University of Maryland

The University of Maryland brings to AMBIC expertise in microfluidics and microelectronics instrumentation, bioprocess optimization, process analytics, cell culture, protein glycosylation, FDA regulatory science and a unique training/demonstration facility.

Facilities and Infrastructure

AMBIC UMD infrastructure offers state of the art laboratory space and equipment housed in newly opened Clark Hall, the Jeong Kim Engineering Bldg, the Chemistry Building, and Patterson Hall on the Maryland College Park campus as well as the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research on the Shady Grove campus. Faculty laboratories and offices occupy approximately 20,000 square feet including the most advanced cell biology, bioprocessing equipment, analytics and computational resources used in mammalian cell culture biomanufacturing. Advanced cell culture bioreactors are presently equipped with sensors for dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, and continuous process data acquisition and control. AMBIC laboratories offer state-of-the art analytical instrumentation including next-generation and nanopore sequencers, confocal and fluorescence microscopes, analytical flow cytometers, HPLCs, GC-MS, Nanodrop UV-Vis spectrophotometers, ELISA plate readers, bioanalyzers, FPLC, spectroelectrochemical instruments, fluorometers, cell culture incubators, biosafety hoods, ultracentrifuges, autoclaves, electroporators, PCR machines, advanced gel electrophoresis, western blot equipment and other molecular and cell biology peripherals. In addition, a number of UMD core resources are available to all AMBIC participants. These core resources include the UMD NanoCenter which houses advanced imaging modalities including SEM, TEM, AFM, and Spectroelectrochemical AFM as well as a complete Microfabrication Suite for microdevice design and assembly. Also, the Clark School of Engineering houses 7 core laboratories for additive manufacturing, including bioprinting. The IBBR facility houses a ~6000 sq ft bioprocessing center for non-GMP production via cell culture and fermentation as well as several NMR facilities for high resolution protein structure. The university also has an Institute for Advanced Computer Science (UMIACS), the Institute for Systems Research (ISR), and the new Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices. The UMIACS and ISR are home to faculty and facilities for advanced computational analysis, data science, and a number of high performance computer systems are available on campus for data mining and bioinformatics analysis including the Maryland Advanced Research Computing Center (MARCC). Finally, AMBIC faculty collaborate on multiple research projects and serve as joint graduate thesis committee members that meet frequently to facilitate further intellectual and education exchanges that form the core of AMBIC.