UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Penn
State today announced that CSL Behring, a global specialty
biotherapeutics leader, has committed $4.92 million to Penn State
over the next six years to create the multidisciplinary Center of Excellence in Biotechnology, and to revitalize the Shared
Fermentation Facility, an engine for collaboration and innovation in biological training and research on the University Park campus.
Housed within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Center of Excellence in Industrial Biotechnology will serve as a
unique hub of multidisciplinary teaching and research. The Center will leverage expertise from the Eberly College of Science, and
the Colleges of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, while supporting students,
faculty and their research. Preparing and educating students to enter the dynamic, rapidly growing field of biotechnology is the
Center's primary objective and most important function.
The revitalized Shared Fermentation Facility will be located within the newly constructed Agricultural Engineering Building, a
21st Century state-of-the-art facility scheduled for completion in January 2018. The
facility will be divided into a fermentation gallery, a downstream processing area, a centrifuge, and batching and cold-space
rooms, all nestled among classrooms, conference rooms, and workshop spaces.
With this gift, Penn State will replace outdated equipment with instrumentation that closely
matches what is available in today's premier manufacturing settings, elevating Penn State's
educational and research capabilities, attracting top students and partner companies.
"We are proud that CSL Behring recognized Penn State's excellence in advancing education and
research in the fields of biotechnology and biotherapeutics," said Nick Jones, executive vice
president and provost at Penn State. "With the Center of Excellence and updated fermentation lab
working together, we can generate a pipeline of experts who will help to address health challenges worldwide, thanks to CSL's
tremendous gift."
Globally known for its leading edge R&D and production of therapeutic proteins, CSL Behring's gift will advance
Penn State and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as transformative
leaders in biotechnology education.
"These are exciting times in biotech, and Penn State's Center of Excellence will help meet the
growing need for world-class teaching and research centers," said CSL CEO and Managing Director Paul
Perreault. "At CSL we're driven by our promise to protect the health of people with rare and serious diseases around the
world. Supporting Penn State's new biotech venture is a natural outgrowth of our promise and of our
willingness to consistently foster innovation."
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by its promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients' needs by
using the latest technologies, they develop and deliver innovative therapies that are used to treat coagulation disorders,
primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders. The company's
products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the
newborn.
CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL; USOTC:CSLLY), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs nearly 20,000 people, and delivers its life-saving therapies to people in more
than 60 countries. For more information visit www.CSLBehring.com or follow CSL on www.Twitter.com/CSLBehring.
Gifts to Penn State from alumni, friends, parents and organizations are essential to the success
of the University's historic land-grant mission to serve the public good. To fulfill that mission for a new era of rapid change
and global connections, the University has begun A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence, a fast-paced
campaign focused on the three key imperatives of a public university. Support from private and publically traded companies will
keep the door to higher education open and enable students to graduate on time and on track to success; create transformative
experiences on Penn State campuses and around the globe that tap the full potential of Penn Staters
to make a difference; and impact the world through discovery, innovation, and entrepreneurship. To learn more, please visit
www.greaterpennstate.psu.edu.
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SOURCE Penn State; CSL Behring