Industry News

Yale University’s new BSL-3 laboratory will open in early 2009. Located on the ninth floor of the School of Public Health building in New Haven, Conn., the facility will support animal and non-animal research on infectious diseases including West Nile Virus, SARS, Yellow Fever, and anthrax. The laboratory features a single-pass airflow system, waterproof ceilings, and completely sealed penetrations.

Hampton University completed construction of the 98,000-sf Proton Therapy Institute in late fall of 2008. Located in Hampton, Va., the facility was designed by VOA Architects and built by Armada Hoffler.

Colorado State University began building the $53 million Research Innovation Center on its Foothills campus in Fort Collins in December of 2008. Slated for completion in April of 2010, the three-story, 72,000-sf center will be sited in the Judson Harper Research Complex and will house offices, laboratories, and a biotechnology business incubator.

Ortec Inc. completed a $7.2 million expansion of its manufacturing cleanroom facilities in Piedmont, S.C., in December of 2008. The project added 2,600 sf of Class 100,000 cleanroom space for the custom manufacturing of biomaterials and polymers for the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. The expansion also features USP water and cold storage facilities.

Medicago is initiating a $1.5 million expansion of its Quebec City manufacturing facility to support avian flu vaccine production for clinical trials. The 2,500-sf addition will include purification, storage, and cGMP vaccine manufacturing space. Construction will begin in January 2009 and reach completion by year-end 2009. Medicago’s existing building, housing 10,000-sf of BSL-2 space and 3,000-sf of cGMP manufacturing space, will begin production of an H5N1 vaccine for Phase 1 clinical trials in 2009. The new addition will house Phase 2 clinical studies.