91原创

91原创 President Dennis Assanis thanked the Congressional delegation and other dignitaries in the audience for their contributions to 91原创 and the instrumental role they have played in fostering the biopharmaceutical ecosystem in Delaware. Groundbreaking ceremonies, he added, signal hope and the promise of new endeavors and exciting achievements to come, from the development and manufacturing of new products that can save lives and advance wellness to the creation of new manufacturing jobs that don鈥檛 yet exist.

鈥淭hrough the SABRE Center, NIIMBL and many other public and private entities in the life science industry, Delaware is well on its way to becoming a unique and vibrant hub for biopharma research and manufacturing 鈥� a place where brilliant ideas become realities,鈥� Assanis said.

20 years in the making

Delaware鈥檚 strategic investment into the life sciences sector began about two decades ago, with the recruitment of private-sector investment to the state and higher education institutions with the goal of establishing a biotech community. One early outcome of that strategy was the formation of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper reflected on the bold and promising new direction that is developing on the STAR Campus to provide access to medicines and biopharmaceuticals that can help people lead healthier lives.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 groundbreaking builds upon all the years of work that have gone into聽transforming the once-shuttered Chrysler plant into the research and development hub it is today,鈥� Carper said. 鈥淭his facility will be a training center for our future biopharmaceutical workforce, as well as a testing center for biopharma companies to test their products in an FDA-regulated environment 鈥� giving us a competitive advantage to attract companies and researchers to the First State. I鈥檓 so proud of the different ways Delaware is continuing to be a force in R&D. Here, we have a vibrant research community at the 91原创, especially in the life sciences, thanks in large part to the Delaware Biotechnology Institute. This has served as a great model for collaboration among education, and the private and public sector.鈥�

In 2017, 91原创 launched NIIMBL, a national-scale public-private partnership focused on biopharmaceutical manufacturing and innovation to advance new technologies, to secure domestic supply chains and to train the biomanufacturing workforce.

A passionate advocate for economic growth, social justice and innovation, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons remarked on the more than 200 companies that are part of NIIMBL and the over $230 million in federal investment that already has been devoted to creating a biopharmaceutical ecosystem and the additional $350 million in private sector co-investment.聽

鈥淏ut the potential is far greater. We鈥檙e about to do a groundbreaking for what is the next phase of this project. It鈥檚 not a manufacturing facility, but a test bed, a place where the new techniques of manufacturing are going to be tried out, proven out and demonstrated,鈥� Coons said. 鈥淪pinning out from that will be a remarkable next generation of opportunities for Delawareans to work in biotech and manufacturing, for companies to be launched here and regionally and for [Delaware] to continue to be not just regional or national but global leaders in innovation.鈥�

Turning vision into reality

U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a leading voice on issues related to the economy and the future of work, pointed to the SABRE Center鈥檚 planned 70,000 square feet of research space and modern technology that will one day train Delaware workers in manufacturing biopharmaceuticals.

鈥淭his is about turning vision into reality for our health, our economy and our future,鈥� Blunt Rochester said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about safety and effectiveness. It is about the jobs of today and [the jobs] of the future. It鈥檚 about strengthening our supply chains.鈥�

The need to create more domestic capacity for manufacturing is a reality that came into sharp focus during the coronavirus pandemic. Bringing lifesaving technologies and products to market is challenging. It requires infrastructure, investment and intentionality. Collaboration is key. These activities can be bolstered by marrying academia with the private and public sectors, Blunt Rochester said.

Designed as a current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) environment, the SABRE Center will serve as both a testbed for new technologies and a hands-on training facility on STAR Campus, helping to bring lifesaving or life-enhancing medicines and vaccines to scale and ultimately into the market. In this way, the SABRE Center will support the innovation and R&D happening at NIIMBL, while filling the gap between developing new technology in a lab setting and commercializing it in a full-scale manufacturing facility.

鈥淪ABRE exemplifies the power of state and federal investments that support jobs and nurture innovation. This project, located聽right in a bioscience ecosystem, supports the First State鈥檚 student pipeline and聽ever-growing biopharmaceutical workforce,鈥� added聽Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, the state of Delaware鈥檚 representative on NIIMBL and a professor of nursing at 91原创. 鈥淚鈥檓聽competitive, so I want Delaware聽to聽excel regionally, be a destination and聽provide the best quality of life for聽our聽residents. SABRE is a solution聽to聽sustain and create jobs for the state as well as respond to industry and global challenges. As a research scientist and STEM champion, this is a big deal.鈥澛�

Additionally, the 91原创 STAR Campus鈥� location along the I-95 corridor and proximity to other biopharmaceutical activity nearby from New York to Greater Washington, D.C., is a tremendous opportunity for Delaware to add capacity in a key location along the East Coast.聽

Delaware Gov. John Carney, who was unable to attend the groundbreaking, is a long-standing champion of 91原创 research and helped to secure funding support for the SABRE Center and NIIMBL, among other projects. In a statement, Carney illustrated the value of supporting such programs and the partnerships and collaboration necessary to bring them to fruition.

鈥淥ur partnerships with institutions of higher education have never been more important,鈥� Carney said. 鈥淲e need to support programs that build the future workforce and encourage businesses to land and grow in the First State. SABRE will complement the nationally recognized work in biosciences happening at NIIMBL and the 91原创. I look forward to SABRE鈥檚 contribution in Delaware鈥檚 science and technology sector.鈥�