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The Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received two grants totaling more than $2.1 million from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to acquire an advanced optical tweezers system that will be the first publicly available instrument of its kind in Massachusetts. Grant funds will also be used to establish a core set of micro-patterning equipment. 

Together, the awards will expand the research, training and industry collaboration capabilities of the university’s Centralized Core Facilities while strengthening life sciences innovation across Western Massachusetts. The investments are part of more than $19.7 million in funding supporting 23 projects announced by MLSC.

IALS and its 30 open-access core facilities have supported more than 80 startup companies and pre-startups and provided over $4.5 million in translational seed awards to address unmet individual and societal needs.

“These MLSC awards enable the important role that shared research infrastructure plays in driving innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development,” says Peter H. Reinhart, founding director of IALS. “These investments will deepen industry engagement, expand workforce training opportunities and further strengthen Massachusetts’ leadership in the global life sciences sector.”

A $1,629,970 award through MLSC’s Research Infrastructure Program will support the acquisition of one of the world’s most sophisticated optical tweezers systems and associated components for the IALS Light Microscopy Facility. The technology allows scientists to measure and visualize the tiny forces that power living cells, which are responsible for everything from DNA replication to the heart’s pumping action. 

“This powerful tool will enable academic scientists and biotech industry partners to develop the next generation of drugs to treat a myriad of diseases, including heart failure and cancer,” explains Ned Debold, professor of kinesiology at UMass Amherst. 

A $497,230 award through MLSC’s Research Equipment Program will establish a new suite of micro-patterning equipment within the IALS Nanofabrication Cleanroom. The equipment will support the development of technologies including organ-on-a-chip disease models, micro- and nanorobots for targeted drug and cell delivery, miniaturized ultrasound devices and magnetically guided tools for minimally invasive procedures. 

“This new micro-patterning system fills a critical infrastructure gap for life-science and biomedical research in Western Massachusetts,” says Hongsoo Choi, professor of biomedical engineering at UMass Amherst. “By housing this capability within the Institute for Applied Life Sciences’ cleanroom, we’re opening the door for collaborators across campus and throughout the region to bring biomedical innovations from concept to reality faster than ever before.”

Together, the new equipment will expand opportunities for life sciences research across disciplines, strengthen partnerships with Massachusetts biotechnology companies and startups, and provide students with hands-on training using advanced research infrastructure.

“These two generous MLSC awards, for which we are truly grateful, will enable the Centralized Core Facilities to offer the research community access, expertise and training on advanced instrumentation,” adds James Chambers, interim director of Centralized Core Facilities. “The result will be new discoveries, novel products and sustained economic growth that return real value to the commonwealth.”

The instruments are expected to be installed and ready for use by mid-2027.