The University of Maryland BioPark is growing with the official opening of the BD Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will give students and researchers access to new laboratory space and advanced diagnostic tools.
Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill engages in conversation with UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, and BD executives Nikos Pavlidis, Adam Steel, and Brooke Story during a tour of the BD Innovation Center.
The Innovation Center at the UM BioPark houses several sophisticated systems, including the BD COR PX/GX fully automated diagnostic system for infectious disease molecular testing including cervical cancer genotyping, and the BD MAX System, an automated platform that performs nucleic acid extraction and real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) providing results for up to 24 samples across multiple syndromes in less than three hours.
The center’s goal is to help streamline clinical laboratory workflows and improve patient care by expanding basic diagnostic knowledge, developing new diagnostic capabilities, and shaping the future of diagnostics by allowing students and researchers to provide real-world feedback on early diagnostic concepts.
“UMB is proud to call BD a partner,” said University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. “I’m grateful for the strategic and collaborative relationship between BD and UMB and know that together we will continue to advance health science."
For Brooke Story, BD worldwide president of integrated diagnostic solutions, the feeling is mutual. “I’m particularly proud that BD is continuing its commitment to life sciences around the world by working with UMB to put our first university-housed research center right here at home in Baltimore,” Story said. “This collaboration is part of an integral pipeline to and from the local community to actively foster and build engagement with the next generation of STEM practitioners and leaders with a focus on inclusion, diversity, and equity.”
Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill, who attended the opening and received a tour of the facility, noted that the BD-BioPark collaboration will help ensure that Maryland’s workforce is ready to tackle future health care challenges. “The addition of the BD Innovation Center to the UM BioPark will not only support our thriving life sciences sector, but also help Maryland remain one of the most innovative states in the nation,” Gill said. “We are very grateful to BD for its continued investment in Maryland.”
Located in West Baltimore, the UM BioPark offers high-quality lab and office space solutions for companies of all sizes, especially high-growth companies seeking connection with its academic partner, UMB. Tenants include industry-leading global firms such as Pharmaron, Illumina, BD, and Catalent; next-gen ventures; university spinouts; distinguished research organizations; cutting-edge clinical care; and contemporary workforce training programs.
In addition to the BD Innovation Center, the UM BioPark continues to expand its economic impact in Maryland with the announcement that 4MLK — a development project representing a $320 million total capital investment that will provide critical wet laboratory space in downtown Baltimore — is slated to move forward in fall 2022.