DU Helping to Establish City’s First Community Biotech Lab Space

Duquesne and Urban Innovation 21, supported by $550,000 in external grants, will establish Pittsburgh’s first community biotechnology laboratory space.

The facility, with approximately 1,500 square feet of biotechnology work space, will be open to middle and high school students as well as to adults, college students and small businesses, said Dr. Alan W. Seadler, associate academic vice president for research and technology. The biomedical-biotechnology facility will serve a wide slice of the community, operating as a hybrid of schools-only labs for education similar to those in Boston and Bakersfield, Calif., and the TechShop in East Liberty, which rents its high-tech equipment to small businesses and other community members.

“No biotechnology space is available for use by high school educators and their students outside of what is accessible within their school system, and the university lab spaces which might be used are always in high demand by professors and their students,” Seadler said. “This lab will provide educational and community outreach, in keeping with Duquesne’s strategic plan, particularly for urban students whose schools might not have these capabilities. It also will give startup biomedical companies access to research-grade instruments.”

These labs and the wide-ranging access to them are a grand slam for education, innovation and economic prospects, said William Generett Jr., Urban Innovation 21’s president and chief executive officer. “The maker lab will not only be a tremendous benefit for students and adults in some of our region’s poorest communities but also will provide small life science startups with the equipment they need to make their businesses more competitive,” Generett said. “Duquesne brings great experience in running educational labs and translating research to the marketplace. The maker lab will be a big win for everyone.”

The lab, which will have its own director, is anticipated to serve middle and high schools, adult learners, startups and small businesses, and workforce development.

Before using the wet lab, users would be trained on safety, material hazards, lab processes and instrumentation. These educational programs will teach users new techniques and how to use them safely and efficiently.

Partners serving on the biotech lab’s advisory panel include: Duquesne’s School of Education, ASSET STEM Education, Carlow University, Community College of Allegheny County, Carnegie Science Center, Penn State Center Pittsburgh, ThermoFisher and UPMC.