UMass Medical School and GE Healthcare Life Sciences will open a new facility next year to manufacture material used in preclinical research.
The Worcester school and Marlborough firm announced the partnership Monday, saying the facility will help cut down on a backlog due to a lack of facilities able to manufacture large scale viral vectors, which deliver genetic material into cells in gene therapy. That wait can extend to 12 to 24 months for researchers to secure enough vector for their research, they said.
Researchers will have access to GE Healthcare’s processing equipment and the assistance of professional staff at the facility helping to get their research to the clinic faster.
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The 3,220-square-foot facility will be built on the medical school’s campus and open in 2020, and be managed by four to six professional staff.
The facility will be the latest at UMass Medical School in which it provides research space and equipment to outside clients, including other academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies and biotech startups. Revenue from those uses generate around $24 million a year, according to the school.
