ALBANY, NY – Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) announces the expansion of its Albany campus through the acquisition of a state-of-the-art medical and life sciences facility located at 150 New Scotland Avenue.
The property, which is adjacent to the ACPHS campus, is a 154,000 square foot facility uniquely designed for life science research. The acquisition extends ACPHS’ campus footprint and provides additional, high-quality research and teaching facilities. The building is ideally located along Albany’s Life Sciences corridor.
Exclusive Opportunities for ACPHS Students
The acquisition presents a rare and exceptional growth opportunity for ACPHS and is aligned with the College’s strategic plan and its focus on enhancing the student-centered academic environment.
The facility, which is equipped with over 60,000 square feet of biosafety level (BSL) 2 and BSL-3 research labs, will be home to ACPHS’s Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET) and will provide opportunities for ACPHS students to conduct advanced research and training in association with corporate partners.
The five-floor building will undergo renovations this year to create dedicated gene therapy labs, mammalian cell labs, teaching wet labs, biopharmaceutical pilot facilities, downstream and fermentation facilities, Quality Assurance/Quality Control facilities, classrooms, study areas, and student lounge. Renovations are expected to be complete by early 2023.
A Hub for Biomanufacturing and Biopharma Industry
The facility, situated within New York State’s Capital Region and its notable medical centers, life sciences and biotech companies, will serve as a focus for the region’s biomanufacturing industry. The building will be occupied by life sciences organizations and biomed and biopharma companies, creating a synergistic environment for contract research services. This combination of corporate partnerships will provide opportunities for employment growth and workforce development.
This collaborative arrangement will create a bridge to industry, facilitating entry into the workforce for ACPHS students. They will become actively involved in the rapidly growing biopharma and biomedical industries through research partnerships, internships, and employment opportunities.
“ACPHS students will directly benefit from the opportunity to work professionally alongside life science, biopharma, biomed, and bio-tech companies that utilize the facility for research and development, resulting in unparalleled employment opportunities in some of the fastest growing and economically lucrative health science industries. The facility will attract future generations of students to ACPHS because of the unique academic, research, and post-graduate opportunities available at the College,” said Greg Dewey, President, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
“The purchase of this facility by ACPHS will strengthen the biotech and biomedical environment in the Capital Region, providing research opportunities and highly trained graduates in cutting-edge industries such as cell and gene therapy. We look forward to working with ACPHS to build life sciences in our community and beyond,” said Sally Temple, Scientific Director, Neural Stem Cell Institute.
ACPHS’ Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), the first bioprocess center established at a pharmacy and health sciences college, will relocate to the 150 New Scotland Avenue building. The building’s unique attributes and on-campus location will help CBET to achieve its mission to provide ACPHS students with the knowledge and hands-on experience to bring innovative biopharmaceuticals to patients.
“In addition to providing ACPHS students with hands-on industry experience, CBET also aims to leverage partnerships with academia, industry, and government agencies to help advance the biopharma industry. Our team is focused on deploying innovative biopharmaceutical manufacturing technology to support current and future workforce needs, while promoting economic development, community outreach, and engagement for ACPHS students and practicing professionals,” said Michelle Lewis, Executive Director the Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET).
“Growing the CBET facility will allow for opportunities to engage and collaborate with new partners, like our recently announced partnership with Belgian-based Univercells Technologies, and will support the development of a biopharma hub within the Capital Region of New York state,” Dr. Lewis continued.
Biomanufacturing and biopharma industry leaders, government leaders, and economic development agencies agree that the acquisition of the facility by Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will benefit countless students, industry professionals, and companies through access to highly sophisticated, state-of-the-art research and development opportunities. This access will strengthen the biotech, biopharma, and biomedical environment in New York’s Capital Region and beyond.
Reaction from Biomanufacturing/Biopharma Industry, Government Leaders, and Economic Development Agencies
Christopher Conway, President, Research & Development, Curia commented, “This expansion further positions the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences as a leading partner in the critical biomanufacturing segment of the life sciences industry. The training and research deployed through the center stands out from institutions across the country as it provides a real-world experience that is second to none. There is no substitute for that experience. Tapping into the talent coming out of ACPHS has strengthened our position in the industry and this new facility provides students and partners like us an opportunity to continue to deepen our workforce expertise and enhance our ability to change the lives of patients across the globe.”
“Employment within the Capital Region’s Life Sciences Cluster has grown by more than 50% during the past five years. CBET’s innovative approach to workforce development is critical to building the pipeline of talent needed to fill jobs in this growing industry. Furthermore, the contract research services will add to that momentum by further establishing the Capital Region as not only the place where life-saving drugs are produced but discovered, too. As a region, we’ve shown how providing industry with cutting-edge R&D opportunities can have major economic impacts, as we have proven with semiconductors, and the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is helping us do it again with biopharmaceuticals,” said Center for Economic Growth Chief Economic Development Officer Katie Newcombe.
“The Capital Region and upstate New York have tremendous potential for growth in biomanufacturing. Opening a contract research facility and expanding their training capacity will position ACPHS to accelerate this growth, particularly in the nascent cell and gene therapy industries, which have the potential to dramatically improve health and quality of life in the U.S. and worldwide,” said Susan Sharfstein, Professor of Nanobioscience at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY (State University of New York) Polytechnic Institute.
“The expansion of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences campus will allow for a student-centered academic environment complete with state-of-the-art laboratories that will be the only one of its kind in the region. Students will have the opportunity to work alongside established industry partners helping to advance their educational and employment opportunities in the health science industries. This unique facility will also provide research, and post-graduate opportunities and create an even more robust medical and life sciences corridor within the City of Albany,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.
About Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) is a private, independent college dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders to improve the health of society. ACPHS offers 17 undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs including online Master of Biomedical Sciences and Master of Biotechnology programs. Students have myriad opportunities to extend what they are learning in the classroom at The Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), at student-supported pharmacies in underserved communities, and at The Collaboratory, a public health resource designed to alleviate community health disparities in Albany’s South End neighborhood. ACPHS ranks #1 in New York State for best return on investment by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce and was graded an A+ for value by Niche.
About CBET
The Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET) is Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ response to the rapidly growing biopharmaceutical field and the need for an educated workforce, which has been cited as one of the critical constraints to growth of the biopharmaceutical industry. The Center provides ACPHS students with the knowledge and hands-on experience to bring innovative biopharmaceuticals to patients. CBET is the first center of its kind in the United States to be created by a pharmacy and health sciences college. In addition to traditional academic programs, the Center offers open enrollment and custom training to employers, as well as contract research services to industry.