Uconn Health Center Stem Cell and Genome Building Dedication

Farmington, CT – State Senator Toni Boucher joined Uconn President Phil Austin and Governor Dannel Malloy today in the dedication of Uconn Health Centers Stem Cell and Genome Building.

Senator Toni Boucher said, “Jobs and job growth is currently Connecticut’s number one concern. As other sectors of Connecticut’s economy lose ground, there is great hope for its "knowledge" economy.”

At Monday’s dedication, Senator Boucher ranking member of the higher education committee acknowledged having academic and industry chemists, physicists, geneticists, biologists, mathematicians, and computer scientists all under one roof will promote research and the transfer of new technology to private and public healthcare sectors.

This idea has been working around the nation in top technology and life science corridors such as Boston, Washington DC, Raleigh Durham, and several locations in Texas and California.

The new institute is housed inside a $50 million building that is 117,000-square-foot and equipped with the latest technologies for studying stem cells and their genomes. Research and development lab space is already available for emerging bio-tech businesses.

“Connecticut’s world class public and private Universities should be encouraged and supported to help move our state to a leadership position in this new growth field,” said Senator Boucher. “Investments in the life sciences create jobs, improve patient care and could help our state regain its economic health."

The University of Connecticut’s stem cell program is a cross-campus enterprise, involving researchers and laboratories at the Center for Regenerative Biology, on the Storrs campus, and at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. On both campuses, research teams are unlocking the secrets of stem cells in modern, state-of-the-art facilities.