The University of Iowa’s Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing (CBB) has received a $1 million grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board and said it plans to use the money to expand its existing biomanufacturing infrastructure.

Mark Arnold, the director of the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing, noted that the grant will allow for the installation of a large fermenter in one of the facilities, which will double the capacity for protein manufacturing.

“The bioeconomy in the state of Iowa is strong, and I think this is one of the steps that can be used to strengthen it further,” continued Arnold, who pointed out that the additional fermenter will help specialize in producing proteins with research or commercial value.

Center reaches out to students
In addition, the process of producing these proteins can be done at different scales and aids in producing large quantities of the specialized proteins for researchers as well as for companies in the area.

The CBB provides University of Iowa students with a variety of opportunities to understand biomanufacturing and its importance through research and internship programs.

“We help to enhance the bioeconomy through introducing students to biomanufacturing and proteins and things of this nature,” Arnold said. “So, we like to be able to catalyze that and to help those students understand what biomanufacturing is, why it’s important, and why they may want to go into that as they look for their careers.”

In the future, Arnold hopes to make the center’s facilities available to more Iowa companies, create research collaborations, and partner with Kirkwood Community College.

“[The grant] perfectly aligns with the future of the center in terms of education for both undergraduates and graduate students, as well as producing materials that can be used to make successful companies, in particular, small companies out of research groups,” according to Arnold. “We would like to help a lot of the startup companies out of these research groups get a strong foundation and actually be successful.”

Jennifer Fiegel, PhD, professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at the University of Iowa, serves as a faculty member and is on the executive board at the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing. Fiegel’s role in overseeing academic operations and supporting research allows her to observe how the grants give students and partners new experiences.

“The CBB has been a good partner in that initiative with using a lot of the resources that are already available within the state to make new things and hopefully bring new industries in,” Fiegel said.

She believes the new grant has major potential to enhance industrial capabilities in the state of Iowa.

“The new grant is providing funding for a fermenter, which is kind of like doubling the capacity for pilot scale fermentation at the center, and so the ability clearly expands their own capacity in their work with industry,” explained Fiegel. “But it’s also exciting for those of us who have projects going on that can utilize some of that capacity building.”

Source: https://www.genengnews.com/topics/bioprocessing/university-of-iowas-center-for-biocatalysis-and-bioprocessing-receives-1-million-grant/