BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A group of top researchers today announced the launch of the VTT/MSI Center for Bioengineering, focused on basic and applied research for engineering cells and molecules. The Center is located in Berkeley, California.
The VTT/MSI Center for Bioengineering will include international, collaborative research projects between researchers at the Molecular Sciences Institute (MSI) of Berkeley, California and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
Key research goals for the VTT/MSI Center for Bioengineering are to improve the production of bio-based chemicals and proteins in industrial microbes, and to develop novel quantitative tools for the detection of toxins, chemicals and biological markers or agents of disease. The Center will focus on both basic scientific research and applied research in bioengineering; immediate projects include a novel method for detecting prostate cancer and improved processes for the production of acids in industrial yeast.
“Berkeley is the internationally recognized hub for synthetic biology and the Bay Area is the home of biotechnology,” said Erkki Leppävuori, President & CEO of VTT. “In this unique collaboration we can build upon basic research to create new applications and technologies and help them enter into the global public domain in the form of scalable solutions that improve the quality of life and deliver environmentally sustainable practices.”
As a nonprofit charitable organization, the VTT/MSI Molecular Sciences Institute also heralds a new model for funding basic scientific research.
“Our Center addresses the challenges of engineering biological systems to create significant advances in human health, agriculture and the environment,” said Orna Resnekov, Director of the Institute and the Center for Bioengineering. “And at a time when public monies are contracted, we are proud to have created a sustainable system for funding basic research. And in doing so, the Institute is able to continue its productive relationships with Bay Area academic, nonprofit and commercial institutions and remain a place where exceptional junior researchers can launch their careers.”
About VTT/MSI Molecular Sciences Institute
The Molecular Sciences Institute (MSI) was founded by Nobel-prize winner Sydney Brenner as an independent, nonprofit research institute. In 2011 the Institute was re-named VTT/MSI Molecular Science Institute and today specializes in understanding the quantitative behavior of biological systems. The laboratory is located in Berkeley, California and is a 501(c)(3) organization.
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is a European, globally networked, multi-technological contract research organization that provides high-end technology solutions and innovations.