Biopharmaceutical company invests in Penn State facility

Sartorius Stedim Biotech, a French-based biopharmaceutical industry partner that helps customers manufacture biotech medications, recently invested $1.5 million to Penn State University to create the Sartorius Cell Culture Facility.

Cell culture is a technique for studying the normal physiology and biochemistry of cells.

The facility will be open to academic and corporate researchers, Penn State researchers, and students to develop diagnostic tests and treatments and other biotechnology advancements. It will be part of the Center of Excellence in Industrial Biotechnology and provide undergraduate, graduate students and corporate employees with hands-on experience.

“This donation from Sartorius is a tremendous investment in biotechnology at Penn State and a huge step forward in our organizations’ partnership,” Lora G. Weis, senior vice president for research at Penn State, said. “Across our University’s $1 billion research enterprise, few areas have as much potential for widespread impact as biotechnology. Sartorius is helping to ensure that Penn State remains a leader in this field, not just by conducting groundbreaking research but also in preparing our graduates to become leaders themselves. We are deeply grateful to Sartorius for their generosity and vision.”

The facility will open during the first quarter on the University Park campus.

Sartorius also donated in 2018, providing state-of-the-art fermentation technologies.