In fall 2024, University of Pittsburgh leaders and community members gathered to celebrate a construction milestone for BioForge, a facility that promises to transform how precision biological medicines are made and to drive life sciences innovation in the region. Located on the site of a former steel mill, BioForge is intended to revolutionize the way precision medicines are manufactured, making them more affordable and accessible.
Recently, the facility has been acquiring next-gen equipment to enhance its ability to create breakthroughs and innovations. “We are not only creating a traditional laboratory for biological systems development and manufacturing, but we’re bringing the best-in-class technology in nano-3D printing,” says Kaigham (Ken) Gabriel, CEO of BioForge. “It’s 3D printing, but at a scale where we can resolve at 100 angstrom of resolution.”
Other new tools available at BioForge will enable researchers to perform cell-free DNA synthesis and efficient automated liquid handling for developing specific DNA constructs. Gabriel says that these types of technologies create opportunities to accomplish things in ways that were not available as recently as just three years ago.