Robert Kenefick, chair of the Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences Department, leads the development of two new labs on campus.
For students pursuing careers in the life sciences, new labs on South Campus will provide space to learn hands-on skills that biotech companies in Massachusetts and beyond require.聽
The Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences Department received a $750,000 Workforce Development Grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to build two specialized teaching and research facilities: mammalian cell culture and histology laboratories.聽
These labs will provide students access to professional-level tools and techniques that are critical in drug discovery, biologics manufacturing, diagnostics and medical research.聽
By 2029, the life sciences sector in Massachusetts is expected to grow by 11.6%, according to a from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation.聽
鈥淭hanks to this funding, we are investing in a future workforce that will sustain and expand the biotech industry in Massachusetts,鈥� says Robert Kenefick, chair of the Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences. 鈥淏iotech companies want graduates who are lab-ready on day one, and these labs give our students that advantage.鈥澛�
In the mammalian cell culture lab, students will learn sterile techniques, media preparation, cell line maintenance and assays used in pharmaceutical development and biologics manufacturing. In the histology lab, they will master tissue preparation, staining and microscopy 鈥� skills crucial to pathology, toxicology and drug development.聽
Students in the Applied Biomedical Sciences major currently gain hands-on experience in such labs off campus, during their clinical rotations. The new university labs will allow them to practice these tools and techniques on campus with faculty support.聽
鈥淭ogether, the labs will enhance our curriculum and open opportunities for research, collaborations with industry and experiential learning that mirror real-world biotech environments,鈥� says Kenefick.聽
Construction of the labs is slated to begin this fall, with the goal of opening by fall 2026.