Toledo Reporter

Toledo, OH – On June 28, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) announced a $7 Million federal award to the University of Toledo Health Science Campus. This National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) award will directly support and enhance research, help retain nationally-recognized faculty, and aid in ongoing efforts to recruit the best and brightest talent to The University of Toledo.  

The federal funding, secured by Kaptur through her work as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, will be used to help renovate and more efficiently use the University’s Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) and other research spaces which house cutting-edge research projects. The current BSL-3 facility will be renovated and expanded — more than doubling biocontainment space and adding 5 new suites for expanded BSL-3 research studies on COVID-19, influenza, tuberculosis, and other diseases. BSL-3 laboratories are used to study infectious agents or toxins that may be transmitted through the air and cause potentially lethal infections. The BSL-3 laboratory is on the University of Toledo Health Science Campus (UTHSC), home to the College of Medicine and Life Sciences (COMLS). COMLS over 300 faculty members in 23 academic and clinical departments, representing a wide range of human health disciplines and specialties, including microbiology, immunology, cancer, neurosciences, physiology, and pharmacology.  The funding will also allow for the remodel of 21 existing Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) rooms. These DLAR renovations are critically needed because of increased University of Toledo research funding, associated increases in animal health research, and limited available space. The site improvements will better position the University to conduct federally supported biomedical research and improve faculty recruitment efforts.

“New investment and upgrades at the Health Science campus will better position its faculty to compete for federal research and to make discoveries important to protecting and sustaining life. This NIST investment underscores the value in retaining and attracting world-class research to our region. To compete for world class research opportunities, institutions such as UT’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences, must be prepared with the right facilities and the right team. This award will help keep UT competitive from a facilities standpoint. We look forward to important advancements being achieved right here on our region’s only State medical research campus,” said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur. “Medical researchers must have the resources they need to protect us from the invisible threats that lurk within our world. The renovation of these bioscience lab facilities is a tangible manifestation of our commitment to these ideals. Together, let us embrace the possibilities that lie ahead as we give our researchers the tools they need ensure a brighter and healthier future for us all.”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated, biomedical research is critical for our ability to prepare for and respond to public health threats,” said University of Toledo President Gregory Postel. “We are grateful for this significant investment in our UToledo research enterprise and to be positioned as a leading university at the forefront of pandemic preparedness.”

“This is a transformational grant,” said Dr. Jason Huntley, professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, and director of the BSL-3 lab. “We are going to have the opportunity to recruit new faculty, to study additional deadly diseases and build new partnerships. It also gives us more flexibility in responding more quickly to future infectious disease outbreaks.”

Original source can be found here.