Levesque (leader since 2022) |
| Parent | Merck & Co. |
The Exploratory Science Center (ESC), established in 2016 and situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, functions as a pharmaceutical research facility without a specific disease focus and operates as a subsidiary of Merck & Co.. Leadership initially rested with Chief Scientific Officer Daria Hazuda until 2021, after which Juan Alvarez served as interim leader before Marc Levesque assumed the role in 2022.
Composed of multidisciplinary teams including biologists, chemists, and data scientists, ESC concentrates on studies related to the microbiome and human immune response, maintaining flexibility in its scientific priorities. The center collaborates closely with Merck’s business development, licensing departments, and venture capital units such as the Merck Ventures Fund. Intentionally designed to preserve a startup-like atmosphere, the facility is kept relatively small to encourage tight-knit teamwork and foster innovation.
History
Originally opened in 2006 as an innovation research facility by Schering-Plough, the site focused on small molecule drug development. Following Schering-Plough’s merger with Merck & Co. in 2009, the location became part of Merck’s portfolio. Merck subsequently closed the Cambridge site in 2010, after which Idenix Pharmaceuticals took over the premises.
Merck’s acquisition of Idenix Pharmaceuticals in 2014 for $3.85 billion included the Kendall Square research facility spanning 50,000 square feet. This space was later transformed into the current Exploratory Science Center, which commenced operations in 2016 under the direction of Daria Hazuda. This transition was aligned with Merck’s east coast restructuring strategy that relocated personnel from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to hubs in Cambridge and the San Francisco Bay Area. The center plays a pivotal role within Merck's broader initiative to establish innovation clusters across Cambridge, Massachusetts, San Francisco, and London.
In 2022, Merck revealed plans to expand ESC by adding 160,000 square feet and recruiting an additional 100 staff members. The expanded facility now supports up to 250 researchers and has broadened its mission to incorporate capability development alongside its original focus on target identification and validation.
Mapping cell surface microenvironments
Researchers at ESC collaborated with Princeton University to pioneer visible-light methodologies for mapping protein interactions on cellular surfaces. In partnership with Efficiency Aggregators, they engineered an energy-efficient biophotoreactor designed to facilitate light-driven biological experiments. This work aims at discovering drug targets through visible-light photocatalysis techniques that examine protein microenvironments on cell surfaces, including proteins such as PDL1 that are significant in cancer immunotherapy. The technology was commercialized through InduPro, a biotech startup launched in 2022 by three Merck scientists—among them Rob Oslund and Niyi Fadeyi—who co-invented this mapping approach.
Deep learning & natural products
Among ESC’s projects is natural product drug discovery employing machine learning combined with genome mining techniques. They created DeepBGC, an open-source software tool that uses machine learning algorithms to identify biosynthetic gene clusters. This methodology also applies to microbiome research, enhancing insights into microbiome functions and their interactions with the human immune system.
3D cancer tumor model technology
At ESC, scientists have created three-dimensional tumor spheroid models to investigate anaerobic bacteria within the tumor microenvironment. This innovative approach has been pivotal in examining the involvement of Fusobacterium nucleatum in colorectal cancer progression.
Outreach & education
In 2018, ESC collaborated with Bunker Hill Community College to provide a semester-long mentorship program aimed at increasing students' scientific knowledge and skills. The following year, the center organized the "Systems Biology of the Microbiome Symposium," highlighting recent developments in microbiome research.