June 18, 2003

MARYLAND’S BIOTECH INSTITUTE TO ANNOUNCE EXPANSION

WASHINGTON, D.C.—To further enhance Maryland’s strong position in advanced biotechnology research, the state government has approved a $50 million expansion of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute’s facilities in Rockville, at the heart of that state’s biotechnology industry.

At a special press conference at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24 at the BIO2003 Convention, Press briefing room 159B, at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center, Maryland and UMBI officials will announce plans for a new 140,000-square-foot building to be added to the institute’s Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB). The conference will profile a range of discoveries now possible through a fusion of the institute’s leading-edge genomics and biosystems research into the new building. (Media must register to attend BIO2003. Click: http://www.bio.org/events/2003/media/)

The new UMBI building will contain a series of state-of-the-science laboratories, key core facilities, and training programs for the biotech workforce in areas of critical needs, such as production of small molecules and proteins under good manufacturing practices (GMP) to support sustained commercialization of biotechnology.

"The expansion of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute is an important element in our goal to make Maryland THE state of biotechnology,” says Aris Melissaratos, secretary of Business and Economic Development. "Maryland currently ranks third in the nation in the number of biotechnology companies. By continuing to support this critical industry, from initial research to manufacturing and distribution, we are ensuring that the industry continues to grow and develop."

The new building is designed to enhance CARB’s multifaceted relationships with industry, academic and government laboratories. Expansion will also permit acceleration of basic and applied research in partnership with UMBI’s other four centers focusing on human health, agriculture, marine science, environmental pollution, and with biotechnology programs developed in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. CARB is a collaborative research center with NIST.

“We are very fortunate that the state of Maryland continues to support the vision of UMBI and expand its missions,” said Jennie Hunter-Cevera, UMBI president. “Now is the right time to grow, especially when the bio-research techniques of genomics, proteomics, nanotechnology, industrial bioprocessing and advanced molecular imaging are beginning to deliver on the potential of biotechnology started in the 1980’s and 90’s.”

Some of UMBI’s Center for Biosystems Research (CBR) programs will be housed in the new Rockville facility to broaden, interface, and validate the biology with molecular structural analyses. UMBI will be able to make more of an applied impact in several important areas. New research and training programs are planned to capitalize on upgraded core facilities in GMP bioprocessing, x-ray crystallography, plant transformation, insect transformation, and advanced microscopy.

Maryland has historically been one of the most active states in promoting biotechnology industries, currently with $1.17 billion investments in 290 bioscience companies, and 42,000 employees including those at universities and Federal laboratories. The state maintains a comprehensive set of biotechnology incentives for workforce, tax code, financing, R&D, commercialization and industry facility issues to promote growing firms.

In 1985, the state established CARB as UMBI’s first research and education center. Because CARB is widely recognized as a center of excellence in protein structure and engineering and other molecular studies, its presence reportedly has helped attract many prominent biotechnology companies to the state. UMBI is the only Maryland institution with a legislative mandate to drive economic development of biotechnology related industries through research and educational training. It is an independent research component of the University System of Maryland.

 # # #

The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute was mandated by the state of Maryland legislature in 1985 as “a new paradigm of state economic development in biotech-related sciences.” With five major research and education centers across Maryland, UMBI is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of biotechnology. The centers are the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology in Rockville; Center for Biosystems Research in College Park; and Center of Marine Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology Center, and the Institute of Human Virology, all in Baltimore.