From a real estate and employment perspective, Houston is the second in the nation for emerging life sciences market, according to a new report.

CBRE released the top 10 cities for life sciences, as well as nine cities that have seen recent growth in the industry. While the Northeast and California dominated the list of the established markets, three Texas cities took top spots on the emerging list. Austin ranked behind Houston at No. 3 and the Dallas/Fort Worth area claimed the No. 7 spot. The top emerging life science cluster was the Seattle area.

The ranking was based on each metro's three-year growth in life sciences employment, National Institutes of Health funding, life science educational opportunities, number of medical research and health-services institutions, and the amount of high-tech workers.

"We've watched the life sciences sector for quite a few years in Houston as it steadily grew, but within the past few years it has grown exponentially," says CBRE Houston's First Vice President Scott Carter in a release. "TMC3 is obviously going to be a catalyst for continued growth in life sciences."

The growth within the industry has translated from employees and research to real estate, and Carter says CBRE currently has the 224,931-square-foot Texas A&M ALKEK building on the market — most of the facility is laboratory space.

"There has been substantial interest from investors in the top established life science markets," he continues. "They recognize Houston as an emerging market and see the value of placing capital in the Houston area."

The country's venture capital funding for the industry increased 86 percent last year to $15.8 billion, and, according to the release, the lab space under construction in the top five metros for life science growth expanded 101 percent last year to 6 million square feet.

"Multiple indicators point to sustained, strong growth for the life sciences industry, which makes life sciences labs and offices an ideal focus for developers and investors," says Steve Purpura, vice chairman leading CBRE's life sciences business. "Few industries offer this much expansion potential, but much of the activity happens in a select number of special markets."

Via the CBRE report