SIU’s state of the art, $7,2M BioLaunch boosts opportunities in science, the economy

October 04, 2024

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Officials today (Oct. 4) cut the ribbon on Southern Illinois University Carbondale's $7.2 million BioLaunch lab, a new, 10,000-square-foot space dedicated to cutting-edge life sciences research and more.

"Today is an exciting day for Southern Illinois University Carbondale and our region," said Chancellor Austin A. Lane. "BioLaunch will advance interdisciplinary science and economic development. It is a perfect example of the research and innovation pillar in our university's Imagine 2030 strategic plan."

Funded in part by a $2.7 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Wet Lab Program, BioLaunch is the newest addition to the Illinois Food, Entrepreneurship, Research, and Manufacturing (iFERM) Hub, a state-of-the-art research and training suite for faculty use, students, start-up companies and private firms in the region. iFERM capitalizes on the university's research and innovation into food, fermentation and biotechnology.

Costas Tsatsoulis, vice chancellor for research at SIU, said BioLaunch will provide top-line resources for faculty and companies.

"BioLaunch and other components of the iFERM Hub will help us solve challenges in food, agriculture, energy and health through research, innovation and education," he said. "And it will provide infrastructure for the development of Illinois agriculture value-added products to promote and support successful entrepreneurial activities."

BioLaunch contains a biotechnology core, an analytical core, a mass spectrometry core and a business annex, and it is the first of three major construction projects, totaling $13 million, for iFERM, located at the McLafferty Annex on the university's far west side. The other projects include a full-scale production brewery and a value-added agriculture pilot facility.

In addition to BioLaunch, McLafferty Annex houses the Fermentation Science Institute; the Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, and an ultra-fast laser facility.

BioLaunch and other projects are the result of a collaboration with the State of Illinois, SIU Carbondale, the SIU Foundation, SIU's Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the SIU Fermentation Science Institute and the SIU Research Park.

The wet labs at BioLaunch offer spaces for cutting-edge research in life sciences and represent a critical component of research and development for companies in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medicines, medical devices and diagnostics, energy and more. Wet lab space is customized with ventilation and other infrastructure needed to handle chemicals and materials commonly associated with biotech research.

The biotechnology core within BioLaunch covers about 2,500 square feet and has cutting-edge features such as a cold room for experiments, a biosafety laboratory, benches and benchtop scientific instruments and a suite of bioreactors. Open to use by all researchers at the university and regional businesses, much of the lab's mission will include developing, characterizing and prototyping various microbes used in the fermentation processes for beverages, foods and the advanced processing of materials. The biotechnology core can also be used for genomic analysis and genetic engineering.

The analytical core nearby will focus on using high-end instrumentation to deeply analyze materials. As part of the effort, the university has moved much of its mass spectrometry equipment, added new equipment, including a 500-megahertz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, and is providing a centralized location for researchers and regional businesses alike.

The business annex contains flexible meeting areas and training spaces, a catering kitchen and board room. It also includes a shared office space for emerging small businesses using the services of BioLaunch.

Lynn Andersen Lindberg, executive director of the SIU Research Park, said BioLaunch and the iFERM Hub overall will lead to job creation, workforce development and business expansion in the region and in Illinois.

"Whether research or a business enterprise is related to food, energy or something that touches on the periphery of both, life sciences is as the heart of BioLaunch," she said.

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